Pictured: Joe McGranaghan. Photo by Brendan Ragan.

Urbanite Theatre continues its latest season with a production of Stupid F%#*ing Bird, the irreverent and comedic reinterpretation of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull from award-winning playwright Aaron Posner. Directed by Vincent Carlson-Brown and starring Joseph McGranaghan, Cindy de la Cruz, Zak Wilson and Urbanite co-founder and co-artistic director Summer Dawn Wallace among the seven-person cast, Stupid F%#*ing Bird maintains Urbanite’s devotion to mature programming, but with a lighter edge for some in-season fun.

“It is a total de-pantsing of the theater industry,” said Brendan Ragan, Urbanite co-founder and co-artistic director. With dual storylines addressing generational conflict and expectation and love in the world of high art—as an idealistic director clashes with tradition and a young actress vies with an aging star for the affections of another—the result is something Ragan describes as self-aware and self-deprecating amidst its honesty. It’s a send-up and tongue-in-cheek in its way, “but beyond that, it’s a really funny and touching play.”

Bringing in Carlson-Brown to direct the production was a no-brainer for the theater, having recently worked with him for the sold-out and award-winning Isaac’s Eye this past summer. A veteran of Nebraska Shakespeare and armed with “a killer sense of humor,” Ragan had no doubts about the director’s ability to juggle the dark and the light, the pathos and the humor. And don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar with the Chekhov story. “You might get a couple extra chuckles,” said Ragan, “but it’s a love story gone awry and who can’t relate to that?”

Opening this Friday, but with showings already sold out across the board, Ragan and Wallace added two new shows just yesterday, giving latecomers another shot at catching Stupid F%#*ing Bird before it flies away. Noted Ragan, looking at this second year in his and Wallace’s great adventure, “the upward progression hasn’t waned.”

Pictured: Joe McGranaghan. Photo by Brendan Ragan.