THE NEW GROUP
PRESENTS THE U.S. PREMIERE
OF THE OLIVIER AWARD-WINNING
"RAFTA, RAFTA…"
BY AYUB KHAN-DIN

BASED ON THE PLAY ALL IN GOOD TIME BY BILL NAUGHTON

DIRECTED BY SCOTT ELLIOTT

LIMITED OFF-BROADWAY ENGAGEMENT
APRIL 16 - JUNE 21

OFFICIAL OPENING IS SET FOR THURSDAY, MAY 8

THE NEW GROUP @ THEATRE ROW
(410 WEST 42ND STREET)

Recent winner of the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, Rafta, Rafta… is a humorous tale of close-knit Indian family life in Britain.  After their wedding feast, two nervous newlyweds are ready for some privacy, but the groom’s father doesn’t want the party to end and his brother won’t let them be.  Before long, the groom and his new bride begin to realize that having a honeymoon in his parents’ house is not the ideal recipe for romance.  Rafta, Rafta… is Ayub Khan-Din’s comic look at the generational divide on sex and marriage.

Rafta, Rafta… enjoyed its world premiere at London’s National Theatre in 2007.  Ayub Khan-Din was born in Salford, Manchester.  While he was in drama school, he wrote his first play East is East (1997).  East is East debuted at the Royal Court Theatre and received its U.S. premiere at The New Group in 1999.  That play was also adapted as a screenplay by Khan-Din.  His other plays include Last Dance at Dum Dum (1999) and Notes on Falling Leaves (2004, Royal Court Theatre).  As an actor, Khan-Din has been seen on-screen in the films My Beautiful Laundrette and Sammy and Rosie Get Laid, in addition to many TV appearances in the UK. 

Directed by Scott Elliott, this production will feature Sarita Choudhury (Film: Lady in the Water, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, Mississippi Masala; Off-B’way: Roar at The New Group), Ranjit Chowdhry (Film: The Last Holiday, Bollywood/Hollywood, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, Mississippi Masala), Sean T. Krishnan (TV: “Street Fighter: The Last Years”, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”, “Numb3rs”), Alison Wright, Alok Tewari (Off-B’way: India Awaiting), Reshma Shetty, Manish Dayal, Satya Bhabha, Utkarsh Ambudkar (Off-B’way: History of the Word), Sakina Jaffrey (Film: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, The Nanny Diaries, The Manchurian Candidate, Chutney Popcorn) and includes Set Design by Derek McLane (B’way: The Threepenny Opera, The Pajama Game, I Am My Own Wife; Off-B’way: Two Thousand Years, Things We Want, Abigail’s Party, Hurlyburly, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and others at The New Group, including East is East), Costume Design by Theresa Squire (B’way: The Lieutenant of Inishmore, High Fidelity; Off-B’way: Sin (A Cardinal Deposed) at The New Group), Lighting Design by Jason Lyons (B’way: The Threepenny Opera, The Pillowman; Off-B’way: Evil Dead The Musical, Two Thousand Years, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Abigail’s Party, Hurlyburly, Roar and others at The New Group) and Sound Design by Shane Rettig (Off-B’way: The Music Teacher and Jason with a Y, both at The New Group, Save the World).  This production will also include original music by DJ Rekha (2007 debut album Basement Bhangra). 

Most recently, Scott Elliott directed the US premiere of Mike Leigh's Two Thousand Years at The New Group, where he is Artistic Director. Last season he helmed the revivals of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Wallace Shawn's The Fever. In recent seasons, Elliott directed Leigh's Abigail's Party, Shawn's Aunt Dan & Lemon and David Rabe's Hurlyburly (all The New Group). His Broadway credits include The Threepenny Opera, Barefoot in the Park, The Women, Three Sisters and Present Laughter.

The New Group (Scott Elliott, Artistic Director; Geoff Rich, Executive Director): The company’s 2007-2008 season opened with the premiere of Jonathan Marc Sherman’s Things We Want directed by Ethan Hawke and continued with Mike Leigh’s Two Thousand Years.  Last season featured Jay Presson Allen’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie followed by Wallace Shawn’s The Fever, which extended by popular demand, and Bernard Weinraub’s The Accomplices.  In 2004-2005, The New Group (naked) was created as second-stage division of the company.  The New Group (naked) has presented David Cale’s A Likely Story, Barry Levey’s Critical Darling, Michael Brandt’s A Spalding Gray Matter, Darci Picoult’s Jayson With a Y, Heather Lynn MacDonald’s Expats and Robert Tenges’ Strangers Knocking.  The New Group is a recipient of the 2004 Tony® Award (Best Musical - Avenue Q).
  
Rafta, Rafta… will play at The New Group @ Theatre Row (The Acorn Theatre / 410 West 42nd Street, between 9th & 10th Avenue) as follows: Monday @ 8:00 PM, Tuesday @ 7:00 PM, Wednesday through Saturday @ 8:00 PM and Saturday @ 2:00 PM (matinee). Tickets may be arranged through Ticket Central at www.ticketcentral.com or (212) 279-4200, or at the Theatre Row Box Office (12:00-8:00 PM daily). Tickets are $56.25. For more information, visit www.thenewgroup.org.