NEW YORK CITY – Tongue in Cheek Theater Productions (Jake Lipman, producing artistic director) will premiere its adaptation of the popular novel,
The Inn at Lake Devine by
Elinor Lipman (Vintage Contemporaries) in October 2015. The new play with music will run for 16 performances, October 7-24, 2015, in midtown NYC with Kimberly Faith Hickman directing.
The New York Times writes, “in her delightful novel,
The Inn at Lake Devine, Elinor Lipman waltzes fearlessly though a minefield of identity politics. Anti-Semitism, intermarriage, ethnic cuisine and Anne Frank are some of the unlikely, loaded subjects of this witty romantic comedy.”
The Inn at Lake Devine begins in 1964. When Natalie Marx’s mother inquires about summer accommodations in Vermont, she gets the following reply: “The Inn at Lake Devine is a family-owned resort, which has been in continuous operation since 1922. Our guests who feel most comfortable here, and return year after year, are Gentiles.” For twelve-year-old Natalie, who has a stubborn sense of justice, the words are not a rebuff but an infuriating, irresistible challenge, setting in motion events that will change her life.
Director
Kimberly Faith Hickman assistant directed on Broadway with Bruce Norris on
Clybourne Park, Lynne Meadow on
The Assembled Parties, and Susan Stroman on
The Scottsboro Boys. Off-Broadway, Hickman has directed on Theater Row
(The Other Man, Tummy Bubbles, Derivatives) and terraNOVA Collective; regionally for Williamstown Theatre Festival, Omaha Playhouse
(Enron, Jesus Christ Superstar), among others.
Elinor Lipman’s books include
Then She Found Me (adapted and directed by Helen Hunt into the film by the same name),
Isabel’s Bed, The Way Men Act, The Family Man, The View from Penthouse B and
The Ladies’ Man,among others. She has been compared to Jane Austen for her cheeky view of romantic relations and smart female leads.
Founded in 2006 by Jake Lipman, Tongue in Cheek Theater’s mission is to produce thought-provoking comedic works. In May 2014, TIC’s company-created comedy
Buffalo Heights by Adam Harrell was the recipient of a 2014
Puffin Foundation grant. In 2013, The Huffington Post recognized the company’s tenure, saying, “Tongue in Cheek is an Off-Off-Broadway company celebrating its eighth season, a major achievement in and of itself.”
The Inn at Lake Devine has been developed over the first half of 2015 for Tongue in Cheek Theater’s 31st production and 10th anniversary season. Producing artistic director
Jake Lipman explains, “Although Elinor Lipman and I are not related, I feel a true kinship with her work, and the humor and heart throughout
The Inn at Lake Devine fits perfectly with TIC’s mission.”
Novelist
Elinor Lipman shares, “I've always hoped that one of my books could be adapted for the stage, but whom to trust? I found that answer from the first conversation I had with Jake Lipman. Yes, I said; yes! For me, this theater and this book are a match made in adaptation heaven. I'm excited to see my characters—especially these, who are very dear to me—brought to life.”
The play
The Inn at Lake Devine will run October 7-24, 2015 at Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios, 244 West 54 Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY.
Tickets are now on sale.
