TV Star Walt Willey is 'WILD BILL! An Evening of James Butler Hickok' at Fox Valley Rep October 25-26

Fox Valley Repertory presents a trip to the Wild West with All My Children star Walt Willey and his one-man show for all ages, "Wild Bill! An Evening with James Butler Hickok" on Friday, October 25, 2013 at 2pm and Saturday, October 26, 2013 at 8pm on the Pheasant Run Resort Mainstage (4051 E. Main St., St. Charles, IL; 630-584-6342).

In Walt Willey's portrayal of the iconic James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, the audience is taken back in time to the infamous Number 10 Saloon in Deadwood, where he has been trapped somewhere between Heaven and Hell since his murder there. Believing if he tells the audience his true story he will be released from his personal purgatory, Hickok relates his humble beginnings in Illinois, his experience with the "underground railroad", his time in the Civil War, scouting for Custer, his legendary gunfights, his love for women, and his adventures with "Buffalo Bill" Cody, "Calamity Jane" Cannery, and "Colorado" Charley Utter!

This dramatic, funny, and poignant production is conceived, written, and directed by Walt Willey (with Kim "Howard" Johnson). Willey is perhaps best known for his portrayal of "Jackson Montgomery" on the long-running daytime drama All My Children and as a stand-up comic and host. Willey is co-founder of WilleyWorld Community Productions in his hometown of Ottawa, Illinois, and a founding board member of the Illinois Valley Coalition on Performing Arts (IV-COPA), a not-for-profit dedicated to the advancement of the performing arts.

"A couple of years ago, while back in my hometown of Ottawa, IL, I became aware that Hickok and I were born only miles apart. Intrigued by this fact, I began my research on this fascinating man," says Willey. "After two years of extensive study and writing, I found the truth of Hickok's life to show a complex human being; courageous and right thinking, brave and true, incredibly heroic - and feverishly flawed. I found his life - as he lived it - more exciting and entertaining than any legend ever woven around Hickok, by himself or others."

Wild Bill! An Evening of James Butler Hickok... performs on Friday, October 25, 2013 at 2pm and Saturday, October 26, 2013 at 8pm. Tickets are $32-$42. Group rates and overnight packages are available.

Ample free parking and valet services are available at Pheasant Run Resort. The resort and theater is wheelchair accessible and hearing amplification systems are available. Ask the box office about dinner and overnight packages. Group rates are available by calling 630-770-7699. Pheasant Run Resort is located at 4051 E. Main St. in St. Charles, IL. For tickets, call the Pheasant Run Box Office at630-584-6342 or visit www.ticketmaster.com. Additional performance information can be obtained at www.foxvalleyrep.org.

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