Cause Celebre Productions

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Cause Celebre Productions

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Cause Célèbre is devoted to fostering enhanced understanding of psychological, physical & social issues by presenting plays related to a particular cause.

Cause Célèbre premiered on Sunday, December 9, 2007 at The Players. Created by Food For Thought’s Founding Artistic Director, Susan Charlotte, Cause Célèbre is devoted to fostering an enhanced understanding of psychological, physical and social issues by presenting plays related to a particular cause, performed by our finest actors. The Board of Directors includes an illustrious group of women of the theatre including Marian Seldes and June Springer. Writer Ellen Violett is a strong supporter. The first program was devoted to Nick Springer, who contracted Meningococcal Meningitis when he was 14. Now a college student and U.S. Paralympic Athlete, Nick attended the first show which focused on parent/child relationships. This program included Marian Seldes in Tennessee Williams’ Steps Must Be Gentle, Joan Copeland in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (an excerpt), On Thin Ice, a new play by Susan Charlotte directed by Antony Marsellis and Mel Brooks’ Fathers and Sons with Bob Dishy and Judy Graubart. KT Sullivan sang. Cause Célèbre has several purposes:

1—To connect theatre with different causes

2—To provide visibility for different causes

3—To educate the public

We are very excited about this unique tax exempt, not-for-profit company and its far-reaching possibilities. In order to ensure its success we ask for your help. You can buy tickets and/or offer a donation. “When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.” (Chinese Proverb)

10/28/2026

Go deeper inside the new play The People Versus Lenny Bruce at a special Q&A with Martin Garbus and Michael Osgood following our staged reading at 2pm on Friday, October 30th at the Society for Ethical Culture.

At a time when comedians, journalists, artists and public figures are once again confronting questions about censorship, political pressure, and the boundaries of permissible speech, The People Versus Lenny Bruce offers a timely look at an earlier struggle over who gets to decide what can be said in public. This Q&A will connect the events of the play with the vividly relevant issues facing society today.

Click the link below to purchase tickets!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cause-celebre-productions-presents-the-people-versus-lenny-bruce-tickets-2003004125258

10/24/2026

🎉 CAST ANNOUNCEMENT 🎉

Announcing the cast for The People Versus Lenny Bruce staged reading at 2pm on Friday, October 30th at the Society for Ethical Culture. Directed by Antony Marsellis and written by Susan Charlotte, this resonant play is a striking look at the story of Lenny Bruce and his landmark New York trial.

Starring:
Jack Wetherall as Marty Garbus / Narrator
Johnny Anthony as Lenny Bruce
Ian Lithgow as Richard H. Kuh
Dan Grimaldi as Herbert Ruhe
Timothy Doyle as Jules Feiffer
Roberta Wallach as Dorothy Kilgallen

Following the reading, a special Q&A will be held with Martin Garbus and Mike Osgood.

Click the link below to purchase tickets!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cause-celebre-productions-presents-the-people-versus-lenny-bruce-tickets-2003004125258

10/23/2026

One comedian.
One trial.
One unforgettable legacy.

Following a successful run Off-Broadway, join us for a staged reading of The People Versus Lenny Bruce, a powerful play inspired by the landmark case of legendary lawyer Martin Garbus, at New York Society for Ethical Culture on Friday, October 30th at 2:00pm.

Written By: Susan Charlotte
Directed By: Antony Marsellis

Following the staged reading, a special Q&A will be held with Martin Garbus and Mike Osgood.

Click the link below to purchase tickets!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cause-celebre-productions-presents-the-people-versus-lenny-bruce-tickets-2003004125258

06/28/2026

We are nearly sold out for the last show today, with some coming back to see it for the 2nd or third time! Reach out to the box office at Theatre Row to see if any tickets have been turned back in. You won’t regret it!

06/20/2026

One of the things that has been most rewarding about The People Versus Lenny Bruce is seeing how the play resonates with audiences from many different backgrounds and perspectives.

Recently, John D. Macari, host of the New York's Finest: Retired and Unfiltered podcast, shared his reflections after attending the production.

We were particularly struck by this observation:
"Walking out of the theater, I couldn't help but think about how we are still having these same debates today about who gets to speak, what is allowed to be said, and who decides where the line is drawn."

Whatever one's views, the questions raised by Lenny Bruce's trial continue to challenge us more than sixty years later.

Thank you, John, for attending and for sharing your thoughts.

The People Versus Lenny Bruce continues through June 28 at Theatre Row.

Ticket Link: https://bfany.org/theatre-row/shows/the-people-versus-lenny-bruce/

Photo Credit: Russ Rowland

06/13/2026

Don't miss out on the first play to focus on the NY trial of Lenny Bruce and his first amendment rights! In 1964, the legendary comedian Lenny Bruce was facing obscenity charges in NYC. See the true story of his trial in The People Versus Lenny Bruce, playing at Theatre Row through June 27th!

Each week, select performances are followed by discussions with icons such as Bruce's lawyer Martin Garbus, former ACLU President Susan Herman, and Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons.

📸: Russ Rowland

06/10/2026

Our latest Substack. Check it out, subscribe, and read our earlier Substacks. Most importantly, come see our show The People versus Lenny Bruce at Theatre Row.

A new essay by Sherri Michelstein on Why Cause Célèbre Matters

06/10/2026

Purchase tickets: https://bfany.org/theatre-row/shows/the-people-versus-lenny-bruce/

05/14/2026

Tonight, “The People Versus Lenny Bruce” officially opens Off-Broadway.

We’re incredibly proud to bring this story to the stage and grateful to everyone who has joined us in previews to help create what is sure to be a special evening tonight. Thank you to our cast, creative team, and audiences for making this production possible!

The play is written by Susan Charlotte, directed by Antony Marsellis, and based on the obscenity trial by attorney Martin Garbus.

Go to https://bit.ly/47KSTEo for tickets for the play, running through June 28

Address

410 W 42nd St
New York, NY
10036

Telephone

+16463669340

Website

http://causecelebreproductions.org/, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cause-celebre-productions-presents-the-people-versus-l

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