Running Time: 100 minutes with no intermission.
THE MONSTERS
THE MONSTERS
written and directed by Ngozi Anyanwu
with Aigner Mizzelle, Okieriete Onaodowan
World Premiere Co-Production with Two River Theater
OFF-BROADWAY AT
New York City Center
For a long time, LIL has been obsessed with fighting, and one fighter in particular: her older brother BIG, an aging but successful figure in the local Mixed Martial Arts circuit. But she’s been doing it all from afar… until one day when she decides to show up on his doorstep. Written and directed by Ngozi Anyanwu (Good Grief, The Homecoming Queen, The Last of the Love Letters) this world premiere is a sibling love story about reunions, resentment, reconnection, and wrestling with demons.
| Major support for Stage II is provided by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. THE MONSTERS is supported by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation's Theatre Visions Fund program. |
“THE CAST’S PERFORMANCES ARE ELECTRIFYING, AND BY THE END THERE WASN’T A DRY EYE IN THE HOUSE.”
TheaterMania
“A SMART, EMOTIONAL AND THRILLING TWO HANDER THAT LANDS EVERY BLOW. STEP INTO THIS RING AND CONFRONT YOUR OWN DEMONS; YOU’RE LIKELY TO EMERGE CHANGED.”
Stage and Cinema
“OKIERIETE ONAODOWAN IS HYPNOTIC. He squeezes every juicy ounce of meaning from the play.”
The New York Times
“AIGNER MIZZELLE SNAPS LIKE LIVE WIRE, cracking jokes that land nonstop.”
TheaterMania
General Info / Accessibility
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Click here for a seating chart. Stage II seats 150. Stage II is accessible to people with disabilities and is equipped with both assistive listening and hearing-aid compatible devices. For more information on accessibility, please click here.
Run time is approximately 100 minutes with no intermission.
Manhattan Theatre Club is one of New York’s preeminent not-for-profit cultural institutions and a premier destination for both the most talented artists and discerning audiences to return to time and again. We produce seasons of bold, entertaining and thought-provoking new plays and musicals at our Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway and on our two off-Broadway stages at New York City Center.
For over 50 years, MTC has been acclaimed for identifying, fostering and supporting extraordinary artists at all stages of their careers and for the consistent quality, range and originality of our over 600 premieres, which include nearly 20% of all of the new plays on Broadway since we opened the Friedman in 2003. Much of this work has gone on to be mounted around the country and the world, appearing frequently on annual “most-produced” lists and amounting to a significant contribution to the American theatrical canon. MTC productions have earned 7 Pulitzer Prizes, 31 Tony Awards, 52 Drama Desk Awards, and 49 Obie Awards, amongst many other honors.
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Student tickets are available at the box office on the day of the show when the box office opens. Tickets are $30 (including all fees), payable by cash or credit card, and are available to students with an ID from a degree or diploma granting institution. Tickets are subject to availability and are limited to two per valid ID. Note that students aged 35 or under may prefer to purchase their tickets through the 30 Under 35 program instead – see above.
Cast
Aigner Mizzelle
LIL
AIGNER MIZZELLE is a NYC-based multi-hyphenate creative. She earned her BFA from NYU Tisch, training with Playwrights Horizons Acting Studio and the Experimental Theatre Wing. Aigner is grateful to have originated the role of Latrice in Douglas Lyons’ Chicken & Biscuits on Broadway. Her work in nicHi Douglas’ (pray) earned her a Lucille Lortel Award. Other Off-Broadway work includes 7 Minutes and Nina. Television work includes “Poker Face.” She is humbled and undeniably excited to further strengthen her body of work alongside these genius minds in this new work.
Okieriete Onaodowan
BIG
OKIERIETE ONAODOWAN is a Grammy Award-winning stage, film, and television actor known for his acclaimed performances on Broadway including originating the roles of Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning production Hamilton. Additional Broadway credits include Krogstadt in Jamie Lloyd’s production of A Doll’s House, Pierre in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 and productions of Cyrano de Bergerac and Rocky. Off-Broadway work includes Hamilton at the Public, Luce, Neighbors and The Shipment. Film work includes American Fiction, Molli and Max in the Future, Generation Wrecks, Hamilton, A Quiet Place 2, The Super, Anna & The Asteroid, Person to Person and Thanks for Sharing. On television, Onaodowan recently wrapped his lauded five-season run as Dean Miller on the ABC/Shondaland “Grey’s Anatomy” hit spinoff series “Station 19.” He went on to star in the title character in AMC’s “Demascus.” Additional television credits: “Jack Ryan,” “Billions,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Robot Chicken,” “Tuca & Bertie,” “Bojack Horseman,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” “The Get Down,” “Girls,” “Ballers” and “Blue Bloods.”
