I had the privilege last night of seeing a modern classic at the New York International Fringe Festival: Woyzeck. This play, I found out through a friend, is the first play of record about a common man. Gangbuster’s Theatre Company adapts Buchner’s classic about a mentally challenged enlisted soldier who is provoked by his superiors to kill his unfaithful lover.

Gangbusters Theatre Company is dedicated to staging the modern classics with their original speed and violence, and they definitely do not disappoint! Their innovative work has previously been honored with L.A. Ovation and Backstage Garland Critic Award Nominations.

“Director Bob McDonald’s adaptation of his visionary production bring it sharply into a netherworld of cultural timelessness, sometimes conjuring an impression of Buchner’s original time frame, sometimes as contemporary as anything created today,” hails Backstage.

McDonald leads a talented cast of seasoned screen and stage performers including Christian Levatino (2009 Backstage Garland Award Best Actor Nomination – Hamlet in HAMLET) as the title character and Sierra Fisk as his lovely but tormented mistress Marie. The remaining cast includes Jacque Lynn Colton, Robert Mollohan, Steve Hamm, Henry Hereford, Matthew Heron, Allen Andrews, Brighid Fleming, Mary Kelsey, Mancini Graves and Michael Laurie.

There are just three performances left: August 20th at 7:30pm, August 24th at 3pm, and August 26th at 9:15pm. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased online at ticketweb.com. For more information, check out www.fringenyc.org and www.gangbusterstheatre.com. The Lafayette Street Theatre is located at 45 Bleeker Street.