Lantern Theater Company Presents HEROES, 5/16-6/9

Three retired military men plan one last great adventure in the Philadelphia premiere of Heroes, Tom Stoppard's adaptation of Gérald Sibleyras' Le Vent Des Peupliers and the final production of Lantern Theater Company's record-smashing 2012/13 season. Directed by M. Craig Getting and starring local actors Peter DeLaurier, Mal Whyte and Dan Kern, performances will run May 16 through June 9 and will include An Evening with Warrior Writers on Monday, May 20 on the Lantern's Mainstage.

Gustave (Kern), Philippe (Whyte) and Henri (DeLaurier) are three World War I heroes plotting an escape from the dictatorial captors and untrustworthy fellow prisoners at their retired soldiers' home. While hatching their plan for an escape from their back patio to Indochina - or to the poplars on a nearby hill - these once vibrant and virile war heroes struggle with the reality of being young at heart while subject to life's new aches and pains. Stoppard's playful, bawdy and heartbreakingly funny adaptation showcases his gift for comedy and intelligent dialogue, and won the prestigious Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2004.

"We are excited to have cast an ensemble of veteran actors who are of similar ages to the characters in Heroes but are at the top of their artistic careers, charged with portraying men that are in their decline," says Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon.

"What I love most about Gérald Sibleyras' play - and Tom Stoppard's sharp adaptation - is its deftness in tackling the difficulties of age with humor and humanity," says Heroes director M. Craig Getting. "And lest we forget, these are veterans of World War I. Men who, while they survived the battles, had their world irrevocably altered by the war. Henri, Gustave and Philippe each carry a memento of the war, a physical or mental reminder of their time in the trenches. However, the play is full of wit and laughter; it is not maudlin. Heroes invites us to laugh with this band of brothers at the absurdity of their daily lives - and perhaps, by extension, our own."

Heroes runs May 16 - June 9, 2013 (press opening: May 22, 7 p.m.). Tickets are $20 - $38 and are available online at lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. $10 student rush tickets are available 10 minutes before curtain with valid ID; cash only. Additional discounts are available for seniors, groups of 10 or more, and current/former members of the U.S. military. Lantern Theater Company is located at St. Stephen's Theater, 10th & Ludlow Streets in Center City Philadelphia.

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