Raucous musical comedy brings bathroom stall grafitti -- and other toilet humor -- to life.
June 22 - July 10 at Theater Row
Theatre Row Theatres will host the World Premiere of HERE I SIT, BROKEN HEARTED… A BATHROOM ODYSSEY, a musical comedy written and directed by Seth Panitch. This irreverent production reunites the artistic team that produced the hit Off-Broadway productions Alcestis Ascending at Theatre Row (with the National Theatre of Cuba) and Hell: Paradise Found at the 59E59 Theatres. Previews begin June 22 at Off-Broadway's Samuel Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row. Press opening is slated for Sunday, June 26.
HERE I SIT, BROKEN HEARTED… A BATHROOM ODYSSEY comically chronicles one man’s quest to discover the meaning behind one of the most enduring forms of communal communication: the prolific, occasionally pious, and perpetually profane verses etched bathroom stalls. Interspersed with lavatory experiences that the viewer might find either eerily familiar, or just plain eerie, HERE I SIT, BROKEN HEARTED… breathes life into those elegant epistles, bringing recognizable favorites from Kilroy to Phallus Man to life. Through story, song, and the occasional flatulence, the “Celebrants” (four actors who play a myriad of graffiti manifestations) propel the audience through this scatological journey.
Raphael Crystal (Kuni-Leml, NY Outer Critics Circle Award) joins the production as composer, adapting a score of recognizable classic favorites, while Mr. Panitch supplies lyrics both playful and profane. The production stars Chip Persons (Andrei Serban's Richard III at La Mama), Ian Anderson (Resident Artist with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival), and Matt Lewis (Sleepy Hollow on Fox-TV).
Seth Panitch’s most recent production Off Broadway was Alcestis Ascending, co- produced by the National Theatre of Cuba at the Harold Clurman Theatre in 2013. After its successful Off Broadway run, the production was chosen as the premiere production at the grand opening of the Raquel Revuelta Theatre in Havana, Cuba. Jon Sobel of BC Blogcritics raved “Panitch and his creative team bring us a whole new theatrical dimension…it revels in florid passion.” The New York Times called his previous Off Broadway production of Hell: Paradise Found “simultaneously nutty and witty, with a philosophical message that never gets in the way of the laughs,” and Backstage called it “wickedly funny… Panitch’s screwball metaphysical comedy has an undeniable huckster charm.” Seth has worked as a director in Havana, Cuba (becoming the first American to direct a professional production through the Ministry of Culture), in multiple Off Broadway venues in New York, Los Angeles and regionally at the Colorado and Texas Shakespeare Festivals. His New York directing credits include the aforementioned Alcestis Ascending, Hell: Paradise Found, and Dammit, Shakespeare! at Urban Stages. He has 3 official Commendations for Directing from the Ministry of Culture in Havana, Cuba.
HERE I SIT, BROKEN HEARTED… A BATHROOM ODYSSEY runs June 22 - July 10; Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3pm. The Samuel Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row is located at 410 West 42nd Street at 9th Avenue in Manhattan. Tickets are $18 at 212-239-6200 or www.TeleCharge.com.