‘Peaceful’ premiere for New York

Shane O’Regan as Private Tommo Peaceful pictured in May on the grounds of Collins Barracks, Dublin, during a national tour of “Private Peaceful.” LEON FARRELL/ROLLING NEWS.IE

By Irish Echo Staff

Irish actor Shane O’Regan will star in an a limited six-week engagement of the one-man show “Private Peaceful” at TBG Mainstage Theatre, 312 West 36th St., New York City from Aug. 28 through Oct. 7, with the official opening night scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 6. “Private Peaceful” is a play adapted and directed by Simon Reade, from the young adult novel by Michael Morpurgo. Reade also adapted the novel for a 2012 film of the same name, which was directed by Pat O’Connor.

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“Shane O’Regan gives a truly astonishing performance,” the Irish Mail On Sunday said of the current production, which completed a recent tour of Ireland.

“Private Peaceful” was first published in 2003, and earned critical praise and numerous awards, including the Hampshire Book Award, the Red House Children’s Book Award, and a 2005 Best Books for Young Adults Award from the American Library Association. Simon Reade’s stage adaptation was first produced in 2004 at the Bristol Old Vic. It was later produced at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and in London’s West End, as well as tours throughout the U.K.

The story follows the life of a young soldier, Thomas “Tommo” Peaceful, facing the firing squad for cowardice. As Tommo sits in his cell awaiting sunrise, he thinks back on the events that made him the person he is today. Tommo recounts memories of growing up with his elder brother, Charlie.

The New York premiere of “Private Peaceful,” from Ireland’s Verdant Productions, comes just a couple of months before the centenary of the Armistice that ended World War I.

 

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