60
Arts
June 6 - June 19, 2015
www.SanTanSun.com
“A Couple of Blaguards” features Tom Koelbel, on the left, as Malachy McCourt and Alan Austin as Frank McCourt. Submitted photos
McCourts’ ‘Blaguards’ comes to Forum June 20 BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
The autobiographical Irish comedydrama “A Couple of Blaguards,” penned by award-winning authors Frank and Malachy McCourt, will hit the stage at the newly renovated Forum in Chandler on Saturday, June 20. Portraying “Angela’s Ashes” author Frank McCourt is Alan Austin, who said audiences will see the “suffering and the sorrow” of the brothers during the two-act play. “They come to the States, where they’re subjected to prejudice against the Irish, which was pretty strong in New York,” said Alan Austin, who played Frank previously. “They overcome that. It’s an immigrant story. Frank was a teacher all of his life. I’ve been a teacher most of my life. Then he puts this together and the book becomes
very successful. I think it’s a fun story.” The humorous play about the McCourts was introduced in 1988, before “Angela’s Ashes” and “A Monk Swimming” became household names. This version features Austin as well as Tom Koelbel, who plays Malachy, a table, two chairs, minimal props and a handful of costumes. Together, the actors portray 47 colorful characters. The first act covers the McCourts’ impoverished childhood in Limerick, Ireland, while part two tells the story of their travels to the United States. Each act is 40 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission. “Having been in theater as long as I have, I really veer toward ‘M*A*S*H*’ humor,” said Marney Austin, the play’s executive producer, about the TV show.
“I prefer funny situations but with real people. That’s very much how ‘Blaguards’ is. It’s real. These two brothers, it’s real what they went through. They have fun with it. There are poignant moments and then there’s the fun part of it, too.” The play is produced by Arizona Performing Arts Theatre, the parent company of Murder Ink Productions. Murder Ink has been producing interactive murder mysteries and customized team building events for corporations, resorts and private parties since 1989. Last fall, Murder Ink introduced a monthly murder mystery series at the Forum, formerly known as Fazio’s Catering Hall, at 700 W. Warner Rd. Tickets for “A Couple of Blaguards” are $20 and are available at https://forum. ticketbud.com/a-couple-of-blaguards or via
www.arizonaperformingartstheatre.com. For more information and large group discounts call (480) 967-6800. Showtime is 7 p.m. Marney Austin said the humor and the heart of “A Couple of Blaguards” will resonate with anyone in the audience. “We’re all immigrants of some kind,” she said. “To read it and to see it in such a way that it hits home...you really identify with these two guys. The way it’s written— it’s written so well. It’s so humorous and poignant. There are a couple of places when you say, ‘Wow.’ It’s pretty moving.” Christina Fuoco-Karasinski is the executive editor of the SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at christina@santansun.com.
FRIDAY June 19, 6-10 PM
Indoor Location - Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort Ballroom - One North San Marcos Place, Chandler, AZ 85225
Live Music by Blair Olsen and Brian Kabala Great downtown shops & restaurants!
Art Walk Sponsors:
www.ChandlerArtWalk.com
Gold Canyon Arts Council seeking original poster designs Artists are being sought to create an original piece of art that will be transformed into an arts poster for the 16th annual Canyon Arts Festival and the Canyon Sounds concert series. The Canyon Arts Festival depicts a colorful display of booths and people, or the beauty of the Sonoran desert, while the Canyon Sounds concert is vibrant with music, dance and drama. The choice of media is left to the artists to reflect the Canyon Sounds and the Canyon Arts Festival. Artwork should be submitted in an 8-inch by 10-inch photograph. Although artists may reference a website as indicative of their work, the committee asks to not direct them there to see a particular piece. Submissions can be sent to Canyon Rose Storage, Attn: Festival Poster Committee,
6405 S. Kings Ranch Rd., Gold Canyon, AZ 85118. The submission must include name, address, phone and email. Individual artists may send up to three proposals for consideration. The deadline for submission is Tuesday, Sept. 1, and the final selection will be made Friday, Sept. 18. The selected artist is expected to contribute the rights to use the representation for advertising and be available at the Canyon Sounds concert for poster signing. The poster may be titled at the discretion of the artist. There also will be prominent visibility for other works the artist desires to display at the 2016 Canyon Arts Festival on Saturday, Jan. 23. For more information, call Jean Buckborough at Jean@newvisionhealing.com.