2021 / 2022 SEASON
Hudson Theatre Works is back live in October starting with the premiere of "Bunnies," by New Jersey playwright, Joanne Hoersch. It's a new play about 5 Playboy bunnies in 1973, working at the New York Playboy Club, who find themselves uplifted by the rise of feminism, haunted by the Good Bar murder and conflicted about their jobs as sex symbols, while they bond in humor and compassion over the course of one evening. After that we will present a live run of "Elliot & Me," which we shot and streamed during the pandemic. Then to our O'Neill festival, which will include the rarely performed "Desire Under the Elms, along with "Hughie." The season concludes with "Curse of the Starving Class," by Sam Shepard. We will continue to present our PlayWorks series of new play readings and our annual 10 Minute Festival.
BUNNIES BY JOANNE HOERSCH
October 7 to 24
The world premiere of Bunnies by New Jersey playwright, Joanne Hoersch. In 1973, at the New York Playboy Club, five Playboy Bunnies find themselves uplifted by the rise of feminism, haunted by the Good Bar murder and conflicted about their jobs as sex symbols, while they bond in humor and compassion over the course of one evening.
ELLIOT & ME - BOOK BY SCOTT COULTER & STEVEN S. WILLENSKY & MUSIC BY ELLIOT A. WILLENSKY
December 2 to 12
Elliot & Me is a musical comedy based on the lives of songwriter Elliot Willensky and his younger brother Steven.
Elliot and Steven both reflect on the volatile ups and downs of their shared experiences: from their raucous “wonder years” growing up in Bayonne, NJ; to the painful conflict when Elliot defies the expectations of his traditional middle-class Jewish family and drops out of medical school to write pop songs; to Elliot’s rise to stardom writing hits for Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston and Steven’s starry-eyed admiration for his Hollywood lifestyle; and eventually to their role reversals when Elliot’s career hits a few bumps in the road and he needs to rely on Steven for help. Elliot & Me is filled with humor, colorful personalities, unexpected situations, and uplifting musical moments.
DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS BY EUGENE O’NEILL
February 9 to 27
Eugene O’Neill’s masterpiece of erotic desire takes a Greek tragedy and sets it on an American Gothic farmstead. The son can see that his father’s new young wife plans to push him out. His passionate hatred for her is only matched by hers for him. Blinded by passion, they are set on a collision course. But the rest of the world is not blind.
HUGHIE BY EUGENE O’NEILL
February 9 to 27
In Hughie, "high-rolling gambler Erie and Hughie, the credulous night clerk at a single-occupancy hotel, were confidants. Hughie admired Erie for his bold lifestyle and Erie considered Hughie his good luck charm. When Hughie dies unexpectedly, Erie's luck changes for the worse and he finds himself in dire straits. Then Erie meets the new night clerk who reminds him enough of Hughie that he takes the gamble that his luck is about to change.”
CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS
Curse of the Starving Class honors Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard, who passed away in 2017. Living a stagnant, unhappy existence in rural California, the struggling Tate family is desperate for change, but every family member has a different way of trying to improve their station in life.
LITTLE RED AND THE HOODS BY KAREN BOETTCHER-TATE
A delightful retelling of Little Red Riding Hood told as modern lessons for today's children. A theatre group loses all of their costumes, props & scenery. But they realize the audience is waiting for them so the show must go on! They decide to present a slightly different version of well-known story. Little Red is bringing cookies to her Granny when she meets Harry Wolf. He works for the notorious gang leader Ma Sugar Lump who wants to steal the cookie recipe so she can bake them on her own, sell them and get rich! Happily, the plot fails. This humorous twist on the famous story teaches young audiences to not judging others by their looks, how to protect themselves from strangers, and the importance of reading. It is fun and educational.
