Theatre | Thursdays–Sundays, November 9–19 | $20–40
In Florian Zeller’s play, memories are not fossilized in a context of “the past,” but instead ebb, flow, and ricochet within life’s continuum. FUSION proudly presents the regional premiere of THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM following the play’s Manhattan Theatre Club production on Broadway. Spending a stormy day with a family comprised of a mother, father, daughters, and mysterious figures of a man and a woman, Zeller’s story reveals the power of life’s imprints in the everyday and the eternal realms of the human spirit. Expertly guided by director Jacqueline Reid, FUSION’s performance features Paul Blott, Laurie Thomas, Amelia Ampuero, Angela Littleton, Rachel Wiseman and Matthew Yde taking the stage.
“Zeller’s play penetrates the memory long after one has left the theatre.” – Michael Billington, The Guardian
Performances will be Thursdays & Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m.
General Admission: $40 | Seniors over 65: $35 | Students: $20 | Thanks to the City of Albuquerque Pay What You Wish ticketing is available.
ABOUT FLORIAN ZELLER
French novelist-turned-playwright Florian Zeller is the type to make anyone believe in innate artistic gifts. For all his literary talents, Zeller did not grow up attending theatre, or even reading much: "There wasn’t a lot of culture in the house, not a lot of books, but it was present in another way,” he said. Growing up in Brittany, his father was an engineer who often worked in Germany; his mother liked to read Tarot cards. She was the one who “taught me about narration, about stories, about invention. She was pretty theatrical.”
In spite of these unremarkable beginnings, the prolific 36-year-old has known no shortage of successes since then. In fact, his story reads like a biography of a consummate artist-genius: his star has steadily risen from the moment he dropped out of the prestigious Sciences Po at 20 in order to focus on his writing. Eventually returning to school and becoming the youngest literature professor at Sciences Po at age 23, in the span of three years he wrote three novels, all published by the acclaimed publishing house Flammarion. His third novel, La Fascination du pire (The Fascination of Evil) was nominated for the Prix Goncourt, the highest literary honor for French authors, and won the Prix Interallié in 2004.
His first play, L'Autre, was produced in Paris in 2004, and since then he has come out with a play almost every year. But it was The Father that put him on the map internationally. The Father has been a sensation from its first production in Paris, where it received the 2014 Molière Award for Best Play, France's highest theatrical honor. It then traveled to London, where The Guardian named it the best play of the year. Its Broadway production was a 2016 Tony Awards nominee for Best Play, and Frank Langella received the Best Leading Actor Tony for his role as André. Langella says of Zeller’s work: “He’s able to achieve a powerhouse of feeling in fewer words than almost any other writer I’ve noticed.”
—Taylor Gaines for Studio Theatre
Actors' Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 45,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence.