Greed Kills, Well, Not Really, in "Fly Me To The Moon"

Katie Tumelty and Tara Lynne O'Neill in Marie Jones' "Fly Me To The Moon." Photo by Vinnie Loughran

Fans of Hitchcock's "The Trouble With Harry" or "Waking Ned Divine" can take heart in Marie Jones' "Fly Me To The Moon."

Loretta Mackie (Tara Lynne O'Neill) and Francis Shields (Katie Tumelty) are community care workers, which translates roughly as nurses' aides, for Davy Magee, a lonely bloke who loves Sinatra tunes and needs round the clock assistance.

Katie Tumelty as Francis and Tara Lynne O'Neill as Loretta share a lighter moment after Davy's gone.
Photo by Vinnie Loughran  

Well-intentioned, overworked and underpaid, the two spend their days with their charge, running errands for him to  place the occasional bet with his bookmaker or pick up his government check. Francis, a bit of a self-centered schemer, left on her own when Loretta is late, takes Davy into the toilet from which he doesn't emerge.  It's Monday, the day Loretta picks up his check, Francis goes to the bookies for any winnings.  

And there-in lies the plot of "Fly Me To The Moon." Francis and Loretta get in deeper and deeper. "Well there is no turnin' back now is there?," Francis says. "You didn't tell her he was dad, so according to her [the nurse on the phone] Davy Magee is still alive. Why did you not tell her he was dead?" Loretta's answer: "I was scared." 

"Fly Me To The Moon" mines the thin terrain of this not entirely original premise. Katie Tumelty and Tara Lynne O'Neill exhibit well seasoned comic timing. Tara Lynne O'Neill's Loretta lets greed and need get the better of her good-nature. 

Loretta and Francis shift through Davy's few belongings. Photo by Vinnie Loughran.

For more information on "Fly Me To The Moon," visit www.59e59.org.