A SAFE HARBOR FOR ELIZABETH BISHOP
Amy Irving plays the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet in this long-gestating drama about Bishop’s art and 20-year romance with a Brazilian architect.
Marta Góes wrote the script. Richard Jay-Alexander (Kiss My Brass) directs.
Previews begin March 21. Opens March 30.
59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th Street, Manhattan. Ticket Central. www.59e59.org.
Also visit Primary Stages
About Richard Jay-Alexander:
RICHARD JAY-ALEXANDER, director began his theatrical career in 1977 in the original cast of the Broadway play, Zoot Suit, appearing thereafter in the original Broadway cast of Amadeus, which led to his being engaged as Associate Director of the National Touring Companies of that Tony Award-winning Play. He also staged Amadeus in Santiago, Chile, in Spanish, in which he is fluent. However, he is probably best known for his association with Producer Cameron Mackintosh, having served as Executive Director of Mr. Mackintosh’s American company for ten years, running its day-to-day operations in North America. Richard first came to Mr. Mackintosh’s attention as stage manager/dance captain of his Broadway revival of Oliver! and stage manager/assistant director of his Broadway production of Song & Dance. Shortly thereafter, he became both Associate Director and Executive Producer of the original Broadway, touring and Canadian companies of Les Miserables, staging more than a dozen productions of that Musical. The Phantom of the Opera followed, and then Miss Saigon, for which Richard was Executive Producer for the original Broadway, touring and Canadian companies. He also served as Executive Producer and Associate Director for Broadway’s Five Guys Named Moe and was Executive Producer of its Grammy-nominated original cast recording. Richard subsequently produced recordings for Bernadette Peters (LIVE FROM CARNEGIE HALL, RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN, both Grammy-nominated), Johnny Mathis (ON BROADWAY) and Mary Cleere Haran (PENNIES FROM HEAVEN, THE MEMORY OF ALL THAT) and co-wrote the liner notes for Barbra Streisand’s recent THE MOVIE ALBUM and lyrics for several Walt Disney Records projects, including LILO AND STITCH Island Favorites. For film, Richard created the musical staging for Sony Classics’ BOSSA NOVA, after having appeared in SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, ALL THAT JAZZ, and a slew of commercials and soap operas. Most recently, Richard directed concert productions for some of the world’s greatest entertainers, including Bette Midler (KISS MY BRASS Tour), Barbra Streisand (TIMELESS FAREWELL Tour), Ricky Martin, Jane Monheit, Polly Bergen, Sam Harris, Hayley Westenra, Russell Watson (THE VOICE) and Bernadette Peters, the latter two having also been telecast on PBS. He also helmed the multi-media extravaganza, STORM, at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, the workshop productions of the Broadway-bound musical based on Great Expectations (starring Cloris Leachman) and A Safe Harbor for Elizabeth Bishop (starring Amy Irving), as well as the latest commercials for 2(x)ist Underwear and Alizé Cognac. A native of Syracuse, NY, Richard holds a B.A. in Theatre and Music from SUNY at Oswego and is the recipient of that University’s first Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts. He is also a proud Board member of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS in New York and has been an active supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Florida. Richard currently shares his residences in New York, Los Angeles and Miami with his perfect dog, JoJo, who isn’t the least bit impressed with any of it.
Mister D: And more than all the above, he thinks I’m the cat’s meow or the bee’s knees…ain’t that right, Mr. RJ-A???? 🙂
