Ah, Wilderness!, Eugene O’Neill’s joyous and truthful depiction of American family life at the turn of the 20th century, will kick off the two-month citywide Eugene O’Neill Festival at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater.
From a playwright better known for his darker stories comes the brilliant Ah, Wilderness!, O’Neill’s singular comedy that represents a fantasy of what his own childhood might have been. Helen Hayes Award winner and former Arena Stage Associate Artistic Director Kyle Donnelly returns to direct her 21st show at Arena Stage, which features an almost entirely local cast led by Rick Foucheux, Nancy Robinette as Nat and Essie Miller.
They are joined by Jonathan Lincoln Fried as Sid Davis, Kimberly Schraf as Lily Miller, Leo Erickson as David McComber/Salesman and June Schreiner as Muriel McComber. Portraying the Miller siblings are Davis Chandler Hasty as Arthur, William Patrick Riley as Richard, Talisa Friedman as Mildred and 10-year-old Thomas Langston as Tommy, understudied by his brother T.J. Langston. Rounding out the cast are James Flanagan as Wint Selby/Bartender, Allison Leigh Corke as Norah and Pearl Rhein as Belle. This nearly entirely local company boasts 11 actors from the D.C. area.
Ah, Wilderness!runs March 9-April 8, 2012 in the Fichandler Stage.
“It’s the story of Ah, Wilderness! that really strikes me. Eugene O’Neill was a flat-out wonderful storyteller,” says Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith. “It’s a moving play about adolescence, romance and transformation in a middle-class American family. In Donnelly’s skilled hands, this masterwork will strike a chord with our audiences.”
The O'Neill Festival is generously sponsored by Joan and David Maxwell. The 2011/12 Fichandler Stage Season is sponsored by Life Trustee Dr. Jaylee Montague Mead.
For information on savings programs such as student discounts, Southwest Nights, Pay-Your-Age tickets, HOTTIX and Hero’s Discounts, visit arenastage.org/shows-tickets/single-tickets/savings-programs/.
Tickets may be purchased online at arenastage.org, by phone at 202-488-3300 or at the Sales Office at 1101 Sixth St., SW, D.C.
Comments