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THE SPARROW AND THE KING

The first “official” production of The Image Theater Company was the successful staged reading of Frederic Weinstein’s play, The Sparrow and the King  on Friday, February 11^th at The Abbott Theater, home of the Hovey Players in Waltham, MA.

            The late Frederic Weinstein was a gifted writer who began his literary career writing stories for the “little magazines” of the 1940’s and 1950’s.  He went on to write for radio plays for  Canadian Broadcasting and devoted many years to Circus, his allegorical novel.  The Sparrow and the King, an impassioned and  sometimes  surreal  look at marriage and faith, was his first full length play and the text clearly displayed Mr. Weinstein’s love and concern for the crafting of character, featuring his unabashedly poetic dialogue. Frederic and his lovely wife, Suzanne have been very active patrons of the arts through the years and had established a close friendship with Ron Ritchell and Polly Hogan (the founders of the Lyric Stage Company of Boston, and, interestingly enough, the actual founders of The Image Theater!). The Image Theater Company is proud to  have  produced the debut of Frederic’s multi-layered play.

            A terrific audience showed up on a frigid February evening! Many thanks must go to the people who made this wonderful reading possible.  The all star cast included Ron Ritchell and Polly Hogan  in their final New England performance before their move to St. Catherine’s, Ontario.  Other wonderful performers included Elizabeth Rose, Geralyn Horton, Sean Bennett, Ronni Marshak, David Frieze, Robert Bonnato, John Davin, Kate Bisantz, and Ted Batch.  Jerry Bisantz directed the play.  The play was well-received, and led to a wonderful “tribute” article from Terry Byrne of the Boston Herald (a farewell to Ron and Polly). Thanks so much to Suzanne Weinstein for her  generous donation and  commitment to the project.  The positive reaction from the audience was proof that Fred’s play made quite an impact.  Many thanks also to the Hovey Players for their generosity in allowing us to use  their  wonderful  theater.  The casual wine and cheese party  after the reading went on for hours, with terrific people sharing terrific stories.  Fred would have loved it!