Portland Public Library and Portland Stage continue Page to Stage series with a discussion about “Our Man In Havana”

Tuesday, January 27th at noon in the Rines Auditorium

Portland, Maine - Portland Public Library continues the “Page to Stage” discussion series in partnership with Portland Stage on Tuesday, January 27th at Portland Public Library with a conversation about “Our Man In Havana” by Clive Francis. Portland Stage’s performance of the play will be discussed, along with the play’s theme of finding room for debate when talking about the eternal soul.

Our Man In Havana is adapted from the Graham Greene novel of the same title and is a lively, theatrical thriller about Cold War subterfuge and the desire to be “somebody” no matter what the risks.  Four actors play the parts of thirty in this fast-paced satire. After working as a vacuum cleaner salesman in Havana, Cuba, for 10 years, the humdrum life of James Wormold is interrupted when an agent from the British Intelligence Service appears to recruit Wormold as their “Man in Havana.”  Wormold finds his main job is to create a remote intelligence network in Havana, but recruiting new spies proves an impossible task for the bumbling salesman.  To keep the paychecks coming in, Wormold begins to invent his own agents.  In order to validate his cast of characters, Wormold lifts their names from actual citizens of Havana—country club members, his sales assistant, and even a prostitute.  When his cast of employees grows beyond the perceived control of one person, the central agency sends him a secretary, Beatrice.  Soon, though, the unthinkable happens: the enemy becomes aware of Wormold, and his “agents” start getting picked off, one by one.  In a desperate attempt to rectify the situation, Wormold embarks on a wild goose chase to warn and protect his remaining “agents,” but is often thwarted by his newfound enemies.  Finally, in spite of the depth of the debacles he has caused, Wormold is knighted by the Queen of England herself, before “riding off into the sunset” with Beatrice.

Page to Stage is an opportunity to engage in questions about the plays, playwrights, and ideas presented on Portland Stage Company’s Main Stage.  The discussion is facilitated by Portland Stage artistic staff and free and open to the public.