THE WORLD PREMIERE of
James Fenimore Cooper’s



adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher
 

Andy Grotelueschen as points a gun at Rick Ford in The Spy. All Photos for The Spy by James Culp.

Neutral Ground…Demilitarized Zone…No Man's Land

The words, the phrases, the euphemisms are the same today as they were 250 years ago. In THE SPY, the first espionage novel, we find ourselves in a territory that is ruled neither by the British army nor its Colonial rebels.  Washington's army is in a fight to the death with the King's redcoats to determine who will control the wilderness north of the New York City.

In the parlance of the day, it is called "neutral ground"—a lawless, free-fire zone, its allegiances constantly shifting among loyalists, revolutionaries, marauders and violent men and women whose murderous talents are offered up to the highest bidder. Like such 20th century settings as "Check Point Charlie" in Berlin, the neutral ground of THE SPY is a territory rife with plots and double- crosses; families torn apart and communities divided along political lines. The bloody scramble of history is written on the landscape and its people, resonating down the ages.

In this subtle and ambiguous wilderness, spies and counterspies play out their roles to achieve political goals and personal honor. No one in THE SPY—man or woman—is who he or she appears to be. Lies are sometimes told by the best of them. And the truth—even a truth that could save a life or reputation—may never be known.

Romance, adventure, disguises and the ticking clock of a coming battle all conspire to make THE SPY a very modern and vivid entertainment.

With the presentation of The Spy, The Acting Company will present Shakespeare's Henry V and continue its 35-year tradition of bringing touring classical productions, talented young actors and teaching artists into communities across America.

Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Jesse L. Martin, Frances Conroy, David Ogden Stiers, Jeffrey Wright and Rainn Wilson are but a handful of actors whose careers have been developed by The Acting Company.  Honored by the TONY Awards for Excellence in Theater, the Company has won the Obie, Audelco, Citibank’s Excellence in Education and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards. 

THE SPY in NYC   
Baruch Performing Arts Center    Friday, May 1 at 8pm and Saturday, May 2 at 2 & 8pm
East 25th Street between Lexington Ave. and Third Ave.
  
Tickets on sale NOW   $29.95 
Theatermania.com  or call 212-352-3101

Read Review    THE SPY in St. Louis, MO

The Spy: A Thrill A Minute

People often speak of the Civil War as a conflict which pitted brother against brother, but the same was true of the American
Revolution: not all Americans were in favor of independence from British rule, and sometimes loyalties were divided within
the same household. Much of the conflict in James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Spy, written in 1821 and often described as
the first espionage novel in the English language, centers around one such divided household.   more

Watch video of selected scenes of The Spy:

The Spy Scene 1   The Interrogation

The Spy Scene 2   Frances Pleads with Dunwoodie

       
Left photo: William Sturdivant, Georgia Cohen, Sonny Valicenti, Andy Grotelueschen.   Middle photo: Georgia Cohen.   Right photo: Carie Kawa, Sonny Valicenti.

poster design by Kevin Sprague