For Immediate Release

Contact: Ron Lasko @ 212-505-1700 x. 11, ron@spincyclenyc.com

Susan Jeremy Tackles Gay Marriage & Immigration in

BRAZIL NUTS

May 7 - 23 at La MaMa E.T.C.

“Great ideas, great writing and intensely personal characters... A stand-out of the 2009 theatre season.” -- The Montreal Mirror

“Jeremy's brilliant, protean acting style drives a script that is not only funny, but also a poignant look at the class system in American culture... unforgettable characters, spot-on direction and a sensitivity that grows more acute with each roaring laugh.” -- The Hour (Montreal)

“Jeremy is a gifted comedian. She packs a lot of story, a barrage of laugh lines,

and a lineup of wacky characters into her shows. Brazil Nuts is no exception” -- The Gazette (Montreal)

La MaMa E.T.C., in association with Watson Arts, presents the New York Premiere of BRAZIL NUTS. Susan Jeremy plays all the parts in this new comedy about gay marriage and immigrant rights, co-written and directed by Mary Fulham. Previews begin May 7th with opening night set for May 9th.

In BRAZIL NUTS, two lesbians walk into a bar. One of them marries a go-go boy. All three get drop-kicked into the Bermuda triangle of U.S. Immigration. This new comedy details the experiences of Fabiana, a Brazilian and die-hard soccer fan who over-stayed her student visa; Jackie, her girlfriend who works as a dog-walker, office temp, and cater-waiter when she’s not writing her thesis – Third World Atrocities Today (T.W.A.T.); and Ron, Fabiana’s well-endowed go-go boy husband — a decent guy for a complete narcissist.

The production team includes Jim Boutin (sets), Ramona Ponce (costumes), Tim Schellenbaum (sound), Livia Stevenson (music editor), XXX (lighting).

Susan Jeremy’s previous shows include P.S. 69 and Was That My 15 Minutes?, both of which won the Montreal Just for Laughs Prize in 2000 and 1998 respectively. P.S. 69  has toured in the USA and was a smash hit at the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe Fest. Her show Moving in Reverse (2005) received 5 stars from the Montreal Hour, who called it “Just f**king great.” The Village Voice described her as “Effervescent!…an endlessly inventive shape-shifter!” and Talkin’ Broadway raved, “Amazing…with a waggle of her finger, a crane of her neck, or a slight turn of the head, Jeremy instantly changes her age, sex, and even skin color!”  BRAZIL NUTS made its world premiere at the 2009 Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and made its US debut in Provincetown last October. And, yes, she does have a Brazilian girlfriend who likes soccer.

Mary Fulham is the Artistic Director of Watson Arts, a resident company of La MaMa E.T.C. Mary’s play, Devotion, received the MECCA (Montreal English Critics Circle) Award in 2003 for Best Visiting Production. She co-wrote and directed Susan Jeremy’s P.S. 69 and Was that My 15 Minutes? as well as Moving In Reverse. Watson Arts has also presented acclaimed productions in NYC: Hercules in High Suburbia, NYC Fringe Overall Excellence Award for Best Score, Balletto Stiletto, a 2006 Innovative Theatre Award Nominee for Outstanding Performance Art Production, and Trophy Wife, a musical based on a Chekhov short story that was nominated for three Innovative Theatre Awards in 2007.  Her most recent work, Coming, Aphrodite!, premiered in February 2009 at La MaMa E.T.C. to rave reviews. For more info, please visit www.watsonarts.org

BRAZIL NUTS runs May 7 - 23, Friday & Saturday at 10:00 pm and Sunday at 5:30 pm. Bar opens 30 minutes before showtime. La MaMa E.T.C. is located at 74A East 4th Street (between 2nd & 3rd Aves -- accessible from the F train at 2nd Ave). Tickets are $18, $13 for students/seniors, available at 212-475-7710 or www.lamama.org.

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digital images available by request

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Ron Lasko

Spin Cycle PR

114 E. First St #8

New York NY 10009

212-505-1700 x. 11

What the critics say about Brazil Nuts starring Susan Jeremy....

images/nutssj.jpgMontreal Gazette Top Ten Picks! Montreal Mirror Pick!

