Harrowing tale of gangland Dublin debuts

An experimental story line drenched with violence, hysteria and mystery hallmarks "Howie the Rookie," which opens this week. \nVariety has called it "a brutal, bitterly funny and surprisingly tender evening of theatre." \nThe two-man show by playwright Mark O'Rowe premieres at 8 p.m. tonight at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, 312 S. Washington St. The show runs through the weekend with a Sunday matinee at 5 p.m.\nThe show features two characters named "The Rookie Lee" and "The Howie Lee." The Howie becomes locked in a feud involving a mattress covered with scabies and a possible gang war because somebody made a Siamese fighting fish go belly up.\nThe two leads are played by Matt Harding and Steve Decker.\nHarding (The Howie) is a visiting assistant professor in Voice and Speech at IU. Harding earned a Master's of Arts from Northwestern University, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Wright State University, and studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England. Harding is a member of both the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Voice and Speech Trainers Associations. \n"Let me give you my run-down of what the play is about in three words. Loyalty. Ruination. Redemption," Harding said.\nSteve Decker (The Rookie) is almost finished with his Master's of Fine Arts in directing from IU. Before coming here, Decker worked professionally in Maryland as an actor, director and producer for six years. For "Howie the Rookie," Decker takes a leave from his normal perch on the director's chair. Decker usually puts his fingers on traditional, big name stuff like Eugene O'Neill and Sir William Shakespeare. He most recently directed "A Moon for the Misbegotten" at the Wells-Metz Theatre in 2002. \nBut it's not like his acting credits don't exist. He played Charley in Miller's "Death of a Salesman" at the Brown County Playhouse, according to a BPP statement.\nBloomington Playwrights Project claims the show is "an electrifying picture through, around and under a nightmarish gangland Dublin where enemies and allies are interchangeable, where the most brutal events take on a mythic significance."\nAnd of that "mythic significance," Decker said, "there is some discussion of the ancient Mayan Indian god of death showing himself to a man in another form before taking him, before his death. There is a recurring, seemingly random image encountered in the play, leading inevitably to death." \nMark O'Rowe is an Irishman, and you can tell the culture is in his blood by the way he penned the script. \n"I think the big thing about his writing, and this group of Irish writers is their love for a good story told with passion around a pint at the pub," Decker said. "I think that the love of telling the story is what differs from American writings."\nThe script earned O'Rowe a few accolades including the 2000 Irish Times "New Play of the Year" and the 1999 "Rooney Award" for Irish literature.\nThe show is produced by the aptly named 'Keep Out of Reach of Children Productions' -- the show is one where a baby sitter would come in handy. The production company said, "This is theatre by adults for adults."\nBy the time the full plot is understood, it is easy to see why this show is much more carnal than Jack Benny ever was. \n"(I've seen) the Disney-ification of today's theater," Decker said of the play's adult nature. "We are not playing for a family crowd. This is work for grownups -- it is not always pretty, but it will be tough and presented with a visceral strength and with a pulsing of energy. It is rock 'n roll, in-your-face stuff. It is not for the faint-hearted; it is volatile, and some may even say poisonous. So -- Keep Out of Reach of Children."\nEugene O'Neill and Sir William Shakespeare. He most recently directed "A Moon for the Misbegotten" at the Wells-Metz Theatre in 2002. \nBut it's not like his acting credits don't exist. He played Charley in Miller's "Death of a Salesman" at the Brown County Playhouse, according to a BPP statement.\nBloomington Playwrights Project claims the show is "an electrifying picture through, around and under a nightmarish gangland Dublin where enemies and allies are interchangeable, where the most brutal events take on a mythic significance."\nAnd of that "mythic significance," Decker said, "there is some discussion of the ancient Mayan Indian god of death showing himself to a man in another form before taking him, before his death. There is a recurring, seemingly random image encountered in the play, leading inevitably to death." \nMark O'Rowe is an Irishman, and you can tell the culture is in his blood by the way he penned the script. \n"I think the big thing about his writing, and this group of Irish writers is their love for a good story told with passion around a pint at the pub," Decker said. "I think that the love of telling the story is what differs from American writings."\nThe script earned O'Rowe a few accolades including the 2000 Irish Times "New Play of the Year" and the 1999 "Rooney Award" for Irish literature.\nThe show is produced by the aptly named 'Keep Out of Reach of Children Productions' -- the show is one where a baby sitter would come in handy. The production company said, "This is theatre by adults for adults."\nBy the time the full plot is understood, it is easy to see why this show is much more carnal than Jack Benny ever was. \n"(I've seen) the Disney-ification of today's theater," Decker said of the play's adult nature. "We are not playing for a family crowd. This is work for grownups -- it is not always pretty, but it will be tough and presented with a visceral strength and with a pulsing of energy. It is rock 'n roll, in-your-face stuff. It is not for the faint-hearted; it is volatile, and some may even say poisonous.