Jersey Stages

Review Preview: Argonautika

2008-03-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

I'll skip the tired and repetitive apologies for not posting more lately. I'll get it in gear when I can find the time.

In the meantime, a rare timely Review Preview of Argonautika at McCarter. Not quite the mindblower I was hoping for, but quite interesting and kind of fun to watch.

And what could be better than a visit to Princeton in the spring?

Please all keep my stepson, Cyle, in your thoughts. He left for Afghanistan last week and is now an Army lieutenant in charge of a reconnaissance team, flushing Taliban and other bad guys out of caves and such.

Hell of a way to make a living. Good news (I hope) is after two tours in Iraq, his wife has told him this is the last one.

Mother is with the young Mrs. on that one.

Anyway, on with the show. Talk to you soon, I hope.

If you want to go:
What: “Argonautika”
When: through April 6
Where: Centenary Matthews Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center at Princeton University, 91 University Place, Princeton
How much: $15 to $49
Info: (609) 258-2787; www.mccarter.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Daily Record
“Don’t be so literal. You’ll miss a lot.”
That’s the advice from one God to another in “Argonautika,” the latest myth-inspired theatrical experience staged by Mary Zimmerman at McCarter Theatre.
Zimmerman clearly has an abstract eye, as she previously proved at Princeton with “The Secret in the Wings” and “The Odyssey.” The former blended a sampling of lesser-known Grimm fairy tales and the was latter based on Homer’s epic poem. She also won a Tony for her 2002 staging of “Metamorphoses,” based on another Greek poem by Ovid.
Artistic director Emily Mann praises Zimmerman’s ability to “tell a tale by transforming language into thrilling visual life.” “Argonautika,” which visualizes the mythology of Jason and the Argonauts, is certainly evidence of that ability. On a set that resembles a mostly bare wooden crate set on its side, Zimmerman turns “Argonautika” into a gift basket full of visual treats.
Her grasp of language and dialogue, however, is less consistent. She overreaches by tapping into two different interpretations of the tale, which causes some confusion, especially for those people who may not be familiar with the story in the first place.
Fans of Greek mythology know all about Jason, son of a deposed king who is tasked by his uncle and current king to retrieve the mythical Golden Fleece and thereby claim the thrown. Looking on from above, the goddess Hera knows this is a fool’s errand, designed to get Jason out of the king’s hair, and most likely send him to his death.
With Hera and Athena watching his back. Jason constructs a mighty ship, the Argo, assembles a mighty strike force (including Hercules) and sets sail into unknown waters. During their storied voyage, they encounter myriad peril, including vengeful gods, sea monsters, flying harpies, fire-snorting bulls and a liberal dose of sorcery.

In her director’s notes, Zimmerman acknowledges the most popular adaptation of the story, crafted by Apollonius of Rhodes, along with another by Gaius Valerius Flaccus. From them, and two different translations, she rescues the full story of Jason’s lover, Medea, which often has been removed from popular Hollywood adaptations.
Small wonder, since they cast the title hero in a bad light. Medea was a sorceress and virgin daughter of King Aietes of Colchis, keeper of the Fleece. Because Jason needs Medea’s help to accomplish his mission, Hera and Athena convince Aphrodite to get her son, Eros, to shoot Medea with an arrow that makes her fall in love with Jason.
But in this adaptation, once the mission is accomplished, Jason dumps Medea for a politically motivated marriage, setting off a final series of tragedy.
Zimmerman’s narrative is frequently dry and heavy handed, which occasionally anchors the Argo in muddy seas. It also weighs down the actors, who struggle to give their characters a clear sense of identity.
A few actors break through. Soren Oliver plays Hercules as an oafish brute full of bluster, while Atley Loughridge covers a gamut of emotion as Medea. Her giddy giggling early on makes her undeserved fate that much more tragic.
Others struggle, including Jake Suffian as the title character, who has trouble standing out in a crowd of uniformed Argonauts, and Sofia Jean Gomez as Athena, who is saddled with much of the narration.
No matter, because “Argonautika” is more for the eye than the ear, and Zimmerman does not disappoint her fans. Characters drop from the sky and disappear through the floor, while puppets and some stunning costumes bring supernatural characters to more life than some of the human ones. Black grills in the “box” allow for eerie lighting effects, while the entire cast choreographs a spectacular wind storm.
The actors also execute some tricky and physical gymnastics that will remind some of a ballet, and even sing a few entertaining songs.
Zimmerman also has a knack for comic relief, and an odd sense of comic timing that seems delightfully random, so you never know when it might pop up. Allen Gilmore, as the scheming King Pelais, has the most fun as the scheming, two faced King Pelias.
The director also injects brief bursts of profanity to remind you that you are in Princeton, not at a child’s show at the Growing Stage.

