After an impressive start to its 61st season,Valpo's Chicago Street Theatre is showing no signs of slowing down or pulling any punches with their upcoming production of Martin McDonagh's The Lieutenant of Insishmore. This dark comedy from the writer and director of In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths runs January 29 through February 13 at the theatre located at 154 W Chicago Street in Valparaiso.
The Lieutenant of Inishmore is the fourth play the group has presented by McDonagh and tells the story of an Irish National Liberation Army enforcer whose cat, "Wee Thomas" has fallen into harms way. Padraic loves his cat more than life itself and he leaves his work torturing and bombing chip shops in Northern Ireland on an absurd revenge spree to find the ones responsible. The script crackles with hilarious intensity as locals on the isle of Inishmore scramble to prevent their own demise by the mad lieutenant.
Often referred to as McDonagh's "darkest and funniest play to date," The Lieutenant of Inishmore is directed by Eric Brant and Daena Sisk who directed last season's award-winning production of The Angels of Lemnos by CST's Resident Playwright Jim Henry. Brant said, "As we were working on Angels we kept talking about what we wanted to do next, and with both of us being huge fans of McDonagh's work and CST's productions of The Pillow Man in 2010 and The Beauty Queen of Leenane in 2013. This play's title just kept popping up. "
Sisk added, " Although his work is often compared to playwrights like David Mamet, Sam Shepard, and Harold Pinter, the show leans more toward being like the Coen Brother's or Quentin Tarrantino film. McDonagh's Lieutenant gives Eric and I the chance to bring this hysterically edgy type of material to life on stage."
Brant and Sisk think that audiences who love movies like Pulp Fiction and Fargo will love the play as much as they do. The pair have assembled a cast of Chicago Street Theatre favorites and newcomers featuring the talents of: David Pera (Valparaiso) as Donny: Kevin Perry (Hebron) as Davey; Tom O'Neill (Chesterton) as Padraic; Jason Kaplan (Hobart) as James; Stephanie Meyer (Valparaiso) as Mairead; Luke May (Highland) as Christy; Glenn Silver (Hobart) as Brendan; and Jack Kick () as Joey. In addition to the cast, the directors have also put together an award-winning team of technical artists with: Bob Cooley as Lighting Designer; Mary A. Bird as Sound Designer; Eric Brant as Scenic Designer; Satoe Nagasaka Schechner as Costume Designer; Marty Weisenbacher as Technical Effects Designer and Auriel Lark Felsecker as Stage Manager.
Due to strong language and violence, The Lieutenant of Inishmore is recommended for "Mature Audiences Only" and tickets can be purchased by calling CST's Box Office at 219-464-1636 X1 or online @ChicagoStreet.org. Tickets are $20 for Adults and $17 for Students, Seniors, and Groups of ten or more. Box Office hours are weekdays: Noon to 4PM and two hours prior to showtimes.
Audiences are invited to join the cast and crew following the performances on Friday, January 29 and Friday, February 5 for an "Opening Night Party" hosted at Main + Lincoln and a "Happy After Hour Party" at Sage both located in downtown Valparaiso. In addition to the show's after parties, audience members can take part in a Q&A on February 11with the directors and cast following the show as part of CST's popular Thursday Talkback series.
Opening weekend of The Lieutenant of Inishmore will also feature two additional events at the theatre with the Winter Unified Auditions on Saturday, January 30 at 10 AM and a One Night Jam concert with Chicago favorites Michael McDermott and Heather Horton on Sunday, January 31 at 7:00 PM. Auditions are being held for the second half of Chicago Street Theatre's 2015-2016 Season and include the plays: Orson's Shadow; Wash, Dry, Fold; and Shakespeare's The Tempest. For information, audition pieces, and online registration forms for the Unifieds, interested volunteers can visit CST's website. Tickets for Michael McDermott and Heather Horton can also be purchased online or through the Box Office and range from in price from $25 General Admission to VIP Couch seats at $50.
Following Chicago Street's cutting edge comedy will be their Family production of Nancy Drew: Girl Detective which opens on March 4.