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THE IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE presents

EXTENDED TO MAY 4!

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Music and Lyrics by Bob Merrill

Book by Joseph Stein and Robert Russell

 Directed by Charlotte Moore

Music Direction By Mark Hartman

Choreography By Barry McNabb

Previews Begin: February 20, 2008

Official Opening: February 28, 2008

What the critics said…

"The Irish Repertory Theater's bright, engaged account of "Take Me Along" (songs and lyrics by Bob Merrill, book by Joseph Stein and Robert Russell) HAS A REAL CHARM. Energetically directed by Charlotte Moore, this production has a cast of pros with excellent singing voices. Perhaps the best is William Parry as Nat Miller, Richard's father, who manages to be warmly paternal without being smug. I LEFT SMILING."   --NY Times

"GO ALONG FOR THE RIDE AND TAKE IT ALL IN. "Take Me Along" - the rarely performed musical adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's "Ah, Wilderness!" - handles sexual yearning, alcoholism and more with such a light touch, it makes you wish O'Neill had written more comedies. Highlights include the gorgeous ballad "Promise Me a Rose," beautifully performed by Beth Glover, and "If Jesus Don't Love Ya," the rousing ode to licentiousness sung by Anastasia Barzee as Belle, the town tart. Barry McNabb's choreography finds ways to delight and James Morgan's minimal set well conjures up the period setting. BY THE TIME THE SHOW'S OVER, IT'S EASY TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE NOTIONS OF ITS TITLE SONG."   --NY Post

"A surprisingly enjoyable revival at the Irish Repertory. The plot follows the excursions of an early-century Connecticut family over the course of one Independence Day weekend. Boys come of age, men renew broken promises to steadfast objects of semi-devotion, and women remain either fussy neurotics or brassy tarts. This production is standard American musical-theatre fare-hammy, syrupy, irrelevant-but certainly worth appreciating, in no small part for its IMPECCABLE CAST OF SEASONED PERFORMERS."   --The New Yorker

"ONLY THE COLDEST OF STONE HEARTS COULD FAIL TO WARM UP TO THE EXUBERANT CHARM OF THE IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE'S REVIVAL OF TAKE ME ALONG. Teddy Eck perfectly embodies an impulsive teenager. While all the actors give excellent performances, Emily Skeggs' impish portrayal of Muriel adds extra zest to her scenes with Richard. Glover sings beautifully, presenting Lily as a hopeful yet realistic unmarried woman. Mark Hartmann's musical direction affectionately evokes a gentler era, as do Linda Fisher's attractive period costumes. Let this delightful production take you along for a very enjoyable ride."   --Associated Press

"THIS ENCHANTING, FLAWLESSLY RENDERED PRODUCTION SPARKLES WITH THE HEARTWARMING ENERGY OF AMERICANA MUSICALS FROM A BYGONE ERA. Yet it's the expert creative execution that really accounts for this production's grand appeal. Director Charlotte Moore stages the show at a snappy pace and elicits zesty performances from her charismatic cast. Don Stephenson as Uncle Sid (a role originated by Jackie Gleason) brings a winning combination of naked sensitivity and vaudevillian comic timing to his sympathetic portrayal of the affable drunk. Beth Glover is heart-rending as Sid's confused love interest, while William Parry and Donna Bullock, as Richard's parents, anchor the production with solid performances of unadorned authenticity. The young leads and supporting roles are also brilliantly cast, and everyone sings splendidly. THE SHOW'S DELIGHTFUL, TOE-TAPPING, RAGTIME-INSPIRED SCORE is played with great gusto by a four-man ensemble under the music direction of Mark Hartman. Linda Fisher's elegantly understated period costumes and set designer James Morgan's colorful cartoon townscape, drawn all around the walls of the stage space, contribute stunningly to the show's overall allure."   --Backstage

