Stephanie J. Block, Karen Olivo and More Headline Off-Broadway’s By The Way, Meet Vera Stark

Stephanie J. Block, Tony winner Karen Olivo and Tony nominee Daniel Breaker will star in the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage’s By the Way, Meet Vera Stark at Second Stage. The play, directed by Jo Bonney, begins performances April 6 and will open on May 9. The cast will also feature Kimberly Hébert Gregory and Kevin Isola. 

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 seventy year journey through the life of Vera Stark, a headstrong African-American maid and budding actress, and her tangled relationship with her boss, a white Hollywood star 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.

Block’s Broadway credits include 9 to 5, The Pirate Queen and The Boy From Oz, as well as Elphaba in Broadway’s Wicked. Olivo won a Tony Award for her role as Anita in the 2009 revival of West Side Story. She has also been seen on Broadway in Rent, Brooklyn and In The Heights. Breaker most recently appeared on Broadway as Donkey in Shrek the Musical. His other Broadway credits include Passing Strange, Cymbeline and Well. Gregory recently starred in The Brother/Sister Plays at The Public Theatre. Isola recently appeared in the Transport Group’s production of The Boys in the Band. 

By The Way, Meet Vera Stark will feature scenic design by Neil Patel, lighting design by David Weiner, costume design by ESosa and original music and sound design by John Gromada.