Zelda at the Oasis by P.H. Lin
Play Focuses on Complex Wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald
By: Ariel Petrova - Nov 28, 2012
Zelda at the Oasis, a new play by P. H. Lin, directed by Andy Sandberg (The Last Smoker in America), runs at at St. Luke’s Theatre, 308 West 46th Street. It opens Tuesday, December 4th at 7 PM. Zelda at the Oasis, features Edwin Cahill and Gardner Reed.
Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, wife of legendary American novelist, F. Scott Fitzgerald, wants nothing more than to be recognized as an artist in her own right. Two things stand in her way: a growing mental instability and the overbearing shadow of her husband.
On this magical night in the 1930’s, Zelda discovers The Club Oasis, a New York City bar where she has escaped to drink alone…until a unique and unexpected friendship is forged with an aspiring musician who plays piano and tends bar at the Oasis.
Vivid and haunting memories are triggered as Zelda transforms the Bar Man into those from her past who have shaped her own self-image. Through this after-hours encounter, they share their dreams, missteps, and insights with one another, hoping to unlock the courage to move forward with their lives.
Edwin Cahill, who plays the Bar Man, appeared on Broadway in LoveMusik and in the national tour of Sweeney Todd (John Doyle prod.). His Off-Broadway credits include Beowolf, A Child’s Christmas in Wales (Irish Rep), Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Asylum, I and Albert, and Darling of the Day (Time Magazine Award).
Gardner Reed is making her New York stage debut as Zelda Fitzgerald in Zelda at the Oasis. Her previous credits include Mona in Find and Sign (Pioneer Theater Company), Inga Arvad in Inga Binga (Charleston Stage), The Women in 39 Steps (Portland Stage Company), Abigail in The Crucible (Actors Theatre of Louisville), and Jackie-O in The House of Yes (Red Envelope Productions).
Andy Sandberg (Director) recently directed the New York premiere of The Last Smoker in America, a new musical by Tony nominee Bill Russell and Drama Desk nominee Peter Melnick. He previously directed the world premiere at CATCO in Columbus , Ohio . He has been represented on Broadway and London’s West End as a producer of the Tony Award winning revival of HAIR and the recent Broadway revival of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man (2012 Tony and Drama Desk nominations). Other New York directing credits include R.R.R.E.D. and Bernice Bobs Her Mullet (NYMF), Into the Woods and A Funny Thing…Forum (Blue Hill Troupe) and various benefits for BC/EFA and Sing for Hope. Upcoming directing projects: Beyond the Music (also librettist), a new musical co-written with composers Cliff Downs and Katie Kahanovitz; Operation Epsilon, a new play by Alan Brody (workshop at Asolo Theater, 2011; World Premiere in 2012 in Cambridge, MA); Shida, a new musical by Jeannette Bayardelle (Project Residency at Ars Nova, 2011); and Straight, a new play by Scott Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola. In 2007, Sandberg worked with Hal Prince on the Broadway production of LoveMusik. Sandberg is a graduate of Yale University .
P. H. Lin (Playwright) has written fifteen plays which have been produced in theaters or festivals around the United States, including Running Wild, One of the Few, Miss Matty and the Maja, Sweet Ginger: Hot and Blue, and The Zen of Yo. A portion of Zelda at the Oasis was presented at the Women International Playwrights Conference in Greece . Pat has won the Dayton Playhouse’s National Playwriting Competition ( Ohio ) and the George Mason University Mary Roberts Rinehart Award (Virginia). Zelda at the Oasis began life as a commission from The F. Scott Fitzgerald Centennial Committee of Rockville, MD to be part of their F. Scott Fitzgerald 100th Birthday Celebration. The play was originally produced by Venus Theatre Company in Laurel , MD.
The set designer for the New York Premiere is Colin McGurk (Rio, Seth Rudetsky’s Disaster!), with costume design by Dustin Cross (Cougar:The Musical, The Other Josh Cohen), lighting by Grant Yeager (Now.Here.This., The Last Smoker in America), and sound design by Daniel Melnick (The Claque, EST) with choreography by Elisabetta Spuria. The General Manager is Jessimeg Productions and the Production Stage Manager is Shelby Taylor Love. Casting is by Michael Cassara, CSA .
The performance schedule for Zelda at the Oasis is Fridays @ 5 & Tuesdays @ 7 (with additional performances on Sundays, Nov 18 & 25; Dec 2 & 9 @ 7 PM and no performance on Friday, December 7). Tickets at $59.50 and $37.50 are available through TeleCharge at www.telecharge.com
or (212) 239-6200. Student Rush tickets at $20 are available at Box Office with valid student ID on day of performance. $30-under-30 tickets may be purchased by anyone age 30 and under in advance at the BO with valid ID (subject to availability). The St. Luke’s Box Office is open 2-6 PM daily and until 7 PM on performance days.
The play runs approximately 90 minutes without intermission. For additional info visit http://zeldaoasis.com.