Ruben Santiago-Hudson--who received a Tony Award for his performance in the original Broadway production of
August Wilson's
Seven Guitars--will direct the same show at Signature Theatre Company from August 1st through September 24th.
Signature will stage a number of the late Pulitzer Prize-winner's shows throughout its 2006-2007 season--including
Two Trains Running and
King Hedley II. Casting has not yet been announced for
Seven Guitars, in which "Hope and heartbreak abound in Pittsburgh's Hill district as seven
people share frustration, joy and loss in 1948...Floyd Schoolboy Barton, an aspiring blues musician,
returns home to seek his fortune and reclaim his woman; a sick old man
longs for an heir to carry on his name; and three single women cope
with betrayal and lost dreams. Like seven musical instruments, each one
strikes a singular note in a discordant world."
Seven Guitars was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Drama (as well as the Tony Award for Best Play) during its run on Broadway; it played the Walter Kerr Theatre from March 28th through September 8th, 1996. Directed by Lloyd Richards, it also featured
Keith David,
Viola Davis,
Michele Shay and others.
Seven Guitars is one of ten plays that Wilson--who died last year--penned chronicling the African-American experience in the 20th century.
Santiago-Hudson's other New York appearances include Gem of the Ocean, Jelly's Last Jam, and the one man-show Lackawanna Blues (he also appeared in the film version). Other films include The Devil's Advocate and Shaft,
and he has appeared on "Law and Order" and "The West Wing." In May, he will begin work on a film starring Kevin Costner, Demi Moore and
William Hurt.
Signature Theatre Company will next present John Guare's
Landscape of the Body--starring
Lili Taylor and
Sherie Rene Scott; it will begin performances on March 28th.
Visit
www.signaturetheatre.org for more information.
