At threatened Bed-Stuy hospital, extended run for Edward Albee’s “The Death of Bessie Smith”
Site-specific production of rare Albee play extended to February 9
Following an initial sold-out run, New Brooklyn Theater announced a three-week extension for Edward Albee’s “The Death of Bessie Smith.”
The company is presenting the play at troubled Interfaith Medical Center in Bedford-Stuyvesant, which is battling in bankruptcy court for survival. Interfaith was promised $3.5 million from the state to stay open through March, but the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) will not released the funds until Interfaith gives up its clinics.
Set in a 1937 Memphis whites-only hospital, “The Death of Bessie Smith” uses the legend surrounding the death of the famous blues singer to portray the attitudes that allow injustice to occur.