The Muesli Belt

Pilgrim Soul Productions at the Worcester Hibernian Cultural Centre is pleased to announce its upcoming U.S. premiere production of contemporary playwright Jimmy Murphy's tragicomedy, The Muesli Belt. This funny yet emotionally stirring play is directed by Pilgrim Soul's founder and Artistic Director Matthew J. Carr, and features local performers Charles Tower, Joseph Finneral, Aimee Kewley, Ellen Elsasser, and Neal Martel.

The Muesli Belt is a tragicomic tale of modern Dublin, the story of a neighborhood pub and the people who inhabit it. The pub is targeted for demolition to make way for an apartment block and bistro, and this has far reaching consequences for the locals. The play dramatically captures the mood of change which is so manifest in present day Dublin, while portraying on a very human level the sometimes painful effect change has on those who are less equipped to adapt. The light-hearted comedic banter among the characters often masks the melancholy of their situation. Jimmy Murphy has created memorable characters in this touching drama of contemporary Ireland.

First presented at Dublin's Abbey Theatre in 2000, The Muesli Belt was performed by the Toronto Irish Players earlier this year. Pilgrim Soul's production of the play marks its U.S. premiere. Last spring at the Worcester Hibernian Cultural Centre, Pilgrim Soul staged Brian Friel's raucous comedy The Loves of Cass McGuire to critical acclaim and standing ovations, and last month the theater company presented John Ford Noonan's offbeat comedy A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking at the Singh Performance Center in Whitinsville. The company is currently planning its 2009 season of four plays in two venues, plus a special encore presentation of Same Time, Next Year in April at Calliope Productions in Boylston.

Jimmy Murphy's other plays for the Abbey Theatre include Brothers of the Brush (1993), winner of the Dublin Festival Best New Play award, and A Picture of Paradise (1997). His other works include Aceldama (1998), The Kings of the Kilburn High Road (2000), and The Castlecomer Jukebox for Red Kettle. He is a former writer in residence at NUI, Maynooth, a member of the Abbey Theatre's Advisory Council, and a recipient of three Bursaries in literature from the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon. In 2004 he was elected a member of Aosdána, the affiliation of Irish artists. An Irish language feature film version of The Kings of the Kilburn High Road has just been released and is Ireland's official entry into the 2008 Best Foreign Language Oscars category.

Opens Friday November 7, 2008 at the Worcester Hibernian Cultural Center 19 Temple Street Worcester, MA 01604. $15 per person (group rates available for parties of 25 or more). WOO Points for Worcester area students. For more information please contact events.fiddlersgreen@gmail.com