Ages of the Moon, about tension in a 50-year friendship, will open Jan. 27 and play to March 7 at Atlantic's main stage, The Linda Gross Theater, 336 West 20th Street.
Rea is known for the film "The Crying Game" (for which he earned an Academy Award nomination) and Broadway's Someone Who'll Watch Over Me (for which he was nominated for a Tony as Best Actor in a Play). McGinley starred in the film "On a Clear Day," and has a rich resume in film, TV and theatre.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Shepard makes his Atlantic debut with Ages of the Moon which follows the acclaimed world-premiere engagement in Ireland directed by Jimmy Fay. The roles were written with Rea and McGinley in mind.
Ages of the Moon is billed as "a gruffly poignant and darkly funny play. Byron (McGinley) and Ames (Rea) are old friends re-united by mutual desperation. Over bourbon on ice, they sit, reflect and bicker until 50 years of love, friendship and rivalry are put to the test at the barrel of a gun."
The Ages of the Moon creative team includes Brien Vahey (set design), Joan Bergin (costume design), Paul Keogan (lighting design), Philip Stewart (sound design), Alison DeSantis (production stage manager) and Lauren Kurinskas (assistant stage manager). *
Rea earned international fame and Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for his performance in Neil Jordan's film "The Crying Game." He also appeared in "Angel," "Company of Wolves," "Interview with a Vampire," "Life Is Sweet," "Pret a Porter," "Michael Collins," "The Butcher Boy," "In Dreams," "End of the Affair," among others. He returns to New York after starring in Sam Shepard's Kicking a Dead Horse at the Public Theater. He will star in Sebastian Barry's play Tales of Ballycumber at The Abbey this fall.
Irish actor McGinley was a member of the Druid Theatre Company from 1977-1989. He has won awards for stage appearance ins Whistle in the Dark (Abbey and Royal Court Theatres), Much Ado About Nothing (Druid), The Shaurgraun (Abbey Theatre) and The Hackney Office (Druid). Other film work includes "Braveheart," "Michael Collins," "The Butcher Boy," "The General," "Simon Magus," "Angela's Ashes," "The Closer You Get, "The Claim," "Gangs of New York" and more.
Shepard was first produced in New York in 1963 at Theatre Genesis and many times at La MaMa and Café Cino. Eleven of his plays have won Obie Awards including The Tooth of Crime (1972) and Curse of the Starving Class (1976). He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his play Buried Child (1979). The critically acclaimed production of True West starring Jon Malkovich and Gary Sinise opened Off-Broadway in 1982. Fool For Love (1982), starring Ed Harris, received Obie Awards for Best Play and Direction. A Lie of the Mind (1985) won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Play. Simpatico opened at The Royal Court Theatre after its New York premiere at The Public Theater in 1994 and was made into a feature film by Matthew Warchus starring Nick Nolte and Sharon Stone. A revised Buried Child under the direction of Gary Sinise opened on Broadway in 1996 and was nominated for a Tony Award. His other plays include The Late Henry Moss and The God of Hell, among others.
Director Fay is artistic director of Bedrock Productions where productions include This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan and Roberto Zucco by Bernard Marie-Koltès. He was the first director of the Dublin Fringe Festival (1995-1996), which he co-founded with Bedrock Productions. He spent a year as acting literary director of the Abbey Theatre during 2007 and 2008. His productions at the Abbey Theatre include The Playboy of the Western World in a new version by Bisi Adigun and Roddy Doyle, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht and Saved by Edward Bond for which he won Best Director Irish Times Theatre Award 2007.
Tickets for main stage productions are $65 and are available by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visiting ticketcentral.com. For more information, visit www.atlantictheater.org.
