“Marcinkus” to Premiere at “The Mansion”

The checkered life and career of Archbishop Paul Marcinkus will come to life at Wilkes-Barre’s Arts Youniverese, 156 S. Franklin St. in Wilkes-Barre, beginning August 4th for a two weekend run. This will be the first official theatrical full-length production to premiere at the center.

Paul Casimir Marcinkus was born into a city ruled by the Mafia, where gang-style murders were everyday occurrences, where corruption reached from the mayor to the prepubescent youth. Marcinkus was born in the suburb of Cicero on January 15, 1922. The following year, Al Capone moved his headquarters to Cicero and brought with him some of the biggest names in organized crime. This was the Cicero in which Marcinkus grew up. Marcinkus eventually came to preside over the Institute for Religious Works (IOR) - the official name of the Vatican bank - during the infamous Immobilare banking scandal, a fraudulent-bankruptcy case involving a loss of more than a billion dollars. This original one-man play by Scranton playwright Tom Flannery, gives insight, not only into the Archbishop’s thoughts on the scandal, but also on other accusations that had been thrown at him over the years, including having a hand in the death of John Paul I.

NEPA favorite Greg Korin stars as Marcinkus under the direction of local theatre veteran Paul Winarski. Production dates are August 4th, 5th, 11th, and 12th, at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $12 and reservations can be made by calling 606-4668 or 736-6741. Tickets can also be purchased at the door on the day of show.