Steven Pasquale, Linda Emond & More Set for NYC Premiere of Tony Kushner's Intelligent Homosexual's Guide

Initial casting has been announced for the New York premiere of Tony Kushner’s The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures. A joint production of the Public Theater and Signature Theatre Company, the play will begin performances on March 22, 2011, at the Public and open on May 5, directed by Michael Greif. The limited engagement is scheduled to continue through June 12.

The cast will include Bill Camp (The Misanthrope, Homebody/Kabul) as Adam, Michael Cristofer (A View from the Bridge, Romeo and Juliet) as Gus, Linda Emond (The Winter’s Tale, Homebody/Kabul) as Empty, Michael Esper (American Idiot) as Eli, Steven Pasquale (Reasons to be Pretty) as Vinny, and Stephen Spinella (Angels in America) as Pill. Cristofer, Emond, Esper and Spinella originated their roles in the Guthrie Theater’s 2009 world premiere of the play, directed by Greif. Additional casting for the off-Broadway production will be announced soon.

The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide is set in the summer of 2007, when Gus Marcantonio, a retired longshoreman, summons his children to the family’s Brooklyn brownstone for a series of shocking announcements. The play explores revolution, radicalism, marriage, sex, prostitution, politics, real estate, unions of all kinds and debts both repaid and unpayable.

This first co-production of the Public and Signature brings together two theaters with a long history producing Kushner’s work. Signature’s 20th anniversary season, devoted entirely to the playwright, also includes the sold-out off-Broadway revival of Angels in America, (now extended through March 27, 2011) and The Illusion, which will be directed by Michael Mayer.