Bickford & Playwrights Theatre Present THE LAST DAYS OF MICKEY & JEAN

The Bickford Theatre and Playwrights Theatre will present the New Jersey Premiere of The Last Days of Mickey & Jean by Richard Dresser. The co-production, along with Oldcastle Theatre Company of Vermont (appropriate for ages 18 and up), will preview on September 22 and run through October 9, 2011 (Press Opening: Friday, September 23 at 8:00pm, no show on Saturday, September 24). The production will be directed by John Pietrowski and features Duncan Rogers, Bev Sheehan (both residents of Maplewood, NJ), and Oliver Wadsworth. Single tickets are on sale now: General Admission $40, Seniors $36, Members of the Morris Museum/Bickford Theatre Guild $33, Groups (10 or more) $30 and Students $20. For tickets, visit www.bickfordtheatre.org or call the box office at 973-971-3706. All performances will take place at Bickford Theatre, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ.

It's love on the lam in this NJ Premiere of a new comedy by Richard Dresser (Rounding Third)! When Mickey, a fugitive mobster from Boston, is forced into early retirement in Paris with his no-longer-young girlfriend, Jean, the couple runs into one hilarious situation after another-and discover shocking secrets about each other along the way. With its funny perspective on unconventional love and loyalty,The Last Days of Mickey & Jean is a retirement story with a twist!

This production premiered last month at Oldcastle Theatre in Bennington, VT, and The Berkshire Advocate said it is "wonderful work and should be seen to be appreciated." The Bennington Banner said that Bev "Sheehan is a delight to watch on stage," that Duncan "Rogers delivers a stellar performance," and that Oliver Wadsworth, in the "task of playing three roles, among them a doctor and a drag queen... excel[s] as comedic relief and allows the audience to look at the complicated humanity underneath the exterior of the characters."

"We are very excited to be co-presenting this very funny and endearing play with The Bickford and Oldcastle Theatre," said John Pietrowski. "If the audience response in Vermont is any indication, New Jersey audiences will have a great evening of theatre. Playwrights audiences will recognize Richard Dresser's work from our production of Augusta two years ago and The Bickford's will remember Rounding Third, directed by none other than Duncan Rogers. We've been wanting to collaborate with The Bickford for some time, now, and this play is a perfect fit for both of our audiences."

"It's exciting to continue the mission of the Bickford of ‘giving second life to plays' with this co-production and NJ Premiere of this fun comedy by Mr. Dresser," said Eric Hafen, Artistic Director of Bickford Theatre.

Kenneth Moody designed the set, costumes, and properties. Lights are designed by Roman Klima, Sound Design is by Jeff Knapp. Yumi Matsuura is the Production Stage Manager.

About the Playwright:
Over the past twenty years, Richard Dresser'S plays have been widely produced on and off Broadway, in the nation's leading regional theaters, and extensively throughout Europe.

He recently completed a trilogy of plays about happiness in America, with each play set in a different social class: AUGUSTA (working class), THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS (middle class) and A VIEW OF THE HARBOR (upper class). These plays are just published and being produced in regional theatres and in Europe.

His seventeen published plays include ROUNDING THIRD, which deals with competition in American society through the prism of Little League baseball. After premiering at the Northlight Theater in Chicago, it ran off-Broadway and has since had over one hundred productions throughout the country.

Also, BELOW THE BELT, about three American men attempting to work together in a foreign land, started at The Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival, ran off-Broadway at the John Houseman Theatre, appeared throughout the country, and was a long-running hit in Berlin, triggering many European productions. It was subsequently made into a film HUMAN ERROR which appeared at the Sundance Film Festival.

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