Oakville Resident Produces and Stars in St. Louis Play

When the character of Felix Artifax sets out to produce an extravaganza that requires 50 actors, a guillotine, a star drop and a horse, he has his work cut out for him. When Joe Hanrahan steps into the role of Artifax, the audience is in for a wild and hilarious evening of live theatre.

“He's on the phone almost the entire show talking; trying to put it together with movie stars, agents, designers and trying to raise money from terrorists in the Middle East,” Hanrahan said. “It's the telephone equivalent of a slamming door comedy.”

Oakville resident Hanrahan—Artistic Director of The Midnight Company—will produce and star in the St. Louis premiere of “Mistakes Were Made,” the brisk comedy by Craig Wright, Aug. 18 through Sept. 3, at The Kranzberg Center in the Grand Center Entertainment District. Sarah Whitney is the director.

No stranger to St. Louis audiences as an actor, producer, writer and director, his performance in “The Worst of Eric Begosian” was called “shockingly comic,” by St. Louis Post Dispatch theatre critic Judith Newmark. She wrote, “Hanrahan establishes each character with the actor's most traditional tools: his body and his voice.”

Hanrahan will certainly need his tools sharpened to pull off “Mistakes Were Made.” For 70 minutes, he'll pace in his sloppy office and use his phone like a weapon, spouting a barrage of apothegms, metaphors, doctrines, self-ridicule, intimidation, profanity and balderdash, all in an effort to bring his dream play to fruition no matter the cost.

At times during the play, it can seem as though the Artifax character is a madman. During a phone conversation, he is asked, "Are you crazy?"

“No. He's not crazy,” Hanrahan said. “My character is imaginative and driven.”

Hanrahan describes the play as a madcap, behind-the-scenes show biz comedy, but will it only appeal to show biz people?

“Certainly, anyone involved in theatre will enjoy it, but it really broadens to include everybody,” Hanrahan said. “Everyone knows what goes on behind the scenes now, through the Internet and television. Anyone will see the humor.”

Although the play rests on Hanrahan's seasoned shoulders, he will get some support from co-star, Emily Piro, in a role that has been enlarged since the show's Chicago premiere in August, 2009.

“We've expanded her role so she's much more of a presence,” Hanrahan said. “She's onstage the entire show now, and we think it's deepening the show.”

Hanrahan co-founded The Midnight Company in 1997. They are currently in their 14th season presenting theatre with a style that harkens back to the days of roving theatrical troops; you never know where they'll turn up next. They've proven that theatre is art; not a building.

“We do shows when we want, where we want,” Hanrahan said. “We've worked in art museums, abandoned breweries, churches, wherever. This is a theatrical show. It couldn't be done anywhere but a true theatrical space.”

Although Hanrahan's theatre company is nomadic, he life is decidedly not. He's spent his entire career in St. Louis, and the last 28 years as an Oakville resident.

“We moved to Oakville in 1983,” Hanrahan said. "My wife and I were living in an apartment in St. Louis. We had a boy, and when my father-in-law came over for dinner, he saw how small our apartment was—the conditions we were living in. He helped us get started in Oakville with a house.”

Hanrahan and his wife liked Oakville so much they never left.

“It's a great place to raise your kids,” Hanrahan said. “The schools are great; lots of fast food places, movies—lots of stuff to do. We love it.”

What: “Mistakes Were Made,” By Craig Wright
Where: The Kranzberg Center, 501 N. Grand, St. Louis, MO.
When: Aug. 18 through Sept. 3; Thu, Fri, 8 p.m.; Sat, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Tickets: $20 Adults, $15 Students, Seniors and Show People. For reservations, call (314) 487-5305. No credits cards please.