Cast of “Outside Mullingar.”
Cape May Stage will usher in the fall season with an Irish romantic comedy, “Outside Mullingar” by playwright John Patrick Shanley. Shanley is the author of more than 20 plays, including “Doubt,” for which he won the Pulitzer Prize, the Drama Desk Award for Best Play and the Tony Award. Shanley also directed the 2008 film adaptation of “Doubt,” starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
The romantic comedy centers on Anthony and Rosemary, two middle-aged, introverted misfits. Painfully shy, Anthony has spent his entire life on a farm in rural Ireland. Rosemary lives next door, determined to have him. With Anthony’s father threatening to disinherit him and a dispute between their families, Rosemary has every reason to fear an unhappy conclusion to her dreams of romance.
Roy Steinberg assembled four talented actors of stage and film. Returning for his 13th season at Cape May Stage is Chris Dolman playing Anthony Reilly, a timid, hopeless dreamer. Dolman’s credits include “Boeing,” “Art” and “Driving Miss Daisy.” New to Cape May Stage is Annie Edgerton playing Rosemary Muldoon, a willful, headstrong romantic. Annie’s credits include Broadway and National Tours of “Kinky Boots” and “Mamma Mia!” She is also on a quest to sing the National Anthem for all MLB teams – she has done 24 of the 30 so far!
Playing Aoife Muldoon, a sharp, straight-shooting woman, is another Cape May Stage veteran, Marlena Lustik. Marlena recently directed “Billy Bishop Goes To War” at Cape May Stage and was seen last year as Ms. Banks in “Barefoot in the Park.” Television and film credits include “Rodeo Red and the Runaway,” “Another World” and “One Life to Live,” and the cult films “My Brother Has Problems” and “Times Square.” Playing Tony Reilly is actor, playwright and lawyer Daniel J. O’Donnell. O’Donnell has been seen in “Major League 2” and “Homicide,” and played lead roles on stage in New York in plays such as “The Plough and the Stars” and “Light Up the Sky.”
Directing “Outside Mullingar” is Roy Steinberg. Steinberg says, “This play moved me on the first reading. It is by turn poetic, uplifting, dark and funny as hell. I felt the need to begin the fall season not just with a love story, but more importantly with a story that speaks about home, faith and a sense of belonging.”
This whimsical and delightful comedy opens on Sept. 27 and runs through Nov. 10. There will be an Official Opening Night with a Party on Sept. 28 and a Pay-What-You-Wish-Matinee on Oct. 21. Oct. 11-15 marks the first ever Cape May Theater Week! We are proud to partner with other theaters in town and offer “Best Value” price tickets for the week. On Oct. 27 there will be a Talkback directly after the show with cast and crew, and Nov. 1 will be Best Value Night. The show runs Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. For ticket information, visit capemaystage.org or call the box office at (609) 770-8311.