‘The Revisionst’ Eyes Broadway as it Extends Run

One of the hottest Off Broadway tickets, the Vanessa Redgrave-Jesse Eisenberg play “The Revisionist,” is adding an extra week of performances before its new closing date of April 27, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater announced on Wednesday. The theater’s leaders have also begun exploring transferring the production to Broadway during the 2013-14 season.

“The Revisionist,” written by Mr. Eisenberg (an Oscar nominee for “The Social Network”) and directed by Kip Fagan, is already on track to be the biggest money-maker in the 17-year history of the Rattlestick company, according to its artistic director, David Van Asselt. In an interview he said that it was too soon to estimate total ticket sales for the 10-week run, but added that when the mostly positive reviews of “The Revisionist” were published on Feb. 28 the production sold $200,000 in tickets that day - a sizable number of those then available. Within two days the rest of the tickets were sold out.

“We usually do a lot of discounting for our shows, oriented to attracting younger theater-goers, but in this case we were selling at the full $85 price,” Mr. Van Asselt said of the 177-seat Cherry Lane Theater, where the company has been based since 2011. “The success of this show has been incredible for Rattlestick.”

The play centers on a young American visiting Poland to hole up and write a book while staying with his second cousin Maria, played by Ms. Redgrave, who in turn is eager to connect with her relative. Critics especially embraced the performance of Ms. Redgrave, an Oscar and Tony Award winner, and the opportunity to see her up close in such a snug theater.

Regarding Broadway, Mr. Van Asselt said he was talking to commercial producers about a possible transfer, but the discussions were nascent. He declined to name the producers. “We have actors here who have movie schedules, so timing is one factor, as well as getting the right-sized, intimate playhouse on Broadway and getting investors,” Mr. Van Asselt said. “So it’s far too soon to say if the transfer would happen. But I do think Vanessa and Jesse would like to keep doing the play.”