Libby Adler Mages, Tony D’Angelo
And
Smock Alley Theater Company
(Smock Alley Theater Company Website)
Present:

The Quiet Man Tales
By Frank Mahon and Milissa Pacelli

Based on Green Rushes
By Maurice Walsh
(Maurice Walsh Bio)
By special arrangement with the Estate of Maurice Walsh

At
The Chicago Theatre Downstairs
(The Chicago Theatre Downstairs Website)
175 N. State Street
Chicago, IL 60601
312.902.1500
March 6 - May 24, 2009

Director: Susan Felder
Scenic Design: Jeff Bauer
Lighting Design: Rita Pietraszek
Sound Design: Lindsay Jones
Costume Design: Lindsey Pate
Prop Design: Chelsea Meyers
Fight Director: Kevin Asselin
Dialogue Coach: Brigid Duffy
Production Stage and Company Manager: Rose Marie Packer
Press Representatives and Advertising: Noreen Heron & Associates

Starring:
Travis Williams, Robert Allan Smith, Christopher Genovese,
Ron Rains, Aaron Christensen, Eliza Stoughton, Eric Leonard,
Samuel Buti, Regina Leslie, Karen Janes Woditsch,
Scott Cummins, Cassandra Bissell, Bret Tuomi

Susan Weinrebe
March 22, 2009

The Irish are a tough and tender people, and you’ll be able to count the ways this is shown, when you see The Quiet Man Tales, now running in the intimate Chicago Theatre Downstairs. Adapted from a series of stories, Green Rushes, on which the beloved movie The Quiet Man starring Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne was based, the staged incarnation has Everyperson appeal, regardless of one’s ethnic background.

Using a series of running vignettes, revolving around the residents of County Kerry, Ireland, we peer into the lives of a closely-knit handful of country folk. Beginning with the guerilla tactics of one of the Flying Columns, seeking freedom from English control during the Irish War of Independence, we are given a glimpse into the indomitable nature of the Irish.

Similar to the Minute Men in America’s own struggle for independence from the same imperial power, the Rebellion drew upon the resources of the countryside and its people, both men and women until, eventually, a truce was declared.

Meanwhile, as anywhere, even during war time, life continued. The charm and heart of The Quiet Man Tales comes from the intimate peek into the dreams and endeavors of three couples and the troubles (apart from the capital “T” trouble of their land) they must overcome. Jamming up against the mores of their place and time and, sometimes, their own misguided notions, they wend their way through their problems, supported by friends and the strength of their own character.

Paddy Bawn, the quiet man of the title, must overcome his own diffidence, as well as a tyrannical brother, as he tries to win his heart’s desire, the love of Ellen Roe. Ron Rains, similar in his vulnerable beauty to Montgomery Clift, plays his character with a quiet power that sweetly fills the stage. Paddy has returned from America to buy a piece of land and raise horses with money won from his boxing bouts, a successful reverse immigration. Just as the other men in the story, he must learn how to be as comfortable with courtship as he is with livestock or the land.

Emphasizing the partnership of Irish women with their men, one sees the characters of Nuala, Joan and Ellen Roe as they spy for the war effort, support themselves, bring warmth and comfort to home and hearth and stand by their… consciences. Respectively, Regina Leslie, Karen Janes Woditsch and Cassandra Bissell, ethereal beauties all, show us the everyday heroism of such women, each of them a patriot as much as their men.

The Quiet Man Tales is a play full of gab and humor, and, even though it’s not a musical, the poignancy of men’s voices in song rings throughout. Before the performance, a trio of musicians, Joey Abarta, Declan Fahy and Kathleen Keane played drums, bagpipe, and violin and squeeze box, clapping and tapping out foot work as they sat, bringing out the Irish in us all with the spirit of their playing.

When I talked with Frank Mahon, one of the writers, following the performance, he told me he had loved the O’Hara/Wayne movie so much as a boy that he had memorized every line. Years later he found Maurice Walsh’s collection, Green Rushes, in an Irish bookstore and fell in love all over again, hoping that someday he could bring the stories to the stage. Finally, after nearly two years, Mahon obtained the rights from Walsh’s heirs to adapt the collection. When I asked how realistic the characters were, he said, “These are not stereotypes, they are very authentic.”

The Quiet Man Tales has everything an Irish story should have: drinking, singing, humor, long engagements, fighting and a happy ending. What more could anyone ask?

Regina Leslie (Nuala) and Eric Leonard (Henry)
in "The Quiet Man Tales"
Courtesy of Noreen Heron & Associates, Inc.

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Cassandra Bissell (Ellen Roe) and Ron Rains (Paddy Bawn)
in "The Quiet Man Tales"
Courtesy of Noreen Heron & Associates, Inc.

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Christopher Genovese, Robert Allan Smith, Karen Woditsch,
Eliza Stoughton, Ron Rains, Travis Williams &
Cassandra Bissell in "The Quiet Man Tales"
Courtesy of Noreen Heron & Associates, Inc.

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The Historic Chicago Theatre
Courtesy of Susan Weinrebe

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Interior Detail of Chicago Theatre
Courtesy of Susan Weinrebe

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Christine Ushers in The Chicago Theatre
Courtesy of Susan Weinrebe

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Frank Mahon, Author, and Susan
Courtesy of Susan Weinrebe

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For more information, contact Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower at zlokower@bestweb.net