Catching up with the Theater Project

Press release follows for the next production at the Theater Project at Union County College in Cranford. I've read so many good things about this company and keep trying to get there, but no luck so far. I'll try harder now that they are putting on a Paul Rudnick show, a New Jersey premiere for a Central Jersey writer (a Piscataway boy) of well-deserved renown. He's a hoot. Take a good look at his resume down below.

And, at $20 a seat (discounts down to $12 or $10 for students), the Theater Project is bargain compared to many professional theaters in these parts.

And they spell it theat-e-r, even in their name. Brings a tear to an old copy editor's eye.

Yes, there is a place for AP style, even in art. Communication--that's what sets us apart from the lower species.

That and Jerry Springer.

And before I go, it pleased me to hear that Paris was liberated today.

Viva la ... say what?

Sorry. My bad. Poor communication on my part.

Press release for "Valhalla" follows:



PAUL RUDNICK'S SIDE -SPLITTING COMEDY VALHALLA
TO BE PRESENTED BY THE THEATER PROJECT,
UNION COUNTY COLLEGE'S PROFESSIONAL THEATER COMPANY,
JULY 5 THROUGH JULY 29

The Theater Project, Union County College's professional theater company, (1033 Springfield Ave. , Cranford), will present Paul Rudnick's highly-entertaining madcap comedy Valhalla, July 5 through July 29. Artistic Director Mark Spina directs this comic epic, by the author of Jeffrey and In & Out, which is sure to deliver great belly laughs!

About the play, Mr. Spina said, "The audience (when not gasping for breath between laughs) is asked by Paul Rudnick to reflect on why it is that some people pursue beauty above all else, and then asks us to imagine what the world would be like without such folk."

Rudnick's fanciful Valhalla intertwines two stories: the life of Ludwig of Bavaria, the 1880's Mad King responsible for building a series of storybook castles inspired by Wagnerian operas, and the fictional adventures of James Avery, a wild Texas teenager of the 1940s. The play explores questions of beauty and madness, as both Ludwig and James pursue lives of operatic passion, bringing them in contact with such diverse figures as the small town inhabitants of Dainsville, Texas, most of the characters of Lohengrin and Princess Sophie, the loneliest humpback in Europe. Valhalla is outrageous fun confronting the price to be paid for pursuing and, seemingly, attaining everything you could dream of.

Piscataway-born playwright Paul Rudnick is the comic mastermind behind the stage plays Jeffery, I Hate Hamlet, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, and most recently Regrets Only. His screenwriting credits include In and Out, Addams Family Values, The Stepford Wives, and uncredited contributions to Sister Act, The Addams Family, and The First Wives Club.

Valhalla opened in the spring of 2004 at the New York Theater Workshop. Of that production, the New York Daily News described it as "...full of funny moments." Time Out said "...a dizzy, brisk diptych that connects 19th-century Bavaria to 1940s Texas in a unified field theory of gayness." And the Village Voice said "...a juggling act skillful enough to revive vaudeville."

The Theater Project's production will showcase the comedic talents of Dennis DaPrile, Rick Delaney, Gail Lou, Stephen Medvidick, Kevin Sebastian and Jenelle Sosa. Production designers include Rohit K. Kapoor (set), Jerad Schomer (lights) and Maggie Baker Atkins (costumes), Joel Stigliano (sound) and Chris Wood (stage manager).

Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm , Sundays at 3:00pm. Discussions will be held each Sunday immediately following the performance. Tickets are $20; students $10. Thursdays: all tickets $12. Sunday, July 8 has been designated as "Senior Sunday" – all senior citizen tickets are $12. An Audio Described performance will take place on Thursday, July 12. For ticket reservations, call (908) 659-5189 . The Theater Project is wheelchair accessible. For more information, please visit www.TheTheaterProject.com .

The Theater Project is Union County College's Professional Theater Company, bringing artists from all over the state and New York City together in its productions. Well-known for its intimate "Studio on Stage" where the audience sits within arm's reach of the performers, the company is celebrating its twelfth season of producing new works and contemporary classics. The Theater Project has been recognized by grants from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the New Jersey State Arts Council, and The Union County College Foundation.

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