HURRICANE HITS BROADWAY

Hurricane, the critically acclaimed play produced by Ransom Productions, one of Northern Ireland’s newest theatre companies, is set to take New York by storm. The play, which charts the tormented life of legendary snooker genius, Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins, opens on June 14th 2004 for a three week run at the new East 59th Street Theatre off Broadway.

“Taking a production to Broadway is a real measure of success for any theatre company”, said Philip Hammond, Arts Development Director at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. “This is a magnificent achievement considering that Ransom was formed only two years ago in 2002 with funding through the Arts Council’s National Lottery Fund. It has proved to be a very worthwhile investment.”

Richard Dormer, one of Northern Ireland’s most eminent young playwrights and actors, who won the Stewart Parker BBC Northern Ireland Drama Award 2002 for new writing, will play Alex Higgins. His portrayal of the youngest-ever World Snooker champion’s descent from glory to self-destruction earned him The Stage Edinburgh Festival Best Actor and a nomination for Best Actor in the Theatre Manager Association Awards, 2003.

Hurricane has already played to sell-out audiences on a nation-wide tour, at the Belfast Festival, the Edinburgh Festival and was featured in this year’s British Council showcase in Malta. On top of all this it has just finished a six-week run at the Soho Theatre in London’s West End.

Rachel O’Riordan, director of Hurricane, welcomed the prospect of transferring the production to Broadway: “This is a very exciting time for us. We are delighted with the success of our debut production and our follow up play, ‘Protestants’, is currently on tour in Northern Ireland before moving to London.”

1. Ransom Productions was formed in Belfast in 2002 by Rachel O’Riordan and Richard Dormer, with the aim to produce new writing in a physical, dynamic and highly-skilled format. The company is funded through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland National Lottery Fund.

2. Hurricane is directed by Rachel O’Riordan and produced by Imelda Foley, with design by Garry McCann and lighting by John Riddell.

3. Richard Dormer’s numerous theatre roles include the title role of Billy Budd at the Crucible, Sheffield (scene of Alex Higgins’ greatest snooker triumph), Beautiful Thing (West End), Una Pooka (Tricycle), and In The Heart of America (Bush).

4. This bio-drama of the Belfast folk and sporting hero introduces Higgins as he is now, wasted with cancer and alcohol abuse. From his origins, hustling in back street snooker halls and betting shops, the ‘bad boy’ of snooker grappled his way to the top, upsetting the strait-laced officials of his sport but at the same time winning the hearts of the people. The story, punctuated by ugly scenes of physical and psychological excess, depicts the subsequent fall from grace, the years in the wilderness, squandered winnings, broken marriage and eventual succumbing to illness. The play itself culminates in the highly-charged, iconic moment when Higgins reached tearfully into the crowd for his little girl after winning the 1982 World Snooker Championship.

5. Hurricane has achieved huge acclaim from critics and theatre-goers alike, receiving such plaudits as ‘a wonder to behold’ (The Independent) and ‘physically devastating’ (The Times). It has been named by The Independent and The Times newspapers as one of the five top plays in Britain, and Alex Higgins has himself endorsed the stage production, saying that it accurately conveys his life.

What the critics have said about Hurricane:

‘I can’t remember a more physically devastating portrait of self destruction. Richard Dormer blows away his audience with this terrific solo show’ - Critics Choice, The Times

‘Energetic, yet it is filled with sadness and, like the glory days of Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins himself, it is a wonder to behold.’ - The Independent

‘The show and performance of the year’ - Belfast Telegraph

’Truly amazing... gripping... harrowing... adrenaline-fuelled’ - Evening Standard

‘A hell-raising performance. Richard Dormer unleashes a whirlwind of invention’ - The Guardian

‘A formidable slice of rock and roll theatre with heart’ - Irish Times

‘It’s not unfair to say that Hurricane is an absolutely gripping, emotive piece of theatre which everyone should go and see’ - Edinburgh Evening News