THE CONNECTION

 The Connection is a play about the human condition. The audience encounters a group of junkies and a group of jazz musicians waiting in a loft for "Cowboy" to bring them a fix, while they are being filmed for a movie about their lives. It is the entrance to a complex world, which mirrors many aspects of the human condition from the burning despair of the addict to the glorious redemption of the jazz music.

The Living Theatre (19 Clinton St.), the oldest experimental theatre group still exisiting in the country, will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of THE CONNECTION by playwright Jack Gelber with a new production directed by Judith Malina. The Living Theatre will present the 50th anniversary revival of THE CONNECTION in collaboration with New York City jazz musician Rene McLean, who will conduct a New York jazz ensemble. The Production will begin performances on December 30, 2008 and will continue until Feburary 13, 2009. Judith Malina directs.

The groundbreaking production of The Connection (1959) attracted national attention for its shocking portrayal of drug addiction and its equally unexpected language. It was an enormous success for its improvisational style of acting and its exciting use of live jazz musicians including Jackie McLean, Freddie Redd (who composed the original score), Cecil Payne, Kenny Drew, Tina Brooks and Cecil Taylor. Martin Sheen, a Living Theatre supporter and board member, launched his career with his work in the play. The show won several Obies and ran for more than 700 performances. Its raw immediacy and demolition of the normal boundaries between audience and cast influenced generations of theatre productions and it is our desire to reintroduce this seminal work to a new generation of actors and jazz musicians and of course our audience.