The Confession of Lily Dare

We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our 35th anniversary than by presenting the newest work from one of our most frequent collaborators, legendary master of theatrical parody Charles Busch (best known to Primary Stages audiences from our productions of The Tribute Artist, Olive and the Bitter Herbs, and You Should Be So Lucky). Busch’s newest play, The Confession of Lily Dare, tells the story of one woman’s tumultuous passage from convent girl to glittering cabaret chanteuse to infamous madame of a string of brothels—all while hiding her undying devotion to the child she was forced to abandon. Directed by Busch’s long-time colleague Carl Andress (The Tribute Artist, The Divine Sister), this comic melodrama celebrates the gauzy “confession film” tearjerkers of early 1930s pre-code cinema, such as The Sin of Madelon Claudet, Frisco Jenny, and Madame X.