Opening Night

The Velocity of Autumn, Starring Estelle Parsons, Opens on Broadway Tonight

Eric Coble’s two-hander about a Molotov-cocktail-wielding septuagenarian also stars Stephen Spinella.

New York City
Estelle Parsons and Stephen Spinella star in Eric Coble's The Velocity of Autumn, directed by Molly Smith, at the Booth Theatre.
Estelle Parsons and Stephen Spinella star in Eric Coble's The Velocity of Autumn, directed by Molly Smith, at the Booth Theatre.
(© Joan Marcus)

What would you do to stay in your brownstone home in Brooklyn? Would you threaten to blow the whole place up? That's exactly what the central character in Eric Coble's The Velocity of Autumn threatens to do. You can find out if she actually does it by going to the Booth Theatre, where the show opens tonight.

The play stars four-time Tony nominee Estelle Parsons (Nice Work If You Can Get It) as 79-year-old Alexandra, an artist living in a large Brooklyn home. Her children don't think she should live alone anymore, but Alexandra refuses to leave without a fight. As she amasses 100 Molotov cocktails, an unlikely negotiator slips in through an open window: Tony winner Stephen Spinella (Spring Awakening) plays Chris, Alexandra's estranged son. Ninety minutes of explosive family drama ensues. Molly Smith directs.

Chris (Stephen Spinella) argues with his siblings while his mother, Alexandra (Estelle Parsons), precariously waves a Molotov cocktail in the air in The Velocity of Autumn.
Chris (Stephen Spinella) argues with his siblings while his mother, Alexandra (Estelle Parsons), precariously waves a Molotov cocktail in the air in The Velocity of Autumn.
(© Joan Marcus)

For tickets to The Velocity of Autumn, click here.

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