Paul Green's The House of Connelly, The Group Theatre's First Play, to Receive a Rare NY Revival
New York, NY (PRWEB) December 18, 2013 -- On the heels of their acclaimed productions of 1931- and Success Story, The ReGroup Theatre Company turns its attention to the Group Theatre’s very first play, Paul Green’s The House of Connelly. With special permission and support from the Paul Green Foundation, this poetic tale gets a much overdue NY revival. The play shows us an iconic struggle: the last dying gasps of the Old South as it tries to prevent the progression of new ideas.
Wayward son Will Connelly, heir to the famous Connelly estate, finds himself unable to live up to the prestige of the legendary Connellys of the past. When Patsy, daughter of the new tenant farmer arrives on the estate, Will doesn’t know what to believe. Is it love at first sight, or does she have her calculating eyes on becoming the new Mrs. Connelly? The struggles between tradition and change, between black and white, between truth and deceit come to a shocking conclusion. In the original production, the Group commissioned Mr. Green to rewrite a more hopeful ending, but the ReGroup will be presenting Mr. Green’s original ending, performed as the author intended. After 80 years, we present this jaw-dropping conclusion.
Originally produced in 1931, The House of Connelly immediately propelled the Group Theatre to prominence. Directed by Lee Strasberg, the original cast featured such future legends as Stella Adler, Morris Carnovsky, and Clifford Odets. In his New York Times review, Brooks Atkinson wrote that Mr. Green “has such abundant understanding, such integrity of character and such magnetism of passion that you are likely to remember the pure truth of his prose poem long after you have forgotten a thousand craftsmanlike plays about love, family and possessions.”
The ReGroup’s production of The House of Connelly features a 16-person cast featuring Logan James Hall, Claire Buckingham, Tami McCarthy, Selena C. Dukes, Sheila Simmons, Robert Laciura, Charlotte Hampden, Maja Wampuszyc, Ted Morgan, Tim Gilliss, Jamie Jung, Clark Beasley Jr., Eli Bridges, Rebecca Beberaggi, Kimberley Shoniker, and Anthony Rinaldi. The play will be staged by Allie Mulholland.
The House of Connelly will run Jan 24th – Feb 9th at The Barrow Group Theatre, 312 W 36th St, 3rd floor. Shows run Mon, Thurs-Sat at 8 PM and at 3 PM on Sundays. Tickets are $18 and will be available starting in December via http://www.smarttix.com. In addition to The House of Connelly, The ReGroup will be presenting staged readings of two of Mr. Green’s other plays. His 1927 Pulitzer Prize winner In Abraham’s Bosom will be presented at 7 PM Jan 26, and his adaptation of Richard Wright’s novel Native Son will be performed 7 PM Feb 2nd.
Tickets are currently on sale via http://www.smarttix.com or by calling 212.868.4444. Preorder tickets are now on sale at a discounted rate.
Samuel Adams, TMG PR, +1 (212) 750-5755, [email protected]
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