Screen stars Aubrey Plaza (The White Lotus) and Christopher Abbott (Girls) are going to portray the lead roles in the Off-Broadway revival of John Patrick Shanley’s Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. With a limited ten-weeks run, it will begin performances on Monday, October 30, 2023 ahead of an opening night on Monday, November 13 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.
Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott will star in Jeff Ward’s off Broadway revival of John Patrick Shanley’s 1984 classic ‘Danny and the Deep Blue Sea’ this fall. pic.twitter.com/WhGzEkE9Fl
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) July 26, 2023
Premiered Off Broadway in 1984, with June Stein as Roberta and John Turturro in the role of Danny, the play centers around two troubled and desperate strangers that meet in a bar, and start a conversation inevitably leading its way to redefine the meaning of love. Directed by Jeff Ward in his stage directorial debut, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea is written by John Patrick Shanley who won Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award with his play, Doubt: A Parable, which was also adapted to the screen by himself and earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The 2023 Off-Broadway revival of the play is going to mark Aubrey Plaza’s stage debut. She uncovered her excitement about the role to Vulture: “Since this is my first time on the stage, I wanted to make sure I am in good hands and I know I will be with Chris.”
“I think we’re both perfect for these roles and it feels like a good time to bring back this classic. I’m terrified to make my stage debut but that’s a good place to start. I’m excited too. I just want to act,” she revealed.
Plaza will appear opposite Christopher Abbott whose stage credit includes a 2011 Broadway revival of John Guare’s The House of Blue Leaves.
The production belongs to Sam Rockwell via his and Mark Berger’s Play Hooky Productions, along with Seaview, Sue Wagner, and John Johnson, by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Theatre.
Rockwell said in a statement: “My life and career have been profoundly impacted by Off-Broadway theater — like John Malkovich and Gary Sinise in True West at the Cherry Lane; Stanley Tucci in Scapin at Classic Stage Company; Phil Hoffman and Justin Theroux in Shopping and Fucking at New York Theatre Workshop; and Blasted with Reed Birney and Marin Ireland at Soho Rep, to name a few.”
“I really do believe it’s the beating heart of this city. I couldn’t be prouder to be downtown at the Lucille Lortel with this vital play,” he concluded.
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea features scenic design by Scott Pask, lighting design by John Torres, costume design by Arianne Phillips, and sound design by Kate Marvin. Movement is by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber.
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