An MCC Virtual TV Event: A Benefit Play-Reading of the Show That Launched MCC in 1987
FEATURING MARISA TOMEI, OSCAR ISAAC, AND PATRICK BREEN
How do we sustain the human spirit, hope and love in the face of a plague? We’ve been here before, in history and on the MCC stage. In 1987, Alan Bowne’s Beirut launched MCC Theater’s one-act festival. A play to remember, and one that is as relevant today as ever. Set in a dingy Lower East Side apartment in the 1980s, Beirut follows the story of Torch (played by Oscar Isaac), a young man who is in quarantine after testing positive to a nameless disease. His girlfriend (Marisa Tomei, reprising her award-winning role from 1987), refuses to leave him isolating alone. It’s raunchy, it’s real, it’s poetic; and it reminds us of the power of stories, and their role in fostering hope, solidarity and documentation of extraordinary times.
PRESENTED VIRTUALLY
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All ticket buyers will be sent a link to access the event one hour before the event commences. This event is live, and will not be available to watch after the play reading finishes.
“A few weeks ago, as our shared experience of the new “normal” sunk in, isolated from loved ones, I couldn’t stop thinking about Alan Bowne’s moving and prescient play, Beirut. Creating the role of Blue in 1987 for MCC’s one-act festival was an experience that I’ve long treasured at a time that felt like both MCC and I were both ‘being born’. When I reached out to MCC to connect over the somewhat prophetic nature of the play, the discussion sparked ideas, and this reading was born. I’m thrilled to revisit this piece, which was such an important part of both mine and MCC’s formative years, and to work alongside this theater company in these difficult times.” – Marisa Tomei
“Alan Bowne’s Beirut is the play that launched MCC in 1987. When Marisa approached us with the idea of a reprisal of the work for a pandemic benefit reading, we were thrilled to receive the perfectly timed suggestion. Beirut’s focus on love during a plague reminds us of the power of stories, and the enduring nature of the human spirit. As we push to embrace a digital version of an art form we cherish so dearly, a live internet televised reading of the visceral and topical Beirut emerged as an obvious choice to launch MCC Theater’s digital programming offer.” – MCC Co-Artistic Director Bernie Telsey
$25
The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space
When: Tue., Apr. 28, 2020 at 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
FEATURING MARISA TOMEI, OSCAR ISAAC, AND PATRICK BREEN
How do we sustain the human spirit, hope and love in the face of a plague? We’ve been here before, in history and on the MCC stage. In 1987, Alan Bowne’s Beirut launched MCC Theater’s one-act festival. A play to remember, and one that is as relevant today as ever. Set in a dingy Lower East Side apartment in the 1980s, Beirut follows the story of Torch (played by Oscar Isaac), a young man who is in quarantine after testing positive to a nameless disease. His girlfriend (Marisa Tomei, reprising her award-winning role from 1987), refuses to leave him isolating alone. It’s raunchy, it’s real, it’s poetic; and it reminds us of the power of stories, and their role in fostering hope, solidarity and documentation of extraordinary times.
PRESENTED VIRTUALLY
GET TIX
All ticket buyers will be sent a link to access the event one hour before the event commences. This event is live, and will not be available to watch after the play reading finishes.
“A few weeks ago, as our shared experience of the new “normal” sunk in, isolated from loved ones, I couldn’t stop thinking about Alan Bowne’s moving and prescient play, Beirut. Creating the role of Blue in 1987 for MCC’s one-act festival was an experience that I’ve long treasured at a time that felt like both MCC and I were both ‘being born’. When I reached out to MCC to connect over the somewhat prophetic nature of the play, the discussion sparked ideas, and this reading was born. I’m thrilled to revisit this piece, which was such an important part of both mine and MCC’s formative years, and to work alongside this theater company in these difficult times.” – Marisa Tomei
“Alan Bowne’s Beirut is the play that launched MCC in 1987. When Marisa approached us with the idea of a reprisal of the work for a pandemic benefit reading, we were thrilled to receive the perfectly timed suggestion. Beirut’s focus on love during a plague reminds us of the power of stories, and the enduring nature of the human spirit. As we push to embrace a digital version of an art form we cherish so dearly, a live internet televised reading of the visceral and topical Beirut emerged as an obvious choice to launch MCC Theater’s digital programming offer.” – MCC Co-Artistic Director Bernie Telsey
$25
The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space
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