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On this program we invite you to join us at a delightful evening of poetry and fiction at which we turned the Symphony Space stage over to our great friend, the actor and writer John Lithgow, who brought along HIS friend, the inimitable actor and clown Bill Irwin. In the first section of the program the pair had a great deal of fun reading an assemblage of verse from John’s anthology, THE POETS’ CORNER—from the robust saga of an ancient carriage, to a surrealist tour de force by Gertrude Stein, to the sweet silliness of “The Owl and the Pussycat.” Celebrated performance artist Bill Irwin made an indelible mark with such productions as “In Regard of Flight,” but has been more recently celebrated as a dramatic actor, winning a Tony Award for his performance in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.”

The second part of the program is given over to Lithgow’s fervent reading of a horror classic--the macabre tale “The Monkey’s Paw,” by the English writer W.W. Jacobs. John Lithgow is a Tony Award winner for his creation of the leading role in “M Butterfly,” and a Emmy winner for his portrayal of High Commander Dick Solomon on the hit comedy series, “Third Rock from the Sun.” Away from stage and screen, he has shaped an additional career as a successful children’s book author.

Selected poems by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Gertrude Stein, Robert Frost and others, read by John Lithgow and Bill Irwin
“The Monkey's Paw,” by W.W. Jacobs, read by John Lithgow

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