Irish Consulate Party for Colum McCann

New York City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn celebrating with Fallen Angel Theatre's Aedin Moloney and National Book Award winner, Colum McCann.

Irish Consul Party for the great Colum McCann

I had the great honor of being invited by Niall Burgess, the Consul General of Ireland, to a party hosted by himself and his lovely wife, Marie, to honor my good friend and countryman, Colum McCann. Colum won the National Book Award for fiction, with his novel "Let the Great World Spin". I am so proud of Colum. Apart from being a friend, he has been consistent with his support of Fallen Angel Theatre Company and all our endeavors. Congratulations Colum! Well Deserved!

Aedin Moloney
Artistic Director
Fallen Angel Theatre Company

National Arts Club Medal of Honor

Fallen Angel Theatre's Artistic Director, Aedin Moloney with the National Arts Club President, O. Aldon James.

Artistic Director Aedin Moloney & Actress, Christina Ricci at the National Arts Club event to honor Director Ang Lee & Producer James Schamus.

Fallen Angel Theatre board member, Arnaldo Segarra and Aedin Moloney with President of Yaddo, Elaina Richardson at the National Arts Club 111th Anniversary celebration!

National Arts Club Medal of Honor recipient, Paquito D'Rivera with Aedin Moloney, PBS Correspondent Rafael Pi Roman and Arnaldo Segarra

Aedin Moloney reads "Molly Bloom"

Aedin Moloney reads Molly Bloom's soliloquy from James Joyce's Ulysses for Barnes and Noble's NYC Events! Click on the link and scroll down to "Bloomsday Celebrations"....Aedin's reading is halfway through the video! Uncensored! Yes, Oh yes, I said Yes! Lovely stuff!

www.barnesandnoble.com

www.fallenangeltheatre.org

A BIG THANK YOU TO THE GIRRULS OF CELL 27

Katherine O'Sullivan (Alice) & Laoisa Sexton (Martha) in Cell, New York 2009

Laura Knight Keating (Lila) in Cell. New York 2009

Thank you to my fellow inmates! For their incredible performances & dedication to their work! It couldn't have been better and the review in The Fab Marquee just blew me away.
http://thefabmarquee.blogspot.com/2009/09/review-cell-1st-irish-festival.html

Friday, September 18, 2009

Review- Cell (1st Irish)

The Fab Marquee review by Karen Tortora-Lee.

"I hear you sit right on the stage with the actors," one woman said to those of us gathered in the Gene Frankel lobby, waiting to take our seats for Paula Meehan's Cell. "You just sit right there in the prison cell like you're part of the show." A man, leaned over and said to me "Prison? I thought this show was going to be about phones". "Really?" I replied, "I thought it was going to be about molecular biology." Cell, however, set in a women's prison in Dublin and populated with the disenfranchised women of Ireland is quite different.

Upon entering the theatre we were all a bit put off at how extremely close the chairs were set up to the performance area - lined up right across from the cell's makeshift table, and next to the spartan prison beds. The more timid among us chose seats in the back row, but even then we were close enough to see the careful details of Lilia Trenkova's set design. It's very clever putting the audience, as much as possible, inside the cell, because it's uncomfortable, and scary and a bit claustrophobic. It makes you want to get away, it makes you feel exposed and devoid of privacy. You're made to feel as if you're serving your sentence right along with these women, and when that cell door slammed shut you knew which side you were on.

When we first meet the women in the cell it's early morning, frigidly cold, and already hopeless. There's no soothing daylight to gently awaken these inhabitants. Rather, Martha (played by Laoisa Sexton) and Lila (Laura Knight Keating) are jarred awake by their fellow inmate, "Delo" short for Delores (Aedin Moloney) who is obviously the boss of this little trio and mad as hell that one of her rules (something about a bucket, something about cycles, I'll let you fill in the rest) has been broken. She monitors and delegates every detail of the cell (who does what, when they do it, and how) with an engineer's precision and fiercely guards her power with a hard line of intimidation. She's the boss, and she rules not just with an iron fist, but with a crazy flurry of rage that tornadoes its way around the small space in uncontrolled and unpredictable bursts. When Hurricane Delo calms down her cellmates react like grateful animals; yet cower distrustfully at her demeanor knowing another powerful storm is just moments away. If HBO's OZ had been set in a woman's prison in Dublin there wouldn't have been a man left alive after Delo Roche got done with them. As it stands, it's hard enough to keep the women alive.

Playwright Paula Meehan spares no gritty detail of reality, and director John Keating is right there with her: there is graphic sex, painful abuse of the verbal and physical variety, visible effects of drugs (both the pitiful vacant blankness of too much as well as the doubled over crippling pain of too little) and crudely descriptive language. In Delo she has given us less of a character than an element; this hard, angry woman acts as a force, at times like the pull of gravity around which everything revolves, but at times more like the pull of a black hole -- she'll take all you have and she'll demand more. And when she's done with you... there's nothing left.

Through conversations we find that there was another cellmate, Annie, who went through a cycle of abuse with Delo that lead to her suicide with just three months left on her sentence. At the top of the show Lila is well on her way to following Annie into this pit of despair. Martha and Lila may be criminals, but they're no match for the likes of Delo who, at times, seems to find this all a game... something to do while she counts down the hours, swatting at lives the way others swat at flies to see who will break into the most pieces.

Into this mix comes Alice Kane, a murderer (Katherine O'Sullivan). Before she's brought into the cell there's speculation at how tough she will be, having killed someone and all, but when a sweet older woman comes into their cell the group is taken aback. Not knowing quite what to make of her each woman tries to figure out how this new dynamic will change life for them. Unfortunately, despite her willingness to become a mother figure to the girls and take on Delo, she's found herself in a scenario that will just keep cycling. Ultimately, it all ends they way it began - in a tragically sad prison cell.

