John Mahoney Leaves Cast of Steppenwolf's PENELOPE

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is saddened to announce that ensemble member John Mahoney will be leaving the cast of its upcoming production of Penelope, playing December 1, 2011 – February 5, 2012:

"Due to an unexpected death in his family, John is traveling back to his home of Manchester, England immediately," comments Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey. "Our hearts and prayers go out to John during this difficult time… and we hope to announce a replacement shortly," adds Lavey.

Written by Enda Walsh and directed by ensemble member Amy Morton, the production also features ensemble members Ian Barford and Yasen Peyankov with Scott Jaeck and Logan Vaughn.

Patrons with ticket questions are encouraged to contact Steppenwolf Audience Services at (312) 335-1650.

On a sun-scorched island off the coast of Greece, beautiful Penelope awaits the return of her husband from war. Beneath her window, four Speedo-clad men camp in an empty swimming pool, a cock-eyed internment where both provisions and time are running low. Locked in a do-or-die competition to win Penelope's love, they preen and posture and connive in a last ditch effort to cheat a grisly fate. Penelope, the newest play by powerhouse Irish playwright Enda Walsh, is an eloquent, wildly funny riff on life, love and the war at home.

Enda Walsh is an Obie Award-winning playwright and screenwriter whose plays include Disco Pig, The Walworth Farce, The New Electric Ballroom and Chatroom. His 2008 biopic, Hunger, won numerous awards including the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Amy Morton's many Steppenwolf directing credits include Clybourne Park, American Buffalo, Dublin Carol, The Weir, The Pillowman, Love-Lies-Bleeding (also Kennedy Center) and Glengarry Glen Ross (also Dublin and Toronto). 

Steppenwolf's 2011/12 season, Dispatches from the Homefront, explores how everyday lives are touched by war. In each of the five plays, war exerts a pressure-sometimes centrally, sometimes obliquely-on the lives of the characters-and moves them to action. The plays are alive with the humor, the tenderness and the urgency of lives struggling to find home.

The production team for Penelope includes: Walt Spangler (scenic design), Ana Kuzmanic (costume design), James F. Ingalls (lighting design) and Rob Milburn & Michael Bodeen (original music and sound design). Additional credits include: Erica Daniels (casting), Malcolm Ewen(stage manager) and Christine D. Freeburg (assistant stage manager).