Aubrey Plaza, making her stage debut, and Christopher Abbott will star in an Off Broadway revival of John Patrick Shanley’s 1984 classic Danny and the Deep Blue Sea this fall, with a producing team that includes Sam Rockwell.
The revival will begin previews Monday, October 20, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, with an opening night set for Monday, November 13. The 10-week limited engagement will be directed by Jeff Ward, in his stage directorial debut.
Rockwell said in a statement, “My life and career have been profoundly impacted by Off-Broadway theater – like John Malkovich and Gary Sinise in True West at the Cherry Lane; Stanley Tucci in Scapin at Classic Stage Company; Phil Hoffman and Justin Theroux in Shopping and F*cking at New York Theatre Workshop; and Blasted with Reed Birney and Marin Ireland at Soho Rep, to name a few. I really do believe it’s the beating heart of this city. I couldn’t be prouder to be downtown at the Lucille Lortel with this vital play.”
Rockwell will be producing via his and Mark Berger’s Play Hooky Productions, along with Seaview, Sue Wagner, and John Johnson, by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Theatre.
The original production of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea premiered Off Broadway at Circle in the Square Theatre Downtown in 1984 starring June Stein and John Turturro (who won an Obie Award for his performance).
The official synopsis: Have you ever been caught in an earthquake? A chance meeting. A dive bar. Some encounters are so dangerous and so beautiful, they redefine the meaning of love. Follow two desperate people in the Bronx, Danny and Roberta, as they walk the line between destruction and transcendence.
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea will feature scenic design by Scott Pask, lighting design by John Torres, costume design by Arianne Phillips, sound design by Kate Marvin, and movement by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber.
Aubrey is best known for her breakthrough role on TV’s Parks and Recreation and, more recently, The White Lotus. Abbott rose to fame on HBO’s Girls and more recently appeared in The Crowded Room and Catch-22, among others. His stage credits include a 2011 Broadway production of The House of Blue Leaves.