Previews Begin Jan. 16 for Friel's ARISTOCRATS at the Irish Repertory Theatre

The Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd Street) will begin previews of Aristocrats by Brian Friel on Friday, January 16, 2009. The production will open on Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 7PM and is scheduled to close March 8, 2009. Charlotte Moore directs.

Aristocrats. One of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Irish theater, master storyteller, Brian Friel is at the top of his form with this touching story of a once powerful and aristocratic family in its days of decline. In the author's most Chekovian play, he examines the Ballybeg "Big House" both in its remembered heyday and in the era of a heartbreaking social change. Dark memories invade the family gathered for the wedding of the youngest sister as the family tries to escape the seriousness of their situation and the difficult life that awaits each of them as they follow separate paths. Glorious Chopin melodies accompany the memories of the past and the realities of the present as the language flirts with lyricism and skepticism that Friel balances with his particular genius.

Brian Friel was born in Omagh, County Tyrone in 1929, and in 1939 moved with his family to Derry. He now lives in County Donegal. He has published two collections of short stories, A Saucer of Larks and The Gold in the Sea. In 1980, he co-founded the Field Day Theatre Company in Derry. Brian Friel served in the Senate from 1987 to 1989. He has received honorary doctorates from the National University of Ireland, Trinity College, Dublin, Dublin City University, Magee University and Queen's University, Belfast. He is an honorary fellow of University College, Dublin, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He was elected to Aosdána in 1982. His plays have premiered and been produced at prestigious venues like the Abbey Theatre, London's West End and Broadway and have been highly successful everywhere. His first major play, Philadelphia, Here I Come! was the hit of the 1964 Dublin Theatre Festival. In 1972 he was elected as a member of the Irish Academy of Letters. In 1981, Translations, one of his seminal pieces, was awarded the Ewart-Biggs Peace Prize. Dancing at Lughnasa, probably his most successful play so far, received three Tony Awards in 1992, including Best Play.

Charlotte Moore's most recent directing assignments were Take Me Along, Gaslight, Meet Me in St. Louis, Mrs. Warren's Profession, and Mr. Dooley's America. Other directing credits include: Finian's Rainbow at Joanne Woodward's Westport Country Playhouse, She Stoops to Conquer, Samuel Beckett's Endgame, the adaptation and direction of Finian's Rainbow, Dion Boucicault's The Colleen Bawn, J. Harley Manners' Peg O' My Heart, J.M.Synge's Playboy of the Western World, and Dion Boucicault's The Streets of New York, which she adapted and scored. New York stage appearances include Major Barbara, A Perfect Ganesh, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Perfect Party, Morning's at Seven, Private Lives, Love for Love, Holiday, Chemin de Fer, The Great God Brown, A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur, and many performances with the New York Shakespeare Festival, with directors who include Harold Prince, Tony Walton, John Tillinger, Vivian Matalon, Paul Weidner, Brian Murray, Michael Montel, Edward Berkeley, Arvin Brown, Louis Burke, Steven Porter, and Ellis Rabb. Ms. Moore has directed forty-eight Irish Repertory Theatre productions and all twenty Gala Benefits. She has received two Tony Award nominations, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, The Irish America Top 100 Irish Award, and the 2008 Irish Women Of The Year Award. She is the recipient of the 2008 Ambassador Award, the St. Patrick's Committee in Holyoke's John F. Kennedy National Award, and is listed as one of the "50 Most Influential Women" in the Irish America Magazine/Irish Voice Newspaper.

The cast features Orlagh Cassidy, Rufus Collins, Sean Gormley, Lynn Hawley, John Keating, Laura Odeh, Ciarán O'Reilly, and Geddeth Smith.

Set Design is by James Morgan, Costume Design by Linda Fisher, Lighting Design by Brian Nason, Sound Design by Zachary Williamson, and Wig and Hair Design by Robert-Charles Vallance. The Stage Manger is Pamela Brusoski. Assistant Stage Manager is Janice M. Brandine, Charlotte Moore, Artistic Director, Ciarán O'Reilly, Producing Director, Jeff Chrzczon, General Manager.

Performances are Wednesday - Saturday at 8 PM., Matinees are Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 3 PM.

Tickets to ARISTOCRATS are on sale now. Ticket prices are $65 and $55. Tickets can be purchased by calling (212) 727-2737 or at the box office prior to each performance. The Irish Repertory Theatre is located at 132 West 22nd Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues. For more information, visit www.irishrep.org

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