OFF OFF BROADWAY BABY!
Where brutal theater lives.

April 3 - May 4
Thur thru Mon @ 8pm

29th St Rep is proud to present the New York Premiere of the stage adaptation of THE CONVERSATION.

Meet Harry Caul a troubled, guilt-ridden loner and surveillance expert who probes ambiguous clues for both the government and private clients, ending up very much a victim of his own technology and pursuits. Part Hitchcockian-thriller, part psychological character study, THE CONVERSATION is an American film classic, perhaps more timely today than when first introduced in 1974.

The adaptation of this seminal movie from Coppola's filmography was given the green-light from Mr. Coppola personally. The play went on to receive sensational reviews from its World Premiere in Chicago.  Hedy Weiss from the Chicago Sun-Times called it "an altogether haunted and haunting production that is at once utterly faithful to the movie and creepily riveting on its own terms." And in the Chicago Tribune, Kerry Reid said it was a "gripping and sad portrait of urban anomie and moral quivocation."

29th Street Rep Artistic Director David Mogentale stars as "Harry Caul", a role originated on celluloid by Gene Hackman. The rest of the cast features Founding Artistic Director Tim Corcoran and ensemble members Amber Gallery, James E. Smith and Thomas Wehrle, as well as guest artists Craig Butta, Julianne Carpenter, Leigh Feldpausch and Gabriel Voytas.

29th Street Rep Founding member Leo Farley helms the production. Mr. Farley has directed several of 29th Street Rep's most critically acclaimed productions, including Tracers (InTheater's Best of 1997), Charles Bukowski's South of No North (Stories of the Buried Life) and High Priest of California, (NY Times Best of 2003).

Kate Harris, the adapter of THE CONVERSATION resides in Chicago where she primarily works as an actor.

The design team will include Mark Symczak (set), Rebecca Ming (costumes), Stewart Wagner (lights), and Joseph Fosco (sound). The Production Stage Manager is Sabrina Morabito.

Tix are $20 through SmartTix (212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com.

212 West 29th Street
(btw. 7th & 8th Aves.)

Reservations Recommended

Check out our page for more info - or THE CONVERSATION info line at (212) 465-1714.

Francis Ford Coppola- was born in 1939 in Detroit, USA, but he grew up in a New York suburb in a creative, supportive Italian-American family. He graduated with a degree in drama from Hofstra University, and did graduate work at UCLA in filmmaking. He trained as an assistant with filmmaker Roger Corman working in such capacities as soundman, dialogue director, associate producer and, eventually, director of Dementia 13 (1963), Coppola's first feature film. In 1969, Coppola and George Lucas established American Zoetrope, an independent film production company based in San Francisco.

In 1971, Coppola's film The Godfather (1972) became one of the highest-grossing movies in history and brought him an Oscar for writing the screenplay with Mario Puzo. The film was a Best Picture Academy Award-winner, and also brought Coppola a Best Director Oscar nomination. Coppola's next film was The Conversation (1974), which was honored with the Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and brought Coppola Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay Oscar nominations. Also released that year, The Godfather: Part II (1974) won six Academy Awards, bringing Coppola Oscars as a producer, director and writer. Coppola then began work on his most ambitious film, Apocalypse Now (1979). Released in 1979, the acclaimed film won a Golden Palm Award  at the Cannes Film Festival, and two Academy Awards.

29th St Rep - Where Brutal Theater Lives!

Sound clip: "Shower Groove" Will Pitts © 1999