Casa Valentina 2014
Ages: 12+
Opened: April 23, 2014Closing: June 29, 2014
Casa Valentina - 2014 Broadway History , Info & More
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (Broadway)
261 W. 47th St. New York, NY 10036
From four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots, Newsies, La Cage aux Folles) comes CASA VALENTINA, his first play in almost thirty years and his first-ever collaboration with Manhattan Theatre Club. Two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Wicked) directs this funny, fascinating world premiere based on actual events.
Back in 1962, most men went to the Catskill Mountains to escape the summer heat, but others took the two-hour drive to escape something else entirely: being men. Nestled in the land of dirty dancing and borscht belt comedy sat an inconspicuous bungalow colony that catered to a very special clientele: heterosexual men whose favorite pastime was dressing and acting as women. It was paradise for these men - white-collar professionals with families - to spend their weekends discreetly and safely inhabiting their chosen female alter egos. But when faced with the opportunity to become an official organization, these "self-made women" had to decide whether public recognition would help them gain a place in open society or spell their own personal disaster.
Infused with Fierstein's trademark wit, this moving, insightful and delightfully entertaining new work offers a glimpse into the lives of a group of unforgettable characters as they search for acceptance and happiness in their very own Garden of Eden.
CASA VALENTINA is a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award.
Casa Valentina - 2014 - Broadway Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Casa Valentina
‘Casa Valentina’ Theater Review: Harvey Fierstein Lifts the Skirts of Hetero Crossdressers
6 / 10
In the Playbill, Fierstein tells us not to call his characters 'drag queens' or 'female impersonators.' And that's not the end of his sermonizing...From 'La Cage aux Folles' to 'Kinky Boots,' Fierstein has created some very sympathetic hero-victims. With 'Casa Valentina,' those victims are looking more pathetic than sympathetic. He's the master of the long, bigoted diatribe that helps make the audience feel superior but leaves the poor character who's the object of all this verbal abuse simply battered and abused. There's much more nuance in Joe Mantello's direction of his actors, although even he doesn't succeed in softening Fierstein's sledgehammer when, late in the play, a transvestite's daughter (Lisa Emery) arrives to tell off the owners of the Catskills resort.
Theater Review: A Fascinating, Somewhat Musty Look at Transvestism in Harvey Fierstein’s Casa Valentina
8 / 10
But even within the new play's sampling of seven cross-dressers, the meaning of the act varies widely. For some it's a hobby, for some a sexual fetish, for some a substitute for the worse sin of gayness, and for some an expression of deep allegiance to the feminine side of their soul. For most, regardless, it's also a jumble...In any case, the way these motives come together, or don't, to advance the cause of liberation for 'self-made women' is the subject of this fascinating if somewhat musty play...Luckily, Joe Mantello's disciplined direction pulls the script swiftly past its punch lines and sops up some of its sentimentality as well. The design and the cast (which also includes John Cullum, Larry Pine, Nick Westrate, and Lisa Emery) are up to the Manhattan Theatre Club's usual high standards. Still, none of these fine attributes can quite disguise the odor of over-ingratiation that clings to Casa Valentina like day-old Prince Matchabelli.
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Casa Valentina History
Other Productions of Casa Valentina
| 2014 | Broadway |
Manhattan Theatre Club Production Broadway |
Casa Valentina - 2014 Broadway Awards and Nominations
Note: Award winners will appear on a background
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Reed Birney |
| 2014 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Reed Birney |
| 2014 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Gabriel Ebert |
| 2014 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Casa Valentina |
| 2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Mare Winningham |
| 2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Casa Valentina |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Rita Ryack |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Reed Birney |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Mare Winningham |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Harvey Fierstein |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Manhattan Theatre Club |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Lynne Meadow |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Barry Grove |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Colin Callender |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Robert Cole |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Frederick Zollo |
| 2014 | Tony Awards | Best Play | The Shubert Organization |
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