Trump comedy featuring original music by Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth premieres.
April 27 - May 19 at Theater 511
Picture Pending Productions present the World Premiere of TRANSPARENT FALSEHOOD: AN AMERICAN TRAVESTY by Gil Kofman. Directed by Richard Caliban (Obie and Outer Critics Circle award-winning production of Mac Wellman’s Crowbar) and featuring original music by Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), previews begin April 27 at Theater 511. Opening is slated for Friday, May 4.
Imagine flipping wildly through the channels of Trump’s life as if it were a crazy reality show. One minute he’s putting Barron to bed, reading him from his favorite book The Art of the Deal. Next, we get a behind the scenes look as Trump makes love to Melania while getting ready to perform his HBO special, Without Precedent. Flip again and you have an impromptu meeting with Steve Bannon in the men’s room; or a seder with Ivanka and Jared at Mar-a-Lago; not to mention a touching reunion with his dead dad in full KKK regalia. The invented scenarios are simultaneously sad, funny and absurd, but most of all, surprisingly relatable. By filtering out the political noise and static, TRANSPARENT FALSEHOOD aims to distill Trump to some distinct essence, something that can be better understood if not contained.
TRANSPARENT FALSEHOOD stars Ezra Barnes (Breakfast with Mugabe, In White America) as Trump, Wyatt Fenner (Bent directed by Moisés Kaufman, Romeo and Juliet directed by Darko Tresnjak) as Barron and Jared, Stephanie Fredricks (Wonderful Town on Broadway with Donna Murphy and Brooke Shields) as Melania, Chuck Montgomery (Hal Hartley’s Fay Grim) as Steve Bannon and Latonia Phipps (Katori Hall’s Children of Killers) as Ivanka. The production team includes Lianne Arnold (set and projection), Kia Rogers (lighting), Sarah Thea (costumes), Blake Kile (stage manager), Charles Bowden (props) and Tom Rowan (casting).
Gil Kofman was born in Nigeria and raised in Kenya, Israel, and NYC. He studied physics at Cornell before attending NYU Graduate Film School, and later receiving an MFA in playwriting from the Yale School of Drama. His play American Magic, a dark political satire, was produced in NY, LA, and London with music by Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) and Richard Foreman as the President. It was later published by Broadway Play Publishing along with two other plays, The Interview/Entrevista and Pharmacopeia. The Interview/Entrevista, about Latino immigration in California, starred Tony winner Frank Wood and played in LA, NY and Dallas Theater Center and received a Dramalogue Award. His film The Memory Thief (starring Mark Webber and Jerry Adler) won the Feature Award at the Edmonton Int'l Film Festival and played on the Sundance Channel. Recently returning from the MacDowell Colony (where he was writing a play on Eadweard Muybridge) he put everything aside to urgently work on - Transparent Falsehood.
Richard Caliban has worked as a director and playwright across the country and internationally in the UK, Budapest and Uzbekiztan. He was Artistic Director of acclaimed Cucaracha Theatre where he directed many of his plays over fourteen seasons, including Homo Sapien Shuffle at the Public Theatre. Caliban’s MoM - A Rock Concert Musical won “Outstanding Musical” at FringeNYC and continued with runs at the Actor’s Playhouse, Geva Theatre Center and many other venues. He is also known for directing the celebrated Obie and Outer Critics Circle award-winning production of Mac Wellman’s Crowbar at the Victory Theater; and for his collaborations with Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Jules Feiffer; Michael Weller and Will Sheffer (Big Love, HBO) on the Naked Angels stage production and subsequent film version of Easter.
TRANSPARENT FALSEHOOD: AN AMERICAN TRAVESTY runs April 27 – May 19, Mondays at 7pm and Thursday – Saturday at 8pm. Theater 511 is located at 511 West 54th Street (between 10th & 11th Avenues – accessible from the C/E trains at 50th Street). Tickets range from $18 - $25, available through OvationTix at 212-352-3101 or www.transparentfalsehood.com.