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St, Charles troupe to present “The Au Pair Man’

Steel Beam Theatre’s dark comedy “The Au Pair Man” is the captivating story of a wealthy English woman of “a certain age,” Elizabeth Rogers, portrayed by Donna Steele, SBT founder and executive director, and her roughhewn boy toy, the low-class Irish bill collector Eugene Hartigan, played by Jim Poole of Chicago.

Written by Irish playwright Hugh Leonard, author of the Broadway hit play “Da,” “The Au Pair Man” is a reverse ”My Fair Lady” that is both an exploration of a complicated interpersonal relationship and an allegory of the centuries-old conflict between England and Ireland.

“The Au Pair Man” opens Friday, Feb. 18, and runs through Sunday, March 13. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. There are a variety of restaurants nearby and free parking is available next to the theater,111 W. Main St., in historic downtown St. Charles.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $23 for students/seniors and $22 for groups of 10 and more. For tickets, visit www.steelbeamtheatre.com.

And to celebrate its opening weekend, California Pizza Kitchen, 1202 Commons Drive, Geneva, will donate 20 percent of your check to Steel Beam Theatre when you eat at CPK Feb. 19-20. Present the CPK benefit flier found on Steel Beam Theatre’s website or Facebook page. Call Steel Beam Theatre for details at (630) 587-8521.

“The Au Pair Man” opens with Eugene Hartigan, a neophyte bill collector, ringing the doorbell at the London home of Elizabeth Rogers, a married woman whose husband is often away on business. Mrs. Rogers cleverly manipulates the unsophisticated bill collector through cunning and seduction and he ends up trapped into her “service” as an au pair man.

She dresses Eugene in the finest clothes, teaches him proper diction and English history. While at first he is enthralled by his good fortune, and grateful for her benevolence, it slowly dawns on Eugene that he is a prisoner, stripped of his own identity, and that escape is futile.

Nominated for a Tony® award, “The Au Pair Man” has been called “a witty comedy of Anglo-Irish manners, full of amusing observations reminiscent of the styles of George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde.”

Long a respected figure in Chicago-area theater, Steele’s most recent Steel Beam characters include Sheree in “Dixie Swim Club;” Sister Aloysius in “Doubt” and Shirley in “Shirley Valentine.” Steele holds a master in fine arts in acting from Southern Methodist University, and a bachelor and master’s degree in theater from Northwestern University. She studied with Alvina Krause, the legendary acting teacher who helped create the acclaimed theater program at Northwestern. Steele is an accomplished director, having directed many Main Stage and Children’s Theatre productions over Steel Beam Theatre’s 10-year history.

A native of Chicago and Wheaton College graduate, Jim Poole is a member of Chicago’s Steep Theatre ensemble and has been involved in numerous theatrical, improvisational and sketch comedy groups. Other Steep Theatre credits include “Harper Regan,” “Bang the Drum Slowly” and “Catch-22.” Poole has also recently appeared in “Twelfth Night,” Greenstick Summer Theater; “How Gertrude Stormed the Philosophers Club,” Bailiwick and “A Lie of the Mind,” Strawdog Theater.

Director Bernie K. Weiler is an Aurora attorney who holds degrees in theater and law from Loyola University Chicago. Weiler most recently directed last season’s popular Main Stage production “It Could Be Any One of Us” and Children’s Theatre 10th season opener “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”

Now in its 10th season, Steel Beam Theatre has guided audiences and actors in shared experiences that help the participants more fully understand humanity. Its mission is to bring high quality theatrical entertainment, training and arts awareness to the Fox Valley community at an affordable price. Since 2001, Steel Beam productions have attracted thousands to St. Charles, and the theater is an anchor that adds diversity and draws visitors to the historic downtown area for any given production. Visit Steel Beam on Facebook, at www.steelbeamtheatre.com, or call (630) 587-8521.