George B. Miller, co-founder/artistic director of Selkie Theatre at Anam Cara Farm, Allentown, PA and esteemed musician Kris Kehr are returning to the stage as members of the Crowded Kitchen Players ensemble in the revival of their hit Irish comedy 'PINTS POUNDS & PILGRIMS' that will run March 10 through March 19, 2007 at The Unicorn Theatre in Catasauqua, PA.
HISTORY
The play was originally inspired by a trip made by George B. Miller and Kate Scuffle when their Theatre Outlet company traveled in September 2000 to the Island of Inishbofin off the coast of Connemara, County Galway, Republic of Ireland to stage an original Irish tragedy, 'Crackskull Row', by Irish born playwright Honor Molloy and starring her mother, Yvonne Voight Molloy.
Crowded Kitchen Players' producers Ara Barlieb and Pamela Wallace were Theatre Outlet board members who traveled along and created a television documentary, entitled 'Pints, Pounds, and Pilgrims' of the voyage and adventure.
The documentary aired repeatedly on Irish and American television.
IN THE PLAY
-A humble Irish arts festival on a tiny island off the coast of Connemara finds itself in the cross-hairs of competing theater companies and their feuding stage directors from London, England and Hoboken, New Jersey.
-When the Inishbofin Arts Festival finds that the play it has commissioned, "A Bad Year for Potatoes", is a dismally skewed portrayal of Irish family life, and when the director of that play threatens to sue if any attempt is made to brighten the show's bleak outlook, the Festival director reaches out to an American dinner theater that specializes in bawdy bedroom farce, such as the perhaps excessively racy "Don't Dress for Dinner".
-And when the two companies find themselves scheduled to perform their respective plays at the Festival at the same place and hour, dramaturgical warfare breaks out on the cramped stage of the Bayside Public House, Island of Inishbofin, County Galway.
BACKGROUNDS OF MILLER AND KEHR
George B. Miller has produced, directed, acted, and written with a great many of the regional theater companies over the past four decades. He and his wife Kate Scuffle, managing director of Selkie Theatre, ran the outstanding Theatre Outlet for several years before moving to Ireland and founding Selkie in County Galway. Miller is returning to performing on the stage after an eight year absence.
Kris Kehr has been a professional musician for about 30 years. He plays guitar, mandolin, harmonica and bass, writes songs and has produced 4 albums of his own original material as well as performing on many others. He's worked as Musical Director for 'A Christmas City Follies' at the Touchstone Theatre, instrumental accompanist to folksinger Tom Paxton and was first to host the Monday night folk show on WDIY in its first year. More recently he has toured the jamband and folk circuits before returning to his native Berks County, Pa. to perform as a soloist, bassist for the Dave Fry Trio and front man for the folk-rock trio Telectro.'
DATES AND PLACE
March 10, 11, 17, 18 at 8 PM and March 12 and 19 at 2 PM at The Unicorn Theatre, 417 Front St. Catasauqua PA 18032
TICKETS
Tickets are $18, $14 Seniors, and $10 Students and may be purchased at www.ckplayers.com, by calling 610-395-7176 or at the door, cash/check/credit card.
CAST AND CREW
The Crowded Kitchen Players ensemble includes
George B. Miller (as The Bartender),
Kris Kehr (as The Guitar Player),
Tom Harrison (as Simon Wexler, British director),
David Oswald (as Benjamin Foolscap, American director),
Sarah Thomas (as Bridgette),
Dan Ferry (as Michael O'Shea),
Pamela Wallace (as Wife),
Rebecca Burroughs (as Older Woman),
Patti Squire (as Husband),
David Fox (as Paddy),
Bruce Brown (as Rodney),
Jeanie Olah (as Island Woman),
Dorothy Cockrell (as British stage manager),
Ara Barlieb (as American stage manager)
The show is directed by Ara Barlieb. Stage Manager is Alex Racines.
REVIEWER QUOTES
Morning Call Review 2016:
New Crowded Kitchen farce a successful romp through the theater world
by David Howell
"Pints, Pounds & Pilgrims" is about two struggling. D-level theater companies, one in Ireland and one in New Jersey. Although it is a comedy, it realistically shows the difficulties and nightmares that can arise from being on stage. Fortunately, the Crowded Kitchen Players are only pretending to be failures in this successful work...
Bethlehem Press Review 2016:
'Pints' of laughter with CKP
by Paul Willistein
"It’s a must-see. The play is not only near nonstop laughter, it’s near nonstop laughter nose snorts. “Pints, Pounds & Pilgrims” employs the time-honored theatrical plot device of a play within a play, but does it one better with two plays within a play.