Photo Flash: THE QUIET MAN TALES Opening Night Reception

THE QUIET MAN TALES, a riveting new play presented by Libby Adler Mages (Mavin Productions II), Tony D'Angelo and Smock Alley Theater Company, will make its world premiere at The Chicago Theatre Downstairs, 175 N. State Street, Sunday, March 22. THE QUIET MAN TALES runs through May 24. Susan Felder will direct.

Adapted for the stage by Frank Mahon and Milissa Pacelli, THE QUIET MAN TALES is based on Green Rushes, the classic book of short stories by Maurice Walsh. Published in 1935, the book was the inspiration for the legendary 1952 Academy Award-winning film The Quiet Man, which was directed by John Ford and starred Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne. Set in the sweeping Irish countryside in the midst of the country's battle for freedom from England in 1921 and the years that follow, THE QUIET MAN TALES is a humorous and poignant story of the interconnected lives of the men and women who fought in the Irish War of Independence. The production features beautiful traditional Irish music and a pre-show performed by Chicago-area Irish musicians. For the first time ever, this beloved Irish story is told on stage in the rich context of Walsh's other stories, and offers plenty of laughs, plenty of drama, and plenty of action - entertainment in the grand style. Of THE QUIET MAN TALES, Maureen O'Hara says: "A wonderful script both sensitive and honest to its time frame...You have managed to give uniqueness to the story and its characters that will make it stand on its own...I'm sure Maurice Walsh would approve of this story based on Green Rushes being scripted in such a delightful way."

Maurice Walsh (1879-1964) was a popular Irish novelist in the first half of the 20th century. His most famous work, The Quiet Man, appeared first in the Saturday Evening Post in 1933. Two years later, he included the story in a collection stories called Green Rushes. The book was composed of five stories of men and women whose lives were caught up in the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) and what happens to them during the years after the Truce in 1921. All five stories involve the same set of characters, giving the collection the feel of a novel rather than just a set of disjointed stories. Reportedly, Ernest Hemingway considered Maurice Walsh, author of 20 books, the greatest storyteller of all time.

Co-Producer and co-writer Frank Mahon is the President of Smock Alley Theater Co. Ten years ago, Mahon noticed The Quiet Man & Other Stories (originally called Green Rushes) in a book store in Killarney, and realized that one of his favorite films had been adapted from the collection of short stories. This discovery was the inception of THE QUIET MAN TALES. One of Mahon's ancestors, Captain Frank Mahon, was the leader of a company of volunteers from Galway, much like those in Green Rushes and THE QUIET MAN TALES. Mahon began his writing career writing for ABC's Equal Justice and has written and produced documentaries, screenplays, and plays. He began Smock Alley Theater Co. in 2000 when he wrote and produced POLLING PLACE, which received a "Recommended" review from the Sun-Times. He co-produced the award-winning short film Angel Fire, which won a Cine Golden Eagle, among other awards. An attorney, Mahon was a Cook County assistant state's attorney from 1979-1989. He is a graduate of University of Notre Dame and the Northern Illinois University School of Law.

Co-Producer Libby Adler Mages has produced and co-produced many shows in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit. Among them are the original production of Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? and the Chicago production of "On Golden Pond." She produced the New York productions of Three Tall Women and Picasso At The Lapin Agile and co-produced the New York production of Beau Jest. Her productions have received a Pulitzer Prize and an Outer Critics Circle Award. Mages co-produced Swing, which received six Tony nominations. Their production of Mneumonics received the Dramatists Guild Award and the Lucille-Lortel Award for the most unique theatrical experience of 2001. She also produced Over the Tavern in Chicago and the Swing national tour. Recently she produced the Tony Award shows, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Say Goodnight Gracie. In the fall of 2007 at the Apollo Theater she and her partner Tony D'Angelo produced the acclaimed show The Sparrow, followed in the spring with the world premiere musical Knute Rockne All-American which was one of the best shows for 2008.