Arden Theatre Company Presents A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN, 1/6-2/27

Arden Theatre Company continues its 2010/11 season with Eugene O'Neill's American masterpiece A Moon for the Misbegotten.  This mythic tale of old sins and the redemptive power of love will be staged on the Arden's intimate Arcadia stage from January 6 - February 27, 2011. 
 
"This is a classic play, but is deeply of the moment, touching as it does on people looking for meaning and hope in each other despite difficult economic conditions," says producing artistic director Terrence J. Nolen.  "Here we have an opportunity to see two of the finest actors in our family of artists take on two of the greatest roles in the American cannon, and a director who injects energy and visceral life into every literate moment."
 
The Arden's tradition of presenting American classics centered around Philadelphia actors includes the work of Arthur Miller, Thornton Wilder, Tennessee Williams and August Wilson. O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten continues this focus of telling great stories by our country's great storytellers  featuring Philadelphia actress Grace Gonglewski (Rabbit Hole, Major Barbara, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) as Josie Hogan alongside Eric Hissom (Our Town) as James Tyrone, Jr. The cast also features H. Michael Walls (Willi) as Phil Hogan, Sean Lally (Romeo and Juliet, The Threepenny Opera) as Mike Hogan, and Allen Radway (Long Day's Journey into Night at Simpatico Theatre Company) in his Arden debut as T. Stedman Harder.

"This cast is able to go to the complex and dark places O'Neill's play demands because of the trust we have developed over years of working together," says director Matt Pfeiffer, who acted in two different productions of Moon early in his career. "I'm interested in taking this play off the page and putting it directly into our audiences' chests." In addition to past work at the Arden on Romeo and Juliet, Wittenberg and Go, Dog. Go!, Pfeiffer has seen much success directing throughout the Philadelphia area with such American classics as Glengarry Glen Ross (David Mamet) and Bug (Tracy Letts) at Theatre Exile. 
 
A Moon for the Misbegotten deals with universal themes of identity and forgiveness through a very personal family story. Staged with the seating on three sides of the action, the audience will become part of the fully lived details of the character's daily lives, having the opportunity to pay particular attention to O'Neill's poetic language.
 
The creative team includes frequent Pfeiffer collaborators set designer Matt Saunders (MFA candidate at Yale School of Drama), lighting designer Thom Weaver (2010 Barrymore nomination for Blue Door), costume designer Alison Roberts (Arden's costumer supervisor), and sound designer James Sugg, (2010 Pew Fellow, Romeo and Juliet, My Name Is Asher Lev, four Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Sound Design). This young design team brings a fresh and open perspective to the classic play, while honoring the work without conceptualizing Hogans and Tyrones out of the early 1900s setting O'Neill intended.

The final dress rehearsal of A Moon for the Misbegotten on Wednesday, January 5 at 8pm is open to the public as a Pay-What-You-Can performance, with all proceeds collected donated to the Rosenbach Museum and Library, who seeks to inspire curiosity, inquiry, and creativity by engaging broad audiences in exhibitions, programs, and research based on its remarkable and expanding collections. They are located at 2008-2010 Delancey Place in Philadelphia.

A Moon for the Misbegotten previews begin on Thursday, January 6, 2011. Preview performances run January 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11. Opening night is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, January 12. Closing is set for Sunday, February 27, 2011.

Single ticket prices are $29- $48, with discounts available for seniors, students, military and educators. Groups of 10+ enjoy significant discounts; please inquire about group rates. Call the Arden Box Office at 215.922.1122, order online at www.ardentheatre.org, or visit the box office at 40 N. 2nd Street in Old City, Philadelphia.

The Arden is wheelchair accessible and provides assisted listening devices and large-print programs at every performance. Open Captioned and Audio Described performances will take place on Friday, February 25 at 8pm and Saturday, February 26 at 2pm. Reservations are required for accessible seating and may be made by calling the Arden's Box Office at 215.922.1122.

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