 | "The People Next Door" stars (from left) Manu Narayan, James Miles, Christopher Innvar and Marcia Jean Kurtz. |
"The People Next Door," a black comedy about the unlikely family bonds created in the back alleys of the war on terror, will be the next offering in the Yale Repertory Theatre's 40th anniversary season.
Evan Yionoulis will direct the work by Henry Adams, which will be staged Jan. 13-Feb. 4 at the Yale Rep, 1120 Chapel St. at York.
The central character in "The People Next Door" is Nigel, who doesn't handle stress very well. While the rest of Britain races around in a post-9/11 panic, he takes refuge in his flat with his video games, his disability checks and his reefer -- always under the suspicious eye of his nosy neighbor, "Mrs. Mac." When a deranged cop decides to enlist him in a covert counter-terrorism operation, Nigel's life is thrown into high gear.
A hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and lauded throughout Europe, "The People Next Door" is making its American premiere at the Yale Rep.
The cast for "The People Next Door" features Christopher Innvar as Phil, Marcia Jean Kurtz as Mrs. McCallum, James Miles as Marco and Manu Narayan as Nigel. Innvar appeared on Broadway as Inspector Javert in the 10th-anniversary production of "Les Miserables" and in the original cast of "Victor/Victoria," as well as numerous regional theater, film and television productions. Kurtz, a two-time Obie Award winner ("When She Danced" and "The Lohman Family Picnic") as well as a director and screenwriter, is appearing in three films this season: "In Her Shoes," "Find Me Guilty" and "The Inside Man." Miles, who was most recently seen as Brice Jr. in "Stockholm Brooklyn" at The Public Theater, also has television and commercial credits and is an improvisation instructor who has taught at several inner-city schools in New York City.
Playwright Adam's first full-length play for the Traverse Theatre, "Among Broken Hearts," transferred to The Bush Theatre, London, in May 2001 after successful runs in Edinburgh and the Highlands, and was joint winner of the 2002 Meyer Whitworth Award. His previous plays include "An Clo Mor," "Millennium -- Angels of Paris," "The Widow" and "The Abattoir" (winner of the Mobil Scottish Playwriting Conference).
Yionoulis is a resident director at the Yale Rep and an associate professor in the School of Drama's Department of Acting (which she chaired 1998-2003). Her recent Rep productions include "The King Stag," George F. Walker's "Heaven" and Brecht's "Galileo." She directed Richard Greenberg's "The Violet Hour" on Broadway, "Everett Beekin" at the Lincoln Center Theatre and "Three Days of Rain" at the Manhattan Theatre Club (winning an Obie Award for direction), having directed the premieres of all three at South Coast Repertory. This season, she directed Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing" at Boston's Huntington Theatre. She adapted Euripides' "Medea" with composer Mike Yionoulis and collaborated with him on "Flights of Angels," a music theater piece based on Shakespeare's "Hamlet." They recently completed their first short film, "Lost and Found."
"The People Next Door" features scenic design by Kanae Heike, costume design by Kate Cusack, lighting design by Cat Tate and sound design and original music by Sharath Patel. The creative team also includes Stephen Gabis (dialect coach), Rick Sordelet (fight director), Carla Mastraccio (dramaturg) and Shawn Senavinin (stage manager).
Performances are at 8 p.m. nightly Tuesday-Saturday, with a Monday evening performance on Jan. 16. There will be 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays, Jan. 21 and 28 and Feb. 4, and on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
The Yale Rep will offer the following special events during the run of "The People Next Door" at no additional cost: "First Friday" on Jan. 13, a pre-show presentation by members of the creative team with complimentary pizza and soft drinks courtesy of BAR; "Grad Night" on Saturday, Jan. 14, a pre-show discussion with members of the creative team as well as complimentary beer, wine and appetizers for graduate students; "Opening Night" on Thursday, Jan. 19, with a celebration following the performance at an area restaurant; "Talk Back," post-show question-and-answer session with the cast and crew following the matinee performances on Saturday, Jan. 21 and Jan. 28, and on Friday evening, Jan. 27; "Senior Reception" at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, a pre-show reception with members of the creative team featuring refreshments courtesy of Atticus Café. In addition, there will be open-captioned performances of "The People Next Door" on Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. and an audio-described performance on Feb. 4 at 2 p.m.
Tickets for "The People Next Door" are $30-$50; senior, student and group rates are also available. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Yale Rep box office, 1120 Chapel St. (at York); by phone at (203) 432-1234; and online at www.yalerep.org.
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