Kansas City's resident impresario Ron Megee and pop diva Missy Koonce in their newly inaugurated home at The Old Chelsea will present their acclaimed all-male production of Alfred Hitchcock's THE BIRDS October 13-31.  A hit for Late Night Theatre in 1997, this condensed version of the original pays tribute to mystery master Hitchcock (who narrates Megee's production).  The late night return of THE BIRDS has been much awaited, and brings underground theatre to Kansas City's River Market, with performance times at both 8:00 and 11:00pm.  Producers Megee and Koonce are best known for an on-going series of highly original productions which have included Nasty Sally Seersucker, Valley of the Dolls, The Stepford Wives, Bonanza, Rosemarie's Baby and Shocktopussy: For Your Thighs Only.

LOCATION: Late Night Theatre at The Old Chelsea 200 W. Fourth Street, Kansas City, MO 64105 DATES:  October 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 Fridays 8 pm Saturdays 8 pm & 11 pm Sunday 10/22 6 pm Mondays 8 pm Special Holloween Show Oct 13st. RUNNING TIME:  Approximately 90 minutes TICKETS:  $14.00 per person.  Reservations suggested; please call Central Ticket Office at (816) 235-2700

ARTISTIC TEAM:  Adaptation by Ron Megee & Philip blue owl Hooser Direction by Ron Megee CAST:  Ron Megee (playing Tippi Hedren playing Melanie Daniels) Philip blue owl Hooser (playing Alfred Hitchcock) John Paulson (playing Rod Taylor playing Mitch Brenner) Ray Ettinger (playing Jessica Tandy playing Lydia Brenner) De De DeVille (playing Suzanne Pleshette playing Annie Hayworth) Gary Campbell (playing Veronica Cartwright playing Young Cathy) Jon Piggy Cupit, Bob Kohler, David Reed, David Stone (The Bird Boy Ensemble) The Birds: AUDIENCES WILL VISIT BODEGA BAY THE BIRDS is Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece and remains one of the most darkly lyrical films ever created. Told through the eyes of Alfred Hitchcock (Philip blue owl Hooser), Megee expertly weaves together the story of a shallow playgirl, (Megee playing Tippi Hedren playing Melanie Daniels), whose life is ever changed when she follows self-assured, emotionally withdrawn Mitch Brenner (John Paulson) to the seaside town of Bodega Bay.  There Melanie discovers a cold world of women and wicked eye-pecking birds. Soon, all the women in Mitch’s life -- his mother (Ray Ettinger), his pubescent sister Cathy (Gary Campbell) and the garden-digging, chain-smoking school teacher Annie Hayworth (De De DeVille playing Suzanne Pleshette) -- fall prey to the flesh-craving black crows. ABOUT ‘HITCH’ British-born American director Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock directed and produced scores of brilliantly contrived films, most of them psychological thrillers.  In addition to making films, Hitchcock edited collections of short stories and produced two television series, “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” (1959-62) and “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” (1963-65), on which he served as a portly, sepulchral-voiced host.  He was also noted for non-speaking cameo appearances in his films.  As a director, Hitchcock was praised for his witty urbanity, his impeccable but highly idiosyncratic cinematic technique and his penchant for the macabre and the suspenseful.  Hitchcock’s directorial technique can be discerned in several notable exchanges, including his declaration “I never said ‘actors are cattle’...I said ‘actors should be treated like cattle.”   During The Birds, upon being asked by Tippi Hedren what her “motivation” was, Hitchcock is said to have replied, “To do what I told you to.”

The Birds CAST    Email us:LateNight Theatre