MCC Theater announces 2019-2020 season

MCC Theater's next season includes the world premiere musical The Wrong Man, written by Ross Golan, directed by Thomas Kail, orchestrated by Alex Lacamoire and choreographed by Travis Wall...

MCC Theater has confirmed five new productions for its second season at the company's new permanent home in Hell's Kitchen - The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space. The 2019-2020 Off-Broadway season (MCC's 33rd season) is set to include three world premiere plays, one New York premiere play and a world premiere musical.

The 2019-2020 season will be presented in the following order:

From September 18 to October 27, 2019 at the Newman Mills Theater, MCC kicks off the season with the world premiere musical The Wrong Man, featuring a book, music & lyrics by multi-platinum songwriter Ross Golan. An official opening is set for October 7.

Synopsis: "In this singular and exciting new work, the wrong man meets the wrong woman in the wrong place at the wrong time. Set in Reno, Nevada, The Wrong Man tells the story of Duran, a man just scraping by, who is accused of a murder he says he didn't commit."

The production also marks the reunion of Hamilton's Tony Award-winning director and orchestrator: Thomas Kail and Alex Lacamoire (who also provides music supervision and vocal arrangements). The musical will also be choreographed by by two-time Emmy Award winner Travis Wall.

Mr. Golan, who has written hit songs for such recording artists as Justin Bieber, Michael Bublé, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Idina Menzel, and P!nk to name just a few, will also release a concept album of the musical via Interscope Records. An animated concept film, which he directs alongside John Hwang, will also celebrate its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, April 27.

Next up, from October 3 to November 10, 2019 at the Susan and Ronald Frankel Theater, MCC presents the New York premiere of Seared, written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. An official opening is set for October 28.

Synopsis: "Seared is a new fit-for-foodies comedy. Brilliant, hot-headed chef Harry scores a mention in a food magazine with his signature scallops, and his business partner Mike finally sees profits within reach. The only problem is Harry refuses to recreate his masterpiece for the masses. Mix in a shrewd restaurant consultant with a waiter with dreams of his own and it all goes to hell in this hilarious and insightful new play that asks us to consider where art ends and commerce begins. You've never seen (or smelled) a production quite like this."

Audience members will be up close to the action of the onstage, working kitchen in the intimate setting of the Susan and Ronald Frankel Theater.

Seared previously staged its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in July 2018.

Then, from February 6 to March 15, 2020 at the Susan & Ronald Frankel Theater, MCC presents the world premiere comedy All the Natalie Portmans, written by C.A. Johnson and directed by Kate Whoriskey. An official opening is set for February 24.

Synopsis: "All The Natalie Portmans is a fantastical new coming-of-age comedy. Keyonna is sixteen years old, extremely close with her older brother Samuel, and dreams of a better tomorrow. When brother and sister find themselves on the brink of eviction, their tenuous life on the edge of poverty is forever changed by a few hundred dollars, a pretty girl, and a famous Hollywood actress. Too smart, "too gay", and too lonely to fit in, Keyonna escapes by writing to her muse (or muses) Natalie Portman in her most iconic roles. When All The Natalie Portmans start talking back to her, Keyonna finally has to finally face her own off-screen drama in this imaginative new play about the beauty of life even if we can't see the stars."

From March 19 to April 26, 2020 at the Newman Mills Theater, MCC presents the world premiere of Jocelyn Bioh's Nollywood Dreams, directed by Saheem Ali. An official opening is set for April 26.

Synopsis: "Nollywood Dreams is a new romantic comedy. It's the 1990s and in Lagos, Nigeria, the Nollywood film industry is exploding and taking the world by storm. Ayamma dreams of stardom while working at her parents' travel agency alongside her lovable and celebrity-obsessed sister Dede. When Ayamma lands an audition for a new film by Gbenga Ezie, Nigeria's hottest director, she comes head-to-head with Gbenga's former leading lady, Fayola. Tensions flare just as sparks start flying between Ayamma, the aspiring ingénue, and Wale, Nollywood's biggest heartthrob, in this hilarious new play about dreaming big."

And finally, concluding the 2019-2020 Off-Broadway season will be the world premiere of Perry Street, written by Lucy Thurber and directed by Thomas Sadoski. Previews begin at the Newman Mills Theater on June 4, 2020, ahead of an official opening on June 22 and a limited engagement through to July 12, 2020.

Synopsis: "Perry Street is a funny and subversive new play that explores family, class, and sex. (And sex.) Phil and Maggie live a life of leisure in their handsome West Village brownstone. They indulge in the finer things. They find joy bringing aspiring artists into their home and making them part of the family, with a few strings attached. But when their daughter returns from Brown with her new girlfriend, Annabelle, the family is challenged by a series of startling and unsettling events. In the tradition of the great American family dramas, this provocative and unpredictable new play asks: what are you willing to pay for the people and things that you desire most?"

Casting and additional creative team information for all five MCC Theater productions will be announced in the coming months.

^{(Photos courtesy of MCC Theater​)}