ZACH Theatre to Produce World Premiere of ‘Immortal Longings’

ZACH Theatre recently announced the world premiere of Immortal Longings, the newest work by playwright and American Legend Terrence McNally with an opening date of June 20 and will run through July 14 in The Topfer at ZACH. The world premiere of Immortal Longings is a thoroughly revised version of Fire and Air, which premiered at the Classic Stage Company (CSC) in New York City in the winter of last year.

“When we performed the play at CSC, it was very much a work in progress. Few plays are flawless at their world premiere,” said four-time Tony Award-winning playwright and LGBT activist Terrence McNally, expanding on Immortal Longings. “Plays are not written, they are re-written. I knew in New York that the play was not finished to my satisfaction and I was grateful when ZACH invited me to finish my work on the play with a new director, a new cast, and most importantly, a new text. A change of title, even after a first production, is not an unusual part of a play's journey. Away We Go in Boston became Oklahoma! before Broadway.”

Immortal Longings explores the rich history of the great Russian impresario Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev and his legendary Ballets Russes, who introduced the world to such revolutionary artists as Nijinsky, Stravinsky and Picasso. Surrounded by great talents of art, design, and music, the tempestuous relationship between Diaghilev and dancer Vaslav Nijinsky revolutionizes dance forever. The play takes place as the iron claw of the Bolsheviks closes in on the free spirits of New Art, forcing them to take refuge in a liberated and liberating Paris, at the birth of the 20th Century.

“Classic plays we love like A Streetcar Named Desire or Death of a Salesman were once new plays. It is important for the future of our culture that we are always creating new work that may become one of these lasting legacies that impacts generations of readers and writers to come,” Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley said. “It is an opportunity to respond in the here and now to the forces in our lives, which impact a generation and imbue our lives with meaning. Terrence has had the most famous, interesting, articulate colleagues as collaborators on his work – actors, directors, designers, musicians – a lifetime of who’s who, and he brings all that knowledge and experience with him when he approaches a creative endeavor. We have the great fortune to be his students and collaborators in this moment."

Casting to be announced at later date.