Austin Pendleton Visits Actors' NET Production Of His Play BOOTH; Runs Thru 6/14

Famed actor/director/playwright Austin Pendleton came to
Morrisville Sunday to visit an old friend - the play he has been working on for some fifty years.

Pendleton and four New York-based theatre friends saw the Actors' NET of Bucks County production of Booth, a drama he has been working on since his college days at Yale.

First a musical, he rewrote it years later as a drama. Two weeks ago, Actors' NET opened the 1994 version of his work, which has been playing to enthusiastic audiences in the intimate theatre space. Now rewriting it again, Pendleton thought he'd see how it stands up since it was published by Samuel French.

The work tells the true story of Junius Booth, the 19th century classical actor and alcoholic, whose fame was eclipsed by his two sons: Edwin Booth became the most acclaimed actor of his day, while John Wilkes Booth won infamy as Lincoln's assassin.

At curtain call, actor George Hartpence of New Hope, who costars as Junius Booth alongside Tom Smith of Morrisville as son Edwin, introduced Pendleton to the audience. Cries of "bravo" filled the air. Pendleton joined the cast onstage, hugging each during a thunderous prolonged ovation.

The playwright joined the cast, crew and company friends for a small reception after. He reportedly told the Actors' NET cast he was "thrilled" by their effort and it would influence his rewrite. He told director Cheryl Doyle he planned to restore some of his cuts because The NET staging convinced him they were vital to his story.

The reception lasted nearly two hours. Pendleton chatted at length with cast members, NET management and a number of audience members who remained for autographs and to take souvenir photographs. He also signed each of the actors' scripts with personal notes of thanks.

"What a great night!" Cheryl Doyle observed. "It's hard to say who was happiest - our cast or the playwright."

Booth completes its run June 14 at the Heritage Center, 635 N. Delmorr Avenue (Route 32), Morrisville, PA - near the Calhoun Street Bridge. Final performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors and $10 for children under 13. Due to mature themes, parental guidance is advised. To reserve, call the nonprofit company at 215-295-3694 or email actorsnet@aol.com. Pre-purchased tickets are available on-line with credit card at www.brownpapertickets.com - at the site, search for "actorsnet." The company's web site is www.actorsnetbucks.org.

Photo: George Hartpence, Austin Pendleton, and Tom Smith

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