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Eliot
Ness, an Untouchable Life
by Max Allen Collins,
Des Moines Playhouse, associate director
Aug 18-21 and 24-28
Tickets are now on sale for the new play by Max Allan Collins, "Eliot
Ness: An Untouchable Life," August 18-27 at The Des Moines Playhouse. Show days
are Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM. Tickets are $17 for adults,
$15 for seniors and $12 for students, and may be purchased at The Playhouse box
office, by phone at 515-277-6261, and online at
www.dmplayhouse.com.
Developed in part with a
grant from Humanities Iowa, "Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life" marks the first
theatrical work from acclaimed Iowa author Collins. The play represents the
culmination of decades of research by the prolific Muscatine writer, whose best
selling graphic novel Road to Perdition was adapted into the Academy
Award-winning Tom Hanks/Paul Newman film.
The one-man show will star
Des Moines actor Michael Cornelsion. Ann Wilkinson serves as the associate
director for the project.
"This format is perfect for telling the true
story of this fascinating American's life," said actor Cornelison, whose recent
appearances as Clarence Darrow have won rave reviews.
"Eliot Ness is
the most famous real-life detective in American history," Collins said, "but
probably no figure in our history has been more misunderstood or
misrepresented."
Ness, the son of a Chicago baker, was at 26 selected
to head up the Capone Squad, directed by President Herbert Hoover to bring down
the Windy City's crime czar, Al Capone. His harrowing exploits have been
Hollywood fodder for decades, including the classic Robert Stack television
series and the Academy Award-winning Kevin Costner film.
"Surprisingly," Collins said, "the real story is more exciting and
colorful than the Hollywood version -- after Capone's imprisonment, Ness went
on to fight other gangsters, corrupt cops and even America's first serial
killer."
The writer first explored Ness in his 1983 novel, True
Detective, which won the "Shamus" award from the Private Eye Writers of
America. Later he penned four novels about Ness's lesser-known but equally
exciting exploits as the "top cop" of Cleveland, Ohio; Ness also figured
prominently in the original graphic novel of Road to Perdition. Research
uncovered by Collins at the Case Western Reserve library, including the
Untouchable's personal scrapbooks, has changed the way history views Eliot
Ness.
The Playhouse production represents the play's first full
production, although a Playhouse-sponsored reading last year led to a Best
Mystery Play of 2004 nomination for the Edgar Allan Poe Award by the Mystery
Writers of America.
A short 2002 film written and directed by Collins
and starring Cornelison -- also entitled "Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life" --
was filmed in collaboration Collins's longtime collaborator, Phil Dingeldein,
of Rock Island's D-philms. The short won an Best Actor award for Cornelsion
from the Iowa Motion Picture Association. Dingeldein will join Collins in Des
Moines to capture the Playhouse performances on High Definition video.
Cornelison's collaboration with Collins includes three feature films
(including the Lifetime Movie of the Week, "Mommy") and two documentaries
(including the recent "Caveman: V.T. Hamlin & Alley Oop"). This marks a
first for the Playhouse -- a live performance designed specifically to be
preserved as an independent film.
The Playhouse is Iowa's oldest and
largest producing theatre. Located at the 42nd Street exit of I-235, the
theatre has presented a full season of shows since 1919 and also offers a wide
variety of educational experiences including classes for ages 3-1/2 to adult,
theatre trips to New York, and volunteer opportunities onstage and backstage.
For more information on The Playhouse and "Eliot Ness: An Untouchable
Life" contact The Playhouse box office at 515-277-6261. Group sales are
available by calling 515-255-3741 ext. 211 or toll-free 1-877-862-5621 ext.
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