David Garrison Completes the Cast of By the Way, Meet Vera Stark

Tony nominee David Garrison completes the cast of the upcoming world premiere comedy By the Way, Meet Vera Stark,  joining the previously announced Sanaa Lathan, Stephanie J. Block, Karen Olivo, Daniel Breaker, Kimberly Hébert Gregory and Kevin Isola. The play, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and directed by Jo Bonney, begins performances April 6 and will open May 9 at off-Broadway’s Second Stage Theatre.

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark draws upon the screwball films of the 1930s to take a funny and irreverent look at racial stereotypes in Hollywood. It is a 70-year journey through the life of Vera Stark (Lathan), including her tangled relationship with her boss, a white Hollywood star (Block) desperately grasping to hold on to her career. When circumstances collide and both women land roles in the same Southern epic, the story behind the cameras leaves Vera with a surprising and controversial legacy scholars will debate for years to come.

Garrison has appeared on Broadway in A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine (Tony nomination), Wicked, Titanic, Torch Song Trilogy, The Pirates of Penzance and Bells Are Ringing. His off-Broadway credits include Middletown, New Jerusalem, I Do! IDo!, The Torch Bearers, Geniuses and It's Only a Play. His voice is featured as the radio announcer in the current Broadway revival of That Championship Season.

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark will feature scenic design by Neil Patel, lighting design by Jeff Croiter, costume design by ESosa and original music and sound design by John Gromada. The production will run through May 22.