Newhouse Theater

THE TIME OF THE CUCKOO’s central story is a bittersweet romance between Leona Samish, an American vacationing alone in Europe, and Renato Di Rossi, an amorous shopkeeper she meets while staying in Venice. Di Rossi, who is stuck in a loveless marriage, pursues Leona. Shocked at first by the illicit affair, Leona eventually allows herself to be seduced. Cuckoo was adapted in 1955 for the screen as the movie "Summertime,” staring Katherine Hepburn. It was also later transformed into the 1965 musical Do I Hear A Waltz? featuring a score by Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim. A standout of the 1952-53 Broadway season starring Shirley Booth, THE TIME OF THE CUCKOO had never received a major New York revival until this time. Thus, it was long overdue to revisit this beautifully-crafted play by Arthur Laurents, the author of many memorable works for stage and screen, including the landmark musicals West Side Story and Gypsy and the films "The Turning Point" and "The Way We Were."