Signs of life

2008-03-12T05:28:00.000-07:00

A quick check in to make sure you all know I did not go away. Sorry, but I've just been too busy to blog. So much to do at the Daily Record, where we have now started five new weeklies since last summer, including two in the last month. And I'm hip deep in that project. I enjoy it more than most, given my community newspaper background. We're not filling these with trailblazing, first-amendment, watchdog journalism, but rather positive news, including lots and lots of photos and reader-contributed content.

All very well received, and keeping the ship afloat, so to speak. But they are large monsters that must be fed, forcing me to work some weekends and nights in addition to the rest.
Also have been regularly producing auto columns for our new Real Morris magazine for the rich and famous (well,maybe not famous). I've test driven a Porsche Cayenne, a Mercedes I don't remember the number and a Lamborghini Gallardo.

But I hope you've been noticing that I'm still getting tot he theaters and cranking out the reviews. You just need to go to Dailyrecord.com to read them.

FYI, I'll leak word that I've won another first place NJ Press Award for critical writing, although not official until the awards ceremony in April. Guess I'll have to update the profile. If anyone cares, the submitted reviews were for Henry VI, Seven Brides and My Three Angels. I believe all three are posted here somewhere.

I'll get back to Review Previews, etc, soon, but just don't have the time right now. Also,I hear the Gannett NJ papers are going to do some sort of collective blog consolidation or reorg, and I'm still in the mix for that. Perhaps even they'll acknowledge blogging in the job description, which would force them to budget time from your week to do that.
I can dream, can't I?
In the meantime, back to the grind. Talk to you soon.

Review Preview: The Miracle Worker

2008-02-13T10:52:00.000-08:00

OK, here's a technically timely Review Preview of "The Miracle Worker" at Paper Mill. Only technically, cause I saw the show two weeks ago. But the review does not publish until Friday, so it's fresh as a daisy.

No play last week and none this week, but following is another busy stretch, I think seven plays in six weeks.

Oy.

FYI congrats to all the new management types at Paper Mill, recently announced. We're all hoping things turn around.

