Inspired by Real Events, The Piven Monologues Play Joe's Pub

Actor Jeremy Piven’s now infamous departure from last season's Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow has inspired a new night of theater, The Piven Monologues. The show, created by Alena Smith with Jordan Seavey and Anna O’Donoghue, will play in a staged reading at Joe’s Pub on September 14.

Press notes for the production state, "When Jeremy Piven made his abrupt exit from the Broadway production of Speed-the-Plow due to the alleged illness of mercury poisoning, Mr. Mamet may have been the first to comment ["My understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer"]— but he was by no means the last. In this new age of instant global communication, no matter how minor the story or how wacky the rumor, everyone gets to have their say. The Piven Monologues presents a selection of the shitstorm in a very special staged reading."

Piven, who appeared in Mamet's Hollywood satire with co-stars Raul Esparza and Elisabeth Moss, abruptly and unexpectedly withdrew from the revival on December 15, 2008, citing mercury-based illness due to too much sushi in his diet. Producers later filed a grievance with the Actors Equity Association. The production closed on February 22, 2009.