O HENRYS HUNDRED YEARS

Two shows celebrating a century of the great story teller's enduring fame since his passing in 1910

"O. HENRY'S HUNDRED YEARS"
and

"O. HENRY'S CHRISTMAS GIFT"

Diana Heinlein and David Houston
In Dramatized Readings in the Style of Radio Drama,
From the timeless stories of O. Henry (William Sydney Porter)
Accompanied by the jaunty joyful music of Scott Joplin,
the universally popular sound of O. Henry's day

Script Adaptation by David Houston

O. Henry was born William Sydney Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina, September 11, 1862. His schooling ended when he was 15, but his aunt, who had a private school, challenged him to become a storyteller. He worked in his uncle's drugstore for five years and then spent two years at a sheep ranch in Texas, to toughen him up, where he learned the fascinating ways of cowboys and desperados. In Austin, where he worked first as a draftsman then as a bank teller, he married a woman who soon died of tuberculosis. While a bank teller, discrepancies were uncovered, and Porter was accused and convicted of theft (biographers believe he was probably innocent). During his three-plus years in prison, he wrote and sold 10 stories. Less than eight years later, he was the most widely read storyteller in America. In 14 published collections, he gave us more than 400 universally appealing stories before he died at age 47 June 5, 1910.

The Stories: O. HENRY'S HUNDRED YEARS

"THE CABALLERO'S WAY"
Since coming to life in O. Henry's imagination, the Cisco Kid has surfaced in six movies and a six-season TV series. O. Henry always gets credit for the stories, but the character isn't quite the white-hatted hero Duncan Reynaldo brought into our living-rooms in the 1950s. The suspenseful original reveals a scarier Kid.

"A RETRIEVED REFORMATION"
This tale of a gentleman safe-cracker is another influential O. Henry story. It became a successful
Broadway play in 1910 called Alias Jimmy Valentine, and then a string of movies and remakes from 1912 to 1958,.It's witty and surprising and romantic.

"THE LAST LEAF"
One of the most famous and beloved O. Henry stories, this is about struggling artists in pre-World-War-I Greenwich Village and of a simple and unforgettable act of compassion. First published in book form in The Trimmed Lamp in 1910.

The Stories: O. HENRY'S CHRISTMAS GIFT

"THE COP AND THE ANTHEM"
Played by Charles Lawton in the 1952 film O. Henry's Full House, this friendly bum named Soapy calls his bench in Madison Square home and thinks he has the problems of survival solved, until winter comes
along and he has time to think . . . and time to listen.

"CHRISTMAS BY INJUNCTION"
The wandering unlucky prospector they've dubbed Cherokee in the mining town he founded becomes an unlikely Santa Claus with an unlikely problem and a sleigh full of toys, with a present for himself that he
never sees coming.

"THE GIFT OF THE MAGI"
One of the best best-known short stories in the English-speaking world, this tale of a loving couple making a go of it in lean times in New York is unforgettable. Christmas is a day away, and only drastic inventiveness can allow Della and Jim to surprise each other with even modest gifts. But somehow they manage.

Contact

David Houston

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

Performance runs about an hour
$300 fee includes actors, reading stands, music/effects CD and CD player, and travel
(Long Island and Queens; to inquire about fees for other locales, contact David Houston);
facility is asked to supply an 8 x 12 performance area, basic lighting, and
amplification if the space is large

Scroll Down, or Jump with these Links

Biographies: Diana Heinlein and David Houston

Scheduled Performances

Photos for Publicity

Music of Scott Joplin

Sources

References, Reviews, Comments

Diana Heinlein

Reviewing a recent production of The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, NEWSDAY said, "Diana Heinlein is solid and hilarious at the center of the angst-ridden comedy; watching her wallow in comic pathos in the Long Island premiere of Charles Busch's lively surprisingly complex comedy is a delight." About her performance as Bella in Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers, THE SUFFOLK COUNTY NEWS said, "Diana Heinlein offers a performance so moving that the swing of emotions will leave you dizzy." Diana has acted myriad leading and featured roles in other Simon classics including Mrs. Banks in Barefoot in the Park, Kate in both Broadway Bound and Brighton Beach Memoirs, Cookie in one production of Rumors and Claire in another, and Florence in the female version of The Odd Couple. She stars in a touring production of Houston's The Ghost of Dorothy Parker. Other memorable portrayals include Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker, and Maggie in Dancing at Lughnasa.

David Houston

David has appeared in leading roles in scores of plays and musicals, including Major Bouvier in Grey Gardens, Everett Baker in Crazy For You, Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet, Senex in A Funny Thing, Ben in Death of a Salesman, Herr Shultz in Cabaret and Horace in The Little Foxes. He is a published and produced writer of fiction and non-fiction. His original plays—including Let's Do It!, The Last Dance, The Ghost of Dorothy Parker, Murder and Madness and Poe, and The Dickens!—have been seen at a number of Long Island theatres, schools and libraries. His Joan Crawford biography Jazz Baby (St. Martin's Press) was optioned for movie production, as was his mystery novel Shadows on the Moon (Leisure Books). Other performance readings "in the style of radio drama" include Steinbeck's Travels With Charlie, the Sherlock Holmes novel Study in Scarlet, the trial from To Kill a Mockingbird and Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

Scheduled Performances

Wednesday, December 17, 2011, 11:00 a.m.: SHELTER ROCK PUBLIC LIBRARY

Thursday, January 7, 2010, 6:30 pm: JOHN JERMAIN MEMORIAL LIBRARY, SAG HARBOR

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 2:00 p.m.: JERICHO PUBLIC LIBRARY

Friday, June 4, 2010, noon: PORT WASHINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Wednesday, December 1, noon, (Christmas Gift) ROGERS MEMORIAL LIBRARY, SOUTHAMPTON

Tuesday, December 7, 2010, 7:00 p.m. (Christmas Gift) HICKSVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Monday, December 20, 2010, 7:00 p.m. (Christmas Gift) MANHASSET PUBLIC LIBRARY

Photos for Publicity
(Most are available in higher resolution upon request, via e-mail or disk.)

