More Lies About Jerzy
Encyclopedia
More Lies About Jerzy is a play written by Davey Holmes
, inspired by the last days of the Polish-American novel
ist, Jerzy Kosiński
.
It was first produced Off-Broadway
in 2001, at the Vineyard Theatre
in New York City
. It premiered in London
at the New End Theatre
and in Los Angeles
at the Hayworth Theatre. The play is published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc.
, Bruce Weber wrote: "It is a work of admirable ambition and, indeed, perhaps its chief flaw is that it feels bulky and overloaded." In the New York Post
, Clive Barnes
called it “electrifying" and "completely engrossing,” and Donald Lyons, also in the Post, wrote that it was “exciting, compelling theater, about something that matters,” and "a meditation, serious but entertaining, on the ways people invent themselves.” Gordon Cox's review in Newsday
called the play "a smart, complicated look at a self-made celebrity,” but that "it's too bad that Holmes felt compelled to include the truth about Jerzy in "More Lies About Jerzy," because it's all those masterfully crafted lies that give his play such intelligence and texture.” The play was awarded "Critics Pick" by Time Out New York.
Referring to the play in an interview with The New York Times, in 2001, Davey Holmes
said, "I was always interested in people who invent themselves: celebrities, politicians, salesmen, actors. People who have... the choice of whether to rename themselves or not, to manufacture how they behave or are perceived."
, LA Weekly
and Back Stage
. The production was "Ovation Recommended" by the LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards. Jack Stehlin's performance in the lead role was nominated for Best Actor by the Los Angeles Times
.
Original London cast; 2002; New End Theatre
Original Los Angeles Cast; 2010;
Circus Theatricals at the Hayworth Theatre; 2010;
directed by David Trainer
; produced by Jeannine Wisnosky Stehlin
Davey Holmes
Davey Holmes is an American screenwriter, producer and playwright.-Writing:Holmes has written for television shows including In Treatment for which he won a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay - New Series, Damages for which he received a nomination for Writers Guild of America...
, inspired by the last days of the Polish-American novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, Jerzy Kosiński
Jerzy Kosinski
Jerzy Kosiński , born Józef Lewinkopf, was an award-winning Polish American novelist, and two-time President of the American Chapter of P.E.N.He was known for various novels, among them The Painted Bird and Being There...
.
It was first produced Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in 2001, at the Vineyard Theatre
Vineyard Theatre
The Vineyard Theatre is an Off-Broadway non-profit theatre company, located at 108 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, near Union Square. Its first production was in 1981...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It premiered in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at the New End Theatre
New End Theatre
The New End Theatre, Hampstead, was a 80-seat fringe theatre venue in London, England, located in the London Borough of Camden which operated from 1974 until 2011. It was listed widely on the internet, including with the New York Times....
and in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
at the Hayworth Theatre. The play is published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc.
Broadway Play Publishing Inc.
Broadway Play Publishing Inc, along with Dramatists Play Service, Playscripts, Inc., and Samuel French Inc., is one of the four major New York play publishers and licensors of stage rights...
Synopsis
A world-famous Jewish writer, Jerzy Lesnewski, is suspected as having lied about his childhood during the Holocaust.New York Reviews
In its first run, the play received both raves and mixed reviews. In The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Bruce Weber wrote: "It is a work of admirable ambition and, indeed, perhaps its chief flaw is that it feels bulky and overloaded." In the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
, Clive Barnes
Clive Barnes (critic)
Clive Alexander Barnes, CBE was a British-born American writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977 he was the dance and theater critic for the New York Times, the most powerful position he had held, since its theater critics' reviews historically have had great influence on the success or failure of...
called it “electrifying" and "completely engrossing,” and Donald Lyons, also in the Post, wrote that it was “exciting, compelling theater, about something that matters,” and "a meditation, serious but entertaining, on the ways people invent themselves.” Gordon Cox's review in Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
called the play "a smart, complicated look at a self-made celebrity,” but that "it's too bad that Holmes felt compelled to include the truth about Jerzy in "More Lies About Jerzy," because it's all those masterfully crafted lies that give his play such intelligence and texture.” The play was awarded "Critics Pick" by Time Out New York.
Referring to the play in an interview with The New York Times, in 2001, Davey Holmes
Davey Holmes
Davey Holmes is an American screenwriter, producer and playwright.-Writing:Holmes has written for television shows including In Treatment for which he won a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay - New Series, Damages for which he received a nomination for Writers Guild of America...
said, "I was always interested in people who invent themselves: celebrities, politicians, salesmen, actors. People who have... the choice of whether to rename themselves or not, to manufacture how they behave or are perceived."
