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Darwin in Malibu
by Steven Dietz
February 5–19, 2011
Johnson Theater, TPAC
Yankee Tavern
A man walks into a bar…
and inside the walls of a crumbling tavern in New York City, a young man is pressed by questions from his late father's best friend, who weaves conspiracy theories together in an intoxicating blend, and a stranger who knows much more than he should. Surprising revelations continue to emerge in this dramatic thriller in which a young couple's future seems connected inexplicably to shadowy events around the national tragedy of 9/11.
Are conspiracy theories just for fun? Do they do service or do they do damage? What is it about us that jumps to believe the dark and mysterious undercurrents of our national events rather than what appears to be true on the surface? Are we right to question official stories or are we just making it harder for the truth to be known? Steven Dietz's acclaimed and already widely-produced play—a selection of the National New Play Network's Continued Life Project and one of the top ten plays produced among regional theatres this season—is a fierce, funny, suspenseful, and ultimately mind-bending work of theatrical power that grips you until the final word.
Copeland says: "This thriller by Steven Dietz was the overwhelming staff favorite from among the plays I circulated to the staff to read this season. And what's not to love? Yankee Tavern is fierce, funny, mind bending, and thought-provoking. Regional theatres around the country are rushing to produce this drama, and why should other places in the country get to have all the fun? This is the play this year you'll need to discuss at length, maybe argue about, with your fellow theatre-going friends."