Chicago audience beckons for local playwright

A NORTHSIDE playwright is hoping that audiences in
Chicago will be blown away by his work when it’s staged in the Windy City.

William Rocke’s comedy play,

‘Try Anything Twice’,
opens in the US city from April 13 for a nine-performance run from the Gaelic
Park Players.

As soon as the curtain falls on the last performance,
the Gaelic Park Players will begin a read-through of another of Willie’s
popular plays – the comedy/drama What’s A Promise In A Place Like This? – with
a view to staging it later this year.

Gaelic Park is a popular sports/social/cultural
complex in the Oak Forest area of Chicago.

It has a thriving drama section which endeavours in
the main to stage popular plays by Irish authors.

Try Anything Twice has had many stagings, amateur and
professional, in Ireland over the years.

It ran for 11 weeks in the Regency Hotel Theatre in
Dublin and last year earned excellent reviews when it was staged by drama
groups in England, Scotland and Wales.

“It is currently being translated into Flemish and
will be staged next year over the summer at the Multatuli Comedy Theatre in
Antwerp,

? says the Artane playwright.

How did the American premiere of the comedy come
about?

“I got a surprise telephone call from Chicago just
before Christmas,

? says Mr Rocke.

“The caller introduced himself as Mick Kenna, a
carpenter formerly from north county Dublin, now living in Chicago, who was a
member of the Gaelic Park Players.

“Mick said they had read Try Anything Twice and liked
it – I had posted over a copy after looking them up on the internet – and
wanted to stage it.

“They reckoned a good comedy with plenty of laughs was
just what audiences wanted right now.

?

The plot features vivacious, 40 something housewife
Josephine whose work-obsessed husband Michael has allowed her holiday alone at
the Sunnyside Holiday Camp.

There she has easily won the Glamorous Grandmother
Contest. Her prize is a week on the town with smooth, womanising TV actor Clive
Cartwright.

There is chaos at home with outraged hubby, snobby
daughter, flightly Granny and stir-it-up neighbour Charlie.

When lonely Michael is visited one night by sexy
journalist Paula he sees an opportunity to prove that he still has what it
takes – with hilarious results.

Meanwhile, Grange Woodbine Drama Group will stage

‘Try
Anything Twice’ for a week in June.

Looks as though the Irish, and the natives, in the
Windy City will have a good opportunity to enjoy themselves over the next few
weeks thanks to Mr Rocke!