Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Artistic Director | Jim Bredeson, Managing Director) today announced the New York premiere of All the Devils Are Here - How Shakespeare Invented the Villain, a dazzling exploration of Shakespeare's two decade-long investigation of evil with Tony Award nominee Patrick Page. This one night only special event will take place on Monday February 24th at 7:30 PM at the Cherry Lane Theater (38 Commerce Street, three blocks south of Christopher Street, just west of Seventh Avenue).
The star of Broadway's Hadestown and familiar Red Bull Theater face (Coriolanus, The Duchess of Malfi) will brilliantly enact many of the Bard's greatest villains, from Richard III to Prospero. Moving swiftly and chronologically, Page will trace the evolution of Shakespeare's malefactors from the mere two-dimensional to the psychologically complex characters that heralded the modern psychopath. Hell is empty and all the devils are here.
Following the performance, Patrick will sit down for an insightful discussion with
Michael Sexton, director of the Public Shakespeare Initiative. They'll take questions from the audience as well.
This one-night-only event will support Red Bull's upcoming production of
Ben Jonson's The Alchemist, opening Off-Broadway this spring.
"Red Bull Theater is a unique and vital force in New York Theater. I've loved working with them on singular productions of Coriolanus and The Duchess of Malfi and on dozens of Revelation Readings and workshops. My jaw drops constantly at the world-class talent they attract. I'm thrilled that this event will benefit their mission to revitalize the classics for all of us," said Page.
Patrick Page has been called "one of this country's finest classical actors" by The Wall Street Journal, and "The Villain of Broadway" by Playbill Magazine. He is an Associate Artist at both The Shakespeare Theatre of DC and The
Old Globe Theatre in San Diego where roles have included Iago, Macbeth, Claudius, Coriolanus, Prospero, Malvolio, and Cyrano, among others. His classical work has garnered him the Matador Award for Excellence in Classical Theater from Red Bull Theater, The
William Shakespeare Award for Classical Acting, The
Helen Hayes Award, The Craig Noel Award, and The Utah Governor's Medal of the Arts among many others. He currently plays Hades in Hadestown on Broadway. Previously on Broadway: Saint Joan and Casa Valentina at MTC, A Time to Kill, Cyrano De Bergerac, Spider-Man, Man for All Seasons, The Grinch, Julius Caesar, Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Kentucky Cycle. Television credits include "Elementary," "NCIS New Orleans," "Chicago PD," "Madame Secretary," "The Blacklist," "Law and Order SVU" and "Flesh and Bone." Follow on Twitter and Instagram at @pagepatrick. Patrickpageonline.com
Coming this Spring: Red Bull's next Off-Broadway production of the season will be The Alchemist by
Jeffrey Hatcher adapted from
Ben Jonson, directed by
Jesse Berger. This will be the World Premiere of a Red Bull Theater commission from the same team that created the acclaimed hit The Government Inspector. Following recent acclaimed productions of
Keith Hamilton Cobb's American Moor,
Erica Schmidt's Mac Beth,
John Webster's The White Devil, and
David Ives's The Metromaniacs, The Alchemist brings the greed and absurdity of Jonson's Jacobean London to brilliant contemporary life in this brand new adaptation by
Jeffrey Hatcher, whose version of inane corruption à la Gogol delighted New York audiences in The Government Inspector. Performances begin in May at the
Lucille Lortel Theatre. Cast and design team will be announced shortly.
Red Bull Theater, hailed as "the city's gutsiest classical theater" by Time Out NY, brings rarely seen classic plays to dynamic new life for contemporary audiences, uniting a respect for tradition with a modern sensibility. Named for the rowdy Jacobean playhouse that illegally performed plays in England during the years of Puritan rule, Red Bull Theater is New York City's home for dynamic performances of great plays that stand the test of time. With the Jacobean plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries as its cornerstone, the company also produces new works that are in conversation with the classics. A home for artists, scholars and students, Red Bull Theater delights and engages the intellect and imagination of audiences, and strives to make its work accessible, diverse, and welcoming to all. Red Bull Theater believes in the power of great classic stories and plays of heightened language to deepen our understanding of the human condition, in the special ability of live theater to create unique, collective experiences, and the timeless capacity of classical theater to illuminate the events of our times. Variety agreed, hailing Red Bull's work as: "Proof that classical theater can still be surprising after hundreds of years."
Since its debut in 2003 with a production of Shakespeare's Pericles starring
Daniel Breaker, Red Bull Theater has served adventurous theatergoers with Off-Broadway productions, Revelation Readings, and the annual Short New Play Festival. The company also offers outreach programs including Shakespeare in Schools bringing professional actors and teaching artists into public school classrooms; Bull Sessions, free post-play discussions with top scholars; and Master Classes in classical acting led by veteran theater professionals.
"The classics-shaking Red Bull Theater," as Time Out NY has called it, has presented 20 Off-Broadway productions and nearly 200 Revelation Readings of rarely seen classics, serving a community of more than 5,000 artists and providing quality artistic programming to an audience of over 65,000. The company's unique programming has received ongoing critical acclaim, and has been recognized with Lortel, Drama Desk, Drama League, Callaway, Off Broadway Alliance, and OBIE nominations and Awards.
