THE PREACHER AND THE SHRINK, a new play by Merle Good starring Dee Hoty, opened last night, November 18th, at The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street. The limited engagement is set to run through January 4th. Under the direction of Steven Yuhasz, THE PREACHER AND THE SHRINK also featuresTom Galantich (Mamma Mia!, City of Angels, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Mat Hostetler (War Horse, "Boardwalk Empire," "White Collar"), Adria Vitlar (The Columnist, Blood and Gifts), and Nicholas Urda (Love's Labour's Lost). BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening night festivities below!
In THE PREACHER AND THE SHRINK, a spirited young woman makes a sexual accusation which checkmates her father, a popular and respected pastor. They have been estranged for years by a deep grief. Will she follow through? Will he fight back? Even the psychiatrist (
Dee Hoty) who tries to help becomes conflicted when middle age romance develops. THE PREACHER AND THE SHRINK unwraps these struggles with startling consequences.
Three-time Tony nominee
Dee Hoty has starred in numerous Broadway hits including The
Will Rogers Follies, City of Angels, Mamma Mia!, Footloose, and Me and My Girl, and Off-Broadway in Personals and Vanities. She played
Phyllis Rogers Stone in the all-star Paper Mill revival of Follies, which was preserved on a two-CD set as the only complete recording of the legendary Sondheim score. Her TV credits include "Elementary," "Smash," "St. Elsewhere," and "My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies."
Merle Good is an author and playwright, and has written numerous books and articles including Op-Ed essays forThe New York Times and The Washington Post. In his day job, he serves as Publisher for Good Books. Merle also served as Associate Producer and Screenplay Consultant for Hazel's People, starring
Geraldine Page and
Pat Hingle, based on his novel Happy as the Grass Was Green.
Director
Steven Yuhasz produced Streakin' Off-Broadway and The Visit, The Normal Heart and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas for The Actors Fund. He is a Founding Producer of the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF). Steven directed Off-Broadway's Flamingo Court and he is currently Executive Director for Shakespeare on the Sound.
The playing schedule for THE PREACHER AND THE SHRINK is Tuesdays at 7 PM, Wednesdays through Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 2 & 8 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM. Tickets are available through
www.Telecharge.com or call 212-239-6200. For more information, visit
www.ThePreacherAndTheShrink.com.
Photo Credit: Katy Wadsworth
Beth Leavel, Mary Testa
Playwright MERLE GOOD, Nicholas Urda, Mat Hostetler, Dee Hoty, Director Steven Yuhasz, Adria Vitlar, Tom Galantich
