Two-time Academy Award® nominee Bradley Cooper (American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook) returns to Broadway in Bernard Pomerance’s Tony Award®-winning classic THE ELEPHANT MAN. Directed by Tony nominee Scott Ellis, THE ELEPHANT MAN is one of the hottest productions to emerge from the prestigious Williamstown Theatre Festival, where it had theatergoers lining up hours ahead of time in the hopes of securing a ticket. This extremely limited engagement also stars Academy Award nominee and Emmy® Award winner Patricia Clarkson (Six Feet Under) and Alessandro Nivola (American Hustle).
Based on the real life of Joseph Merrick, THE ELEPHANT MAN tells the story of a 19th-century British man (Cooper) who became a star of the traveling freak show circuit. When the renowned Dr. Treves (Nivola) takes Merrick under his care, he is astonished by the man’s brilliant intelligence, unshakable faith and, most of all, his resounding desire for love and understanding. He introduces Merrick to the beautiful actress Mrs. Kendal (Clarkson), who is deeply touched by this pure and genuine soul. As a complex friendship blossoms among the three, Treves and Kendal struggle to protect Merrick from a world of questionable intentions… and so begins a story of love as unique as “The Elephant Man” himself.
The Elephant Man — CLOSED FEB 2015 is located in the Astoria neighborhood of Manhattan. Astoria is the western-most neighborhood in Queens, running from the East River west to Northern Boulevard and 49th Street, and from Ditmars Boulevard south to Queens Plaza. It is just north of Long Island City, of which Astoria once was and is sometimes still considered to be a part, and is bounded on the north by Steinway and by Woodside on the east. Nestled in one of the most suburban boroughs, Astoria peeks across the East River at Manhattan from its squat houses and commercial buildings. Largely residential, the neighborhood has gone through the usual waves of immigrants over the course of the centuries; first, the Germans, then the Italians and Jews, a massive and significant influx of Greeks, and most recently, Middle Eastern, African, and Eastern Europeans have made Astoria their new home. For a neighborhood that takes its name from John Jacob Astor—once the richest man in America—it remains remarkably middle-class, with a strong sense of community and ethnic heritage, making it a very tight-knit neighborhood. There are, of course, many great ethnic restaurants of all stripes in Astoria, from favorites like Uncle George's Greek Tavern, Il Bambino, and the Bohemian Beer Hall & Garden to Malagueta, Mojave, and The Queens Kickshaw. For drinking, there's the Quays Pub, cocktails at Sweet Afton, and The Barn. For attractions, there's the wonder Noguchi Garden Museum, showcasing the amazing work of the famed sculptor, even more artistic action at Socrates Sculpture Park, and the Museum Of The Moving Image.