Christopher J. Hanke & More Tapped for Topher Payne’s Perfect Arrangement Off-Broadway

From Barbra's basement to the state department! Former Buyer and Cellar headliner Christopher J. Hanke and more will appear in the previously announced New York premiere of Topher Payne’s dark comedy Perfect Arrangement. Directed by Michael Barakiva, the limited engagement will run September 29 through November 6 at off-Broadway's Primary Stages at The Duke on 42nd Street. Opening night is set for October 15.

Joining Hanke as Jim Baxter will be Julia Coffey (London Wall) as Norma Baxter, Robert Eli (Tartuffe) as Bob Martindale, Mikaela Feely-Lehmann (Cyrano de Bergerac) as Millie Martindale, Kelly McAndrew (Abundance) as Barbara Grant, Kevin O'Rourke (The City of Conversation) as Theodore Sunderson and Jennifer Van Dyck (Hedda Gabler) as Kitty Sunderson.

It's 1950 and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. The twist: both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other's partners as a carefully constructed cover. Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the American gay rights movement, madcap I Love Lucy sitcom-style laughs give way to drama as two "All-American" couples are forced to stare down the closet door, confronting the very struggles facing society today.

Perfect Arrangement will feature scenic design by Neil Patel, with costume design by Jennifer Caprio, lighting design by Traci Klainer Polimeni, sound design by Ryan Rumery and hair and wig design by J. Jared Janas.