The Unexpected Man

Ruta, perhaps best known for his many roles at ACT, is a huge fan of playwright Yasmina Reza. “I saw Art three times. Her writing is amazing. This [The Unexpected Man] is a play you have to listen to. And it’s about a man who is getting old. Perfect for me!”

Both plays were translated from the French by Christopher Hampton, whose deft touch serves the playwright well. Hampton, himself a playwright, penned the recent Broadway hit, The Philanthropist.

Susan Maeder settled in Mendocino in 1981, after living abroad for several years. She has been cast in dozens of leading roles at the Mendocino Theatre Company and Warehouse Rep, and has written and performed two one-woman shoes, Black Tulips (1994 & 1996) and Singing Back (2008). Her volume of poetry “White Song” was published by the Pot Shard Press in 1998. She recently performed in Spare Stage’s production of The Breath of Life by David Hare.

In The Unexpected Man, the pair find themselves in a compartment on a train heading from Paris to Frankfurt. She instantly recognizes him – isn’t his very face on the back of the book she’s carrying in her bag? He is oblivious of her. Their interior monologues, heard by the audience, reveal contrasts in comedic obsession; she, urgent, focused entirely on the famous author; he, laconic, worried about his digestion and his daughter’s loathsome fiancé. The play is an oddly compelling study of the relationship between writers and their readers, between a man and a woman, and between (almost) strangers on a train.

Yasmina Reza, French playwright, novelist and screenwriter, began her career as an actress, appearing in new plays as well as works by Moliere and Marivaux. In 1995 her play Art premiered in Paris to become a world-wide sensation, performed in 30 languages. The playwright’s recent Broadway hit, God of Carnage, received numerous awards and multiple Tony nominations, including best play.

The British première of The Unexpected Man was on April 8, 1998, performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company with Eileen Atkins and Michael Gambon. It enjoyed successful productions in England, Germany and New York.

The San Francisco premiere was directed by Spare Stage’s Artistic Director, Stephen Drewes. The highly anticipated revival of The Unexpected Man opens October 29 and runs through November 14, 2010 on the main stage at the EXIT Theatre.

Spare Stage is a company devoted to exceptional scripts and simplicity of production, with Drewes as Artistic Director. They launched their first full season with the US premiere of Michael Frayn’s 1993 comedy Here, eliciting positive reviews and sold-out shows at the EXIT Theatre.

Drewes launched his career at Berkeley Rep in 1970 and went on to a 40-year career as a professor of theatre arts, actor, and stage director.

This production of The Unexpected Man is supported by a generous grant from The Columbia Foundation.

Media Contact: Anna Schlegel: 415-309-8950 or annaschlegel@hotmail.com