Aigner Mizzelle
LIL
Okieriete Onaodowan
BIG
Creative
Ngozi Anyanwu
Playwright/Director
Ngozi Anyanwu is a multi-hyphenated storyteller, and most recently a 2020 Steinberg Playwright Award winner. Anyanwu recently had the world premiere of her newest play Leroy and Lucy at Steppenwolf Theatre in the Fall of 2024. Previous productions include Last of the Love Letters (Atlantic Theater Company), Good Grief (Vineyard Theatre in NYC / Center Theatre Group in LA) in which she also starred, and The Homecoming Queen (sold-out world premiere run at the Atlantic Theater Company). Good Grief was on the Kilroys List 2016 and a semi-finalist for the Princess Grace Award, and won the Humanitas Award. The Homecoming Queen was on the Kilroys List in 2017 and was a Leah Ryan Finalist. Her play Nike… (Kilroys List 2017) was workshopped at The New Black Fest in conjunction with The Lark and at The Strand Festival in conjunction with A.C.T and SPACE on Ryder Farm. Ngozi also has been commissioned by NYU, The Old Globe, Two River Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, and Steppenwolf. Anyanwu has also received residencies from LCT3, Ojai Playwrights Conference, SPACE on Ryder Farm, the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, The New Harmony Project, New York Stage and Film, and Page 73. She attended Point Park University (BA) and received her MFA in Acting from the University of California, San Diego.
Rickey Tripp
Choreographer
Choreographer: A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical (Broadway; Chita Rivera Award nominee for Outstanding
Choreography), X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Met Opera), The Monsters world premiere (Two River Theater). TV/film: Confluence (Berlin Film Festival, Los Angeles Dance Festival winner), “Legs” by Vanessa Williams, Eileen (Universal Pictures, Sundance Film Festival 2023), A Thousand and One (Universal Pictures, Sundance Film Festival U.S. Grand Jury Prize 2023). Jer 29:11
Andrew Boyce
Scenic Design
Broadway: Dana H. Other NYC credits with New York Theatre Workshop, TFANA, Primary Stages, Lincoln Center, Atlantic Theater Company, Roundabout Theatre, Vineyard Theatre, among others. Regional credits with most major regional and LORT theatres across the U.S. Opera and dance credits with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Omaha, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Lyric, among others. Yale School of Drama. Associate professor of design at Northwestern. andrewboycedesign.com
Mika Eubanks
Costume Design
A Maryland native now based in New York, Mika Eubanks received her MFA in costume design at the Yale School of Drama. Her theatre design credits include Metamorphoses (Folger Shakespeare Theatre); Heaux Church (Ars Nova); Lessons in Survival: 1971 (The Vineyard Theatre); The XIXth (The Old Globe); Flex (Lincoln Center Theater); Twelfth Night (Classical Theater of Harlem); and The Cotillion (New Georges/TMTC), for which she received the Audelco Award for outstanding costume design.
Cha See
Lighting Design
made history as the first Filipino lighting designer on Broadway with Oh, Mary! and Liberation. Recent work includes Oh, Mary! (West End); The Monsters (Two River); Trophy Boys (MCC); Josh Sharp: Ta-Da! (Greenwich Theatre); You Will Get Sick (RTC); and Wet Brain (PH; Obie Award). Upcoming: The Unknown (Studio Seaview) and The Whoopi Monologues (LCT). seelightingdesign.com @seethruuu
Mikaal Sulaiman
Original Music & Sound Design
MTC: Continuity, Cost of Living, Queens. Broadway: Art, Pirates! The Penzance Musical, The Roommate, An Enemy of the People, Doubt, Thanksgiving Play, Fat Ham, Death of a Salesman, Macbeth, Thoughts of a Colored Man. Off Broadway: Angry Alan (Studio Seaview), Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes (Together/Audible), Creditors (Together/Audible), Primary Trust (Roundabout), Sanctuary City (NYTW), Fairview (Soho Rep), Underground Railroad Game (Ars Nova), among others. Awards: Herb Alpertnom., Tony Award nom., Drama Desk nom. Obie Awards, Creative Capital Award, Henry Hewes Awards, Audelco Award and CTG Sherwood Award. mikaal.com
Gerry Rodriguez
Fight Direction
Broadway: Appropriate, The Great Society. Off-Broadway: Grief Camp, The Welkin (Atlantic), Black No More (The New Group), Boesman and Lena (Signature), Lockdown (Rattlestick), Happy Talk (The New Group), Oedipus El Rey (Drama Desk nomination, The Public), Kill Floor (LCT3), The Spoils (The New Group), Good Grief (Vineyard). Regional: The Monsters, Murder on the Links, Dial M for Murder (Two River), among others. Member of UnkleDave’s Fight-House.
