Ecstasy
By Mike Leigh

Directed by Sara Laudonia
Stage Manager Eliza Jane Bowman
Featuring Lore Davis, Stephen Heskett, Gina LeMoine,
Josh Marcantel, Brandon McCluskey and Mary Monahan

Previewed: January 5 - 8
Ran: January 9 - 25

The Red Room
85 East 4th Street


Ecstasy covers the lives of four blue-collar friends living in 1979 London and the drunken frustration in their lives, namely that of Jean, who struggles to escape the confines of her life and the people in it. While Ecstasy speaks to a very specific time and place, the socio-economic despairs and frustrations facing each character make the story universal and timeless; especially on the eve of our own financial crisis.


Critical Acclaim

Backstage.com Critic's Pick!
"…it’s an engaging play, here staged with energetic, sharp performances, directed crisply by Sara Laudonia."

RetroVision Media:
"Lower eastside Black Box theatre aficionados are in for a treat of gritty realism..."
"This is a rare must see recommendation!"

Theatre Is Easy: "BOTTOM LINE: If you like British entertainment and gritty, character-driven pieces, you will greatly enjoy this show."

flavorpill: "The cast brings the characters to life compellingly, taking a very specific time and place and making it universal. The result is a quietly devastating portrait of a generation quickly losing hope."

offoffonline:
"Laudonia’s production achieves an incredibly intimate effect."

NYC Onstage: "The entire production is redolent of Maggie Thatcher and her iron-fisted economic policies (director Sara Laudonia brings attention to as much in her program notes). But due to her skillful handling of the material and her able cast headed by Mss. Monahan and LeMoine, the production could easily be set in urban America today as anywhere else. This Ecstasy is an excellent introduction to the work of Mike Leigh and an even better spotlight on the economic underclass that keeps forging ahead despite the constant odds against them."

CurtainUp: "This particular production of a society on the edge is very well-done."

New Theater Corp: "Heartwarming one moment and heartbreaking the next…   the audience feels included…It’s so well-acted and directed that the smallest details form an endearing tragedy."

GayCityNews: "[a] uniformly phenomenal ensemble… fine actors… there is not a false moment in [this show] -- a thrilling thing to witness and a testament to the depth and talent of these artists."

neighborhoodbee Theatre Buzz: “… the final few moments of this play make an unexpected impact that stayed with me long after I left the theater.”

EDGE: "The old friends drink, sing and occasionally fall silent, but the balance of chemistry among them remains. Particularly strong in this aspect are Heskett, whose awkwardness detonates several of the play’s silences, and LeMoine’s complete comfort with the Leigh vernacular and rhythms of British speech. When the party ends and Jean goes to bed alone, it completes the naturalistic arc of the show."


Gina LeMoine as Dawn & Mary Monahan as Jean


Lore Davis as Val, Gina LeMoine as Dawn & Josh Mercantel as Roy


Stephen Heskett as Len


Gina LeMoine as Dawn, Brandon McCluskey as Mick, Mary Monahan as Jean & Stephen Heskett as Len


Stephen Heskett as Len & Mary Monahan as Jean


Gina LeMoine as Dawn, Brandon McCluskey as Mick & Mary Monahan as Jean