JUST CLOSED: A Touch of the Poet

Eugene O'Neill's

A TOUCH OF THE

POET

September 24 - October 17

a family saga
a love story
a quest for the American Dream
a historical drama of tremendous magnitude
one of O'Neill's finest plays

It's not to be missed!

"Cornelius Melody is Eugene O'Neill's most complex character,

male or female:

Handsome and vain, loving but cruel, proud but self-aware, strong but frail.

For any actor portraying him a central theme must be acknowledged:

Who are we?

Are we who we believe ourselves to be ...

or the sum of other people's opinions?

Does present failure outweigh past glory?"

"Con quotes Byron frequently. It is not by accident. Saying someone is a "Byronic hero" conjures up a romantic notion of a dashing solitary figure, beautiful beyond words and tinged with melancholy; a noble vampire who saves the heroine from evil ghouls and only bites her if she really wants him to. In this case, O'Neill was embracing the entire notion of Byronism: the mood swings, the selfishness and self-destructive behavior, the ugliness as well as the beauty. "Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know" was how one of Byron's lovers described him, and this description fits the young Con Melody as well."

"These qualities made him a hero and a romantic figure to his wife. It is these same qualities which condemn him to be the destitute owner of a rundown tavern, and scorned by his daughter. To be Byronic, O'Neill knew, was a double edged sword."

"Who are we? It is my hope that as the audience sees Con grapple with this question they, too, will contemplate ... for it's a question that needs to be asked even if we never completely know the answer."