Casting & Dates Set For Quiara Alegria Hudes’ The Happiest Song Plays Last, Helmed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Elliot’s adventures continue! Casting is complete for the final play in Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegria Hudes’ Elliot trilogy, The Happiest Song Plays Last. Directed by previously announced Tony winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, the Second Stage production will star Tony nominees Anthony Chisholm (Radio Golf) and Elizabeth Rodriguez (The Motherf*cker with the Hat), Dariush Kashani (Homebody/Kabul), Annapurna Sriram (Pericles at Berkley Rep), Tony Plana (The Boys of Winter) and Armando Riesco (Garden State). Performances begin February 11, with an official opening night set for March 3 at off-Broadway’s Tony Kiser Theatre.

Riesco will reprise the role of Elliot, which he played in the second installment of the Elliot trilogy, Water by the Spoonful and in the Chicago world premiere of The Happiest Song Plays Last in April 2013. Water By the Spoonful, mounted at Second Stage in 2013, won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The trilogy also includes Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue, the first play in the series.

The Happiest Song Plays Last tells the story of cousins Elliot and Yaz, who discover the joy in coming home again and the comfort of family, both by blood and by love. When Elliot gets a lucky break in the film business, Yaz takes on the role of familial and neighborhood matriarch, nourishing those that pass through her door. Featuring the sounds of traditional Puerto Rican folk music, The Happiest Song Plays Last is the story of a year in Elliot and Yaz’s life.

The production features scenic design by Mike Carnahan, costume design by Karen Perry, lighting design by Rui Rita and sound design by Leon Rothenberg.