Daily News

TheaterWorks Hartford to Present New England Premiere of ‘Queen of Basel’

HARTFORD, Conn. — TheaterWorks Hartford, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero, will present the New England Premiere of Queen of Basel, written by Hilary Bettis. Directed by Cristina Angeles, Queen of Basel is an adaptation of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie set within the Latinx community during Miami’s Art Basel. Featuring an all-Latinx cast and creative team, Queen of Basel runs February 3-26 at TheaterWorks, 233 Pearl St., Hartford. It will also stream on demand February 19-26. Tickets are now on sale at twhartford.org.

Queen of Basel is a fast-paced, language- and character-driven play about class and colorism within the Latinx community,” Angeles said. “I couldn’t be more excited to make my TheaterWorks Hartford debut with a play showcasing such vivid, flawed, and imperfect characters with a dynamic female protagonist at its core. Latinx stories are rarely seen on stage, and I hope this is just the beginning of a much longer conversation surrounding our varied lived experiences and the art that is created as a result.”

Ruggiero added that “Queen of Basel is a play that has excited me since I first read it a couple of years ago. When planning the 2022-2023 season, I felt it was essential to include a story that speaks to our Latin community. What I find compelling, however, is not the political or social issues at its core, but, as always, I love the relationships, and this particular dance of power, passion, seduction, temptation, and impulse that can easily become destructive or self-destructive. It’s human, it’s raw, it’s completely compelling — and it’s in that engagement that we are also provoked into important conversations about privilege, race, power, and color.”

The cast of Queen of Basel includes Silvia Dionicio as Christine, Kelvin Grullon as John, and Christine Spang as Julie. The play contains strong language and adult content, and is not recommended for people under age 18. The running time is 80 minutes with no intermission.

In-person tickets are priced at $25 to $65. All tickets can be purchased online at twhartford.org or by calling (860) 527-7838.