A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN Plays In PPT 4/16-5/17

Directed by Pamela Berlin, Pittsburgh Public Theater presents an all-new production of Eugene O'Neill's timeless classic, A Moon for the Misbegotten. Berlin is a theater veteran who has staged plays across the country but is best known for directing the Off Broadway world premiere of Steel Magnolias and the Broadway production of The Cemetery Club. She is also known to The Public's audiences for her productions of Tea and Driving Miss Daisy. A Moon for the Misbegotten runs April 16 - May 17, 2009 at the O'Reilly Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater's home in the heart of Downtown's Cultural District. Tickets: 412.316.1600 or www.ppt.org. Pittsburgh Public Theater is led by Producing Artistic Director Ted Pappas.

A Moon for the Misbegotten is set in 1923 on a farm in Connecticut worked by sly Irishman Phil Hogan (Tom Atkins), his daughter Josie (Beth Wittig), and his rebellious son Mike (Jason McCune). The land is owned by James Tyrone, Jr. (Victor Slezak), a poetic lost soul who haunts the theaters and bars of Broadway and often visits the farm to drink with Phil and flirt with Josie. When oil tycoon and neighbor T. Stedman Harder (Daniel Krell) vows to buy the property as revenge because the Hogan's pigs have been drinking from his pond, Tyrone considers the offer. Driven by this development, the Hogans devise a scheme to trap Tyrone into marrying Josie. On a moonlit night the seduction begins, but by dawn the pretending gives way to much more as sorrows are revealed, passions are exposed and souls are cleansed. Both humorous and heart-wrenching, A Moon for the Misbegotten is renowned for the depth of emotion it achieves.

The design team is: Allen Moyer (Scenery), Candice Donnelly (Costumes), Frances Aronson (Lighting), and Zach Moore (Sound). Fredric H. Orner is the Production Stage Manager and Ashley J Martin is the Assistant Stage Manager.

About the Playwright

Eugene O'Neill lived from 1888 until 1953 and wrote at least 32 full-length plays and 19 one acts. He changed the course of American theater by creating characters that lived on the fringes of society, writing with emotional depth, and tackling taboo subjects. He was awarded four Pulitzer Prizes as well as the Nobel Prize for Literature, becoming the first American to receive this honor. O'Neill's best known plays include Desire Under the Elms, The Iceman Cometh, and the autobiographical dramas Long Day's Journey Into Night and A Moon for the Misbegotten.

Pittsburgh Public Theater Presents

What: A Moon for the Misbegotten by Eugene O'Neill

When: April 16 - May 17, 2009

Performance Schedule

Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8 pm (except Tues., May 12 when the show is at 7 pm). Sundays at 2 and 7 pm (except Sun., May 17 when the only show is at 2 pm). Additional 2 pm matinees on Sat., May 2; Sat., May 9; Thurs., May 14; and Sat. May 16. There will be no public performance on Wednesday, April 29.

Visit www.ppt.org for pre- and post-show special events.

Press Night is Thursday, April 23

Opening Night is Friday, April 24

Ticket Prices

$35 to $55. Students and age 26 and younger: $15.50.

For tickets call 412.316.1600 or visit www.ppt.org