Bent, About Gays in Nazi Germany, to Get Major L.A. Staging

The Center Theatre Group will stage out playwright Martin Sherman's groundbreaking drama Bent, which explores the persecution of homosexuals during the Holocaust, as part of next year's season at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

"Set in Germany in the 1930s, Bent follows the struggles of gay men trying to survive in Nazi Germany, in particular two men who, in the midst of the darkest moments of mankind, manage to give and receive love and find strength in each other," according to press notes about the production, which will begin performances July 15 and run through August 23. The revival will be helmed by out director Moises Kaufman, a Tony nominee for his work on I Am My Own Wife.

"I can't think of a better artist than Moises Kaufman to direct Bent," says CTG artistic director Michael Ritchie in a statement. "This is powerful theatre that has earned its rightful place in cultural history, and I am very happy that a major production of this important work is happening at the Taper next season."

Shortly after Bent's premiere in London's West End, the original Broadway production opened in 1979 and starred Richard Gere. The Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-nominated play was later adapted into a 1997 film starring Clive Owen, Ian McKellen, and Mick Jagger.

The Mark Taper Forum's 48th season at the Los Angeles Music Center will also include out playwright Paul Oakley Stovall's Immediate Family, which will be directed by Phylicia Rashad. The plot involves a semi-closeted gay man who brings his boyfriend home to a family gathering.

Productions of Arthur Miller's The Price, Brenden Jacobs-Jenkins's Appropriate, and Lucas Hnath's The Christians round out the new season, which begins February 11 and runs through January 10, 2016.

For tickets and more information visit CenterTheatreGroup.org.