MIDNIGHT COMPANY TO PRESENT BALLAD OF JESSE JAMES IN MARCH/APRIL AT TECHNISONIC STUDIOS

The Midnight Company will present a revival of their acclaimed theatre production, THE BALLAD OF JESSE JAMES, March 24 thru April 9, with performances Fridays thru Sundays, on the soundstage of Technisonic Studios, 500 S. Ewing, near Jefferson and Highway 40. The play was written and will be directed by Joe Hanrahan. Tickets are $15 (Students and Seniors $10), and can be reserved by calling 314 773 1503.

David Wassilak will play the title role of the legendary outlaw, Joe Hanrahan will portray his brother Frank James, and Larry Dell takes on multiple roles, including James Gang member Cole Younger and newspaperman John Newman Edwards, as well as providing narration and musical accompaniment for the show.

THE BALLAD OF JESSE JAMES has had a rich theatrical past, playing in the last few years in spaces like the original Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, the Grizzly Bear bar in Soulard, The Missouri History Museum, and at the James Farm in Kearney, MO.

And the show has received acclaim everywhere it played. While the most appreciated reviews came from the James brothers’ oldest living relatives, who saw the show in Kearney, the Riverfront Times cited the production’s “remarkable pieces of stagecraft” and “a superb cast (which) cuts larger-than-life legends down to size…the James Gang is artfully and enthrallingly explored.”

KDHX radio, while calling the show “original, thought-provoking, intelligent and timely,” recognized its contemporary political relevance: “move Jesse from the safety of the nineteenth century to the contemporary militia movement, and the implications become much darker…The Midnight Company has broken open a vault to creative riches.”

Jesse James’ relevance to today’s world stage was cited in T. J. Stiles 2002 book JESSE JAMES Last Rebel of the Civil War. He describes

…the central questions and conflicts in American History that defined his existence: the fight over slavery and abolitionism, the great catastrophe of the Civil War, the revolution of freedom represented by emancipation and Reconstruction, the spread of railroads and industrialization, and the first signs of a corporate economy…all these things burned at a white heat in western Missouri…every political issue was personal. Jesse James was not an inarticulate avenger for the poor, but a major force in the attempt to create a Confederate identity for Missouri, a cultural and political offensive waged by defeated rebels to undo the triumph of the Radical Republicans in the Civil War. Had Jesse James existed a century later, he would have been called a terrorist.

Midnight Company’s THE BALLAD OF JESSE JAMES tells the true story of Jesse James, exploring the socio-political landscape of his times, and bringing the impact of an American insurgent from over 100 years ago directly into the fire of our challenging times.

For more information about THE BALLAD OF JESSE JAMES, including past reviews, articles, photos and more, plus information about other Midnight Company and After Midnight shows, visit www.midnightcompany.com.

THE BALLAD OF JESSE JAMES
Performance Dates:
Friday, March 24 8pm Saturday, March 25 8pm Sunday, March 26 7pm
Friday, March 31 8pm Saturday, April 1 8pm Sunday, April 2 7pm
Friday, April 7 8pm Saturday, April 8 8pm Sunday, April 9 7pm
SPECIAL MATINEE: Sunday, April 9, 2 pm All Tickets ONLY $5

Tickets: $15 Students/Seniors: $10 Call 314 773 1503 for reservations
Performance Space: Technisonic Studios 500 S. Ewing
Directions: Scott is the first street south of Highway 40 on Jefferson. Go west on Scott, make the first right into the St. Louis Business Center. Proceed till it shortly dead ends, turn left and park.