Los Angeles Reviews
The reviews for the Los Angeles production were mainly raves, selected as "Critic's Choice" by the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
and Back Stage
Back Stage
Back Stage is an entertainment-industry brand aimed at people working in film and the performing arts, with a special focus on casting, job opportunities, and career advice.Back Stage publishes a weekly tabloid-sized trade magazine in the U.S...
. The production was "Ovation Recommended" by the LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards. Jack Stehlin's performance in the lead role was nominated for Best Actor by the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
.
Casts
Original New York cast; Vineyard Theatre, 2001; directed by Darko TresnjakDarko Tresnjak
Darko Tresnjak is a prominent American theatre director. He has received the Alan Schneider Award for Directing Excellence, a T.C.G. National Theater Artist Residency Award, a Boris Sagal Directing Fellowship, an NEA New Forms Grant, two Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Individual Artist...
- Jared HarrisJared HarrisJared Francis Harris is a British character actor, well known for playing the obnoxious Mac McGrath in the Adam Sandler film Mr. Deeds, and for his portrayal of Lane Pryce on the AMC series Mad Men.- Personal life :...
as Jerzy Lesnewski - Gretchen EgolfGretchen EgolfGretchen Egolf is an American film and television actress.Egolf grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where she began acting in theatre as a child. After high school, she attended the Juilliard School for drama in New York and has been living and working in New York and Los Angeles ever since...
- Daniel LondonDaniel LondonDaniel London is an American actor, possibly most notably famous for his roles in Patch Adams and Rent.-Life and career:Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, London began writing and acting in plays in high school. While a student at Mt...
- Lizbeth MacKayLizbeth MacKayLizbeth Mackay is an American actress. She works primarily in the theatre and television.-Biography:Mackay was born in Buffalo, New York. She is the daughter of Robert J. Mackay, a salesman, and Alice , a dancer. She has two children, Caitlin and John...
- Boris McGiver
- Betty Miller
- Portia ReinersPortia ReinersPortia Reiners is an American actress. She is most recognizable for her role as Britney Jennings on One Life to Live.-Career:...
- Martin ShakarMartin ShakarMartin Shakar is an American theatre, film and television actor, born January 1, 1940), in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York....
- Adam Stein
- Gary Wilmes
Original London cast; 2002; New End Theatre
- George LaytonGeorge LaytonGeorge Layton is an English actor, director, screenwriter and author. He was educated at Belle Vue Boys' Grammar School in Bradford and later studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts where he won the Emile Littler award. He went on to leading parts at Coventry and Nottingham and...
as Jerzy Lesnewski
Original Los Angeles Cast; 2010;
Circus Theatricals at the Hayworth Theatre; 2010;
directed by David Trainer
David Trainer
David Trainer is an American television director, perhaps best known for directing every episode of the FOX sitcom That '70s Show except the pilot "That '70s Pilot" . He also directed the first two seasons of the television show Boy Meets World and over 60 episodes of Designing Women...
; produced by Jeannine Wisnosky Stehlin
- Jack StehlinJack StehlinJack Stehlin is an American television and theater actor perhaps best known for his television role as Drug Enforcement Agency Captain Roy Till on Weeds.-Film and television:...
as Jerzy Lesnewski - Kristin MalkoKristin MalkoKristin Malko is an American actress. Malko grew up in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey and graduated from Hillsborough High School in New Jersey, and then Sarah Lawrence College in New York.She played Debra Jean Belle on the show Prison Break...
as Georgia Fischer - Cameron Meyer as Isabel Parris
- Adam Stein as Arthur Bausley
- Jordan LundJordan LundJordan Lund is an American stage, film and television character actor. He played the tyrant prison guard Manly in Lock Up.Lund was born in Long Island, New York, the son of Miriam and Marvin Lund.-External links:...
as Rysiek Zrupina - Neil VipondNeil VipondNeil Vipond is a stage, television, and film actor. Best known as "Julius" the piano player on the hit TV series Will & Grace, Neil Vipond has also guest-starred in Medium, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.He played "Grover Shively" in Endpapers , a play by...
as Harry Frott - Chet Grissom as Brett Pearson
External links
- New York Times article, January 14, 2001
- http://www.nytheatre-wire.com/lk01033t.htm#2
- http://www.curtainup.com/moreliesaboutjerzy.html
- http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-79371247.html
- http://www.broadwayplaypubl.com/vineyard.htm
- http://www.circustheatricals.com
- http://sdjewishworld.wordpress.com/2010/05/09/writer-who-fictionalized-holocaust-experiences-becomes-subject-of-fictional-drama/
- http://www.backstage.com/bso/reviews-la-theatre/more-lies-about-jerzy-1004094279.story
- http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/06/theater-review-more-lies-about-jerzy-at-the-hayworth-theatre.html
- http://www.laweekly.com/events/more-lies-about-jerzy-932156/