PREVIEW: Namaste Man at Intiman Theatre
Intiman Theatre presents the world premiere of Namaste Man, an autobiographical play written and performed by actor Andrew Weems, May 30 through June 22.
The production is directed by Artistic Director Bartlett Sher, who received a 2008 Tony Award nomination (his third) for his direction of Rodgers and 
Hammerstein’s South Pacific. That production garnered a total of 11 nominations and is now playing an acclaimed open-ended run at Lincoln Center Theater.
The talent of Bartlett Sher, who has been Artistic Director at Intiman since 2000, is no secret to the rest of the country. Particularly, after Sher’s 3rd Tony Award nomination for “Best Direction” along with the extended amount of time he spends in New York directing productions like South Pacific. Intiman is fortunate to have his talents and that it why it is so critical to show support and see these performances. Sher recently signed a contract with Intiman through the 2009 season.
In India and Nepal, “Namaste” means both hello and goodbye. Andrew Weems, the son of a US State Department officer, was born in the U.S. Military Hospital in Seoul, Korea, and grew up in Zambia and Nepal, with brief detours to the suburbs of Virginia. In Namaste Man, he tells the story of his unconventional childhood—a life filled with constant hellos and goodbye, in a world redolent with adventures and outsized personalities.
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As Weems unravels the mysteries of his childhood, he also shares stories of his current-day life as an actor in New York, and his quest to understand what it means to go home. His traveling companions are all the characters he meets along the way, especially his mother—a mysterious, “undiscovered country” in her own right.
Namaste Man runs May 30 – June 22, 2008. Tickets are available at www.intiman.org and range in price from $10 to $48 ($10 for patrons aged 25 and under). A limited number of $20 rush tickets may be available for purchase 15 minutes before curtain time, pending availability. There is a “Pay What You Can” performance on June 5.
Also check out Intiman’s “Low-Price Previews” before opening night on May 30, 31, June 1 and 3.
