The English Bride – Location, Tickets, Reviews

The English Bride Official Poster

The English Bride – Location, Tickets, Reviews

Written by Lucile Lichtblau and directed by Carl Wallnau, The English Bride, a new production at 59E59 Theaters, was inspired by real events.

In April 1986, a man attempted to place a bomb on an El Al flight departing from London. The incident was nicknamed the Hindawi Affair, after Nezar Hindawi, the individual who packed a bomb in the carry-on luggage of his pregnant fiancee.

Lichtblau’s portrayal injects a heavy dose of emotion into the otherwise black-and-white plot, transforming it into a head-spinning tale. Presented through a mixture of present-day interrogations and flashbacks that unfold on a minimal set, the play delivers a compelling story that explores the possible motives behind the Hindawi Affair.

Amy Griffin plays Eileen Finney, the Irish fiancée, who meets the handsome Ali Said–Hindawi’s fictional counterpart (played by Michael Gabriel Goodfriend) when she moves to London to escape her dull life. Finney becomes pregnant and Said agrees to marry her, but what she thinks is a fairytale romance turns out to be an elaborate, nefarious scheme devised by Said.

Dripping with passion and deception, The English Bride contemplates the power of love, the fear of shame, and the desire to belong.

Especially recommended if:

  • you love spy stuff,
  • plays based on true events, and
  • psychologically-complex characters with great actors to deliver them.

LOCATION

59E59 Theaters
59 East 59th Street
New York City
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RUNNING TIME

1 hour and 30 minutes, no intermission

TICKETS

$25.00 (click here for tickets)

DATES

Performances through November 17, 2013

NEWS & REVIEWS

Reviews

The format is restrictive, and sometimes the play feels like an extended “Law & Order” interrogation scene. But the production, from Centenary Stage Company in Hackettstown, N.J., is efficient, and the director, Carl Wallnau, strings the suspense out nicely.
Theatre Is Easy 
Framed by a failed terrorist attack, this play is a lovely and complex character study from script to execution.
This 90-minute play is a lovely piece of theatre in an intimate setting.
The interspersal of active scenes, flashback scenes, and direct address to the audience are a mutually reinforcing patchwork that creates a living narrative. The final moments of the play lean perhaps a bit too much on an extended, if pat, epilogue that tells rather than shows; however, in a world where the stories we tell can’t be trusted, perhaps there is simply no other way to end this play — and perhaps the lies never stop.

CAST & CREW
(partial list)

Written by Lucile Lichtblau

Directed by Carl Wallnau

Featuring Ezra Barnes, Michael Gabriel Goodfriend, and Amy Griffin

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

The English Bride

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