School of Theatre + Dance alumnus Emmanuel Brown (BFA ‘04) will be joining two-time Tony nominee Bobby Cannavale in an Off-Broadway production of The Hairy Ape. He will be in the ensemble and understudy the lead role of Yank, played by Cannavale.
The drama, written by Eugene O’Neill is being revived from its original version, which first premiered in 1922.
Brown prepared as much as he could for the audition his manager set up for him. He was first introduced to O’Neill’s work in his Acting 2 class with Dr. Judith Williams at UF. Being familiar with the playwright’s work helped him quite a bit in preparation, he said.
The play will take place on a ring-shaped stage that revolves around the audience. The stage will transport the audience from the stokehole of Yank’s transatlantic ocean liner to the wealthy neighborhoods of New York society, according to a Playbill article about the production.
“I think that the audience is going to be pleasantly surprised by what they see as far as, well...everything, but especially the set,” Brown said.
Themes of capitalism and inequality are brought to the stage, which are equally as familiar to the performance’s audience nearly a century ago as they are today.
“[The Hairy Ape] gives a voice to those who feel unheard in this current political climate,” Brown said.
The Hairy Ape will run from March 25 through April 22 at Armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall in New York City. Tickets can be purchased at armoryonpark.org or by calling (212) 933-5812.
For more information on The Hairy Ape, view the Playbill article or the Armory article.
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