Bill Oberst Jr. Portrays Ray Bradbury In New Off-Broadway Production

Ray Bradbury Stage Portrayal Headed Off-Broadway
Emmy Winner Bill Oberst Jr Brings Ray Bradbury to Life on Theater Row in” Ray Bradbury Live (Forever)”

Actor Bill Oberst Jr. has reached an agreement with the estate of author Ray Bradbury to portray Bradbury in an Off-Broadway show. The first staged reading of Ray Bradbury Live (forever) is set for April 12, 2018 at 7pm at Theatre Row, 410 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036.

Emmy Award-winner Oberst wrote the script, adapting Ray Bradbury’s own words. In addition to the author’s estate, the work was vetted by Bradbury scholars and authors Dr. Jonathan Eller, Director of IUPUI’s Center For Ray Bradbury Studies, and Dr. Phil Nichols of the University Of Wolverhampton, England. Ray Bradbury Live (forever) is performed by permission of Ray Bradbury Literary Works and Don Congdon Associates, Inc. Oberst, who previously adapted Bradbury’s Pillar Of Fire for the solo stage in New York and Los Angeles, describes the new show as “a mix of Epcot ride, Planetarium show and dream.” Emmy Award-nominee Jeff Farley will design Oberst’s makeup as Bradbury for the full production.

The New York staged reading, directed by Michael Joseph Ormond, will feature Oberst as Bradbury and Off-Broadway veterans Steven Hauck and Zoe Watkins as narrator and Bradbury’s wife, Maggie, respectively. Ray Bradbury Live (forever) is aiming for a 2019 Off-Broadway opening, followed by a national tour. It comes at a time of renewed cultural interest in Bradbury, who died in 2012, as HBO’s film adaptation of his Fahrenheit 451, starring Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon, heads for a May, 2018 premiere. Details on the show and the April 12 reading are at https://raybradburyliveforever.com.