Adam Rapp's RED LIGHT WINTER to Open at Kitchen Theatre Company, 2/22

Adam Rapp's Pulitzer Prize nominated Red Light Winter lays bare the passions of three young people caught in a love triangle so dangerous and obsessive that it pushes them to the brink. Red Light Winter previews at the Kitchen Theatre Company on February 22, 23, and 24 and opens on Saturday, February 25. It runs for three weeks, closing March 11, 2012.

The story begins in the seductive city of Amsterdam. It is winter. Davis, an up-and-coming young editor, riding high after a recent editorial success, and his college-buddy Matt, a struggling playwright, have come to partake in all the tantalizing freedoms the city allows. Both 30, both on the cusp of all that is possible in their lives, their dream-like experience peaks when Davis purchases the services of Christina, a mysterious prostitute from the Red Light District, as a gift to Matt. Their Red Light Winter changes all three lives forever.

Playwright Adam Rapp is known for his bold, authentic depictions of his generation. Swaggering, posturing for power, and uncensored in their language, Rapp's characters are shocking and alluring at the same time. Matt and Davis' post-college lives have taken different directions, but their friendship has endured with shifting power plays, goading and button pushing. Their conversation is filled with jabs and outrageous fun at the other's expense. Rapp makes sure we see the brilliance of their minds and the depth of their intelligence through hilarious and abrasive dialogue that captures the raw truth of their desperation to bring meaning to their lives.

The New York Times called it "a frank, graphic story of erotic fixation and the havoc it can wreak on sensitive souls." Artistic Director Rachel Lampert says, "Red Light Winter is a risky piece and a fascinating one. The characters are all controversial-their language and behavior are alarming-but it rings so true. What is the price paid when close friends betray each other? These three characters are each flawed in ways that make them brilliant, sad and longing for connection."

Red Light Winter is directed by KTC Artistic Director Rachel Lampert and has an all Actors' Equity cast of three Kitchen veterans. Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde, seen last season in Mary's Wedding by Stephen Massicotte, are up from NYC. Jesse Bush, most recently seen as many characters in The Mystery of Irma Vep by Charles Ludlam, returns to the Kitchen in the role of Davis.

Set design is by Kent Goetz (at the Kitchen: Private Lives, A Marriage Minuet, The Drunken City, STRANGERHORSE among others). This production marks Michael Kalmanowitz's first lighting design at the Kitchen. Lesley Greene is the assistant director and sound designer (at the Kitchen: Mary's Wedding, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Neat, Circle Mirror Transformation among others). Lisa Boquist (at the Kitchen: Mary's Wedding, Private Lives, Circle Mirror Transformation, Neat, Precious Nonsense, among others) is the costume designer. The Production Stage Manager is LaShawn Keyser. Performances will be at the Kitchen Theatre, located at 417 W. State / Martin Luther King, Jr. Street in downtown Ithaca, NY.

Due to language, nudity and sexual situations, Red Light Winter is suggested for audiences 18+.

More Articles by This Author...