WSU Bonstelle Theatre Announces Zimmerman's ARABIAN NIGHTS To Replace PLAYBOY, 2/8 - 2/17

The Bonstelle Theatre (Wayne State University) announces the addition of ARABIAN NIGHTS to replace Playboy of the West Indies in its 2012-2013 season, running for a limited engagement from February 8 through 17, 2013. Mary Zimmerman, the Tony Award-winning director, revitalizes an age-old story of a young maiden who must captivate her husband with spellbinding narratives in order to prevent him from executing her. Ticket prices range from $12-$15 and are available by calling (313) 577-2960, by visiting www.bonstelle.com, or by visiting the Wayne State University Theatres’ Box Office located at 4743 Cass Avenue on the corner of Hancock.

Mary Zimmerman is the renowned director and playwright behind such plays as JOURNEY TO THE WEST, METAMORPHOSES, NOTEBOOKS OF LEONARDO DA VINCI, SECRET IN THE WINGS, and ARGONAUTIKA. She is a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship in 1998, as well as the winner of a Tony Award for Best Direction in 2002 for her work on METAMORPHOSES. Her adaptation of ARABIAN NIGHTS was completed in 1992 and won her a nomination in 1994 for a Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Director of a Play).

The play is directed by Jennifer Goff, a PhD candidate who most recently directed TROUBLE IN MIND and SAVAGE IN LIMBO at the Studio Theatre, and is making her debut at the Bonstelle Theatre. She expresses her excitement for the play in saying: “Mary Zimmerman’s ARABIAN NIGHTS is a gorgeous, magical tale about the power of stories to entertain, to heal, and generally to awaken what’s most human in each of us. It’s the kind of play I’m so excited to be doing here and now, because it really is a celebration of diverse cultures and peoples, and how much more we have in common than we may think.”

The cast includes (in alphabetical order): Zyle Cook (Marcellus, MI) as Butcher, Rahbi Hammond (Troy, MI) as Jester, Ivy Haralson (Belleville, MI) as Perfect Love, Garret Harris (Royal Oak, MI) as Shop Assistant, Sharayah Johnson (Birch Run, MI) as Greengrocer, Derell Jones (Detroit, MI) as Pastrycook, Alyssa Lucas (Garden City, MI) as Abu al-Hasan, Sydney Machesky (Shelby Twp, MI) as Dunyazade, Jackson McLaskey (Mt. Clemens, MI) as Sheikh, Michael Meike (Clinton Twp, MI) as Wazir, Yesmeen Mikhail (Wyandotte, MI) as Scheherazade, Taylor Morrow (Warren, MI) as Slave Girl, Laith Salim (Dearborn, MI) as Harun al-Rashid, Nicholas Yocum (Royal Oak, MI) as Madman, and Lisa Youngs (Wyandotte, MI) as Sympathy .

The Bonstelle Theatre is a Broadway-style house with a 1,143-seat auditorium featuring a balcony. Here, future stars of theatre, film, and television follow in the footsteps of such successful alumni as Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning S. Epatha Merkerson (NBC’s Law and Order, Lackawanna Blues), Lily Tomlin (9 to 5, ABC’s Desperate Housewives), and Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters, NBC’s Heroes). For box office hours and information on performances, tickets, group discounts and corporate packages, please call (313) 577-2960 or visit www.bonstelle.com.

Season sponsored by CBS Outdoor, Between the Lines, and Encore Michigan.