"VALENTINE'S DAY IS GONE BUT THE SENTIMENTS OF OLD-FASHIONED LOVE ARE STILL WAFTING THROUGH THE AIR IN THE IRISH REPERTORY'S ROMANTICALLY-SCENTED REVIVAL. The Pleasant Beach House, ‘the passion pit of Connecticut,' is the setting for the show's most rousing number "If Jesus Don't Love Ya. . . Jack Daniels will" led by a vivacious Anastasia Barzeee, as a lady of the evening, Wint (Justin Packard), the young man who leads Richard astray, and the ensemble of prospective patrons. Noah Ruff is fine as the youngest Miller boy and Gordon Stanley is grumpy enough as Muriel's straight-laced father. In a season of daring, edgy new musicals, the nostalgic charm of Take Me Along offers a nice respite. Thank you, Irish Rep for allowing us to re-visit."   --Curtain Up

"It's a BEGUILING THEATRICAL VISION and a perfect antidote to our own troubled times. FLAWLESSLY DIRECTED by Moore, it's the sort of production that sends you home singing." --Irish Voice "Beth Glover is superb and moving as Lily. Without tearing the fabric woven by Moore's BEAUTIFULLY UNIFIED ENSEMBLE CAST, Glover is giving one of the best performances ever to grace the Irish Rep's stage. One of the Irish Repertory Theatre's most appealing and most satsifying efforts."   --Irish Echo

The Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22^nd St.) will begin previews of Joseph Stein and Robert Russell’s unabashedly romantic, TAKE ME ALONG, (based on Eugene O’Neill’s AH’ WILDERNESS!) with lush, moving American music and lyrics, written by Tony Award nominated Robert Merrill on Wednesday, February 20, 2008. The production will open on Thursday, February 28, 2008. Charlotte Moore directs. Musical Direction is by Mark Hartman, choreography by Barry McNabb.

TAKE ME ALONG takes place in Centerville, Connecticut in a happy time.  It's the Fourth of July and the flags are flying!  Sid Davis, the profligate brother returns from Waterbury hiding a secret which will affect the whole Miller family. Richard, the seventeen year old self-named romantic poetry devotee pledges his troth to Muriel, his sixteen year-old swain with the cry, "Live, Muriel, Live!!!" That's before he is caught proposing not only marriage, but suggestions of a more immediate intimacy. 

Mirroring the teenagers, a somewhat more mature relationship flounders when Sid arrives "high as a kite" and unable to keep his date with the beautiful Lily who broke off their troubled marriage plans a decade ago. The Miller family came to Eugene O'Neill in a dream...his words...a dream that O'Neill treasured as the family he always wished for.  A far cry from the Tyrone’s of LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, but with the same brilliant intensity turned crisp and bright instead of the nightmare of the real life he lived.

Charlotte Moore’s most recent directing assignments were GASLIGHT, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION and MR. DOOLEY’S AMERICA. Other directing credits include: FINIAN’S RAINBOW at Joanne Woodward’s Westport Country Playhouse, SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER, Samuel Beckett’s ENDGAME, the adaptation and direction of FINIAN’S RAINBOW, Dion Boucicault’s THE COLLEEN BAWN, J. Harley Manners’ PEG O’ MY HEART, J.M. Synge’s PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD and Dion Boucicault’s THE STREETS OF NEW YORK, which she adapted and scored. She has received two Tony Award nominations, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the Irish America Top 100 Irish Award. Ms. Moore has directed forty-seven Irish Repertory Theatre productions and all 19 Gala Benefits.

Joseph Stein is a Tony Award-winning American playwright best known for writing the books for such musicals as FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and ZORBA. Stein made his Broadway debut contributing sketches to the 1948 revue LEND AN EAR. His first book musical came about in 1955, Plain and Fancy which was a tribute to Pennsylvania. .Stein's additional Broadway credits include ALIVE AND KICKING, MR. WONDERFUL, THE BODY BEAUTIFUL, JUNO, IRENE, CARMELINA, THE BAKER'S WIFE, RAGS, and SO LONG, 174TH STREET, the musical adaptation of his play ENTER LAUGHING. He also wrote the plays MRS. GIBBONS' BOYS and BEFORE THE DAWN and the screenplays for ENTER LAUGHING and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Stein's most recent project is the book for the musical ALL ABOUT US, with a score by Kander and Ebb, based on THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH by Thornton Wilder. It premiered at the Westport Country Playhouse in April 2007.

