The Guest at Central Park West

By: 
Levy Lee Simon
Directed By: 
Thomas Coté

The most powerful thing in the world is an idea.

February 20, 21, 22 & 23
February 25
February 28, 29
& March 1
March 5, 6, 7 & 8
March 12, 13, 14, & 15
All shows 8pm

Part of Our Main Stage Season
Presented In The Main Stage Theater
Ticket Prices: 

$18 adults, $15 students/seniors. TDF Vouchers accepted.

Or call The WorkShop at (212) 695-4173, extension 4#, for reservations.

Closing Date:  03/15/2008

Reviews: 

Guess who's coming to dinner

About The Guest at Central Park West, Judd Hollander of oobr.com (Off-Off Broadway Review) (Read the whole review) said:

This is a play with a lot to say and it says it quite powerfully and eloquently.


The Guest at Central Park West

About The Guest at Central Park West, Julie Colthorpe of Show Business Weekly (Read the whole review) said:

A high-tension drama that slowly unravels itself like a tightly wound ball of string...With superb performances and strong direction, [it] is a play that pushes all the right buttons with powerful political and social messages concerning the U.S. and its impact on the rest of the world.


The Guest at Central Park West

About The Guest at Central Park West, Paulanne Simmons of Curtain Up (Read the whole review) said:

startlingly original and unexpected...thoughtful, provocative and very, very funny...energetic direction...pitch perfect acting


The Guest at Central Park West

About The Guest at Central Park West, Lisa Jo Sagolla of Back Stage (Read the whole review) said:

A well-constructed drama...Simon's play, directed by Thomas Coté, hits all the right notes...a scrumptious set designed by Craig Napoliello...startling conflicts and frightening revelations...John Marshall Jones is sensational...Jed Dickson is spot-on...with her poignantly comic portrayal of the drunken Jennifer, it's Tracy Newirth who steals our hearts.


About the Show: 
Winner of three 2007 AUDELCO Awards:
Best Playwright (Levy Lee Simon), Best Lead Actor (John Marshall Jones) and Dramatic Production of the Year (The H.A.D.L.E.Y. Players)

African-American Professor Charles Watts is no longer safe in his own home. Every phone call is a potential death threat. Every stranger, a potential enemy. Still, tonight he is celebrating. After receiving the Nobel Prize for his pacifist book, The Eyes of Peace, Charles and his wife, Nina, are going forward with a dinner party in honor of Charles' achievement. The guests are white professors, Eric Engles and his wife Jennifer, whose marital tensions often eclipse the political tensions that mount during the evening. That is until an unexpected guest arrives at this Central Park West address - Terrence Barlow. Terrence is a homeless drifter with a scintillating mind and a violent disposition. Still, Charles welcomes him with open arms to the dismay of his already fearful wife and friends. When Nina's bi-racial daughter Lisa and her boyfriend the white dreadlocked thug rapper Seth arrive, the rage in Terrence leads to life or death proportions. Terrence exposes a different side of the peace loving Charles, and the future of all the guests will be forever altered by the man who was left behind.

Cast: 

Harvy Blanks*
Curt Bouril
Jed Dickson*
Erinn Holmes*
John Marshall Jones*
Trish McCall*
Tracy Newirth*

Staff: 

Lighting Designer: Evan Purcell
Scenic Designer: Craig Napoliello
Costume Designer: Joanie Schumacher
Stage Manager: Michael Palmer*
Assistant Stage Manager: Malachy Orozco

*Member, AEA - an Equity Approved Showcase

Production Photos: 

The Guest at Central Park West

Left to right: John Marshall Jones (Terrence), Harvy Blanks, (Charles) and Tracy Newirth (Jennifer)

Photo By: 
Gerry Goodstein

The Guest at Central Park West

Left to right: John Marshall Jones and Jed Dickson

Photo By: 
Gerry Goodstein

The Guest at Central Park West

Left to right: Harvy Blanks and John Marshall Jones

Photo By: 
Gerry Goodstein

The Guest at Central Park West

Photo By: 
Gerry Goodstein