Monday, November 12, 2018

Meet the McShanes and O'Rourkes!

compiled by Bridget Erangey

In CHRISTMAS IN BABYLON, our world premiere holiday comedy by James DeVita, we meet two families originating from North Babylon, Long Island: The McShanes, and the O'Rourkes. Over the course of the story, we get to know the five members of these families pretty well -- but it can't hurt to make introductions early!

Below, we've presented condensed character descriptions taken straight from DeVita's script, along with headshots of the actors portraying them and costume renderings by Kimberly O'Callaghan. Enjoy this sneak peek at these two families -- and get ready to learn a whole lot more about them in the show itself!


TERRY McSHANE (Tom Klubertanz) 
Late-40s to early 50s, living in a lower middle-class home, and fluent in sarcastic banter. Terry is a born storyteller, whose humor is that of the slightly oppressed Everyman: nervous, insecure -- a sort of  blue-collar Woody Allen. Married to Denise McShane.



DENISE McSHANE (Mary MacDonald Kerr)
Mid-40s to early 50s, blunt and unsentimental, Denise is the kind of person who would give her literal last dime to someone in need, but would never let them know it. Over the years, Denise has gone from tolerating Terry, to being his straight man.



ABBY McSHANE (Sara Zientek)
Mid-20s, slightly awkward, and is consistently overwhelmed -- mostly self-generated. She has suffered from varying degrees of anxiety issues much of her adult life and, at her best, manages it with an ironic and self-deprecating humor. At her worst, it can get the best of her and she needs to either figuratively or literally escape from wherever she is.


KELLY O'ROURKE (Eva Nimmer)
Late-20s, very polite, and quite charming. She is finishing up her residency to become a doctor. She is very at home in the world of medical-speak, not so much in small talk. A child of two divorces, Kelly did not have an easy childhood. Perhaps she's overcompensated as an adult.


KATHLEEN O'ROURKE (Laura Gray)
Late-40s, an educated and classy woman who has left the streets of her youth far behind and spent a lifetime denying she ever walked them. She is an author and inspirational speaker in the world of 'self-help'. When speaking at her seminars, we can sense that perhaps she is working on her own life publicly, coaching herself through the medium of her audience.

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