Petersen/Morton 'Dublin Carol:' Sadness and a Wish for Hope

Watching Petersen as John struggling with his demons (the ones he admits to and the ones he doesn't), realizing with melancholy that he has probably lost the battle and yet discovering (or is he wishing?) that he cannot truly give up hope-well, one's heart breaks. But one's heart gets examined, too. How close is this to our own lives? Is this a cautionary tale, or merely a bleakly existential rumination on quiet despair? Ah-would that the answers would come so easily.

No, Virginia, the answers do not come easily at all. But perhaps they will come December 4th, when Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre will present the Chicago premiere of McPherson's "The Seafarer." As they say on television, stay tuned.

"Dublin Carol" by Conor McPherson, directed by ensemble member Amy Morton and starring William Petersen, plays at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company's Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted Street in Chicago, now through December 28, 2008, Wednesdays through Sundays at 7:30 pm with Saturday matinees at 3:00 pm. For tickets or more information, visit www.steppenwolf.org.

PHOTO CREDIT: William Petersen in Dublin Carol by Conor McPherson, directed by Amy Morton at Trinity Rep, Providence RI, 2007. Photo by: T. Charles Erickson.

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Paul W. Thompson, a contributor to BroadwayWorld.com since 2007, is a Chicago-based singer, actor, musical director, pianist, vocal coach, composer and commentator. His career as a performer, teacher and writer is centered at Paul W. Thompson Music, located in Chicago’s historic Fine Arts Building, where he teaches the great songs of Broadway to the next generation of musical theater performers. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Paul was raised in a family of professional musicians and teachers, steeped in classical, gospel, country, pop, sacred and show music. Dubbed a “thin, winsome lad” at the age of 13 by a critic for the Nashville Banner, he earned two degrees in musical theater (a B.F.A. with Honors from Baylor University and an M.M. from the University of Miami, Florida), plus an M.B.A. with Distinction from DePaul University. Paul’s memberships include Actors’ Equity Association, the American Guild of Musical Artists, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (proud voter for the Grammy Awards!), the National Association of Teachers of Singing and New York’s Drama League.

Moving easily between the worlds of classical music, religious music, classic pop and musical theater, Paul has appeared onstage or in the orchestra pit in concerts, musicals, operettas and operas in 30 states and in Europe, in a career spanning more than 35 years. His Chicagoland stage credits include “Forever Plaid” at the Royal George Theater and twenty mainstage productions at Light Opera Works. Paul joined the Chicago Symphony Chorus in 1995 (he was Tenor I Section Leader for four years and sings on two Grammy-winning recordings), and is one of Chicago’s foremost liturgical singers, marking 20 years as a member of the choir at St. James Cathedral (Episcopal) in 2011.He has composed and arranged a number of anthems, hymns and songs for worship and concert use, and collaborates on the creation of new works of musical theater. Paul can be found on Monday nights watching showtune videos at the world-famous Sidetrack nightclub, the inspiration for his weekly column, “The Showtune Mosh Pit.” His proudest achievement is that he has seen the original Broadway production of every Tony Award-winning Best Musical since “Cats.” No, really. Since “Cats!”

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