'American Fiesta': Big Apple in a Fiestaware bowl

Well, this is turning into a remarkable season for politically oriented one-man shows by Austin writers going to New York. Right now, Lawrence Wright is presenting his solo work My Trip to Al-Qaeda in Manhattan, and about the time he finishes up his run, Steven Tomlinson will begin a run of his award-winning monologue American Fiesta at the Vineyard Theatre, 108 E. 15th. The show opened at the State Theatre in 2005 and was successful enough to warrant a revival last summer. That's when the buzz began about a possible off-Broadway run. A very prominent producer flew in to see the show and liked it so well that he began setting the wheels in motion for the New York premiere. Not one to trumpet his successes or count his chickens before they're hatched, Tomlinson kept pretty mum about the New York transfer for many months. But this week, tickets go on sale, which makes it time to spread the news. The show will play in a great Off-Broadway house, the Vineyard, which produced the Tony-winning Avenue Q and the premieres of the Pulitzer winners Three Tall Women, by Edward Albee, and How I Learned to Drive, by Paula Vogel, as well as the current hit revival of J.M. Barrie's Mary Rose. And Tomlinson has been set up with a top-of-the-line New York theatre production team, including director Mark Brokaw, set designer Neil Patel, projection designer Jan Hartley, lighting designer David Lander, and composer David Van Tieghem. Previews begin April 14, and the show opens April 26 and runs through May 20. For more information, call 212/353-0303, or visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.