By the time of his untimely death at 57 in 1981, Paddy Chayefsky was known as one of the most daring and talented American screen writers. His sharply satiric films-like Network, The Hospital, and Altered States-manage to combine laughs and tender moments of intimacy with his habitually wry and critical view of humanity. But cinema was a late frontier for Chayefsky, ventured into only after the writer had conquered television, with such classics of live TV as the drama Marty, and stage, where he had his second Broadway hit in 1959 with an unusual comedy called The Tenth Man. Now The American Century Theater is reviving The Tenth Man to open the company's 2010-2011 season.
"Our company believes it's important to offer audiences a chance to see the works of all the best American writers in the 20th century who wrote for the stage, and
Paddy Chayefsky was certainly one of them," explains
Jack Marshall, TACT artistic director. "We started The American
Century Theater with a stage performance of Twelve Angry Men, which was a teleplay written for live TV by
Reginald Rose. Rose and
Rod Serling were two of the three iconic writers to emerge from the Golden Age of Television, and Chayefsky was the third. Truth to tell, he was probably the best and most versatile writer of the three."
The Tenth Man begins when the old men who belong to a decaying orthodox synagogue in New York City decide to hold a Jewish exorcism to banish the demons that have possessed Evelyn Foreman, the granddaughter of one of their members. But Jewish religious law requires a minyan, or quorum of ten, for the ritual to work, and the amateur exorcists only number nine. They convince a young man who happens to be passing by to complete their group.
What follows is an unusual romance punctuated by wit and surprises, as well as Chayefsky's commentary on religion and faith. "I've been wanting to direct this play for a long time," says the show's director, William Aitken, who recently directed Stalag 17 for the company. "The theater was considering a different Chayefsky play, and I suggested they switch to this one: I think it's clearly his best." As soon as Aitken knew he had the assignment, he tapped TACT's most versatile young actress, Kari Ginsburg, to play Evelyn. Ginsburg, who most recently played the bewitched Hollywood siren in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter, eagerly agreed to tackle the difficult role.
At the forefront of The Tenth Man, as with every one of his works, is Chayefsky's distinct and unmistakable voice, expressing the unique impressions of humanity by a man who, it was said, regarded "the life of the mind as a participant sport."
Stephen Quartell is "the tenth man" and the other half of a strange romance with Ginsburg's possessed young woman. He is new to the company and the area, fresh from the Big Apple. Several standouts from past T
ACT Productions are in the large cast, including Joe Cronin, the dyspeptic father of Life With Father, among many other roles with the company;
Craig Miller, the aging husband in Seascape; Bill Gordon, TACT jack-of-all-trades, whose roles have ranged from a dead Nazi to the POW barracks leader in Stalag 17; comic Ron Sarro, most recently a vaudevillian in Babes in Arms; Mick Tinder, who was outstanding in Native Son and as the host of An American Century Christmas; and Matthew Meixler, who played both a prisoner and a Nazi guard in Stalag 17. Jim Callery, Paul Danaceau, Richard Fiske, Brendan Haley, and Stephen Rourke make their American
Century Theater debuts to complete the cast.
Aitken's vision will be supported by the artistry of Jameson Shroyer (set design and technical director/master carpenter), Steven Barker (lighting design), Anndi Daleske (properties design), Rip Claassen (TACT resident costumer), and Ian Armstrong (sound design).
David Olmsted is the stage manager.
The Tenth Man opens Friday, September 17, and runs through Saturday, October 16, 2010 with pay-what-you-can preview performances on Wednesday, September 15, and Thursday, September 16, at 8 pm and an additional pay-what-you-can performance on Wednesday, September 22, at 8 pm.
Show times are Thursday through Saturday evenings at 8 pm and Saturday/Sunday matinees at 2:30 pm. (There is no matinee on Saturday, September 18.) TACT will also host a post show talk-back on Thursday, September 23. Tickets can be ordered online at
www.americancentury.org or by calling 703-998-4555.
Directions-
The American
Century Theater performs at Theater II in the Gunston Arts Center, located at 2700 South Lang Street, Arlington VA 22206. Gunston is roughly ten minutes from downtown Washington DC and minutes from Arlington's Shirlington Village. Free, ample, well-lit parking is available. For directions, visit
http://americancentury.org/directions.php.
