Henry Carter Hull

John Wilmot, a 17th century poet, is the Earl of Rochester and from the beginning he treats his wife cruelly, drinks to relentless excess, abuses his friendships, and generally wallows in dissipation, much to the dismay of King Charles II. The king hopes that Rochester will write a play glorifying his reign. But Rochester finds his true inspiration when he sees a young actress named Lizzie Barry. Rochester sets out to make her the greatest actress...

Ella is a precocious and fiercely competitive actress whose aims in life are making her famous playwright father proud-and becoming famous herself. In the aftermath of a boozy, drug-fueled evening when Ella's father is particularly hurtful, she flings herself into the arms of a young director with whom she begins to collaborate on a one-woman show . . . about her father. Halley Feiffer's dark, probing, and much-anticipated new play is a fierce, funny,...