I'LL GO ON, Starring Barry McGovern, to Open 1/12 at CTG Kirk Douglas Theatre

"I'll Go On" by Samuel Beckett opens Sunday, January 12, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. at the Center Theatre Group/Kirk Douglas Theatre. Previews of the Gate Theatre production are January 10 and 11. A celebrated interpreter of Beckett, Barry McGovern is known to Los Angeles audiences for his performance as Vladimir in the acclaimed 2012 production of "Waiting for Godot" at the Mark Taper Forum (LADCC Awards, Best Revival and Best Ensemble; Ovation Award Best Production and Best Ensemble).

"I'll Go On," which is based on three of Beckett's novels - "Molloy," "Malone Dies" and "The Unnamable," is directed by Colm Ó Briain. Texts from the works have been selected by Gerry Dukes and McGovern. First performed at the Gate Theatre in Dublin in 1985, "I'll Go On" has toured worldwide to great critical acclaim. This is the first time McGovern will perform his tour-de-force, one-man show in Los Angeles.

Charles Isherwood of The New York Times said, "Certainly language turns plenty of somersaults in the skilled interpretations by Mr. McGovern ... [McGovern] embodies these variously abject, embittered and infuriated story spinners with an intensity that both tickles and stings." "... An outright triumph ... arrestingly funny," remarked William A. Henry III of Time magazine. Adam Perlman of Backstage said, "... McGovern - technically flawless, emotionally dazzling - is the consummate Beckett clown. His entire performance is an instinctive shriek of pain that, on second thought, he converts to a belly laugh."

Barry McGovern, a leading figure in Irish theatre for many years, has performed at the Gate Theatre in Dublin in "Waiting for Godot," "Endgame," "Happy Days" and two one-man Beckett shows, "I'll Go On" and "Watt," which have played worldwide, most recently at the Perth and Edinburgh festivals. He has appeared in a number of films including "Joe Versus the Volcano," "The General" and "Far and Away." Recent theatre work includes "An Enemy of the People" and "Glengarry Glen Ross." On TV he has appeared in "Gift of the Magi," "The Tudors" and "Game of Thrones."

The Gate Theatre has been, artistically and architecturally, a landmark for over 250 years. Established as a theatre company in 1928, the Gate offered Dublin audiences an introduction to the world of European and American theatre as well as classics from the modern and Irish repertoire. It was with the Gate that Orson Welles, James Mason and Michael Gambon began their prodigious acting careers. Michael Colgan has been the Director of the Gate Theatre for 30 years and in that time he has produced a great many award-winning productions and festivals. Notably, these included five Pinter festivals and six Beckett festivals. Many of the productions have been seen throughout the world from Beijing to New York, Sydney to Toronto and London to Melbourne. Most recently, the Gate produced B.P.M. - a Beckett Pinter Mamet Festival, which comprised a season of works dedicated to the writings of these great writers.

Tickets for "I'll Go On" are available by calling (213) 628-2772, online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, in person at the Center Theatre Group box office at the Ahmanson Theatre, or at the Kirk Douglas Theatre box office two hours prior to performances. Tickets range from $20 - $55 (ticket prices are subject to change). The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232.

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