Sijara Eubanks
MMA Consultant
Sijara “Sarj” Eubanks is a former UFC number one, seven-time IBJJF world champion and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with over 15 years of experience in MMA and combat sports. As the MMA consultant for The Monsters, she worked closely with the creative team to choreograph realistic fight movements and bring authenticity to the script and physical and psychological experience of performers on stage.
The Telsey Office/Destiny Lilly, CSA
Casting
With offices in both New York and Los Angeles, The Telsey Office casts for theatre, film, television and commercials. The Telsey Office is dedicated to creating safe, equitable and anti-racist spaces through collaboration, artistry, heart, accountability and advocacy. Please visit thetelseyoffice.com for our credits.
Caparelliotis Casting
Additional Casting
Select MTC: Cost of Living; Summer, 1976; Skeleton Crew; Ink. Select Broadway/Off-Broadway: 2:22 a Ghost Story (upcoming), Grey House, The Comeuppance, Ohio State Murders, Macbeth, The Minutes, Sunset Baby, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Waverly Gallery, The Boys in the Band. Select theatres: Signature NYC, Atlantic, Ars Nova, The Old Globe, CTG, Donmar Warehouse (consulting CD). Television: “New Amsterdam” (NBC, series casting), “The Boys in the Band” (Netflix, original casting).
Kelly Gillespie
Additional Casting
Kelly Gillespie, CSA has been on the casting staff at Manhattan Theatre Club for 18 seasons. Favorite MTC projects include Prayer for French Republic (Broadway and Off-Broadway), Mary Jane, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, The Best We Could, Skeleton Crew, Ink, Choir Boy, and The Explorers Club. Other credits include the current tour of Jaja’s African Hair (Arena Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, LaJolly Playhouse); Exclusion, POTUS (Arena Stage); Bite Me, Sancocho, Our Dear Dead Drug Lord, What We’re Up Against, Sundown Yellow Moon, Ironbound (WP Theater); Melancholy Play, A Map of Virtue, The Zero Hour, Monstrosity (13P); Good Person of Szechwan (Foundry and Public Theater); Photograph 51 (Ensemble Studio Theatre); Age of Innocence, Trouble in Mind (The Old Globe); Dial M for Murder, Two Sisters and a Piano (Two River Theater); and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Angels in America, Residence, Seven Guitars, 4000 Miles, Dot, The Roommate, and Eat Your Heart Out (Actors Theatre of Louisville). Gillespie also was resident casting director for several seasons for the Off-Broadway companies TACT and Keen Company. She holds a BA from the University of Michigan.
Alyssa K. Howard
Production Stage Manager
Recent credits: Precipice, Angel Island (Prototype); The Monsters (Two River); Gospel at Colonus (Little Island); This Like a Dream…, Glass Guignol (Mabou Mines); Hold Me in… (Playwrights Horizons); Sumo (Ma-Yi + Public); Safety Not Guaranteed (BAM); What Became of Us, The Far Country (Atlantic Theater); Poor Yella Rednecks (MTC); Public Obscenities, Wolf Play (Soho Rep); Once Upon a (korean) Time (Ma-Yi); for colored girls… (The Public). MFA Yale School of Drama; BA Williams College. IG: @shiningatthetop
Alexus Jade Coney
Stage Manager
is excited for you all to meet The Monsters. Off-Broadway: The Essentialisn’t (HERE Arts Center), Radio Downtown (The Civilians). Select regional: The Monsters (Two River Theater); Furlough’s Paradise (Geffen Playhouse); The Far Country, The Salvagers, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Between Two Knees (Yale Repertory Theatre); Paradise Ballroom, Soft Target, This Way to the Fire (New York Stage and Film). Shipboard: Celebrity Cruises. BA and MFA, Yale. Love to Mom and Dad.
Ngozi Anyanwu
Playwright/Director
Rickey Tripp
Choreographer
Andrew Boyce
Scenic Design
Mika Eubanks
Costume Design
Cha See
Lighting Design
Mikaal Sulaiman
Original Music & Sound Design
Gerry Rodriguez
Fight Direction
Sijara Eubanks
MMA Consultant
The Telsey Office/Destiny Lilly, CSA
Casting
Caparelliotis Casting
Additional Casting
Kelly Gillespie
Additional Casting
Alyssa K. Howard
Production Stage Manager
Alexus Jade Coney
Stage Manager