By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act
Talk about a formidable one-two punch! I’ve previously teased the possibility of Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira working together on the same project, but I didn’t expect it to happen on stage (this is a film blog after all). No matter – I’ll certainly take it! And if you live in NYC, here’s an upcoming treat for you to get excited about.
Nyong’o will make her New York stage debut this fall in the Public Theater’s production of the war drama “Eclipsed,” which is written by Danai Gurira (yes, she’s a playwright as well – an award-winning playwright I should add – if you didn’t already know; I’ve mentioned it on this blog a number of times).
The theater made the announcement today.
“Eclipsed” is set in 2003 near the end of the civil war in Liberia, and follows a group of women who are captives of rebels fighting the government.
In a statement, the Public Theater’s artistic director, Oskar Eustis, called the work a “feminist reading” of a conflict that is “both heart-breaking and profoundly life-affirming.”
“Eclipsed” will be directed by Liesl Tommy, who previously helmed the play’s premiere at the Woolly Mammoth Theater in Washington in 2009.
The show is to begin previews at the Public Theater on September 29, and continue through November 8, with opening night scheduled for October 14 (just in time for the premiere of the next season of “The Walking Dead,” and prior to the theatrical opening of the next “Star Wars” movie).