Lincoln Center Welcomes Its First Indian Comedy Residency By Vir Das

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NEW YORK, NY – International Emmy Award-winner Vir Das has become the first Indian artist to have a residency with his show ‘Hey Stranger’ at the iconic Lincoln Center Theater in New York.

“There is nothing more exciting than the bottom of a ladder. Where you’re playing with people better than you, out of your depth, and you have to learn, and push your craft to meet a truly global standard. For me that’s always been Broadway,” Vir said.

He added, “In this case Broadway and 65th. It’s been a dream forever to do a run. I’ll be at the Lincoln Centre Theater, starting my first ever residency, doing Indian comedy for the world. I hope you’ll come see!”

The two-week run will take place between October 29 and November 9.

The Lincoln Center has long been home to revered global artists. Indian icons such as sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, tabla legends Zakir Hussain and Pandit Ananda Gopal Bhose, shehnai virtuoso Bismillah Khan, and Carnatic vocalist M.S. Subbulakshmi have all performed there.

Vir added, “Following in the footsteps of legends like Ravi Shankar ji, Zakir Hussain ji, and M.S. Subbulakshmi ji is a responsibility in itself. Comedy may be a different medium, but at its core, it is still about human connection, about reaching across cultures and languages to find what binds us together.”

He said that ‘Hey Stranger’ was born out of a desire to connect, to laugh, to reflect, and to embrace shared strangeness. Vir shared, “The fact that I get to share this with an international audience, at a venue that has hosted the best of the best, is the kind of dream I couldn’t even imagine when I first started out.”

For ‘Hey Stranger’, Vir is teaming up with Tony Award-nominated director Moritz von Stuelpnagel and Seaview, the production company behind numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway successes including ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder’, ‘Slave Play’, ‘George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck’, and ‘Adam Driver’s Hold On to Me Darling’.

Vir concluded by saying, “I’m thrilled to be working with a visionary like Moritz von Stuelpnagel and a powerhouse like Seaview, who have created some of the most iconic works on Broadway. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I can’t wait to walk onto that stage, see those lights, and hopefully make people laugh, think, and feel a little less like strangers.” (IANS)