Each one of the actresses in Cell is absolutely brilliant, taking on a different role and tone that keeps this little world in balance. Laura Knight Keating's Lila is movingly haunting as the weakest of the cellmates; we can feel each wave of pain as she's wracked with symptoms of withdrawal. Laoisa Sexton's Martha is a bit more feisty and playful, as much as she can be... she hasn't yet been defeated by Delo and still has something to look forward to. Sexton has perhaps the biggest challenge - going from someone able to cope to someone then thrown into complete despair. Katherine O'Sullivan's Alice has just the right melding of sweet-old-lady-on-a-trumped-up-charge and crazy-old-bat-who-killed-her-neighbor. She plays it just delicately enough that you're left guessing the whole time as to what you should believe about this knife-wielding, blanket knitting grandma. But without a doubt, it is Aedin Moloney who is completely fascinating as Delo. Her performance is gripping and her energy will have you watching her even when she's not speaking.

Luckily you don't have to commit a crime to be sent to this Cell; it runs through the 20th so catch it before its sentence is up.

JEFF GOLDBLUM celebrates with Fallen Angel Theatre Company's Cast of CELL

The Cast of Cell become a giggling mess when actor Jeff Goldblum joined them during celebrations for the success of Fallen Angel Theatre Company's production of Cell, which is being presented as part of New York's 1st Irish festival 2009.
The photo from left to right: Laoisa Sexton, Jeff Goldblum, Aedin Moloney, Laura Knight Keating & Katherine O'Sullivan

Cell Mates Party!

The lovely Laura Knight Keating (Lila), Director of Cell John Keating, Aedin Moloney, writer of Cell Paula Meehan and the gorgeous Laoisa Sexton

Celebration for Cell

Donal O'Kelly, writer Paula Meehan, Laoisa Sexton, Aedin Moloney and 1st Irish Festival Director, George Heslin in celebratory mood after the Q&A with Cell writer, Paula Meehan

A big Thank You to New York City Councilman, Alan Gerson, for his support of Fallen Angel Theatre Company and our production of Cell.
From left to right in the picture is cast members Laura Knight Keating, Aedin Moloney & Laoisa Sexton with Alan Gerson.

Award winning poet, Paula Meehan celebrates the US Premiere of her play Cell with renowned author Pete Hamill and cast members, Katherine O'Sullivan, Laura Knight Keating, Laoisa Sexton and Aedin Moloney!

Donal O'Kelly with Cast of Cell.....mesmerised by poet Paula Meehan at a Q&A following Saturday 12th New York performance!
Picture includes from left to right:
Donal O'Kelly, Laura Knight Keating, Katherine O'Sullivan, Laoisa Sexton, Paula Meehan & Aedin Moloney

"CELL" mates at the 1st Irish Festival 2009 Launch Party

Cell Mates.....Laoisa Sexton, Laura Knight Keating & Aedin Moloney at the 1st Irish festival 2009 launch party....New York!

Performance of Cell for HOUR CHILDREN

After a reading of CELL for the organization of Hour Children.
Thank you to Sr. Tesa and Jane Stanicki for this wonderful opportunity.
Hour Children is committed to the compassionate and loving care of children of incarcerated women. Our outreach includes support and empowerment for mothers upon reunification with their families. All persons are encouraged to live and interact with dignity and respect.
In this Photo: Jane Stanicki far left, Sr. Tesa 2nd from top right with cast members, Aedin Moloney, Laoisa Sexton, Laura Knight Keating, Katherine O'Sullivan and the lovely Ladies from Hour Children! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your feedback and your warm hospitality. From Fallen Angel Theatre Company

www.hourchildren.org

Launch Party for Cell - New York 2009

We had an impromptu gathering for the launch of Cell. This happened when the Father of our artistic Director stopped by rehearsals! He's a grammy winning musician, Paddy Moloney, from the Irish band, The Chieftains. Here he is with daughter, Aedin and the lovely Laoisa Sexton.

Cell the US Premiere: Cell the US Premiere

www.myspace.com/cellthenypremiere

Cell the US Premiere

www.fallenangeltheatre.org

www.fallenangeltheatre.org
Rehearsals are up n runnin! Wow! The cast of criminals wishes the biggest thank you in the world to the wonderful National Arts Club and especially my dear friend Aldon James.
www.nationalartsclub.org

TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE FOR CELL AT WWW.SMARTTIX.COM
PH: 212 868-4444

For more information on this production please go to www.fallenangeltheatre.org

Laoisa Sexton & Aedin Moloney in Photo of Cell
Photo by Trevor Murphy www.boxofcowboys.com

Fallen Angel Theatre - Cell The New York Premiere: CELL - Tickets now on Sale

www.myspace.com/cellthenypremiere

Fallen Angel Theatre Company

Our Mission

Fallen Angel Theatre Company was formed in 2003 by New York based Irish actress Aedin Moloney. The company is a not-for-profit committed to presenting in New York the most outstanding and daring new plays written by female British and Irish playwrights. The wealth of new female writing in England and Ireland has largely been untapped in New York. Fallen Angel Theatre is the first American company with this goal and looks forward to interpreting these plays in a fresh, exciting and commercially viable way for New York audiences.
www.fallenangeltheatre.org

CELL - Tickets now on Sale

I can't believe it! we did it. we are about to go into rehearsals for Cell by Paula Meehan here in New York. Fallen Angel Theatre Company is producing Cell as part of the 1st Irish Theatre Festival 2009. The Tickets are now on sale with Smarttix, 212 868-4444. www.smartix.com