O. HENRY'S NEW YORK: DOWNTOWN SKYLINE IN 1910
UNION SQUARE IN 1910
O. HENRY ABOUT AGE 20	O. HENRY ABOUT AGE 45

O. HENRY THE ARTIST: A WOODCUT FROM AROUND 1889	O. HENRY: A LIMERICK AND SKETCH
FROM EVERYBODY'S MAGAZINE, AROUND 1970 "THE CABALLERO'S WAY" "The Cisco Kid had killed six men in more or less fair scrimmages, had murdered twice as many (mostly Mexicans), and had winged a larger number whom he modestly forbore to count. Therefore a woman loved him."	FRAMES FROM A JAPANESE ANIMATED "THE LAST LEAF" "After the doctor had gone, Sue went into the workroom and cried a Japanese napkin to a pulp. Then she swaggered into Johnsy's room whistling ragtime."

The Music of Scott Joplin

Scott Joplin's "ragtime" took the world by storm from the publication of his "Maple Leaf Rag" in 1899 and prompted a "pop" frenzy not equaled until the rock invasion of the 1950s. Joplin provided orchestrations of his piano pieces for "singing, dancing, marching, and listening" in time for the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904, for which he composed "The Cascades" to honor the Fair's spectacular fountains, lagoons and waterfalls. These wonderful Joplin orchestrations were, for all practical purposes, lost until 1973, when Marvin Hamlish's adaptations of Joplin for the movie The Sting, caused an instant revival of interest in all things ragtime. Joplin's own orchestrations for eleven instruments, in a collection nicknamed "The Red Back Book," were recorded in 1973 by The New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble, on Angel Records. The success of this recording led to others with orchestrations either by Joplin himself or by those working in Joplin's style. Our sound track is comprised of seldom-heard orchestrated versions of Joplin's popular piano rags.

Sources

Time to Write by Trueman E. O'Quinn and Jenny Lind Porter; Eakin Press, Austin, Texas, 1986
O. Henry Biography by C. Alphonso Smith; Doubleday Page & Company, Garden City, New York, 1916
41 Stories By O. Henry Introduction by Burton Raffel, Afterward by Laura Furman; New American Library,
New York, NY, 1984, 2007
The Amazing Genius of O. Henry, Critical and Biographical Comment, by Arthur W. Page,
Nicholas Fachel Lindsay, et al., Fredonia Books, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1919, 2001
O. Henry: A Biography of William Sydney Porter by David Stuart; Scarborough House, Chelsea, MI, 1990
Collected Stories of O. Henry: 236 stories, illustrated, Paul J. Horowitz, ed.; Avenel Books, New York, NY, 1986
The Complete Works of O. Henry, Forward by Harry Hansen, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, NY, 1953

Reviews and Comments about
Readings in the Style of Radio Drama

O. HENRY'S CHRISTMAS GIFT (Diana Heinlein and David Houston)

Penny Wright, Programs and Publicity, Rogers Memorial Library, Southampton: "David Houston and Diana Heinlein put us all in the Christmas spirit with their delightful readings of O. Henry's stories."

WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR by Doris Kearns Goodwin (David as Narrator, Diana as the Voice of the Book)

Penny Wright, Programs and Publicity, Rogers Memorial Library, Southampton: "David Houston and company have produced one high quality show after another, and 'Wait Till Next Year' is no exception. Speaking for the Rogers Memorial Library, I'm delighted that we won't have to wait till next year to have them back!" Jessica Ley, Program Coordinator, Port Washington Public Library Washington Public Library "A David Houston production is always entertainingly educational in the most professional presentation." Nadine Connors, Cultural Program Specialist, Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library: Very good audience response, excellent performance; "I can't think of something that could have been done better." Lee Gorray, Librarian, Elmont Public Library: "This brilliant dual performance surpasses many Broadway plays. Rarely have I spent such an enjoyable afternoon."

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee (David as men, Diana as Scout and women)

Lori Abbatepaolo, Librarian, Middle Country Public Library: "The performers were excellent, and the adaptation and staging provided a powerful experience of Harper Lee's book. It was filled with emotion and the audience seemed completely caught up in the performance." Jean Scanlon, Program Director, Freeport Memorial Library: "The performers take you back to the 1930's South. The variations in voice make you feel as though all the litigants and the children are on stage. The reading was wonderful." Bonnie Russell, Program Director, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor: "Excellent" in all categories, including Audience Response, Literary Content, and Performance.

FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury (Three actors)

Lorraine Paesano, Adult Services Librarian, Middle Country Public Library at Centereach: "As always, a polished professional performance. Being joined by Matt Stashin and Melanie Lipton added to the overall impact. Listening to the selected pieces made me think of how scary it would be if people's beliefs and freedoms were to be challenged and mandated by others. Thanks for a great reading!" Deborah Dellis-Quinn, Program Director, Manhasset Library "FAHRENHEIT 451 was excellent – not only for our adult audience, but would be valuable for high-school students. The pace was quick, keeping the audience involved in the characters and plot throughout the program. The message of Ray Bradbury's novel was powerfully portrayed by the cast, and respectfully scripted." Jessica Ley, Program Coordinator, Port Washington Public Library: "I've come to expect excellence from a David Houston production, and I've never been disappointed. FAHRENHEIT 451 was outstanding."