Poetry Is presents
PLATH/HUGHES
Book and Songs by Robert Eric Shoemaker
Music by Abigail Pershing & Nikolai Maximay
Directed by Nicky Maggio
Starring Alexandra Merritt Mathews as Sylvia Plath
& Justin Krivda as Ted Hughes
TWO WEEK ENGAGEMENT opening June 18 at Teatro LATEA
PLATH/HUGHES is a jazzy duet musical that follows two of the greatest poets that ever lived, Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, as they build their life together and their careers in poetry. It discusses the dynamic of their relationship, what they could have been like off the page, and the love, beauty, and discord of their partnership.
Based on interviews with friends and family of the poets, biographies, and their own words, PLATH/HUGHES gets as close to the bell jar as any dramatic interpretation has so far dared.
Recommended by Chicago Critic
Recommended by Chicago Stage Standard
Selected critical quotes on PLATH/HUGHES:
“amazingly effective at creating an intimate, erotic, but tense atmosphere” “Hopefully, this is a work that will continue to have a long life after its remaining CMTF performance.” - Chicago Critic
“Unencumbered by a strict timeline, the essence of their seven-year, bittersweet relationship dazzles from start to finish. It’s smart storytelling.” “Mr. Shoemaker’s lyrics, often extracted from Plath and Hughes’ poetry, are dense, imagistic, jarring. The music’s idiosyncrasies exemplify how impenetrably personal one couple’s relationship can be to outsiders. Yet no matter how complex they get, the songs never lose their vitality.” – Chicago Stage Standard
Production team includes Robert Eric Shoemaker (Producer, Writer, Artistic Director), Brett Pepowski (Stage Manager), Nicky Maggio (Director), Alexandra Merritt-Mathews (PLATH), Justin Krivda (HUGHES), and Kathleen Qiu (Marketing and PR).
Poetry Is Productions has produced PLATH/HUGHES previously in Chicago, as well as BERNARDA ALBA AND HER HOUSE, both acclaimed for their originality and execution. This spring’s production of WILDE’S SALOMÉ was favored for its innovative staging of the touchy subject of gender and sexuality. The Poetry Is Theatre festival featuring PHAEDRA, RELEASED. and MEDEA showcased a unique collaboration between poets and leading Chicago artists in an outdoor picnic setting.
Press opening for PLATH/HUGHES is June 18 at 7:00 pm at
Teatro LATEA @ The Clemente Center, 107 Suffolk S., New York, NY 10002; www. teatrolatea.org.
Performances run June 18, 19, 24, 25, and 26 at 7 PM.
