Quintessence Theatre Group Tackles First Modern American Classic with Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night October 4-22
Quintessence Theatre Group brings Eugene O’Neill’s masterpiece Long Day’s Journey into Night to life as the second show of its 8th Season. The company’s first modern American classic takes center stage at the Sedgwick Theater, October 4-22. Opening Night is Saturday, October 7 at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15-$35. Opening Night costs $50. Tickets are available online at www.quintessencetheatre.org or at the Box Office at time of performance. The Sedgwick Theater is located at 7137 Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy.
Considered one of the finest American plays of the 20th Century, Long Day’s Journey into Night is an unashamedly autobiographical account of O’Neill’s own life “written in tears and blood.” In this powerful marathon of a play (it clocks in at 3 hours and 45 minutes with an intermission and a pause), the Tyrone family gathers in New London, Connecticut, one fateful summer day, bound to a past they are unable to forgive or forget. James and Mary Tyrone and their two sons fight for the stability and survival of their family, but are caught in a hopeless cycle of love and resentment. As day turns to night and the family indulges in its vices, the truth unravels, leaving behind a quartet of ruined lives.
This production stars Barrymore Award Winner E. Ashley Izard as Mary Tyrone. Paul Hebron plays James Tyrone. Josh Carpenter and James Davis are cast as James Jr. and Edmund Tyrone. Cassandra Nary is cast as Cassandra. Quintessence continues to establish an ensemble of actors devoted to the classics in Philadelphia. As they present their first modern American classic, the theatre is showcasing the work of four of the ensemble’s finest actors: E. Ashley Izard, Josh Carpenter, Paul Hebron and James Davis.
Outside of productions at Quintessence, Davis appeared in The House of Blue Leaves on Broadway and was in the OBIE winning cast of We are Proud to Present. Hebron, much like the Tyrone patriarch, is a noted Shakespeare actor, a member of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and has performed in Shakespeare productions around the country. At Quintessence, Herbron performed in Henry V and As You Like It.
Members of this ensemble have portrayed family members before. Carpenter has already played the son of Izard (Hamlet) and Hebron (Henry V). Davis has played Hebron’s nephew in Quintessence’s production of Richard II.
Long Day’s Journey into Night is directed by Quintessence Artistic Director Alexander Burns. He also designed the set. Ellen Moore is the Lighting Designer and Jane Casanave is the Costume Designer. J. Alex Cordaro is the Fight Choreographer.
“The Grandfather of modern American drama, O’Neill translated America’s larger spiritual crises into epic works of dramatic art. In O’Neill’s timeless family drama, the central characters are stuck in an endless cycle of regret and recrimination,” said Burns. “As many Americans are today, Long Day’s Journey explores how to address a complex past, while also seeking forgiveness and understanding for the future.”
