Remy Bumppo Opens 20th Anniversary Season with PIRANDELLO's HENRY IV by Tom Stoppard

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company opens its 20th Anniversary Season with the Midwest Premiere of Pirandello's Henry IV. This European classic rarely produced in the United States, is a new re-imagined translation by Tom Stoppard.

First produced in 1922, the play tells the story of an Italian nobleman who falls from his horse at a costume party and suddenly believes he is 11th Century German Emperor Henry IV. His friends and family indulge this fantasy for twenty years, but finally seek the help of a renowned psychiatrist to shock him back to reality, setting off a gripping spiral of revelations that illuminates the distorted line between madness and sanity.

"Henry" will be played by well-known Chicago actor, Mark L. Montgomery, who takes on a role previously portrayed by Marcello Mastroianni, Rex Harrison, Richard Harris and Ian McDiarmid. Montgomery is returning to Remy Bumppo for the fifth time, having last appeared as Gustav in August Strindberg's Creditors in 2013. Others returning to Remy Bumppo for this production include Patrice Egleston as Countess Matilda, who previously appeared in The Clean House and Arcadia; and James Houton as Belcredi, back after 2014-15 roles in Both Your Houses and Travesties.

The show will be directed by Remy Bumppo's Producing Artistic Director, Nick Sandys, who considers the show a fitting introduction to the season's theme, "20: An Age of Enlightenment." According to Sandys, "the play tells the story of an individual who, thanks to his presumed madness, sees through social norms to arrive at fundamental truths behind our human existence and the values we live by."

The play is also a terrific way to kick off the company's 20th anniversary, says Sandys, "since we not only have the opportunity to celebrate our history by producing our eighth brilliant script by possibly our very favorite writer, Stoppard, but we will be staging a great European classic that very few theatregoers have ever had the opportunity to experience in all its hilarious, dangerous, genre-bending, mask-stripping novelty."

Pirandello's Henry IV will be performed October 5 through November 13, 2016 at the Greenhouse Theater Center at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave in Chicago. Season Subscriptions and tickets are on sale now at www.RemyBumppo.org or by calling the Greenhouse at 773.404.7336.

Remy Bumppo's 2016/2017 Season Sponsors are Geoffrey A. Anderson, Nancy and Gene DeSombre, and Brenda and James Grusecki.

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