If you want to go:
What: “The Miracle Worker”
When: through Feb. 24
Where: Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn
How much: $25-92
Info: (973) 376-4343; www.papermill.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
The New York Giants recently completed a miracle season in the Meadowlands. For additional inspiration, the Miracle in Millburn plays on a while longer.
There’s no denying the power of “The Miracle Worker,” which is enjoying a high-profile revival at Paper Mill Playhouse. William Gibson’s adaptation of the true-life saga of Helen Keller and her teacher is one of those stories that cannot fail to move an audience.
“The Miracle Worker” also is a fairly simple production to stage, making it one of the most frequently seen plays in the United States. So when a company with a large stage and a lot of seats decides to present this important but intimate drama, several questions come to mind.
Practical considerations include how the director will prevent the huge stage from swallowing the story. Another concern shared by prominent professional theaters is how to make a given production stand out among its many predecessors.
Paper Mill takes on this challenge every year about this time. Last year, it was Tennessee Williams’ “Summer and Smoke.” The season before showcased another inspirational classic, “Diary of Anne Frank.” Both were worthy productions that struggled to connect with the audience beyond the orchestra seats.
Paper Mill, like competing stages across the Hudson, sometimes ups the ante with big-name actors such as “Summer and Smoke” stars Amanda Plummer and Kevin Anderson. Director Susan Fenichell has no such ringer in her cast, although the actors all do an admirable job. And to be fair, it’s hard to find a ringer actress capable of playing a 12-year-old, especially with Miley Cyrus busy on her concert tour.
Instead, Paper Mill has split the daunting responsibility of playing Helen between two up-and-comers: fifth-grader Meredith Lipson of Pennsylvania and New Jersey sixth-grader Lily Maketansky.
Lipson drew the assignment of playing Helen for the press opening and was a bundle of energy in a role normally played by an older “young” actress. Her dark, wild hair, tossed back like a lion’s mane, and high forehead made her eyes stand out like the coal nuggets on a snowman’s face. But those eyes never showed any sign of usefulness as she quickly groped her way around the stage, arms flailing and hands dancing over everything she touched.
The untamed nature of her character—left blend, deaf and largely mute by a childhood fever—leads to the entrance of the title character, Anne Sullivan (Annika Boras). Barely 20 years old and graduated from a special school, traumatized as an orphan and with her own limited vision, Sullivan seemed ill-equipped to reach Helen when many other professionals had tried and failed.
But Helen’s wealthy family in 1880s Alabama was running out of options more humane than a mental institution.
As we all know, Sullivan’s unique perspective and stubborn determination proved to be exactly what Helen needed. The rest is popular history — Helen learned not only to communicate, but became an inspirational speaker, advocate for the disabled and a celebrity, and enjoyed a lifelong friendship with her mentor.
Fenichell does a better job than most directors in adapting an intimate story to the large space. Center stage functions largely as the courtyard of the Keller estate. It later gives way to the dining room set for what is sometimes referred to as the longest battle scene in American drama. Boras and Lipson execute the complex and exhausting scene, in which Anne forces Helen through a lesson in table manners, with admirable precision.
Fenichell also emphasizes the subtle humor that Gibson sprinkles through the story, including Anne’s famous line after emerging from her battle with Helen.
“The room’s a wreck, but her napkin is folded.”
Among the supporting cast, John Hickok nicely blends Captain Keller’s mix of compassion and Confederate bluster, while Emily Dorsch, as Kate, is a sympathetically desperate mother. Scenic designer David Zinn, who also designed the costumes, fills the stage with real estate.
Still, there’s very little here to recommend as a must-see. Certainly, if you have not yet seen “The Miracle Worker,” this would be a fine choice to start. But at $95 for top-priced ticket, you’ll want to search the discount schedule for an acceptable admission.

Review Preview rewind: TNJ, McCarter

2008-02-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

Neglecting my duties again as me and Mrs. Willie go into full home-improvement mode. We're refinancing to lower our rate and grab some cash for renovations. My home has been a revolving door of contractors, while evening conversations center around countertops and door sizes.
But I am getting to the shows. Following is a draft of the review we already published last Friday, which sort of perverts the whole Review Preview concept. But for the record,we post.

I'll follow with my Review Preview of Paper Mill's "The Miracle Worker."
FYI: "Me, Myself and I" closes Sunday, so if the review inspires you to go, move your booty. Also, tickets are tight.

Theater review
What: “Me, Myself and I”
When: through Feb 17
Where: Berlind Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton University, Princeton
How much: $15-49
Info: (609) 258-2787, ext.10; www.mccarter.org

