The Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd St.) presents some of the best music in town as it announces its next production, Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in Wales, directed by Charlotte Moore with traditional and original music. Previews begin Wednesday, December 3,2008. The official opening will be on Sunday, December 7, 2008.
"One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea-town corner now and out of all sound except the dist ant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep,…"
…And so begins Dylan Thomas's magical memories of his Welsh childhood from his early morning waking to his final sleep, Dylan's day is interspersed with glorious songs that celebrate the season. Treat yourself and your families to this delightful lush tapestry that evokes a time gone by.
Victoria Mallory joins the cast of A Child's Christmas in Wales and the production marks her return to the New York stage. The cast also features
Edwin Cahill,
Kerry Conte,
Jon Fletcher, and
Ashley Robinson with musical direction provided by
Mark Hartman.
Dylan Thomas (Author) was born in Swansea, a seacoast town in southern Wales, on October 27, 1914. After dropping out of school at sixteen, he worked as a junior reporter on the South Wales Evening Post. In November 1934, Thomas moved to London and in December of that year published his first book of poetry,. Thomas also conducted a series of reading tours of the United States. During his fourth American lecture tour, and a few days after his thirty-ninth birthday, he collapsed in his New York hotel. Dylan Thomas died on November 9, 1953, at St. Vincent's Hospital. His body was sent back to Wales, where his grave is marked by a simple wooden cross.
Charlotte Moore (Director) Ms. 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, J. Harley Manners' Peg O' My Heart, J.M. Synge's Playboy of the Western World, and
Dion Boucicault's The Colleen Bawn and 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, and A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur. She has also been in 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-nine 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.
Costume Designer is20
David Toser, Lighting Designer is
Michael Gottlieb. Production Stage Manager is
Sarah Tschirpke and Stage Manager is Aaron Pratt.
Performances of A Child's Christmas in Wales are Wednesday - Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees are Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 3 PM.
Tickets are $60, $55 and a special 16 and under price of $20 and can be purchased by calling 212.727.2737 or at the box office prior to the show.
Photo by Walter McBride / Retna Ltd
