levittowninfo

"LEVITTOWN manages to satisfy with a solid
script, a sharp cast, and precise direction.
Palmieri's characters are quite full, and the
details of gritty Long Island life come vividly alive
through exacting detail and a naturalistic tone.
The scenes with Richard are especially riveting,
written with sharp, cutting dialogue that keeps
you on edge." (Back Stage)

"It is a rare and beautiful gift to hap upon a
gripping, powerful play. I did just that with Marc
Palmieri's LEVITTOWN. Palmieri's play is
beautifully crafted, psychologically intriguing,
and never predictable...Palmieri draws full
characters with distinct personalities...The
conventional and the unexpected mix regularly
with very fresh results." (NYTheatre.com)

In the shadow of World War II, architect William Levitt envisioned a new American town in a
Long Island potato field. After an extensive and spirited development effort, thousands of
Levitt “Cape Cod” homes were built with scrap materials. Each carefully modeled home was
designed to serve the needs of the modern family. They were sold for $6,000 to battle-weary
GIs with the hope of a new life-and as a means of forgetting recent trauma.

It is nearly half a century later. When Kevin, the grandson of a combat veteran, returns
early from yet another college, he learns that his deeply troubled sister is about to be
married. With renewed hope, he attempts to reconcile his family with the abusive father who
left them years before. Amidst the thin walls of their Levittown home, the members of this
beleaguered family are forced to confront a concealed history and the failure of the tidy
truths they have desperately embraced.

The play premiered at Axis Company, NYC on June
22, 2006 and was directed by George Demas. The
cast was Curzon Dobell, Brian Barnhart, Margo
Passalaqua, Joe Fuer, Joe Viviani, Cecelia
Riddett, Michael Laurence and Ian Tooley.

The play is published by Dramatists Play Service.

"What seemed stable and well-intentioned is revealed as restrictive, slapdash,
even claustrophobic...distinct characters, striking exchanges...it's a familiar
familial misery that calls Palmieri's LEVITTOWN home." (Village Voice)

"A family drama that will send you screaming from the family room. (Levittown)
ventures into interesting, mine-filled terrain...reveals the damaging side of
paternal love, reaching heights of agony that are painful to watch." (Time Out)

"Call him the Iago of Long Island. Marc Palmieri's disquieting new play
LEVITTOWN features one of the most compelling modern villains to grace the
New York stage this year...a truly exhilarating theatrical experience."
(Offoffonline.com)

Click above to hear WBAI's Janet Coleman's
interview of Marc Palmieri and George Demas
on July 3, 2006. Scroll down to the July 3
show. Fast forward to Marc's interview which
begins approximately 35 minutes in.