Ray Bradbury is known as the best-selling author of the science fiction classics, "Fahrenheit 451,""The Martian Chronicles" and "The Illustrated Man." But in 1953 director John Huston sent him to Ireland to pen the script to a film version of "Moby Dick" and inspired a theatrical comedy, Falling Upward! or To Eire Is Human, To Forbid Divine.
Los Angeles' Theatre West will revive the Irish fable Sept. 7-Oct. 14 under the auspices of the Pandemonium Theatre Company. Bradbury himself co produces with Thomas Petitpas.
Falling Upward! is the story of Kilcock, County Kildare and the denizens of the local pub, Heeber Finn's. The men there live life in the little things - bicycle accidents on the country roads, the inheritance of a family treasure and the last beer before closing.
Falling Upward! first premiered in L.A. as The Anthem Sprinters in 1969. In 1988, it was rewritten and reworked as Falling Upward! and produced at the Melrose Theatre. Although not thought of a theatrical writer, Bradbury is scheduled for an Off-Broadway stage production of his "Farenheit 451" in February, 2002.
Greg Mullavey ("Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman") stars as Garrity. Also in the cast are Abbott Alexander, Walter Beery (Mark Van Doren in 2000's hit L.A. revival of Night and Her Stars), David Brandt, William Brunold, Flynn Falcone, Doug Haverty, Matthew Hoffman, Jack Kutcher, Barry Lynch, Peter Maloney, Steve Nevil, Philip Sokoloff and Christopher Thomas. Tickets are $25. Theatre West is located at 3333 Cahuenga Boulevard. For reservations, call (323) 851-7977. Theatre West is on the web at http://www.theatrewest.org.
— By Christine Ehren