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On Tuesday, April 21, our madness series ends with what Britain's Guardian newspaper called "an authentic Irish masterpiece": "The Steward of Christendom" (1995), by Sebastian Barry. Ten years after Irish independence, in a Dublin madhouse, the city's former police chief--a Catholic royalist--struggles to grasp the impact of Irish independence on his family & career. "Lyrical and profound, extremely funny, extraordinarily observant [and] hauntingly sad" (Irish Times), "'Steward' bears the rare mark of theatric greatness" (New York Times).
Our discussion will feature 2 special guests: Dr. Christina Mahony, author of a forthcoming study of modern Irish literature, & recent Helen Hayes nominee Serge Seiden, director of production at Studio Theatre, where "Steward" opens April 1.
We will meet at a *new location*: the back room of TGI Friday's, 2100 PA Ave., NW (2 blocks E of Foggy Bottom metro). No credit cards; bring cash. Dinner's at 6:30 & our discussion from 7:30-9:30. Seating is limited, so arrive early! Make reservations now by e-mailing [email protected]
You can find "The Steward of Christendom" at Backstage Books, 2101 P St., NW, & behind the front counter (under "Footlights") at Barnes & Noble Georgetown, 3040 M St., NW & Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave., NW.
On Saturday, April 25 at 2 p.m., Footlights will attend "The Steward of Christendom" at Studio Theatre, 1333 P St., NW, starring Helen Hayes nominee Ted van Griethuysen. Tickets are $19 & include a post-performance discussion with the cast. Make your check payable to "Robin Larkin" & mail by April 12 to Robin at 5403 Nibud Ct., Rockville, MD 20852 (240-669-6300; [email protected]). Indicate whether you'd like to join us for dinner. Robin will distribute tickets at the theater. No refunds after April 15. If you need a ride or can offer one, please call Florence Foss ((301) 871-1667 (h) & (301) 443-8647 (w)).
At our May 13 meeting, Footlights will begin a new series, "Testing the Rules," with "The Rules of the Game (Il giuoco delle parti)" (1918), by Italian playwright & Nobel laureate Luigi Pirandello. An unsettling portrait of marriage, with "the brilliant cleverness of a painting by Picasso" (Daily Express), "Rules of the Game" "must be seen" (Kenneth Tynan). So we'll see it Sunday, May 17, at 2:30 p.m., at Washington Stage Guild, 924 G St., NW. Tickets are $9. We need payment by our meeting May 13, also the last date for refunds. Make your check out to "Washington Stage Guild" & mail to Robin Larkin, 5403 Nibud Ct., Rockville, MD 20852.
Footlights' own Debbie Jackson keeps busy this spring in the Silver Spring Stage production of "I Am a Man," on stage April 10-May 9. This compelling drama explores the events surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1968 assassination in Memphis. For further information call (301) 593-6036.
Every summer, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, hosts the Shaw Festival, mixing works by George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) with plays by his contemporaries. This summer's program includes the first play Footlights ever discussed, Shaw's "Major Barbara," plus works by Wilde, Kaufman & Hart, the Gershwins, & others. The Shaw Festival runs April 15-November 1. For further information call 800-511-SHAW.
Salons provide an opportunity to gather for conversation, usually about art, literature, music, or politics, often in a living room or coffeehouse. Footlights recently joined the Salon Network of Greater DC, a loose collection of over 30 DC- area discussion groups, all open to new members. For more information about the Salon Network, visit its website at www.utne.com/salons/dc or contact coordinator Larry Schuster ([email protected] & (202) 234-0979).
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