A Glance At New York
* one of the first Mose The Fireman plays *
May 29 - July 19 at Axis Theatre

"one of the greatest successes ever known in the history of the New York Stage" -- George C. D. Odell, Annals of the New York Stage (1927)

Axis Company presents the first Off-Broadway revival of Benjamin A. Baker’s 1848 melodrama A Glance at New York since the end of the Civil War. The original production of this short play which follows the exploits of Mose The Fireman became a huge cult hit and spawned many imitation "Mosaic" plays, as they became known. The Axis production, beginning performances May 19th, is adapted and directed by Randy Sharp using music and mixed-media. Opening night is scheduled for Saturday, June 7. A Glance at New York will be produced under an Equity Off-Broadway contract.

A Glance at New York is set during a particularly dangerous and raw period in New York City history. The play is an unmitigated conglomeration of vulgarity and illiteracy following a burly firefighter named Big Mose. Known as the toughest man in the nation’s toughest city, Mose spends much of his time beating whomever is in his path before rushing off to rescue a screaming innocent from a burning tenement.

Benjamin A. Baker was a volunteer fireman with Old Engine Co. #15 who worked as an actor and prompter at Mitchell’s Olympic Theater (on Broadway between Howard & Grand Street -- where A Glance at New York was originally staged). He based A Glance at New York on a real-life fireman, Moses Humphrey, an Irish printer employed byThe New York Sun and a volunteer fireman. After the overwhelming success of A Glance at New York, Baker again used Mose as the central character in New York as It Is (1848), and the interest in it was capitalized immediately by other writers and actors.

The cast for A Glance at New York features Wren Arthur, Brian Barnhart, David Crabb, Joe Fuer, Laurie Kilmartin, Sue Ann Molinell, Edgar Oliver, Margo Passalaqua, Jim Sterling, and Christopher Swift. The production features lighting by David Zeffrin, sound by Steve Fontaine, music by Randy Sharp & Steve Fontaine and set & costumes by Kate Aronsson.

Axis Company was formed with a mission to present aggressive surrealism, classic vaudeville turns, and vanguard adaptation. Past productions include the New York Premiere of Sarah Kane’s Crave (starring Deborah Harry), Samuel Beckett’s Play, Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Buchner’s Woyczek, among numerous original works.

A Glance at New York will be presented May 29 - July 19, Thursday - Saturday at 8:00pm. (Please note: There is no show on June 28 or July 4). The Axis Theatre is located at One Sheridan Square (just off 7th Avenue, accessible from the 1/9 train at Sheridan Square). Tickets are $20. For information and reservations, call 212-807-9300 or visit AxisCompany.org.