Read Susan's interview with the Hour's Richard Burnett

The Montreal Hour review! 4 Stars

...Jeremy is a gifted comedienne. She packs a lot of story, a barrage of laugh lines, and a lineup of wacky characters into her shows. Brazil nuts is no exception.

This is a world premiere. And Jeremy, a New Yorker who hasn't played the Montreal Fringe Festival since 2005, is in top form. So get your weekend tickets in advance." -The Montreal Gazette! read Pat Donelly's rave

 

"...Playing multiple characters in this fast paced no holes barred gem of storytelling is Jeremy's forte. Co-written with Mary Fulham it is stacked full of laughs and physical comedy. From pooches called: Britney, Paris and Madonna to a male stripper, a Brazilian lover and what might be a little of Jeremy herself as the character Jackie, among other supporting voices, she is at the top of her game and scores another hit." - Montreal Blogger Dee Arr goes Nuts!

 

...Susan Jeremy shone under Mary Fulham’s direction in the piece they co-wrote, Brazil Nuts, about a gay New York gal who arranges a sham hetero marriage for her Brazilian lover so they can stay together. To stick it to the Man even more, the dude in question is a gay cowboy go-go dancer (with a “nine-inch johnson”). Jeremy played all parts with gusto—Fabiana, Jackie, Ron, a cat, a vacuum cleaner, even an asthmatic pug. Jeremy’s so comfortable on stage, she’ll take a sloppy sound cue and improv it into the story (“Can we keep the music on longer? I just started dancing!”). Beautiful. - Montreal Mirror review

 

...Susan Jeremy is fun to watch and is occasionally hilarious — her portrayal of Brazilian Fabiana is especially mesmerizing! ... elements that evoke moments of absurd joy! - Toronto EYE WEEKLY review

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- JANUARY 5, 2010

Press contact:  Sam Rudy Media Relations 212 221 8466

 

DOG AND WOLF

a new play by Catherine Filloux

(“Lemkin’s House,” “Killing the Boss”)

to be given world-premiere production

starting February 5, 2010 at 59E59 Theaters

 

DOG AND WOLF – a new play by Catherine Filloux about the unlikely relationship between a political refugee in the U.S. and the American lawyer who wants to win asylum for her  – will be given its world-premiere with previews beginning February 5, 2010 prior to its official press opening February 9 Off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer), located at 59 E. 59 St., between Park and Madison Avenues in Manhattan.  Directed by Jean Randich, DOG AND WOLF is presented by Watson Arts.

 

In DOG AND WOLF, when refugee Jasmina -- an enigmatic woman traumatized by the death of family and the experience of mass graves -- suddenly disappears, her wheelchair-bound attorney Joseph travels to Eastern Europe to track her down.  With its underpinnings of psychological and political intrigue, DOG AND WOLF poses the question, “How can you live your life in fear?” The play draws its title from the French expression, “Entre chien et loup,” which describes that time before night, when the light is so dim one can’t tell a dog from a wolf.

 

Featured in the cast of DOG AND WOLF are Nadia Bowers, John Daggett and Dale Soules.

 

DOG AND WOLF is Ms. Filloux’s newest play about human rights and genocide, subjects she has been addressing on stage as a strong advocate for social justice for 20 years, having worked in Bosnia, Morocco and Cambodia.  Her play LEMKIN’S HOUSE concerns Raphael Lemkin, the Polish lawyer who invented the word "genocide" and dedicated his life to having it declared an international crime.  LEMKIN’S HOUSE debuted at 78th Street Theatre Lab and was re-mounted by popular demand Off-Broadway at McGinn-Cazale Theatre.  Ms. Filloux’s play EYES OF THE HEART – set in Cambodia amidst the reign of genocidal terror under Khmer Rouge – debuted Off-Broadway in 2004 in a production by National Asian American Theatre Company.  As well, she is the author of KILLING THE BOSS, again set in a country with a history of social injustice, which debuted at Cherry Lane Theatre.  Her numerous other works include, THE BEAUTY INSIDE, book and lyrics for WHERE ELEPHANTS WEEP, and libretto for THE FLOATING BOX:  A STORY IN CHINATOWN. 

