December 12th, 2011

The classic 1970′s Boston crime drama, The Friends of Eddie Coyle is getting a reboot, this time on the Cambridge stage.  The Oberon in Harvard Square will host a revival of the George V. Higgins novel, beginning in December.  The production will feature many of the cast members from this month’s staged reading of the story in Somerville.  Actor, Paul Branco will return in the title role.

The story follows Eddie Coyle, a gunrunner in a Boston organized crime ring, who is facing a jail sentence for his role in a New Hampshire truck hijacking when he is propositioned to become a mob informant .  Many claim the character bears a resemblance to one of Whitey Bulger’s associates, Billy O’Brien, who was murdered in 1967.  Higgins never confirmed any real-life connections to his characters.  The novel became a film in 1973 starring Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle and was eventually adapted for the stage by Bill Doncaster.

Another one of Higgin’s novels, Cogan’s Tade, is getting the Hollywood treatment.  The film, another mob story, will hit theaters next year with Brad Pitt in the starring role.

Tickets are available for The Friends of Eddie Coyle now on the Oberon Theater’s website.  Performances will run three times a week from December 8- January 15.