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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Chester Bailey

Reed Birney (left) and Ephraim Birney in a 2021 production of Chester Bailey.

Oct 12 – Nov 13, 2022
132 W 22nd St, New York, NY 10011, United States

The setting for Joseph Dougherty’s play Chester Bailey is a Long Island mental hospital. The year is 1945, and the title character is a mid-20s Brooklyn boy. Attacked by a fellow worker in a wartime shipyard, Bailey has been left blind, partly deaf, and without hands. He is slow to perceive his injuries, and doesn’t believe they are permanent. His doctor regularly meets with him, in the hope of helping him accept his condition. The New York premiere sees Reed and Ephraim Birney, father and son in real life, stepping into the roles of the doctor and Chester. Ron Lagomarsino directs. —Jensen Davis

Photo: David Dashiell