simply new theatre, inc. & rarely done productions
invite you to a special benefit reading of
AS IS
a play by William Hoffman
with
Stephfond Brunson - Binaifer Dabu - Noel Frodelius
Moe Harrington - Garritt Heater - William Mabe
Bill Molesky - Michael O'Neill - Aubry Ludington Panek
Judy Schmid - Robb Sharpe -Scott Shaw
Shannon Tompkins - & Dan Tursi
Saturday, March 1st 8pm @ jazz central
admission is free
(donations will be taken at the end of the evening with proceeds to benefit simply new theatre)
LIMITED SEATING
For reservations please call rarely done productions' box office at 546.3224
There are only 60 seats in the house –
the first to call will have seats held until 7:45,
after that seats will be filled to any waiting patrons...
please leave your name, the number of tickets you would like held and your phone number and someone will call you to confirm.
Winner of the Obie and Drama Desk Awards, this powerful, deeply affecting play was originally presented Off-Broadway by the Circle Repertory Company, and then transferred to Broadway where it was nominated for a Tony Award.
Dealing with the AIDS crisis in the homosexual community, the play blends humor, poignance and brilliant theatricality as it details the bravery and compassion with which two men face the shattering revelation that one of them is affected with the dreaded, and fatal, disease.
"A wonderful and frightening play…" —NY Post.
THE STORY: Rich, a writer who is beginning to find success, is breaking up with his longtime lover, Saul, a professional photographer. The split is particularly difficult for Saul, who still loves Rich deeply, but the mood is one of bantering and ironic humor as they divide their belongings. However Rich's idyll with his new lover is short-lived when he learns that he has AIDS and returns to the goodhearted Saul for sanctuary as he awaits its slow and awful progress. Thereafter the action is comprised of a mosaic of brilliantly conceived short scenes, some profoundly moving, some brightly humorous, which capture the pathos of Rich's relationship with friends and family; the cold impersonality of the doctors and nurses who care for him; and the widely diverse aspects of New York's gay community—for which Rich's plight is a chilling reminder of their own peril. In the end the effect of the play is emotionally overwhelming—an honest and unsparing examination of a deeply felt human relationship shattered by a mindless, destructive force which cannot be tempered or turned aside.