Wife To James Whelan

I was so glad to see that Teresa Deevy’s Wife To James Whelan, which opened last night at the Mint Theater, got such a great review in today’s New York Times. It would have received a rave from me if had been wearing my critic’s hat these days instead of my producer’s. I will be posting my interview with the Mint’s artistic director, Jonathan Bank, as soon as it appears in NCR.

I have never seen show at the Mint that wasn’t excellent, but this one is especially powerful. As the Times says, this production “is never less than compelling.” Hooray for the Mint for finding this forgotten play and bringing it to life. I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind since I saw it last Wednesday. Stay tuned for my interview with Jonathan that will tell you more about this play and the two-year project dedicated to Deevy, who had had much success at the Abbey in the 1930s and who is largely unknown now. That was a huge loss for generations of theatergoers. Let’s hope that thanks to the Mint’s efforts she will never be forgotten again.

(In photo, by Carol Rosegg, are Janie Brookshire and Shawn Fagan.)