Bob Russell was an American songwriter born in Passaic, New Jersey. Although he was primarily a lyricist who collaborated with composers, he was, on occasion, a composer who collaborated with lyricists.  In 1968, Russell along with songwriting partner Quincy Jones was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Original Song category (for the film BANNING). The following year, both he and Jones were nominated again in the same category (for the Sidney Poitier film FOR LOVE OF IVY). He turned to writing special material for vaudeville acts, and then for movie studios, ultimately writing complete scores for two movies: JACK AND THE BEANSTALK and REACH FOR GLORY. The latter of these received the Locarno International Film Festival prize in 1962. A number of other movies featured compositions by Russell: AFFAIR IN TRINIDAD, BLUE GARDENIA, THE GIRL CAN’T HELP IT, THE GIRL MOST LIKELY, MATTER OF WHO, MEET CAPTAIN KIDD, SOUND-OFF, THAT MIDNIGHT KISS, and TICKET TO TOMAHAWK. In the movies THE GIRL MOST LIKELY, BLUE GARDENIA, and MATTER OF WHO, Russell's compositions included the title songs. In 1970 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2004 he was posthumously awarded the ASCAP lifetime achievement award in "Pop" music.

Bob Merrill was an American songwriter, theatrical composer and lyricist, and screenwriter.  He made his Broadway debut in 1957 with NEW GIRL IN TOWN, a musical adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's ANNA CHRISTIE.  Merrill's other Broadway credits include CARNIVAL! (1961), BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1966), HENRY, SWEET HENRY (1967), SUGAR (1972), and THE RED SHOES (1993). He was nominated for the Tony Award eight times. Merrill's screenwriting credits include MAHOGANY (1975), W.C. FIELDS AND ME (1976), and the television movies PORTRAIT OF A SHOWGIRL (1982) and THE ANIMATED ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER (1998).Among Merrill's television credits were two holiday specials, the classic MISTER MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL and THE WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS OF RED RIDING HOOD, written specifically for Liza Minnelli. His greatest theatrical success was the Barbara Streisand vehicle FUNNY GIRL, which introduced the standard "People".

The cast features Anastasia Barzee, Donna Bullock, Dewey Caddell, Teddy Eck, Beth Glover, Justin Packard, William Parry, Noah Ruff, Emily Skeggs, Gordon Stanley, and Don Stephenson.

Set Design is by James Morgan, Linda Fisher is the Costume Designer, Lighting Design is by Mary Jo Dondlinger, Sound Design is by Zachary Williamson, Choreography by Barry McNabb, and Wig and Hair Design by Robert-Charles Vallance. The Stage Manger is Rhonda Picou.  Assistant Stage Manager is Arthur Atkinson.  Charlotte Moore, Artistic Director, Ciarán O’Reilly, Producing Director, Patrick A. Kelsey, Managing Director.

Performances of TAKE ME ALONG are Wednesday - Saturday at 8 PM.  Matinees are Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 3 PM. Tickets go on sale January 2, 2008.  Tickets are $60 and $55 and can be purchased by calling The Irish Repertory Theatre Box Office at (212) 727-2737.  (For group sales of 20 or more contact Jen Nelson at (212) 255-0270 x22.) For more information, call (212) 727-2737 or visit http://www.irishrep.org/.

Original Production by David Merrick

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Performance Schedule

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Running Time

Running time is estimated to be two hours fifteen minutes with one intermission.

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How to Buy Tickets

Call our Box Office at 212-727-2737.

Please be sure to know the date of performance you would like to attend and have your credit card ready.  Note:  A $5 service charge is accessed to all phone orders. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover Card.

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Accessibility

Irish Repertory Theatre's Main Stage is wheelchair accessible. Please mention at the time of your ticket purchase that you are interested in this service.

Assistive listening devices are available for every performance in all Main Stage productions. Visit our concessions area for the devices. ID is required.

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Seating Charts

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