OSCAR, TONY, AND PULITZER-WINNER JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY’S WORLD PREMIERE THE PUSHOVER STARRING REBECCA DE MORNAY EXTENDS AT CHAIN THEATRE
“An exuberant 90-minute entertainment…An exhilarating diversion and a credible addition to John Patrick Shanley’s oeuvre.” - TheaterScene.org
“Evelyn (De Mornay) is an all-time great Shanley creation, a creatively vulgar, hectoring feline felon whorelishes a put-down as much as she loves the power she exudes…The Pushover is an absolute riot, with emotional afterburn.“ - Matthew Rettenmund
New York, NY - April 7, 2026: Chain Theatre, Kirk Gostkowski, Artistic Director, Rick Hamilton, Managing Director, Christina Elise Perry, Director of Development, is pleased to announce the world premiere production of John Patrick Shanley’s THE PUSHOVER, directed by Kirk Gostkowski. THE PUSHOVER adds an additional week to its limited engagement at the Chain Theatre (312 W 36th St., New York, NY). Performances began Friday, April 3rd, with opening night Monday, April 6th (7:00 p.m.), and now runs through Saturday, May 2nd. Tickets are $45-$89 and available at http://www.chaintheatre.org.
The Chain Theatre will welcome John Patrick Shanley on Thursday, April 16th for a post-show talkback about the production.
THE PUSHOVER is a play about three bad-ass women who collide and collude at a spa in New Mexico, and a bare-bones Asian restaurant in Queens. Dangerous and hungry, their weapons and their passions bleed into each other. They speak the language of the outcast, rough and sexual, and fight to survive, and to love.
The production stars Rebecca De Mornay as Evelyn, known from films such as Risky Business and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, who collaborated previously with John Patrick Shanley on a benefit reading of one-acts titled Outcasts (TBN Theater). The cast also includes Di Zhu* (The Master and Margarita, The Dragon) as Pearl, Christina Toth* (Orange Is the New Black, Candlelight) as Soochie, and Christopher Sutton* (William Mastrosimone’s Rules of Desire) as the therapist. *The Actor or Stage Manager appears through the courtesy of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
The production features scenic design by Jackson Berkley (Fortuity, Public Theater), costume design by Debbi Hobson (A Will to Live), and lighting design by Dariel Garcia. Greg Russ (Humpty Dumpty, Usual Rejects) is the sound designer, and Rafaella Rossi* (Humpty Dumpty, Wait Until Dark) is the stage manager and Megan Sophie Gore (Stalin: The Musical, Aves + Autta + Ino + Mel) is the assistant stage manager. Publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR.
THE PUSHOVER plays the following regular schedule through Saturday, May 2:
Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
Thursdays at 7 p.m.
Fridays at 7 p.m.
Saturdays at 2 p.m and 7 p.m.
Sundays at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $45-$89 and are now available online at https://www.chaintheatre.org. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Chain Theatre box office 30 minutes prior to the performance.
Running Time: 90 minutes
Website: https://www.chaintheatre.org
IG: @chaintheatrenyc FB: @ChainTheatre
Special thanks to the Shubert Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, and the Department of Cultural Affairs for their support in making this production possible.
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