Premiering last week at Urbanite Theatre was The Smuggler, a play by Ronan Noone. The Smuggler is about an Irish immigrant Tim Finnegan who wants to be a writer in America but struggles to find his path. That all changes when a stranger arrives with a plan to make people “disappear and reappear.” In this mischievous, one-man, rhyming-verse dark comedy, Tim learns the price he must pay to become an American. Step into his secret speakeasy to hear a twisty story with unsavory characters and shady shenanigans.

Playing Tim Finnegan in this one-man story is Giles Davies. Giles is making his Urbanite debut and is very pleased about it. He received his MFA from The Ohio State University, and worked 19 seasons with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Typically working in Tampa, where he has lived for the last 12 years, Giles was last seen
in Jobsite Theater’s (his home away from home) production of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde and American Stage’s production of Romeo & Juliet. He was text coach for Jobsite’s current production of Romeo & Juliet. Previous solo shows include: Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus, L’histoire du soldat, and numerous self-created pieces.

Ronan Noone, the write of this play, has had many productions in the United States including The Lepers of Baile Baiste, The Blowin of Baile Gall, The Gigolo of Baile Breag, Brendan, Little Black Dress, The Compass Rose, Scenes from an Adultery, and The Atheist. He has many awards including three Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards for Best New Play; an Elliot Norton Outstanding Script Award; Kennedy Center National Playwriting Award; a 2014 Edgerton New American Play Award, and the 2015 Association for
Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Award for Excellence in Playwriting.

The current play The Smuggler won the best playwright award at the 1st Irish Festival, NY 2019, an Elliot Norton Award for best Solo Performance (2020), and recognized by the New York Times as a
“pick from the year’s best theatre.” It is definitely a treat to have The Smuggler as part of the Urbanite’s Theatre season of plays.

The Smuggler will have a run from Jan 17th – Feb 20th with no performances on Mondays and Tuesdays. Early shows have been selling out so it is advised to get your tickets in advance at Urbanite Theatre’s Ticket Site. For more information about The Smuggler visit urbanitetheatre.com or call 941-321-1397.

David “Thrills” is an avid enthusiast of thrill parks, theatre and entertainment activities in the Tampa Bay Area. Be sure to follow me on twitter and instagram, or email me at tampathrillme@gmail.com for any questions or concerns. This article was copied in part from The Urbanite Theatre web page and The Smuggler program.