Chagrin Valley Little Theatre

Press Releases

"Mr. Death" to make world-premiere at CVLT's River Street Playhouse

CHAGRIN FALLS, OH - Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's River Street Playhouse, adjacent to the main theatre in a building owned by CVLT's long-time friend Steven Shields, is an intimate venue which stages small-scale productions a few times per year. This weekend, the River Street will present the debut of a new folk-musical by local playwright Shelley Costa and songwriter Bill Rowe entitled Mr. Death and the Redheaded Woman.

Mr. Death, which is based on a short story by author Helen Eustis, is a fable of the old American West that first appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, and was later adapted for the General Electric Theater television series and also for a 1983 children's book. Costa and Rowe's one-act staging marks its first appearance as a play and as a musical. The duo first collaborated in 2007, when their full-length musical, These People, was produced at the River Street Playhouse.

'The story centers on Maude Applegate, the titular redhead, who chases down Mr. Death to negotiate for the life of her beloved Billy-be-damn Bangtry after he is shot in a saloon gunfight. The cast, which consists of Amy Pelleg as "Maude", Brian G. McCann as "Mr. Death", Natalie Dolezal as "Granny" and Jon Gellott as "Billy", perform 13 original songs by Bill Rowe, who also serves as the show's guitar-playing narrator.

Mr. Death and the Redheaded Woman plays at 8 PM, Fridays and Saturdays from February 12 to February 27, 2010. All seats are $10. The River Street Playhouse is located at the end of River Street (56 River St.) in downtown Chagrin Falls, Ohio. For tickets to all Chagrin Valley Little Theatre productions and events, call 440-247-8955 (Mon-Sat, 1-6 PM) or visit www.CVLT.org for online ticketing at no extra cost.

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund Chagrin Valley Little Theatre with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

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