The new Irish musical Parcel From America will offer two invitation-only readings October 30 at Theatre 555. J.R. Sullivan will direct the readings, with music direction by Kevin Corcoran.

The cast will feature A.J. Shively (Philadelphia, Here I Come!; Paradise Square), Alexandria Sharpe (Celtic Woman), Polly McKie (Butcher Boy), Michael Mellamphy (The Smuggler), Clare O'Malley (Philadelphia, Here I Come!), Andrea Lynn Green (The Butcher Boy), Brian Vaugh (Beetlejuice), Georgi James (Annie), Ethan Haberfield (Mary Poppins), Jonathan Luke Stevens (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), and Daniel Patrick Sullivan (Chicago Fire). 

Set in 1950s West Limerick with Irish emigration at its core, Parcel From America follows a lonely widow and a neighbor boy. The boy's attempt to comfort her leads him to make a promise he can't keep, forcing his family into a desperate act of kindness that leads them to the true heart of Christmas.

“One doesn’t have to be Irish or Irish-American to cheer this beautiful story," Sullivan said in a statement. "Its themes are universal, and I find them especially resonant for our times with our collective reflection on our intense need for community, and the need to sustain the bond of family and friends.”

Parcel From America is adapted from Tomáseen Foley's original story by Jahnna Beecham and Malcolm Hillgartner, with Michael J. Hume and Kevin Corcoran. Ann Le Claire will produce the reading.