PAT HARRINGTON IN RAY BRADBURY’S “FALLING UPWARD” AT EL PORTAL ; OPENS FEBRUARY 28

WHAT: “Falling Upward.” A comedy.
WHO: Written by Ray Bradbury. Directed by Tim Byron Owen. Presented by the Sarah
Fulton Group in association with Ray Bradbury’s Pandemonium Theatre
Company. Produced by Mary Todhunter and Joe Everett Michaels
WHERE: El Portal Theatre, on the main stage, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North
Hollywood, CA 91601.
WHEN: Previews February 26 and 27. Opens Saturday, February 28, 2008, runs through
Sunday, April 5. Thurs.- Sat. at 8, Sun. at 3. (Pre-show entertainment commences
20 minutes prior to official curtain time.)
ADMISSION: $30- $40,; except Gala Opening Night on February 28, $40-$50.
RESERVATIONS: (818) 508-4200.
ONLINE TICKETING: http://www.elportaltheatre.com/events.html or
www.Plays411.com
ESTIMATED RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes.
WEBSITE: http://www.raybradburysfallingupward.com
* * * * * *

Five decades ago, Ray Bradbury spent nine months in Ireland working on the screenplay for “Moby Dick” for director John Huston. Ray’s nights were spent soaking up the local pub culture. Upon returning to America, he was moved to write about the characters he met at his favorite pub, which became the impetus for his book “Green Shadows, White Whale,” and later the play, which debuted in 1988 at the Melrose Theatre.
“Falling Upward” relates the adventures of the regulars at Heeber Finn’s pub in the village of Kilcock, County Kildare. The boyos assist the victims of a traffic collision, stage an insurrection at the local Anglo-Irishman’s funeral, confront a flamboyant band of travelers arriving from Sicily (with whom there are more similarities than differences), field an entry in a sprinting competition, and generally enjoy the “mighty craic” (camaraderie) that a pub in Ireland facilitates.
The boyos are generally working-class fellows who defer to Finn, who has provided this haven for them. Their spiritual advisor is Father Leary, who occasionally stops in for a wee nip. Garrity as “Seanchai” ( historian), is tribal counselor for the boyos as well as the entire village of Kilcock..
In 2001, “Falling Upward” opened at Theatre West and moved to the Falcon Theatre, where it set then-records at the box office. In 2007, in a two-week special engagement and sold-out performances at Theatre West , the work ’s new and current director, Tim Byron Owen, significantly reimagined and reinvented the piece, with a new emphasis on the essential Irishness of the play’s environment and characters over the progression of the narrative’s events. Characters are portrayed in an entirely new way, and the audience is engulfed in the sound of traditional and contemporary Irish songs from the moment it enters the auditorium. It is Owen’s new interpretation of “Falling Upward” (crafted with Mr. Bradbury’s delighted approval) that a new team of producers brings to the El Portal.
In this new production, Garrity is portrayed by Pat Harrington. The star of Broadway, movies and regional theatre is best known and loved by millions for his comic creations on television, including Dwayne Schneider on “One Day At A Time” and Guido Panzini on “The Jack Paar Show” (57 guest appearances). He was also a regular with Steve Allen, “The Danny Thomas Show” and “Owen Marshall: Counselor At Law.” His films include “Easy Come, Easy Go” (with Elvis), “Move, Over, Darling,” “The President’s Analyst” and “The Candidate.” His L.A. theatre credits include “The House of Blue Leaves,” “Love Letters,” “Blackout,” “The Pajama Game,” and “Harrington and Storm.” He is the recipient of the Emmy®, Golden Globe and Drama-Logue Awards.
Also in this cast of “Falling Upward” will be Abbott Alexander, Atotesfaye Abdu-Hakim, Walter Beery, David Evans Brandt, Roger Cruz, Tom DeBone, Duffy Dugan, Donald E. Giddings, Austin Grehan, Matthew Hoffman, James Horan, Michael Gough, Michael Lagrinas, Robert W. Laur, Peter Maloney, Tim Martin, Donald Moore, Ken O’Malley, Christian Reeve, Mik Scriba, and Philip Sokoloff.
Set design: Jeff Rack. Lighting design: Peter Strauss. Costume design: Kelly Fluker..
Director Tim Byron Owen is a founding member and former board president of The Celtic Arts Center Theater. He directed the workshop for and developed the acclaimed “Runt” with Michael Philip Edwards, which won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Tim also helmed the international hit “A Night In November,” starring Marty Maguire at the Celtic Arts Center and Falcon Theater in Los Angeles. It earned an L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Performance and Best Production at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This was followed by two sold-out runs in Dublin and from there played an extended run at the Irish Arts Center Off-Broadway and held over for a 3-month run in Boston. Owen founded the production company Sarah Fulton Group with Nick Cassavetes, which has produced multiple plays and two films, the Emmy-winning “Where’s Jo?” and “A Far Cry From a Distant Land.” Tim directed “Fighting Words,” about Welsh boxer Johnny Owen, which ran twice at the Celtic Arts Center and also in Wales, with a feature film about Johnny Owen in the works.
Playwright Ray Bradbury has won many national and international literary awards and remains one of the most popular writers of modern times, with over 30 books and 600 short stories to his credit, as well as numerous plays produced over a span of 44 years, some of them produced under his own banner, Ray Bradbury’s Pandemonium Theatre Company. Acclaimed as a master of science fiction , he refers to himself as a writer of fantasy. His newest book, “We’ll Always Have Paris,” is set for publication on January 14, 2009.

Review from today's Los Angeles Times:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.co.../review-falling.html

Another review:

http://golosangeles.about.com/...l-portal-theatre.htm

Here is the closing of Falling Upwards
last time it played, 2007, with Ray Bradbury
in attendance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...feature=channel_page