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An “Engaging” Battle of Wits
Engaging Shaw at the Abingdon Theatre Company
Director Jackob Hofmann (Photo: Courtesy of Marty Umans)
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“When I read Engaging Shaw,” says Jackob G. Hofmann, director of the upcoming premiere of Engaging Shaw at the Abingdon Theatre Company, “I knew I had something unique in my hands, a play that wasn’t only a compelling tale of a fascinating literary giant, but a script that was also quite funny.” The piece, written by John Morogiello, is an intelligently comedic depiction of the courtship of Charlotte Payne-Townshend and playwright George Bernard Shaw, tracing their delightful battle of wits as the wealthy socialite attempts to romance the unromantic author and bachelor.
Hofmann claims that diligent research went into the construction of the play, both on his part and the casts’, which he deems has had “spot on” instincts from the beginning. Morogiello’s script, he states, is written in a fashion that exquisitely and honestly captures the details of the relationship between Shaw and Payne-Townshend, delivering the “the perfect blend of intellectual Shavian humor mixed with the truthful aspects of everyday human behavior.” Morogiello’s depiction of these characters is accentuated by lead actors Warren Kelley and Claire Warden, of whom Hofmann declares the chemistry is so undeniable, it will deliver nothing short of fireworks.
Hofmann hopes that “audiences will embrace the piece, and perhaps go home and consider the nuances and unconventional aspects of their own relationships. If not this, at least brush up on their Shaw.”
Engaging Shaw runs April 9–May 2 at Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex’s Dorothy Strelsin Theatre (312 W. 36th St.): Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sundays, 2 p.m. (with the following exceptions: special opening night performance, Sunday, April 18 at 5 p.m.; no 2:00 p.m. that day). Tickets are $25, and are available at www.abingdontheatre.org or 212-868-2055.