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'Talk About the Passion' opening tonight
Play springs from British boy's abduction, murder by 2 children

5/22/2008

by Beth Wilberding
Messenger-Inquirer

The real life kidnapping and brutal murder of a 2-year-old boy in the early '90s in Liverpool, England, was the catalyst for the next show Merely Players are producing.

The incident shocked England, said Graham Farrow, the playwright of "Talk About the Passion."

The boy's killers, who were both children themselves, became infamous, and Farrow said he wanted to know more about the victim's parents and what they went through.

"Talk About the Passion" is a two-person play about Jason Carroway, whose young son is murdered by a serial killer. The killer writes a hit autobiography, and Carroway goes to confront the book's publisher, Evelyn Ayles.

The show opens tonight at Healing America at 102 W. Ninth St.

Farrow, who is from Yarm, England, has been in Owensboro for several days and attended rehearsals for "Talk About the Passion." He was in Owensboro last summer when Merely Players performed "Rattlesnakes."

"I think we could top last year with this," Farrow said.

Farrow suggested the group tackle "Talk About the Passion" and requested that Kevin Roach — who was in "Rattlesnakes" — play Carroway.

Since Farrow cast the male lead, the director of "Talk About the Passion," Alan Velotta, taped the female-lead auditions and sent them to Farrow. Diane Huff was cast as Ayles.

Huff said it was "wonderful" to have Farrow in town for the production.

"It's neat to know what he was thinking," she said.

Though the actors have their own interpretation of the characters, having Farrow at rehearsals gives them insight as to how he pictured Carroway and Ayles, Huff said.

Huff described her character as being very intelligent and powerful, who goes in and out of moments of empathy.

Carroway has lost not only his son, but also his wife who blames him for their son's death, and he goes to Ayles wanting answers, Roach said.

"I couldn't imagine doing one of Graham's plays without Graham in the picture to work with us," Velotta said.

"Talk About the Passion" was recently translated into French, and Academy Award winning actress Juliette Binoche is set to star in the Paris debut later this year, Farrow said.

He is also working on the screenplay for "Rattlesnakes," and a British film company is also interested in acquiring the rights for "Talk About the Passion."

To Attend

"Talk About the Passion" opens at 8 tonight at Healing America at Ninth and Allen streets. The show continues Friday and Saturday, then May 29 -31. The show will also be performed at 8 p.m. June 6 and 7 at Evansville Civic Theatre's Underground at the Annex in Washington Square Mall.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or online at www.merelyplayers.org. For more information, call 315-2413.