Jacks Is Back

Every American over the age of fifty vividly remembers seeing the pictures of Jacqueline Kennedy in her bloodstained pink suit after her husband was assassinated. But in Jacks, award-winning playwright Lys Anzia delves far below the surface of what happened to the First Lady that day, as well as the days preceding and following. "If Jackie were still alive today, I know she would have thought strongly that this play is a true and honest account of her life," says Anzia.

The play debuted in November 2003 on the fortieth anniversary of John F. Kennedy's death in nine locations across the country (theaters in Florida and Texas backed out of the project) — "a historic event" commemorating a historic event. For the fiftieth anniversary, Anzia envisions simultaneous productions in a hundred theaters. But first, Jacks is coming back to Boulder for a one-time staged reading with a fifteen-member equity cast directed by Mari Geasair and funded by the Boulder Library Foundation. "The interest in this story is pretty constant," Anzia says. "Some secrets in the script are barely out in the public right now about what Jackie was actually going through."

Discover them for yourself when the free reading starts at 2 p.m. today at the Boulder Public Library, 1000 Canyon Boulevard; for more information, call 303-431-3100.
Sat., Jan. 20, 2-4:30 p.m.