When E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India was published in 1924, it was hailed as a masterful, searing critique of the British Raj and the psychological chasm left by colonialism. Yet, beneath the rigid social protocols and racial tensions of Anglo-Indian society lay a turbulent current of forbidden passion and homoerotic subtext—desires that Forster, a closeted homosexual living in an era when his identity was criminalized, could only ever imply.

This July, celebrated New York playwright Doug DeVita strips away a century of mandatory Edwardian omission. In a bold, provocative new adaptation presented at the American Theatre of Actors’ (ATA) Cullum Theatre, DeVita brings Forster’s immortal characters into a more honest, unapologetic light.

An exclusive, industry-only presentation on Monday, July 20 at 8:15 PM, this fast-paced, storyteller-theatre showcase features Broadway legends Joy Franz and David Sabella leading an elite ensemble. Together, they dismantle the illusions of empire, friendship, and the safety of silence.

The Genesis of an Adaptation: A Forty-Year Path

For DeVita, the impulse to adapt A Passage to India was not born from an academic exercise, but from a deeply personal, decades-long relationship with the text. He was first introduced to the narrative via David Lean’s 1984 cinematic adaptation in early 1985.

“I was so taken with the film I sat through three screenings in one day,” DeVita recalls. “The next day I ran to Barnes & Noble to purchase the book and I read it in its entirety that night.”

At the time, DeVita was a recent college graduate wandering the streets of New York’s Upper East Side, reeling from a brutal, three-hour interview with an HR executive at a major advertising agency who took great glee in tearing him down. Years later, a colleague revealed that the executive was infamous for her homophobia—a prejudice that could still be legally brandished in the mid-1980s.

“I guess because of her condescending, nasty comments during the interview, the subtextual aspects of the film and novel jumped out at me in the movie theatre,” DeVita says. Although he didn’t pursue playwrighting until he was past 40, the text remained a psychological anchor. “When I started writing my version of the story two years ago, it felt like I was on a path I was meant to take.”

Stripping Down the Epic: Economic Necessity Meets Intimate Theatre

Traditional stagings of period literature often lean heavily on sprawling, automated sets to convey the vastness of the British Raj. DeVita’s adaptation rejects this, transforming the narrative into a “stripped-down, storyteller-theatre showcase” that moves at a breakneck, emotionally raw pace.

This stylistic choice serves both an artistic and a practical purpose. “As sprawling as A Passage To India is, at its heart it is an intimate story of three people: Dr. Aziz, Adela Quested, and Cyril Fielding, along with Dr. Aziz’s lifelong friend Mahmoud Ali,” DeVita notes. “All I’ve done is centered a love story around lost human beings finding their way to themselves—their own passages to India, so to speak.”

By eliminating heavy period scenery, the production amplifies the internal, raw vulnerabilities of the intersecting characters. Furthermore, DeVita acknowledges that eschewing large sets has evolved from a stylistic preference into an structural industry reality.

“Let’s be honest: keeping a show moving quickly without automated scenery is also an economic necessity if a playwright wants to get their work produced. And in the hands of a gifted director, cast, and design team, the results of a stripped-down production are often spectacular.”

Dismantling the Raj with Broadway Royalty

To execute this delicate balance of historical friction and modern emotional dynamics, DeVita has assembled a powerhouse lineup of long-time collaborators and Main Stem veterans:

• Joy Franz (Mrs. Moore): A definitive Broadway legend, Franz’s career includes originating roles in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods (The Stepmother) and Company (Susan), alongside iconic runs in Pippin, Guys and Dolls, and A Little Night Music.
• David Sabella (Mr. McBride): An internationally celebrated countertenor and MAC Award-winning vocal artist, Sabella co-starred as the definitive Mary Sunshine in the historic 1996 revival of Chicago opposite Bebe Neuwirth and Joel Grey.

Having previously starred in early readings of DeVita’s highly celebrated original works—such as Fable and The Fierce Urgency of Now (which won Best Play at the Fresh Fruit Festival)—Franz and Sabella bring an innate shorthand to DeVita’s rhythm.

“I always write with their voices in my head,” DeVita says of his cast, which also features stalwarts Nitin Madan, Chris Ikner, Marie Eléna O’Brien, Anuj Parikh, David L. Carson, Patricia Randell, and Benjamin I. Cardona. “They are gifted actors first and foremost. I’ve seen them morph so completely into the characters they are playing that it was a no-brainer to ask them to dismantle the rigid boundaries of the British Raj. They could dismantle it and build it back up again in a heartbeat and take your breath away in the process.”

Presentation & Industry Information

• Production: A Passage to India
• Adapter/Playwright: Doug DeVita
• Venue: The Cullum Theatre at the American Theatre of Actors (ATA)
• Schedule: Monday, July 20 at 8:15 PM

Attendance for this special staging is strictly by invitation only. Industry professionals, producers, and press representatives seeking to reserve seating may coordinate directly with the press contact:

• Industry Reservations: info@jaymichaelsarts.com