Appallingly dysfunctional families striving to keep their nastiest secrets buried are the stuff of many, if not most, of the classics of American theater. The posthumous publication of Eugene O’Neill’s acknowledged masterpiece, the semi-autobiographical Long Day’s Journey into Night, left us with one of the most memorable ever staged. Over a 24-hour period, an alcoholic father, a morphine-addicted mother and their two sons – one a compulsive womanizer and the other about to be diagnosed with tuberculosis – air out the skeletons in the closets of their Connecticut seaside cottage, to devastating effect. Raw, powerful and disturbing for its time, the play is still regarded as one of the pinnacles of 20th-century drama.
This weekend only at the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, Donna Betts directs a new production of Long Day’s Journey into Night, starring Lisa Lynds as Mary Tyrone, Lou Trapani as James Tyrone, Kevin Archambault as Jamie and Wendell Scherer as Edmund. Performances begin at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 10 and 11 and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 12.
Tickets cost $24 general admission, $22 for seniors and children. If not sold out, rush seats will be available at the door for $20. To order, call the box office at (845) 876-3080 between noon and 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday or 1 and 5 p.m. on Saturdays, or visit www.centerforperformingarts.org. The Center for Performing Arts is located at 661 Route 308, 3.5 miles east of the Rhinebeck village center.
Join the family! 
