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George Reeves' Death Chronicled in New Play
by Neil Cole
Superman actor George Reeves' mysterious death in 1959 will be chronicled in the new off-Broadway play "Fringe Deaths" which will also delve into the last tragic hours nightclub of owner/Lee Harvey Oswald assassin Jack Ruby, actress Barbara Payton, and actor Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer.
Fringe Deaths will begin an open-ended Off-Broadway engagement starting Friday, June 28th at St. Luke's Theatre (308 West 46th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues in the heart of the Broadway Theatre District) starring Tiffan Borelli as Payton, Alec Hynes as Switzer, Neil Vincent Smith as Reeves, and Scott Zimmerman as Ruby, with Jerry Shulman, Jenny Strassburg, Sean-Michael Wilkinson, and Sandy York.
This fact-based script written by a former investigative reporter reveals the startling circumstances behind the deaths of TV icons George Reeves and Carl Switzer, starlet Barbara Payton, and political assassin Jack Ruby. Suicide? Murder? Misadventure? Learn the grim poignant secrets of these fringe deaths. For the first time, Fringe Deaths reveals the actual last moments, what really happened, to these tragic personalities. McDowell’s tireless investigation of each one’s untimely end, forms the back drop of Off-Broadway’s strangest but most compelling play in decades. Did Reeves, hero to millions of kids, kill himself or was he murdered? Who killed beloved “Little Rascals” star Carl Switzer and why? What caused beautiful starlet Barbara Payton’s slide towards a seedy and early death?
Rider McDowell is the author of four plays and director of several others. He is a former investigative reporter and bestselling novelist (Wimbledon, The Mercy Man, Forest Hills). As a journalist, he has been an investigative reporter for Premiere Magazine, California Magazine, Paris Match, Der Spiegel, Express Newspapers UK, and The San Francisco Chronicle. He was the recipient of a screenwriting grant from the National Endowment for Arts. Fringe Deaths marks his Off-Broadway debut. McDowell's childhood fascination with each of the principal characters in Fringe Deaths, an interest that extends to today, motivated him to use his investigative reporting skills to investigate how each really died. And the answers are stunning and revealed for the first time in Fringe Deaths. McDowell lives in northern California with his wife and three sons.
Fringe Deaths will feature scenic design by Ariel Leigh Cohen, costume design by Joe Kassner, lighting design by Maarten Cornelis, and sound design by Bob Franco, with musical direction by William Linster.
Performances will be Friday evenings at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm, and Monday evenings at 7pm. To purchase tickets, which are $39.50 to $59.50 for all performances (with Premium Seats at $99 also available), visit Telecharge.com or phone 212/239-6200. Tickets are also available for purchase in person at St. Luke’s Theatre Box Office (308 West 46th Street), 2pm - 6pm daily.
For additional information, please visit FringeDeaths.com.
