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Play About Cocoanut Grove Fire Coming To Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- The play "Inferno! Fire At The Cocoanut Grove 1942" will run later this month at the Boston Center for the Arts--only half a mile from where the Cocoanut Grove nightclub used to stand.

The play is a dramatic reminder of the events of November 18, 1942, when a fire at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub killed 492 people in downtown Boston.

Writer-director James Prince told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens that it's a story that's been lost for many people, especially younger Bostonians.

"People under 40 were saying, 'yeah, I think something happened,' and they had no details, no understanding of what occurred," said Prince.

Prince is from Dallas, but he found his heart suddenly here in Boston as he learned more about the fire.

"It's an amazing story about fire safety and fire awareness," said Prince, who spent a year writing the play.

The play will run from February 26 to April 3.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports

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