For over 115 years, Greystone Hall has stood in the heart of Chester County, The stately West Chester mansion will soon become the setting of “The Manor,” a unique play that has the audience follow the actors from room to room in the mansion as an intricate story about the wealthy Edward Doheny family unfolds. The show runs Sept. 7 to 16. (COURTESY PHOTO)
WEST CHESTER — One of the region’s most famous mansions will again become a stage when Greystone Hall and the Colonial Playhouse of Delaware County present “The Manor,” a two-act play by Kathrine Bates and directed by Sam Barrett from Sept. 7 through 16.
Inspired by a true story from the 1920s, the play was designed to be performed in the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills where those events took place. The play was later adapted by the playwright for Greystone Hall in Chester County, where the mansion itself is again the stage and the star.
“The Manor” brings to life the famous rooms and stylings of Greystone Hall. The two-act play features twelve actors who bring audiences room-by-room as the drama unfolds.
The story itself centers around money, marriage, politics and power.
Set in the 1920s, the play is a fictionalized account of the “triumphs and tribulations” of the wealthy Edward Doheny family, renamed in Bates’ play as the “MacAlisters.”
Doheny (1856-1935) drilled the first successful oil well in Los Angeles, starting the oil boom of the early 1900s in Southern California. In the late 1920s, oil tycoon and philanthropist Doheny was accused of bribing the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in exchange for obtaining a lease on 32,000 acres of federal land in California.
This was part of the Teapot Dome scandal during the Harding administration. Although the Secretary of the Interior was convicted of accepting a bribe, Doheny was ultimately acquitted. In its wake, however, a terrible tragedy took place in the grandiose Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills that he had gifted to his son.
The audience follows the unfolding story as it moves through the grand stately rooms and intimate spaces of the famous 115-year-old mansion, leading up to the shocking conclusion. The play returns by popular demand for its fifth time at Greystone Hall.
Much of the talent is supplied by Colonial Playhouse in Aldan, a community theater established in 1940.
It has a long tradition of offering a variety of theatrical programs. Sam Barrett, president of Colonial Playhouse, has immersed herself, once again, in directing this encore production of “The Manor.”
For the cast, Barrett has selected many notable names from past Colonial productions, mixed in with some new tatent for the sixth season of “The Manor.”
The cast for this year’s production includes Stephen Kelly, Annaliese Gove, Jennifer Wolfe, Den Mahoney, Mike Winterode, Chelsea Flynn, JP Timlin, David Cashell, Barbara Scanlon, Greg Speca, Thomas Karolyi, Jim Hulme, Joanne Naughton and Meghan McHugh. The stage manager is Ron Hill.
Opening night will be Thursday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. The play will run through Saturday, Sept. 16, with evening and matinee showtimes available across performance days.
Tickets are on sale for $70 each, which includes the show and experience, plus complimentary sweet and savory refreshments at intermission. The show sold out its runs in 2022 and early 2023.
Tickets are available at http://www.greystonehall.com. All performances will be held at Greystone Hall, 2450 Aram Ave., West Chester.
Media commemorates Delco’ first Black attorney
Media will commemorate Delaware County’s first black attorney, William Henry Ridley, (1867-1945), with the unveiling of a historical plaque on Plum Street in the borough to honor him.
Everyone is welcome to attend the unveiling event at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 8 S. Plum St. to recognize a pioneer in the legal profession and a lifelong resident of Media who provided honorable service in his career and community.
Ridley was born in the historic Minshall House at Front Street and Providence Road in Media.
His parents were former runaway slaves who fled to Media during the Civil War. Ridley attended Media Public High School and graduated with honors in 1887 and went on to become the first Black lawyer admitted to the Delaware County Bar in 1891. He had a distinguished legal career that spanned 54 years and provided services to a diverse portfolio of clientele.
The unveiling is sponsored by Latoison Law and hosted by attorney Enrique Latoison, the great-great-grandson of Ridley. In attendance will be the District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, attorney Robert Keller, Dr. Samuel Lemon, and other members of the Ridley family and legal community.
Middletown Church to hold thrift shop sale, outdoor flea market
Middletown Church, 273 S. Old Middletown Road, Middletown Township, will hold its September Thrift 4 You Clothing and Accessories Sale from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8.
Shoppers can fill a bag with summer items for $10. Items for sale will include baby clothes and accessories, men’s and women’s clothing and accessories, household items and more.
The church accepts donations 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Monday to Thursday in the church office.
The church will have an outdoor flea market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9. Spaces are still available for $20. To rent a space, call 610-565-4080.
Edgmont Township to hold annual Community Day
The second annual Edgmont Township Community Day is slated for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 at Arasapha Farm, 1835 Middletown Road, Glen Mills.
Held rain or shine, the Community Day will feature over 100 food, business and craft vendors, as well as many free activities.
Activities throughout the day will include escape rooms, balloon artist, face painting, carnival and field games, petting zoo, pony rides, quilt raffle, Colonial Plantation, dog adoption event, DJ, inflatables and more.
Attendees can visit with the Edgmont Fire Company and other neighboring fire companies, Edgmont Public Works Department, Edgmont Army Reserve Center, Riddle EMS, Citizen Corps of Delaware County, Department of Emergency Services and state police. Additionally, local dance and cheer performances will be presented by Angela Bates, Kedron Cheer and McDade Cara.
The day is sponsored by Arasapha Farm and PECO, as well as White Horse Village, Vince May Team, The Country Press Inc., JPS, Dallas Data Systems, Bates Motel and Haunted Attraction, Petting Zoo by Taylor, National Realty Corp. and Wawa.
The mission of the event is to bring together the community, businesses, township staff, and government officials and to foster a deeper sense of community, pride, optimism, positivity, and inclusiveness within Edgmont Township. For more information, visit https://edgmont.org.
Mercy Fitzgerald earns accreditation from American College of Surgeons
The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, administered by the American College of Surgeons, has granted accredited status to Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby.
To achieve voluntary accreditation, a center must demonstrates compliance with the program standards that address a center’s leadership, clinical services, research, community outreach, professional education and quality improvement for patients. Breast centers seeking accreditation undergo a site visit every three years, according to a press release.
As an accredited center, Mercy Fitzgerald is committed to maintaining levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive, patient-centered, multidisciplinary care resulting in high-quality care for patients with breast disease.
Patients can be confident that their breast care team includes health care professionals from a variety of disciplines who are committed to working together to provide the best care available through their entire course of treatment.
Patients receiving care at an accredited center also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatment options, genetic counseling, and patient-centered services including psychosocial support, rehabilitation services, and survivorship care, according to a press release.
“Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital has an excellent breast team, and we are proud to be recognized as a NAPBC accredited Breast Center,” says Dr. Karen Kish, breast surgeon and breast program director at Mercy Fitzgerald, “Having NAPBC accreditation shows our commitment to our community to provide resources and supportive, coordinated care for screening, prevention and treatment for all breast diseases.”
To learn more about breast care and women’s care services at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, visit https://www.trinityhealthma.org/womens-care-at-mercy-fitzgerald.
Readers can send community news and photos to Peg DeGrassa at pdegrassa@21st-centurymedia.com.
