Breakfast with Mugabe
By Fraser Grace
Directed by David Shookhoff (of the Manhattan Theatre Club)
WHEN: November 5–14, 2010
WHERE: Edith Kutz Bolte Theater at the David & Carol Lackland Center, Centenary College, Hackettstown
TICKETS: $20 to $25, with special discounts for seniors, students and groups. A special tradition locally for the economically-minded, Thursday evenings at CSC are “Family Nights” with 2-for-1“rush” ticket prices available at the door on the evening of the performance. Tickets are available online at http://www.centenarystageco.org/ , and at the CSC box office 908.979.0900, Monday through Friday, from 1-5 PM.
Zimbabwe strong man Robert Mugabe is haunted by ghosts. And he has an election to worry about.
Luckily, he has summoned a noted psychiatrist to help mediate the ngozi, or evil spirits, for him. But as a white, tobacco-farm-owning doctor in a land of social turmoil and economic collapse, the cost of Dr. Peric’s analysis threatens to come at grave personal expense.
First produced at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford (directed by Anthony Sher) Breakfast with Mugabe transferred to London’s West End, and was named joint winner of the John Whiting Award for best new play of 2006. “The power the play lies in its ability to put Zimbabwe's current tragedy into a historical context,” stated Michael Billington of The Guardian, who also recognized the work as a play of “Shakespearean dimensions.”
The cast will feature Michael Rogers (seen last season on Broadway in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone) as Robert Mugabe, the president who wrested control from a small white community to become Zimbabwe’s first black leader. Psychiatrist Dr. Peric will be performed by Ezra Barnes, founder and former artistic director of Shakespeare on the Sound Theatre (CT). Dr. Peric is simultaneously cajoled and threatened by the chic wife of the president, Grace Mugabe, played by Rosalyn Coleman. Chey Ayende plays the role of impenetrable bodyguard, Gabriel. Set and Sound design by Lee Savage. MEET THE PLAYWRIGHT: A special “talk-back” with the playwright Fraser Grace and cast will take place on Sunday, November 16, following the matinee performance. Grace will travel from London to be in residence with the production November 11 -17, in Hackettstown, speaking with audiences and students.
Performances at CSC are made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the New Jersey State Council for the Arts, Heath Village Retirement Community, Panther Valley Pharmacy, Skylands Community Bank, Helga and Ed Coyne, Hackettstown Regional Medical Center, The Residence Inn- Marriott Mt Olive, and CSC members and sponsors.
