Noble Fool Presents RED HERRING at Pheasant Run

Noble Fool Theatricals presents Michael Hollinger's clever who-dunnit Red Herring, directed by Noble Fool's very own Artistic Director John Gawlik, at the Pheasant Run Resort Mainstage Theater (4051 E. Main St., St. Charles, IL; telephone 630-584-6342).

Red Herring will preview Thursday, September 2 through Friday, September 10, 2010. The show will open Saturday evening, September 11, 2010 and continue through Sunday, October 24, 2010.

Tickets are priced at $29 on Fridays (and additional Thursday performances), and at $39 on Saturdays and Sundays. Dinner show packages are available at $46 on Fridays and $59 on Saturdays and Sundays. Group Rates, Student Discounts, and Overnight packages are also available.

Written by Michael Hollinger and winner of the 2000 Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play, Red Herring combines three love stories, a murder mystery, and a nuclear espionage into one clever Cold War-era romantic comedy done in the style of film noir. The year is 1952: America's on the verge of the H-bomb, Dwight Eisenhower's on the campaign trail, and I Love Lucy's on Monday nights. Meanwhile, Senator Joe McCarthy's daughter just got engaged to a Soviet spy, and Cost detective Maggie Pelletier has to find out who dumped the dead guy in the Harbor - or else lost out on a honeymoon in Havana. The end result is a blunt-nosed, sharp-eyed look at love and tying (and untying, and retying) the knot.

"St. Charles residents will easily recognize their hometown in the opening film sequence of the show," says Director John Gawlik. With permission from the city, Gawlik wanted to celebrate the great film noir tradition of Bogart in "The Big Sleep" and film classics like "Double Indemnity" and "Laura" - and downtown St. Charles's historical landmarks were perfect backdrops for the video. "The architecture of The Municipal Building, Fox River bridge, Arcada Theatre and the Hotel Baker especially provided a great feel to the film," Gawlik adds.

John Gawlik, Wheaton native, directs the show after recently directing the remount of The Gift Theatre Company's The Ruby Sunrise at Theater on the Lake, named one of the Top Ten shows of 2009 by TimeOut Chicago Magazine. Other recent directing credits include Noble Fool's Over the Tavern, smash hit Altar Boyz and the holiday classic A Christmas Story, as well as the Jeff Nominated production of W;tfor The Gift Theatre and Dated: A Cautionary Tale for Facebook Users for Collaboraction's Sketchbook Festival (Festival Best Director). Additional directing credits include Sylvia at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, the Jeff Recommended Gift production of Blithe Spirit, and the Jeff Award winning production of The Good Thief. Other Noble Fool directing credits include Every Christmas Story Ever Told!, GLen berger's Underneath the Lintel, the Midwest premier of The Complete History of America: Abridged, Western Civilization The Complete Musical: Abridged and Vikings! A Musical in Two Axe.

The cast of Red Herring features (in alphabetical order): Naperville native Sean Bolger, Alex Hugh Brown, Danon Dastugue, Peter DeFaria, Elana Ernst and Rebekah Ward-Hayes.

Red Herring opens on Thursday, September 2, 2010 and runs through Sunday, October 24, 2010. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. Thursday performances are available on September 2 and 9 at 8 p.m.; September 16, 30 and October 7 at 2 p.m. The show is rated PG-13 due to mature situations and language.

Pheasant Run Resort is located at 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles, IL. For tickets, call the Pheasant Run Box Office at 630-584-6342, or visit www.ticketmaster.com. Additional performance information may be obtained at www.noblefool.org.

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