End of the Century
Set in 1993, just before the internet and e-commerce reshaped everything about how we work, date, shop, and dream, a family-run mail order catalog company nears extinction. Family loyalty and financial pressures collide, and the company teeters on bankruptcy as family members and co-workers shift alliances and find connections. As our queer and straight characters stumble through sex, ambition, class divides and romance, the play drops a nostalgia bomb on us — and allows us to view the era’s social mores through laughter and today’s lens with both empathy and clear-eyed hindsight – and to find hope as we see parallels in today’s tech transformations and culture wars.
Lee Rosenthal returns to writing after a brief thirty-year stint as a film production executive. In addition to End of the Century, other current projects include Now a Major Motion Picture: The Play and a management guide in progress, Hitting Your Mark about his time managing people and movies in Hollywood — including Oscar winners The Big Short, Rocketman, Rango and Top Gun Maverick, among others. Prior to his film career, he was an on-air contributor for Marketplace on Public Radio; and he wrote and performed the stories in Crushed, Tales from the Twentynothing Generation in New York and Los Angeles. As a student, he co-founded Cornell’s Whistling Shrimp improvisation troupe, one of the first of its kind on a university campus that has remained continuously active through today.
George Bamber (Director) most recently worked on the Broadway production of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the AppleTV series The Wild Thing, and the feature film Eenie Meanie. He has directed for stage, screen, and music, with his hallmark being smart story-driven content. Additional credits include the stage premieres of Tasty Little Rabbit at Moving Arts, Gay Face and Big Money at Hollywood Fringe Festival. George’s directorial debut, The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was sold in a bidding war two hours after its first screening. He has followed with directing films, episodes and second units for 20th Century Television, Sony, YouTube, CBS and BET.
“End of the Century”
Cullen – Danny Bernardo*
Meena – Anna Khaja
Howard – Albie Selznick*
Marjorie – Meeghan Holaway*
Hal – Eric Ramos*
Andrew – Ethan Haslam*
Natalie – Almanya Narula*
*Road Company Member
Stage Directions: Keith Gerchak
Talkback Moderator: Carlyle King*