CHAIN THEATRE PROUDLY PRESENTS THE NYC PREMIERE OF THREE-TIME OBIE AWARD WINNER, DRAMA DESK WINNER, PULITZER PRIZE FOR DRAMA NOMINEE ERIC BOGOSIAN’S HUMPTY DUMPTY

New York, NY - February 27, 2025: CHAIN THEATRE is pleased to announce the NYC premiere production of award-winning actor and playwright Eric Bogosian’s HUMPTY DUMPTY, directed by Ella Jane New (New York Times Critics pick macbitches). An enduring survival story about our dependence on modern technology, HUMPTY DUMPTY will play a five-week limited engagement at Off-Broadway’s Chain Theatre Main Stage (312 W. 36th St, 3rd Floor, New York, NY, 10018). Performances begin Thursday, April 3, and continue through Saturday, May 3. Opening Night is Saturday, April 5 (7 p.m.). Tickets are $35 and available at chaintheatre.org/humpty-dumpty. 

When four friends decide to take a vacation in Upstate New York’s rural ski country, no sooner do they get to their cozy cabin, than the lights go out, their phones stop working, and their comfortable world is turned upside down. What begins as a pleasant break from their urban lives morphs into a trying and ultimately fatal journey down the rabbit hole of survival.

HUMPTY DUMPTY is a play that explores themes of isolation, survival, and societal breakdown through the lens of a group of friends retreating to a vacation home in upstate New York. It is a powerful metaphor for how easily civilization can fracture under pressure and how individuals react when faced with the unknown.

“HUMPTY DUMPTY was originally written in 2000 when Y2K was on everyone's mind”, says playwright Eric Bogosian. “Twenty-five years ago, the idea that our world might shut down was more fantasy than fear. Now we know that it's a very real possibility. After the pandemic, people got the message that things can change fast. Our interconnected world is super vulnerable. And oddly, those most vulnerable are those of us with comfortable lives living in the thick of an urban society of vast pecking orders. These pecking orders are mostly constructed from status in the mass media, rather than anything practical. So when push comes to shove, and the lights go out, the guy who knows how to sharpen an axe becomes the top dog.

I'm so happy that the Chain Theatre has chosen my play for a revival because it is one of my favorites and has not been produced in the city. The Chain makes theater that platforms actors and acting, and I love them for that.” 

Tickets are $35 and are now available at chaintheatre.org/humpty-dumpty. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the box office a half hour prior to performances. 

Running Time: 110 minutes (with a ten-minute intermission)

Website: https://www.chaintheatre.org/

Media Kit with Photos

BIOGRAPHIES

ERIC BOGOSIAN (Playwright) is the author of plays, solos, and novels, including TALK RADIO, subUrbia, and PERFORATED HEART. He received a Drama Desk award, three Obie awards, and a Guggenheim fellowship. He has also been nominated for the Pulitzer and a Tony award. Bogosian earned the Berlin Silver Bear for writing and starring in the film adaptation of his play TALK RADIO. His historical account of "Operation Nemesis," the death squad that avenged the Armenian Genocide, was published by Little, Brown in 2015. As an actor, Bogosian has starred in LAW & ORDER: CI (NBC), BILLIONS (Showtime), SUCCESSION (HBO), the Safdie brothers' UNCUT GEMS, and most recently INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (AMC) as the interviewer, Daniel Molloy. He produces a website, 100monologues.com, featuring dozens of New York's most vibrant actors. Bogosian is married to director Jo Bonney. 

ELLA JANE NEW (Director) is a film and theatre director based in New York City. Director of the critically acclaimed NYTimes Critics Pick macbitches. Her recent credits include DAUGHTER OF THE WICKED at New York City Center; FALLING IN LOVE WITH MR DELLAMORT, with Tony/Emmy winning cast: James Monroe Iglehart, Lena Hall, and Jackie Hoffman for Broadway Podcast Network. Other theatre directing credits include: NYC Premiere of SIX CORNERS by Emmy Nominated Keith Huff (House of Cards, Mad Men, American Crime); Jack Feldstein's THREE MONTHS AT POOK at SOHO Playhouse; QUEEN Z by Michael A. Jones (starring Kara Young/Lucille Lortel nominee); and World Premiere of CHASING THE RIVER by Jean Dobie Geibel and THIS G*D DAMN HOUSE by Matthew McLachlan at Chain Theatre. Ella is the director of the Chain Play Writing Lab. 

CHAIN THEATRE always seeks to reflect and react to the world around us. Culturally. Politically. Socially. Audiences can find investment in the work at the Chain because the work is about them, no matter what it might be. It’s a place where artists and audiences can expand their perspectives.

The critically acclaimed Chain Theatre (NYT Critic’s pick MACBITCHES) is a premiere Off-Broadway producing organization in midtown Manhattan. Chain Theatre produced the World Premiere of GARBAGEMAN by Emmy-nominated Keith Huff (A STEADY RAIN, MAD MEN, HOUSE OF CARDS) and has also collaborated with Tony Award winner David Rabe (HURLYBURLY, IN THE BOOM BOOM ROOM) and Eric Bogosian (AN EVENING WITH ERIC BOGOSIAN). Most recent hit World Premiere productions include: THIS G*D DAMN HOUSE (ScreenCraft Grand Prize Winner), A WILL TO LIVE, and WHAT PASSES FOR COMEDY. 

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