Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Filling in the void: Looking back at 59E59 THEATER’s eclectic summer programming

• By drediman
• September 4, 2026
• No Comments

One of the things that struck me when watching The House of the Negro Insane earlier this week (my review of Terence Anthony’s pungent drama is forthcoming) is the extent to which the busy “revolving door” that is 59E59 Theaters has become one of the unsung heroes of the city’s bustling Off-Broadway theater scene. Situated on 59th Street between Madison and Park Avenues, its model is to provide a reliable home for non-New York based theater companies at a nominal cost, thereby exposing local audiences to new talent and voices, and often times filling in the residual void in the city’s rich slate of theatrical offerings. Although by no means an exhaustive overview, here’s a look back at 59E59 Theaters’ eclectic summer programming.

Segueing into summer was the theater’s annual Brits Off-Broadway series. A sprawling affair — it begins in April and lasts through July — the festival gives New Yorkers the opportunity to immerse themselves in United Kingdom’s equivalent of Off-Broadway theater. Based on the three shows I caught, the act of storytelling was front and center across offerings. Kicking off the festival was Cable Street (RECOMMENDED), an anti-fascist musical by Tim Galvin (score) and Alex Kanefsky (book) that just about exploded Theater A, the largest of 59E59’s auditoriums. Set in 1930s East London, the timely musical depicts the diverse neighborhood’s collective rally against the rise of fascism in London. Although admittedly a bit didactic, the powerfully sung production was nonetheless a rousing experience, amounting to a more satisfying version of the ill-fated musical Paradise Square. Returning to Brits Off-Broadway was Guildford Shakespeare Company with its stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’ eventful David Copperfield (RECOMMENDED), Like the company’s take on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (presented last summer), the production oozed heart and whimsy, which is especially astonishing given that the show only employed three exceedingly skillful and rigorous actors. Lastly, there was Red Fox Theatre Company‘s exuberant Catch of the Day (RECOMMENDED), another show featuring a small cast, who engaged in rowdy, inventive storytelling — as well as a good dose of live Irish folk music — this time, in service of a hilarious retelling of a ridiculously improbable true story.

Over the years, 59E59 Theaters has also provided the singularly talented pianist/actor Hershey Felder a New York base to park his solo biographical portraits. This summer was no different, during which he brought into town his latest creation The Piano and Me (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). Through a number of twists and turns early in his adult life, Felder eventually made a career out of portraying classical music composers, including the likes of Gershwin, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Bernstein, Beethoven, and so forth (I first encountered Felder more than two decades ago, when his original composer portrait George Gershwin Alone was playing in Chicago for an extended run). A magnificent musician capable of both robust and sensitive playing on the keys, he weaves ravishing music-making into his in-depth character studies, which chronicle the events of his subjects’ lives, as well as speculatively dive into their psyches. In The Piano and Me, he eschewed taking on a third person persona, instead (finally) telling his own unlikely, inspirational, and at times bittersweet story, charting his rise from a humble, financially-strapped son of immigrants to one of the most unique theatrical voices of his generation. Through his commanding and captivating dramatic storytelling — and of course his tremendous musical gifts at the piano — he covered in scrupulous detail his family life, education, and career development. In short, the show found Felder at his most personal, candid, vulnerable — and affecting.