 

Director Jean Randich marks her fifth collaboration with Ms. Filloux with DOG AND WOLF.  New York credits include LEAH’S TRAIN by Karen Hartman (NAATCO); KILLING THE BOSS, THE CONSTANT COUPLE by George Farquhar, (Pearl Theatre); THE DISPUTE by Marivaux, (NAATCO); LEMKIN’S HOUSE, COMMEDIA DELL SMARTASS by Sonya Sobieski (New Georges); ANTIGONE by Sophocles, (NAATCO); THE FLOATING BOX, an opera by Hwang/ Filloux (Asia Society); DRAWN TO DEATH by Art Spiegelman and Phillip Johnston (St. Ann’s, NYC); Karen Hartman’s GIRLS UNDER GRAIN (Winner: Best Drama, NY International Fringe Festival 2000); HE WHO SAYS YES, HE WHO SAYS NO (NAATCO); THE GOLDEN DOOR (Tenement Theater, NYC); J.P. MORGAN SAVES THE NATION by Jeff Jones and Jonathan Larson, (En Garde Arts).

 

Nadia Bowers has appeared on Broadway in THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION, DOUBT, METAMORPHOSES. NYC:  JULIUS CAESAR (NYSF); ROMANIA, KISS ME!; NOT WAVING, EYES OF THE HEART and others. 

 

John Daggett’s credits Off-Broadway include KILLING THE BOSS, LEMKIN’S HOUSE, TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON,  Pan Asian Rep; ROME and PORTRAIT OF A PRESIDENT,  FringeNYC; AN ARTIST’S LIFE, Dawn Powell Festival; and THE WITCHES OF TRIPTYCH, Idle Hands (OOBR Award). 

 

Dale Soules made her Broadway debut in the landmark musical HAIR.  Other Broadway includes WHOSE LIFE IS IT ANYWAY?, THE MAGIC SHOW, Richard Eyre’s  THE CRUCIBLE and most recently covering and playing Edith Bouvier Beale in GREY GARDENS. 

 

DOG AND WOLF producer MARY FULHAM is the Artistic Director of Watson Arts, a resident company of La MaMa E.T.C. that develops and presents theater with a particular emphasis on women. She has produced, written and directed several award-winning play productions for Watson Arts: WAS THAT MY 15 MINUTES? And P.S. 69, both of which won the Montreal Fringe’s Just For Laughs Award; DEVOTION (Montreal English Critics Circle Award); and HERCULES IN HIGH SUBURBIA, NYC Fringe Overall Excellence Award for Best Score. Watson Arts’ productions BALLETTO STILETTO, TROPHY WIFE and COMING, APHRODITE were nominated for multiple Innovative Theatre Awards. Off-Broadway she produced Warren Leight’s play NO FOREIGNERS BEYOND THIS POINT with Ma-Yi Theatre Company.  

 

The Drama Desk Award-winning 59E59 Theaters is the number one Off Broadway destination in New York City. Nestled just around the corner from the famous Delmonico Hotel (now the Trump Park Avenue), 59E59 Theaters is a spectacular modern theater complex with three stages and a lively bar on the mezzanine level. Owned and operated by the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation, a not-for profit foundation, 59E59 Theaters brings new, innovative and invigorating work to East Side audiences. 59E59 Theaters presents Off Broadway productions by not-for-profit companies from across the United States and around the world, including an annual festival of new British theater called Brits Off Broadway and a preview of shows going to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe called East to Edinburgh.

 

DOG AND WOLF has scenic and video design by Anna Kiraly, lighting design by Michael Chybowski, costume design by Alixa Gage Englund, and  sound design by Robert Murphy.

 

Scheduled through February 21, DOG AND WOLF will perform Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30, and Sundays at 3:30 with an added matinee on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 2:30.  Tickets are $18 ($12.60 for 59E59 Members) and can be reserved by calling Ticket Central at 212 279 4200 or online at www.ticketcentral.com. For more information, visit www.59e59.org.

 

 

 

 COMING SOON!

BRAZIL NUTS

starring

Susan Jeremy

(P.S.69; Was That My 15 Minutes?)

to make its New York Premiere

starting April 30, 2010 at La MaMa E.T.C.