UNBRIDLED BOOKS 8 February 2022
For Immediate Release:
STAGE ADAPTATION OF PETER FERRY’S NOVEL
OLD HEART PREMIERES MAY 14 AT
DETROIT’S REDFORD THEATER
DETROIT- The stage adaptation of Old Heart (978-1-60953-117-1), Peter Ferry’s award-winning novel about an 85-year-old American World War II vet searching for the Jewish translator he fell in love with in the Netherlands opens May 14 at historic Redford Theater in Detroit.
Directed by Karl King, this acclaimed novel from Unbridled Books has garnered a steadily widening readership since its first appearance in 2015. Dave Eggers called the book “astonishing.” The Chicago Tribune says the novel “will stay with you for keeps.” And Publishers Weekly asserts the novel is “life-affirming.”
The stage adaptation of Old Heart is coproduced by Detroit’s beloved Redford Theater, one of the Midwest’s most successful community nonprofit theaters.
The book and play tell the story of American GI Tom Johnson who joins forces with 24-year-old Sarah van Praag and the Dutch resistance to smuggle food and supplies from the liberated south across Nazi lines to starving cities in the northern Netherlands. Their brief love affair collapses at the war’s end, and sixty years later Johnson, about to be sent off to assisted living by his family, disappears on a flight to Amsterdam. While his children desperately try to locate him, Johnson is determined to track down Sarah.
“We are thrilled to feature a remarkable midwestern cast for the premiere,” says Roger Rapoport, who adapted Ferry’s novel for the stage. The play will travel in the United States as well as the Netherlands.
“Like so many readers, I was knocked about by Ferry’s novel,” adds director Karl King. “Old Heart is a wonderful story that illuminates the courage of two young people fighting to save lives in a divided country at the war’s end. It’s a privilege to bring it to Detroit audiences.”
Old Heart is being hailed as an honest, unsentimental celebration of the power of love. Tickets are available at https://ci.ovationtix.com/36213/production/1084745
See the trailer here: https://vimeo.com/590676645
PETER FERRY:
Peter Ferry is the author of the 2008 novel Travel Writing (Houghton Mifflin). His short stories have appeared in McSweeneys, Fiction, Story Quarterly, OR and Chicago Quarterly Review. He is the recipient of an Illinois Arts Council Award for Short Fiction and is a frequent contributor to the travel pages of The Chicago Tribune. He lives in South Haven, Michigan and Indianapolis.
FROM THE READERS:
Chicago Writers Association Novel of the Year
“This is a novel of love and of loss and of self-determination. Old Heart moves through time and grabs your interest on every page and will stay with you for keeps.”
— The Chicago Tribune
“Old Heart mingles a bit of suspense with precise, unsparing reflection on personal histories against a backdrop of difficult events. In this the novel might be compared to Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety or Colm Tóibín’s The Master, and it is nearly as well written. It should appeal to readers of any age and might make a good gift for a friend in doubt about the possibilities for renewal late in life.” — Chicago Book Review
“A life-affirming novel about love and second chances.” — Publishers Weekly
“Old Heart manages to weave together an astonishing array of themes and layers—the perils and freedoms of old age, the complexity of family ties, the liberation of travel, and finally, Ferry presents and proves the bold and needed idea that it’s never too late to re-open the past to recast the present.” — Dave Eggers
“Peter Ferry’s writing is wry and beautiful.” — Elizabeth McKenzie
“Old Heart has the feel of an instant literary classic.” — Don De Grazia
ROGER RAPOPORT:
Roger Rapoport produced and cowrote the feature films Coming Up For Air and Pilot Error which have won nine best feature awards at festival around the world. An investigative reporter, he is also the author of Grounded and Angle of Attack with Shem Malmquist, as well as of Citizen Moore and Hillsdale: Greek Tragedy in America’s Hertland. He writes for many publications including STAT News, Wired, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Miami Herald and The Detroit Free Press.
THE REDFORD THEATER:
Operating as a non-profit, the Redford has served Detroit audiences since 1928. This landmark theater famous for its classic Barton organ attracts loyal patrons from across the Midwest. Its blue-sky murals have been lovingly restored by a team of local volunteers.
Contact: Roger Rapoport / IMDb page
Glenside Productions / 2441 Westwood St. / Muskegon, MI 49441
rogerdrapoport@me.com / (231) 720-0930
Frederick Ramey / framey@unbridledbooks.comprem-
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