Bo Eason's 'Runt of the Litter' Begins Nov.30 at 37 Arts

Runt of the Litter, a play by Bo Eason, will begin an Off-Broadway engagement, with previews starting November 30 prior to an official press opening on December 9 at 37 Arts Theatre (450 W. 37 St).  The play, written and performed by Mr. Eason, is directed by Larry Moss.

"Runt of the Litter opens in the final hour of Jack Henry's lifelong dream, only one thing stands in his way – his brother," explain press notes, "Runt of the Litter looks at what happens to two brothers in a family of over-achievers: when their parents assure their oldest son he is destined for football superstardom, and tell their youngest son he is too small to compete, a line in the family sand is drawn that colors the rest of their lives."

Runt of the Litter is, in fact, a semiautobiographical account of Bo Eason's life and career as a defensive back for the Houston Oilers in the 1980s, where he played safety.  His determination and killer instincts on the playing field remain the stuff of legend.  His brother, Tony Eason was the quarterback who led the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl in 1986.

Runt of the Litter debuted in New York in 2002 and has subsequently been performed by Bo Eason at theatres around the country. The play is being produced Off-Broadway by Tom Quinn, Peter Fitzgerald, Larry Safir, Dawn Eason and Forbes Candlish.

After retiring from football, Eason pursued his lifelong interest in becoming an actor, appearing in the film "Pride and Glory" opposite Edward Norton and Colin Farrell, as well as in "A Bright Shining Lie," "ER," and "Boston Grace."   In addition to writing Runt of the Litter – now being developed as a major motion picture to be directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) – Eason was hired by Leonardo DiCaprio to write a screenplay based on the 1924 Olympic rugby team.

DiCaprio – who sought Eason for the screenwriting job after seeing a performance of Runt of the Litter – is just one of many notable people who have seen Mr. Eason's play and been moved by it:  actors, directors, producers such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tobey Maguire, Mariska Hargitay, Rosie O'Donnell, Cynthia Nixon, Sandra Oh, Amanda Peete, Maria Bello, Carla Gugino, Twyla Tharp, Ulu Grosbard, Emanuel Azenberg and football stars like Warren Moon and Bruce Matthews have praised the work and Mr. Eason's performance.

Director Larry Moss developed and directed the internationally-acclaimed, award-winning solo play The Syringa Tree, the recent RFK, Beast on the Moon and Who is Floyd Stearn? Off-Broadway.  His book on acting, "The Intent to Live," was published in 2002 by Bantam/Dell.  He has coached such actors as Helen Hunt in the film "As Good as it Gets," Hilary Swank in "Million Dollar Baby" and "Boys Don't Cry," Michael Clarke Duncan in "The Green Mile," Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond," "The Aviator" and "The Departed," and Hank Azaria in "Tuesdays with Morrie."

Runt of the Litter performance schedule is as follows: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 2PM & 8PM, and Sundays at 3PM. (no shows Tuesdays).  Tickets are $56.25 and can be reserved by calling TicketMaster at 212 307 4100 or www.ticketmaster.com

 

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