THE QUIET MAN TALES, a riveting new play presented by Smock Alley Theater Co., in conjunction with Mavin Productions II and Pullinsi & D'Angelo Productions, will make its world premiere at The Chicago Theatre Downstairs, 175 N. State Street, previewing March 6 and opening Sunday, March 22 at 3:00 p.m. 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 new and traditional Irish music 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-writer Milissa Pacelli has written, produced and directed both play and video productions for legal education for children and adults for over two decades. Pacelli served as the Artistic Director of The Fairy Trials Productions, a nationally recognized touring children's theatre company that adapts fairy tales into courtroom dramas. Little Red Driving Hood, a driver's education film, for which she served as associate producer and second unit director, received an Honorable Mention at The Chicago International Children's Film Festival. Pacelli directed the first two public readings of THE QUIET MAN TALES at Theatre Building Chicago, lending her unique theatrical vision to her first commercial project as writer/producer. Her Chicago acting credits include: Embedded at Prop Thtr., Polling Place for Smock Alley Theater Co. and Kabuki Medea at Wisdom Bridge. She received her MFA in Acting from the University of Illinois, Champaign.
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.
Co-Producer Tony D'Angelo was a producer and managing director of the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse and Forum Theatre for over 35 years. D'Angelo produced over 300 shows, including five world premieres, five Midwest premieres and over 30 Chicago premieres. His productions have received over 18 Chicago
Joseph Jefferson Awards. Tony and his business partner, William Pullinsi, through their company Pullinsi & D'Angelo Ltd., have produced numerous Chicago hits including Lyle, an original musical by
Charles Strouse and Little Shop of Horrors at the Royal-George Theatre. Over the Tavern ran a very successful 13 months followed by King o' the Moon. He presented John Powers' new play Life's Not Fair, So What! In Chicago, he produced the hit musical revue The Water Coolers. In the fall of 2007, at the Apollo Theater he and his partner Libby Mages 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.
THE QUIET MAN TALES is directed by Susan Felder. Sound Design is by Lindsay Jones, Costume Design is by Lindsey Pate, Set Design is by
Jeff Bauer, Lighting Design is by Rita Pietraszek. The cast includes:
Ron Rains, Cassandra Bissell, Bret Tuomi, Scott Cummins, Karen Woditsch, Aaron Christensen, Regina Leslie, Robert Allan Smith, Chris Genovese, Travis Williams, Eliza Stoughton, and Eric Leonard
The Chicago Theatre/Madison Square Garden, L.P. Madison Square Garden, L.P. is owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation and includes the New York Knicks (NBA); the New York Rangers (NHL); the New York Liberty (WNBA); the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League); MSG Entertainment, which includes concerts and events at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, the legendary Chicago Theatre, as well as an exclusive co-booking agreement with the venerable Wang Theatre in Boston, and which manages wholly-owned live entertainment properties including the Radio City Rockettes and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular; MSG Media, which is comprised of television networks MSG and MSG Plus, MSG Interactive, which oversees all company wireless and online initiatives, and Fuse, the only national music television network; and the Madison Square Garden arena complex, located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area.
The performance schedule for THE QUIET MAN TALES is Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Tickets range in price from 42.50 to $49.50. Tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster at 312.902.1500, through www.ticketmaster.com or by visiting The Chicago Theatre box office. Discounted tickets for seniors, students and groups are also available. For groups of 15 or more, please call 773.477.7666
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