Russian Strip & An American Heart by Drury Pifer from 24 Nov 2003 at Wings Theatre

Mon 10 Nov 2003 Russian Strip & An American Heart by Drury Pifer from 24 Nov 2003 at Wings Theatre The World Premiere of Russian Strip & An American Heart two one-act comedies by Drury Pifer from 24 Nov 2003 to 23 Dec 2003 at the Wings Theatre, 154 Christopher Street (Off Broadway) Directed by Dennis Gleason, and featuring Dante Giammarco , Jennifer Lindsey, the show is produced by Jonah Productions and First Stage Productions, in Association with Wings Theatre. Two one-act comedies about what it means to have lived life to the fullest. A Russian Commissar who is being interrogated by a conscientious Communist Party official who has trouble keeping her clothes on; and an elderly reprobate imprisoned in a prestigious hospital meets an eager reporter for the National Enquirer. The evening begins with the darkly humorous Russian Strip, set in the Soviet Union of the early 1950s. Commissar Grigory Belkin has fallen out of favor with the government and is being interrogated by fervent (and attractive) Communist Party Member Svetlana Popskaya. During his interrogation, Belkin peppers his answers with richly inventive stories about the people he claims to have met. This 'who's who' of his life includes Adolph Hitler, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. As Belkin embellishes his fanciful (and intoxicating) version of European history, one can't help but wonder why Popskaya has so much trouble keeping her clothes on. An American Heart, which takes place in a special wing of a prestigious medical center, we meet Jebediah Hankering, an aging, alcohol-swilling reprobate, ensconced therein against his will by his self-righteous sister. Jeb is a throwback to the days when western campfires where brightened by tall tales. (Did you hear the one about the whales who pushed an ice floe from Alaska to Mexico?) Hope Leskovski, an eager tabloid reporter, breaks into his room believing he's the recipient of the world's most sophisticated mechanical heart. Grappling with their personal demons, this unlikely couple develops a bond allowing them to attempt the last thing each thought was possible.