Production History

Molly Sweeney

In Molly Sweeney, thrilling Irish playwright Brian Friel has created a story moving and unforgettable, offering just the kind of magnified, cathartic experience that makes the Touchstone Theatre so vital.

Molly is a new bride – happy, content. And blind. And now, she has a chance to see.

For Molly’s husband, restoring her sight is his latest cheerful obsession. For her surgeon, a shot at redemption. And for Molly? A dream come true. Right? But with the prize nearly within their grasp, none of them think to question the consequences of grasping it.

Molly Sweeney and the language that spins her story – simple, raw and beautiful – will stay with you long after the stage has gone dark. Though you may find the question, “what have you got to lose” hard to shake, as well.

Cast

Molly

Colleen Madden^*

Frank

David Daniel^*

Mr. Rice

Jonathan Smoots^*

Staff

Dialect Coach

Christine Adaire

Costume & Scenic Design

Liz Freese

Lighting Design

Noele Stollmack^†

Sound Design & Original Music

John Tanner

Stage Manager

Erin Albrecht^*

^* Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers

^** Member of Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, an Independent Labor Union

^† Member of United Scenic Artists

Molly Sweeney at American Players Theatre: From gentle darkness, a voyage to rough light
By Lawrence B. Johnson, Chicagoontheaisle.com, August 6, 2013

APT review: Molly Sweeney a treat for APT regulars
By William R. Wineke, Channel3000.com, August 4, 2013.

Review: APT's 'Molly Sweeney'
By Aaron Conklin, Madison Magazine, August 5, 2013.

Regaining her sight
By Michael Muckian, ExpressMilwaukee.com, June 26, 2013

Colleen Madden illuminates APT's 'Molly Sweeney'
By Lindsay Christians, 77 Square, June 17, 2013.

American Players Theatre shows what's lost when a blind woman gains sight
By Laura Jones, The Isthmus, June 16, 2013.

APT's 'Verona' a tale of growing pains / The insight of 'Molly Sweeney'
By Mike Fischer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, June 17, 2013

Director's Notes

“Learning to see is not like learning a new language. It’s like learning language for the first time.”
—Denis Diderot

“Restoring the optic nerve is the least challenging aspect of learning how to see, especially in a world that worships speed and spectacle.”
—Neurologist Oliver Sacks

"The truth must dazzle gradually or every man be blind.”
—Emily Dickinson

“Hello darkness, my old friend; I’ve come to talk with you again.”
—Paul Simon

At bottom line, this brilliant play from one of the world’s most extraordinary and prolific playwrights is a “Rashoman” story that offers different interpretations of the same event depending upon the story-teller, and reminds us of that old premonition, “Be careful what you wish for.”

—Kenneth Albers