RED HERRING and New Special Event Announced at Portland Stage

Portland Stage is pleased to present Red Herring by Michael Hollinger. Previews run Tuesday, February 27-Thursday, March 1, Opening Friday, March 2 and running through Sunday, March 25, 2018.

Maggie's a tough, Boston cop, trying to get her finger on the one man who gave her the slip: a sly crime boss who worked his way into her heart. As she deals with murder, mystery, and intrigue in Boston Harbor, she also has to deal with Frank, an FBI gumshoe with a proposal more dangerous than commie spies, murderous mobs, and McCarthyism combined: marriage.

Maine Crime Writers Staged Reading, Monday, March 5,

Complimentary Reception at 6:30pm with Shipyard Beer, Flatbreads Pizza

Reading at 7pm | Pay-What-You-Can

In conjunction with Portland Stage's production of Red Herring by Michael Hollinger, Affiliate Artists and other local actors will read selections from the work of Maine Crime Writers: Chris Holm, Richard J. Cass, Brenda Buchanan, Barbara Ross, and Lea Wait. This one-of-a-kind evening will offer some juicy excerpts of the latest crime novels from some of Maine's favorite crime writers.

Red Herring is a hard-boiled spoof that examines the perilous things we'll do for love against the backdrop of mystery, murder, and McCarthyism. The play is a fast-paced jaunt through the seedy criminal underworld of Boston with impending threats of Russian spies and the Cold War that feel all too relevant today.

Red Herring strings together a sordid mystery full of twists and turns from an identity-hopping crime boss to Communist spies, nuclear plans and worse yet: marriage. Maggie, a tough Boston cop is trying to get her hands on the man who stole her heart, and his case file. Lynn finds herself in a tricky position when her fiancée (a Russian spy) pits her against her father (Senator McCarthy) and she has to decide what to do for herself, and her country. Mrs. Kravitz is a landlady trying to protect the man she's fallen head over heels for. We follow these interwoven tales to a thrilling climax in this hilarious Noir-comedy.

Michael Hollinger is the author of Ghost-Writer, Opus, Tooth and Claw, Red Herring, Incorruptible, An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf, and Tiny Island, all of which premiered at Philadelphia's Arden Theatre Company. These plays have enjoyed numerous productions around the country, in New York City, and abroad. His musical A Wonderful Noise (co-authored with Vance Lehmkuhl) has received the Frederick Loewe Award for Musical Theatre, the "In the Spirit of America" Award from the Barbara Barondess MacLean Foundation, and a developmental production at Creede Repertory Theatre. His translation/co-adaptation (with Aaron Posner) of Cyrano de Bergerac premiered in 2011 at the Folger Theatre in Washington, D.C. Other awards include a Harold & Mimi Steinberg New Play Citation from the American Theatre Critics Association, a Roger L. Stevens Award from the Kennedy Center's Fund for New American Plays, a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award, an Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award, the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Theatre Artist, three Barrymore Awards for Outstanding New Play, a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, nominations for Lucille Lortel and John Gassner Awards, and fellowships from the Independence Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Michael is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Villanova University, and a proud alumnus of New Dramatists.

Red Herring was originally produced in 2000 at the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia, PA. It went on to be produced at City Theatre in Pittsburgh, PA in 2001 and has gone on to be produced across the country.

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