Cincinnati Playhouse to Present CHAPATTI, 2/7-3/8

Two senior citizens rediscover the joys of human companionship through their shared affection for animals in Christian O'Reilly's new play CHAPATTI. The Irish love story - by turns warm, funny, poignant and offbeat - continues the Playhouse's Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre season with performances Feb. 7 through March 8.

Long divorced with no prospects for romance, Betty spends most of her time alone, at least when she's not acting as a caregiver to her elderly friend or her adopted family of 19 cats. Grieving the recent loss of his longtime love and finding it difficult to move forward without her, Dan believes his most faithful friend is his loyal dog, Chapatti. But when Dan and Betty's paths cross unexpectedly, these two lonely hearts find that their hopes for the future change in surprising and inspiring ways.

CHAPATTI began life as a short film script and then a radio play, but something was missing, according to Galway-based playwright and screenwriter O'Reilly. "Somehow I felt unsatisfied, or maybe it did," he wrote in the program notes for CHAPATTI's acclaimed world premiere in spring 2014, a co-production between Chicago's Northlight Theatre and the Galway International Arts Festival. "It kept poking me in the ribs and telling me I hadn't figured out how to write it yet. I started to feel that it needed an audience that could share the experience together.

"And so I tried writing it as a stage play, initially using interweaving monologues and then, as it developed, I added some interaction between the two central characters, Dan and Betty. The fact that both Dan and Betty live alone - and indeed are lonely - suggested to me that I had finally stumbled upon the right form for this story: one in which they each get to tell their tale to an audience that is willing to listen."

"I was drawn in immediately by the script's ability to balance humor with sadness and its exploration of love and loss," said Anne Marie Cammarato, who will direct the Playhouse's production of CHAPATTI. "It also celebrates the human connection we need to have with one another and even with our animals. It's a little play with such a big heart.
"This script whisks the audience away on an emotional journey so quickly. I love that it uses the device of direct address to the audience and that it gives the stage over to two characters meeting later in life (not something that gets dramatized often). They each bring a lifetime of struggles and loss to the table and are both so vulnerable, funny and willing to share all of that with us."

The CHAPATTI cast features Jonathan Gillard Daly as Dan; he appeared at the Playhouse earlier this season in Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club. Sarah Day, making her Playhouse debut, portrays Betty. Jay Hobson, a member of the Playhouse's Bruce E. Coyle Acting Intern Company, portrays the Barman. The creative team, in addition to director Anne Marie Cammarato, includes set designer Scott Bradley, costume designer Gordon DeVinney, lighting designer Mary Louise Geiger and sound designer/composer Elisheba Ittoop. Jenifer Morrow is the production stage manager, and Suann Pollock is the second stage manager.

CHAPATTI is co-sponsored by Vickie Buyniski Gluckman and Jack L. Gluckman, M.D., and the Messer Construction Co.

Ticket prices for CHAPATTI start at $30. Prices are subject to change, and patrons are encouraged to buy early for the best seats at the best prices. Teen and student tickets are $30 each. The show is recommended for adult and older teenage audiences.

New for the 2014-15 season is Sunday College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. Sunday performances priced at just $10 with a valid student ID. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show for all other performances.

Previews for CHAPATTI are at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7; 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11. The official opening night is Thursday, Feb. 12, at 8 p.m.
Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays.
Additionally, free Meet the Artists programs that allow audiences to interact with the cast

and others associated with the production will be held after the following performances: 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15; 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25; and 8 p.m. Thursday, March 5.

The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.

Tickets to CHAPATTI are on sale now. For more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at 513-421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or visit www.cincyplay.com. Call 513-345-2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility.

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