“Wallace Shawn and André Gregory are at the peak of their careers this spring with the play WHAT WE DID BEFORE OUR MOTH DAYS.” - Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire
Hope Davis, Maria Dizzia, John Early, and Josh Hamilton star in the New York Times Critic’s Pick.
“WHAT WE DID BEFORE OUR MOTH DAYS is a very loving portrait of four members of my own bourgeoisie class, and THE FEVER is a rather brutal denunciation of my class as a whole.” - Wallace Shawn on his two plays at Greenwich House Theater.
Hope Davis, Maria Dizzia, John Early, and Josh Hamilton star in the New York Times Critic’s Pick written by Wallace Shawn and directed by André Gregory. Must end May 24.
“THE FEVER is a psychological hammer to the kneecaps, and if its blows feel extra trenchant right now, it may be because we’ve become quite fond of blaming up and calling it a day: ‘Eat the rich! Ban the billionaires! Boycott the Met Gala!’” - Sara Holdren, Vulture
FINAL WEEKS: Wallace Shawn performs THE FEVER on Sunday and Monday evenings at Greenwich House Theater.
Playwright Wallace Shawn and director André Gregory receive the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Career Achievement.
WHAT WE DID BEFORE OUR MOTH DAYS is in its final weeks at Greenwich House Theater. Hope Davis, Maria Dizzia, John Early, and Josh Hamilton star in the New York Times Critic’s Pick. Through May 24 only.
“I find Wallace Shawn’s writing very easy to listen to. It’s seductive and hypnotic, and the other three actors are so good.” - John Early on WHAT WE DID BEFORE OUR MOTH DAYS. Hope Davis, Maria Dizzia, John Early, and Josh Hamilton star in the New York Times Critic’s Pick written by Wallace Shawn and directed by André Gregory. Extended through May 24 only.
“If MY DINNER WITH ANDRÉ staged a contest of worldviews between two friends, THE FEVER reenacts the conflict within Wallace Shawn himself.” – 3 Quarks Daily
FINAL WEEKS: Shawn performs THE FEVER on Sunday and Monday evenings at Greenwich House Theater. His new play, WHAT WE DID BEFORE OUR MOTH DAYS — starring Hope Davis, Maria Dizzia, John Early, and Josh Hamilton — is in performances through May 24. Directed by André Gregory.
On a scale of Seamless order to "My Dinner with André," where does @theandregregory fit?
This is NYQ, a series where we find out how “New York” notable New Yorkers really are. Disagree with André answers? Let us know yours in the comments below.
At the link in our bio, read more about @mothdaysplay directed by Gregory.
Video by @zachschiffman
Edited by @melissa_edits_stuff
TONIGHT: Wallace Shawn and Deborah Eisenberg step into WHAT WE DID BEFORE OUR MOTH DAYS at the Greenwich House Theater for their second and final night.
“When they took their bows last night, Wallace Shawn and Deborah Eisenberg’s relief and pride seemed to fill the black box theatre with warm and blinding light.” - Playbill.
WHAT WE DID BEFORE OUR MOTH DAYS marks the latest collaboration between Wallace Shawn and André Gregory, “the most renowned playwright-director duo in New York theater.” - The New York Times.
Best availability in mid-April. Must end May 24.
André Gregory and Wallace Shawn have been artistic partners for more than 50 years — a decade of which came before 'My Dinner With André,' Louis Malle's 1981 film in which the two converse for 90 minutes over a meal. It may have been the talkiest movie of its generation, but it was an unexpected art-house hit.
Their latest collaboration is Shawn's dark comedy 'What We Did Before Our Moth Days,' directed by Gregory. Apart from a couple of moments when an actor leaves the stage or returns, it’s actionless over three hours. It’s simultaneously avant-garde (if there is still such a thing) and old-fashioned because it so deeply believes in the power of unbroken expressive talk. Many of the speeches are multiple pages long.
Their collaboration began when writer Renata Adler kept insisting Shawn see Gregory's ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ "It was literally breathtaking." By the third time he saw it, he brought along an envelope of his own plays.
For our "Works in Progress" series, @polaroidland had his own meal with André (and Wallace). Read about it at the link in our bio.
Photo: @markseliger
“The character’s profession is not given. Personally, I think they could be an office worker.” - Wallace Shawn on the ambiguity of the traveler’s profession in THE FEVER.
Shawn performs his masterwork on Sunday and Monday nights through April 26.
