jackiedoherty.org

Last year, Jackie and I saw the Image Theatre do a ’staged reading’ of Patrick Fenton’s play Kerouac’s Last Call, which we loved (and blogged about). Now Jerry Bisantz and his crew are bringing it back as a World Premier production.  This play has it all – drama, humor, pathos, historical resonance, cultural insights, and for us in Lowell, it’s a chance to see it before it hits the big cities.  Here is the description from the Image Theatre website: 

“Last Call” recalls a party held at a friend’s home in Northport, NY in 1964, just before the writer’s move to Florida with his mother.  It is based on an actual reel to reel tape recording of that night recorded by neighborhood friends, a tape that Mr. Fenton is honored to have heard. It depicts the Jack at the end of his road, with glimpses of  the  forces that drove him, the people who moved him, and his own strong opinions  on fame, his travels,  and the “new” generations of readers who idolized him. Populating the play are characters from his past and present, and the play is filled with the music that accompanied his travels across America. Mr. Fenton’s words are reminiscent of Kerouac’s own writings….

It’s at the Old Court, this weekend and next, tickets are $20 at the door, or $19 if you call ahead:  978-866-2125. Seating is limited! As with all of the Image Theater productions, especially those at the Old Court, things are informal and friendly. At last year’s production, we got to meet the author and read articles he wrote about Kerouac.