Performance Dates All Shows

David Houston's Literary Entertainments

Contact: David Houston

(516) 293-2638 / DH@davidhouston.net
700 Fulton Street, M-1, Farmingdale, NY 11735

Theatrical Resume / Communications Services Resume

New One-Hour Programs

« "A Rogers and Hart Audition" David Houston and Rick Heuthe as Rodgers and Hart,
with Melanie Lipton, Stephen Corbellini and Diana Heinlein playing fifteen famous
personalities of the 30s and 40s (Gene Kelly, Mae West, Tallulah Bankhead,
Hopalong Cassidy, Irving Berlin, and Eleanor Roosevelt, are some of them),
as they come to audition for a benefit for Britain and sing the
timeless tunes of the great composer-lyricist team.

«"The Lost Wife" For LONG ISLAND READS 2012, Gail Merzer Behrens and
David Houston present a performnce reading in the style of radio drama from
Alyson Richman's absorbing new novel that explores the resilience of the human
spirit in settings from glamorous Prague before the occupation to the horrors
of Nazi Europe and ultimately to a promise of new life in America.

«"A Ben Franklin for All Seasons" David Houston portrays the great writer and inventor,
the most famous American of day, as he composes a speech about himself and his ideals
for his new country. . . and finds it difficult to stay serious with his comic alter-ego
insistently interrupting his thoughts (taken from Franklin's essays, his autobiography,
and satirical sketches and sayings from Poor Richard's Almanac).

« "On the Case: Christie Mysteries" dramatized readings from Agatha Christie
short stories, with a new short play "Getting Away With Murder!” derived from
numerous Christie novels and stories; with David Houston, narrator; starring
Diana Heinlein as Miss Marple and Rick Heuthe as Hercule Poirot.

2012 and 2013 PERFORMANCE DATES, ALL SHOWS

Wednesday, February 1, 1:30 p.m.: MARK TWAIN: TELLING TALES — Community Club of Garden City and Hempstead

Friday, February 3, 12:15 p.m.: A BEN FRANKLIN FOR ALL SEASONS — Port Washington Public Library

Monday, February 6, 2:00 p.m.: A BEN FRANKLIN FOR ALL SEASONS — Jericho Public Library

Tuesday, April 10, 2:00 p.m.: THE LOST WIFE — Jericho Public Library

Friday, April 13, 2:00 p.m..: THE LOST WIFE — Seaford Public Library

Sunday, April 15, 2:00 p.m.: THE LOST WIFE — Hicksville Public Library

Tuesday, April 17, 12:30 p.m..: THE LOST WIFE — East Meadow Public Library

Wednesday, April 18, 2:00 p.m. THE LOST WIFE — Long Beach Public Library

Wednesday, April 18, 7:00 p.m.: THE LOST WIFE — Manhasset Public Library

Thursday, April 19, 1:00 p.m.: THE LOST WIFE — Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library

Monday,April 23, 2:00 p.m.:THE LOST WIFE — Elmont Public Library

Thursday, April 26, 2:30 p.m.:THE LOST WIFE — West Babylon Public Library

Wednesday, June 27, 2:00 p.m.: A RODGERS AND HART AUDITION — Jericho Public Library

Sunday, September 9, 2:00 p.m.: A RODGERS AND HART AUDITION — Longwood Public Library, Middle Island

Sunday, November 4, 2:00 p.m.: A RODGERS AND HART AUDITION — Bethpage Public Library, Middle Island

Wednesday, May 29, 2013, 1:30 p.m.: A RODGERS AND HART AUDITION — Community Club of Garden City and Hempstead

2011 PERFORMANCE DATES, ALL SHOWS

Sunday, January 30, 2:00 p.m.: ON THE CASE: CHRISTIE MYSTERIES — New City Library, New City, NY

Sunday, February 13, 2:30 p.m.: ABE LINCOLN IN THE 21ST CENTURY — South Huntington Public Library

Tuesday, March 1, 1:30 p.m.: THE BELLE OF AMHERST— Women's Club of Douglaston

Wednesday, March 9, 7:00 p.m.: A BEN FRANKLIN FOR ALL SEASONS — Middle Country Public Library, Centereach

