Centre Theater Stages Sam Shepards' 'Fool for Love'

From the Iron Age Theatre:

In a dingy hotel room in the American west, two lovers grapple with their past, their future and the shocking secret that binds them together. Sam Shepard, called America's greatest living playwright, delves into the horror and humor of a family running from its past in "Fool for Love," opening March 2 and running through March 25 at . 

Eddie, a broken down rodeo cowboy, has driven two thousand miles, finding May alone in a cheap motel at the edge of the desert. He is desperate to get her back, but she wants to move on with her life. Their passion engulfs them and they burn with love, hatred and sadness. Punctuated by visits from Eddie's manipulative father and May's new beau, the play is filled with humor, sadness and a sudden outburst of violence as two damaged souls try to reconcile the past.  

Sam Shepard has been a playwright for five decades and won a Pulitzer Prize for his play, "Buried Child." His work has won numerous awards and is regularly performed across the country. In fact, he is the most produced American playwright after Tennessee Williams. 

"Mr. Shepard is the most deeply serious humorist of the American theater, and a poet with no use whatsoever for the 'poetic.' He brings fresh news of love, here and now, in all its potency and deviousness and foolishness, and of many other matters as well." said Edith Oliver, of The New Yorker.  

A leader of the avant-garde in contemporary American theater since his earliest work, Shepard's plays are not easy to categorize. They combine wild humor, grotesque satire, myth and a sparse, haunting language to present a subversive view of American life.  

Iron Age Theatre and the Centre Theater have been regular presenters of Shepard’s' work. Iron Age has staged critically-acclaimed productions of "The Tooth of Crime," Shepard's rock opera, "Curse of the Starving Class" and "Simpatico" at the Centre Theater.  

"It is always a pleasure to work on Shepard's plays," stated Randall Wise, co-director of the production. "Fool for Love" is as rich thematically as it is filled with emotion."

To support the production, Iron Age is posting a regular production blog. Actors, the directors, local experts on the issues of the play and the playwright will share their thoughts on the rehearsal process, the themes of the play and background for the production. This resource will enhance the audience’s experience.

“It is like a living talk back,” said Director John Doyle.

The cast features Adam Altman as Eddie and Michelle Pauls as May, the star-crossed lovers. Altman has done more than 16 shows at the Centre Theater and is also a regionally recognized actor working with Delaware Shakespeare, the Arden Theatre Company, Tiny Dynamite productions and the Philadelphia Artists Collective. Michelle Pauls is the driving force behind Walking Fish Theatre and has acted at the Centre Theater several times before. Her work, now focused in Kensington, creates vibrant theatrical experiences. She has worked with Curio Theatre, Littlefish Theatre Cooperative, White Box Productions, the Walnut Street Theatre, the Wilma Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Vagabond Theatre.

Dave Fiebert breathes life into the Old Man. Fiebert is a puppeteer and has been a part of several recent Iron Age productions including "Waiting for Godot," "Maroons," "The Life of John Henry" and "The Rear Column." Rounding out the cast is Sean Close, a newcomer to the Centre Theater, Close has performed with the Arden Theatre, Quintessence Theatre, Bootless Artworks and Theatre Horizon.    

Working together, the Centre Theater and Iron Age Theatre have been two of the most critically-acclaimed companies in the area for over fifteen years. The Philadelphia City Paper called the companies, "the area's most under-appreciated professional theater." The companies have received Barrymore nominations for a number of their productions including a Best New Play nod for last fall’s world premiere of the boxing comedy "Molumby’s Millions."  

Showtimes for "Fools for Love" are 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at www.ticketleap.com. Call 610-279-1013 for information or visit the web at www.ironagetheatre.org.

The Centre Theater is in the Montgomery County Cultural Center at 208 DeKalb Street in Norristown. There is plenty of free parking and the theater is one block from SEPTA’s Norristown Transportation Center on the Manayunk/Norristown line. Call 610-279-1013 for tickets and information or go to www.ironagetheatre.org.