Gamm Stages Presents North American Premiere of PAUL, 3/17-4/17

The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre (The Gamm) will stage the North American premiere of Paul, British playwright Howard Brenton's powerful and provocative play exploring the extraordinary phenomenon of faith. Brenton's secular dramatization of the famous conversion of Saul of Tarsus to Saint Paul and the resurrection of Jesus Christ played to critical acclaim as well as controversy at London's National Theatre in 2005.

At The Gamm, Artistic Director Tony Estrella (4:48 Psychosis, Grace) directs Alex Platt (Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa in Don Carlos) in the title role, featuring Marc Dante Mancini as Paul's aggressively devoted brother, James, Gamm resident actor Jim O'Brien as pragmatic fisherman-turned-apostle Peter, Gamm resident actor Karen Carpenter as brash prostitute Mary Magdalene and Gamm newcomer Cedric Lilly as an enigmatic Yeshua (Jesus).

"Paul is a powerfully relevant play for today," Estrella said. "It's the third production in an unofficial 'trilogy' of shows that began at The Gamm in 2007 with Michael Murphy's Sin: A Cardinal Deposed and continued with Mick Gordon and A.C. Grayling's Grace in 2009--plays that take a hard look at the role of ancient systems of belief in the modern world. While Sin and Grace examined the often destructive effects of faith in contemporary society, Paul looks back at the roots of Christianity and asks where and how did it all begin and why do men need to create gods at all?"

Paul runs from March 17 through April 17 at The Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket, RI. Tickets are $30 and $40 (depending on day/time), preview and press performances (March 17-21) only $25. Discounts for subscribers, groups of 10 or more, seniors and students. For tickets call 401-723-4266 or go to gammtheatre.org.