Wednesday, March 23, 2:00 p.m.: ON THE CASE: CHRISTIE MYSTERIES — Oceanside Library

Saturday, April 2, 7:00 p.m.: THE BELLE OF AMHERST— Montauk Library

Sunday, April 3, 1:30 p.m.:SAG HARBOR — Brookhaven Free Library

Monday, April 4, 12:30 p.m.: SAG HARBOR — East Meadow Public Library

Monday, April 4, 7:00 p.m.: SAG HARBOR — Islip Public Library

Tuesday, April 5, 7:00 p.m.: SAG HARBOR — Plainedge Public Library, Massapequa

Wednesday, April 6, 2:00 p.m.: SAG HARBOR — Long Beach Public Library

Monday, April 11, 3:00 p.m.: SAG HARBOR — Freeport Memorial Library

Tuesday, April 12, 2:00 p.m.: SAG HARBOR — Oceanside Library

Thursday, April 14, 2:00 p.m.: SAG HARBOR — Garden City Public Library

Thursday, April 14, 7:00 p.m.: SAG HARBOR — Manhasset Public Library

Friday, April 15, 10:30 a.m.: SAG HARBOR — Franklin Square Public Library

Friday, April 15, 2:00 p.m.: SAG HARBOR — Jericho Public Library

Sunday, April 17, 2:00 p.m.: SAG HARBOR — Longwood Public Library

Thursday, April 21, 1:00 p.m.: SAG HARBOR — Hewlett Woodmere Public Library

Monday, April 25, 2:00 p.m.: SAG HARBOR — Elmont Public Library

Thursday, April 28, 2:30 p.m.: SAG HARBOR — West Babylon Public Library

Wednesday, May 11, noon: ON THE CASE: CHRISTIE MYSTERIES — Rogers Memorial Library, Southampton

Monday, May 16, 7:00 p.m.: A BEN FRANKLIN FOR ALL SEASONS — Mt. Olive Public Library, Flanders, NJ

Thursday, June 23, 1:00 p.m.: ABE LINCOLN IN THE 21ST CENTURY — Hempstead Senior Services, Merrick

Monday, August 1, 2:00 p.m.: ON THE CASE: CHRISTIE MYSTERIES — Jericho Public Library

Sunday, August 7, 2:30 p.m.: MARK TWAIN: TELLING TALES — Planting Fields Arboretum, Oyster Bay

Friday, September 16, noon: ON THE CASE: CHRISTIE MYSTERIES — Port Washington Public Library

Sunday, September 18, 2:00 p.m.: ON THE CASE: CHRISTIE MYSTERIES — Longwood Public Library

Saturday, October 15, 2:00 p.m.: ON THE CASE: CHRISTIE MYSTERIES — Hicksville Public Library

Wednesday, October 19, 7:00 p.m.: ON THE CASE: CHRISTIE MYSTERIES — Franklin Township Public Library, NJ

Thursday, October 20, 6:00 p.m.: ON THE CASE: CHRISTIE MYSTERIES — Douglaston, Queens Library

Saturday, October 22, 1:00 p.m.: MURDER AND MADNESS AND POE — Huntington Library, Station Branch

Thursday, October 27, 2:99 p.m.: ON THE CASE: CHRISTIE MYSTERIES — Garden City Public Library

Monday, October 31, 1:00 p.m.: ON THE CASE: CHRISTIE MYSTERIES — East Meadow Public Library

Saturday, November 5, 2:00 p.m.: A BEN FRANKLIN FOR ALL SEASONS — Seaford Public Library.

Sunday, December 4, 4:00 p.m.: THE DICKENS! "A Christmas Carol" — Peconic Landing, Greenport

Wednesday, December 7, 2:00 p.m.: A RODGERS & HART AUDITION — Oceanside Library

Wednesday, December 14, 11:00 a.m.: O. HENRY'S CHRISTMAS GIFT — Shelter Rock Public Library

Literary Entertainments

David Houston's series of small-scale theatrical productions, on themes of history and literature, got its start in 2000 when he portrayed Charles Dickens, circa 1867, at a New York theatre and gathered impressive reviews. In 2001 he toured THE DICKENS! to Long Island libraries, where interest in additional plays was expressed. Houston—an accomplished writer and experienced actor—jumped at the opportunity. He wrote, produced and directed GREAT SCOTT AND ZELDA, with Melanie Lipton and Steve Corbellini, which toured libraries during the 2002 “Long Island Reads” celebration of THE GREAT GATSBY. Since then he has added other original plays to the repertoire: LILLIE ALONE, a one-woman tour-de-force starring Mary Ellin Kurtz as Lillie Langtry backstage in 1900 as she prepares lies to tell an interviewer and presents monologues from her classic stage successes; MARK TWAIN: TELLING TALES, in which Houston, as the elderly Twain, gives a lecture on humor and wit, derived from Twain essays and stories; MURDER AND MADNESS AND POE, starring Rick Heuthe as Edgar Allan Poe attempting to secure a lucrative lecture tour in 1848, quoting and reading poetry and stories in the process; LET'S DO IT!, developed at the request of the Port Washington Library, a one-act musical in which Noel Coward (Houston) and Cole Porter (Heuthe) test material for Coward’s cabaret debut in Las Vegas, ending with Coward's outrageous lyrics for Porter's "Let's Do It"; JAZZ BABY JOAN, with Melanie Lipton as Joan Crawford in 1934 defending her career and reliving her childhood, based on Houston's Crawford biography Jazz Baby (St. Martin's Press); THE GHOST OF DOROTHY PARKER with actress Diana Heinlein as the famed Algonquin wit trying to make sense of her turbulent life through her poetry and stories; WALT WHITMAN, TO BEGIN WITH in which Houston impersonates Whitman and his critics; FRED AND ADELE ASTAIRE: THE LAST DANCE, starring Melanie Lipton and Steve Corbellini, in which, backstage in 1932, Fred and Adele reminisce in song and dance as she leaves their famous act for good; ABE LINCOLN IN THE 21ST CENTURY with Houston as a light-hearted Honest Abe; ON THE CASE: CHRISTIE MYSTERIE with readings of three short stories plus a one-act fully staged "Getting Away With Murder" featuring Diana Heinlein as Miss Marple and Rick Heuthe as Hercule Poirot; A BEN FRANKLIN FOR ALL SEASONS with Houston as the funny, bawdy and profound founding father; plus new editions of THE DICKENS! featuring "A Christmas Carol" and “The Chimes.” In addition to original plays, Houston's group presents Melanie Lipton as Emily Dickinson in William Luce's Broadway play THE BELLE OF AMHERST; Houston in a reading of the first Sherlock Holmes novel STUDY IN SCARLET; Houston in readings of three short stories of ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER; a three-actor "radio style" dramatization of Ray Bradbury's FAHRENHEIT 451 with Houston, Lipton and Matt Stashin; a reading of the love story from JOY COMES IN THE MORNING with Houston and Gail Merzer Behrens, a dramatic reading of the trial of Tom Robinson from TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD with Houston and Heinlein; Houston and Heinlein are teamed for O. HENRY'S HUNDRED YEARS and O. HENRY'S CHRISTMAS GIFT readings of short stories. For Long Island Reads in past years, Houston has provided readings "in the style of radio drama": 2003 HOW THE GARCIA GIRLS LOST THEIR ACCENTS, with Houston and Lipton; 2004 SNOW IN AUGUST with Houston and Stashin; 2005 Houston ’s solo reading from Steinbeck’s TRAVELS WITH CHARLIE; 2006 Houston’s solo reading from Mark Mills’s AMAGANSETT; 2007 James McBride's THE COLOR OF WATER with Houston and Debbie Starker; 2008 a solo reading from Chang-rae Lee's ALOFT; 2009 Heinlein and Houston read from WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR by Doris Kearns Goodwin; 2010 Houston in a solo reading as Teddy Roosevelt in RIVER OF DOUBT; 2011 Houston reads from Colson Whitehead's SAG HARBOR with notes and music from the history of the village.