What: “Flying Crows”
When: through Feb 17
Where: Playwrights Theatre, 33 Green Village Road, Madison
How much: $25-$27.50
Info: (973) 514-1787, ext.10; www.ptnj.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Daily Record
It’s not every week that you can find two famous writers staging world premieres in New Jersey.
One of these novel stories comes from a novel, “Flying Crows,” by PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer. James Glossman adapted and directed this fascinating mystery.
At Princeton, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward Albee is exploring more familiar territory, at least for him. “Me, Myself and I” is a dark, abstract, absurd comedy, full of confrontation and twisted conversation that would drive a grammar convention to the hotel bar.
“Flying Crows” is more complicated, but easier to follow. It reconstructs the life of a vagrant discovered living in Kansas City’s Union Station in 1997. Detective Randy Benton (Dan Domingues) finds Birdie Carlucci (Anthony Blaha) there during a final inspection before the historic building’s demolition.
When Birdie reveals he’s lived there since escaping from the infamous Somerset Medical Institution in 1933, Benton searches for answers. How did Birdie avoid detection? How did he eat? And what happened to Birdie at Somerset?
Benton’s only clue is the name Josh (Reathel Bean), whom Birdie says escaped with him. As Benton follows the trail, “Flying Crows” becomes a memory play. We see scenes of Josh and Birdie building a friendship and enduring hardships at Somerset, where thug-like attendants kept the peace with baseball bats.
We also see the memories of other witnesses, including a waitress from Union Station’s fabled Harvey House restaurant, who became more than a friend to Birdie back in the day.
There’s no active crime to solve, but Lehrer has crafted some rich characters and pulls you into this world of shadows.
Glossman’s adaptation moves at a brisk pace and covers a lot of ground. He’s also assembled a talented and brave cast. The problem is they are nearly overwhelmed by having to play two dozen characters in at least as many scenes.
Prentiss Benjamin spends the most time donning new skins. She begins as a narrator, although everyone takes turn providing narration that sounds like it came straight from the book. She also plays an aunt, a doctor, an EMT and the “Harvey Girl” waitress, both in flashback and in 1997.
Benjamin and Domingues know the territory, having done similar ensemble duty in Glossman’s “Sunrise at Monticello” on this stage a few years back. They are up to the task, but the audience has trouble keeping up with who’s who, where and when.
Newcomers Bean and Blaha both turn in rich performances in their principal roles. Bean’s calm, country manner and deep voice give Josh the kind of dignity his character never experienced at Somerset. Blaha is a convincing lunatic and a believable ladies man, both qualities essential to the tale.
Glossman adds a video screen with images of the station real structures that serve as the setting for this fictional story, along with datelines to remind you which decade you’re in. It helps, but so would trimming a few scenes and characters.
But as it stands, “Flying Crow” is worthy of an audience that, in the middle of a Hollywood writer’s strike, could use a good story right about now.
In Princeton, Albee’s “Me Myself and I” doesn’t offer much of a story — a mother who named both of her twin sons Otto and can’t tell the evil one from the good one. We never learn why the doctor who delivered them replaced the father who left on their birthday.
But this darkly hilarious gem is a brilliant showcase for the fabulous Tyne Daly (showing off some rarely seen comic skills) and Broadway favorite Brian Murray as the mom and the doc, who have a ball with Albee’s intricate wordplay. Artistic director Emily Mann wisely clears the set of everything but actors and a few beds, and lets them coin phrases, then twist them into knots like Eagle Scouts at a jamboree. Along the way, we learn a bit about maternal bonds, sibling rivalries and individual identity.
Like “Flying Crows,” it gets confusing at times, but the “Me, Myself and I” audience also can enjoy how the characters are as confused as they are.

Review preview preview: The Miracle Worker

2008-01-30T19:03:00.000-08:00

It's a long story, but although I saw Paper Mill's "The Miracle Worker" opening night, my review won't run for more than two weeks. So it's not actually written yet.

And I'll probably see two more plays and write their reviews before I get around to writing "Miracle Worker" up.

I know what I think. I just haven't thought it through a keyboard. But since you have to know, I'll give you this much:

Pretty good.
Suprisingly effective use of the entire stage, something that's alays a problem here for shows better seen in a smaller space.
Cast was fine all around.
But is it one of those productions I go around and tell my friends, "Hey, you gotta go see this"? Not really. It's always an inspiring story to witness, and I've never seen it done better. But I learned nothing new, nor did I see any performances that had to be seen.
So my friends don't need to be paying Paper Mill prices when they can see this wonderful play the next time it plays for $15 at a nearby community theater, which it undoubtably will soon.

Friday I'm at Playwrights Theatre for "Flying Crows." Saturday I'm at Princeton for "Me, Myself and I." Sunday I have two stories to write before I go to a Super Bowl Party.

So glad my schedule has finally let up a bit.

Review Preview: Almost Maine

2008-01-30T18:52:00.000-08:00

Bravo to the Bickford for a good choice and good execution on John Cariani's "Amost Maine." Always enjoy my visits there, and if you haven't seen the changes at the Morris Museum, you need to check them out. It continues to be a curiously well-kept secret that Morris County has a substantial museum that ranks with the very best in the state. The expanded music box exhibition, which we've seen bits and pieces of in the past, is spectacular. Lots of touring exhibits come and go as well, so keep in touch with them at www.morrismuseum.org.

Anyway, here's the draft of my review, which pubs Friday in TGIF. As always, you get it here first.

And for free.

I'm not sure we have this cross-platform thing completely licked.

Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Almost Maine”
When: through Feb 17
Where: Bickford Theatre, Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township
How much: $30, $28 seniors, $27 museum members, $15 students 18 and younger
Info: (973) 971-3706; www.bickfordtheatre.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Daily Record
The 2008 theater season in New Jersey is off to a busy start, with big stars, world premieres and an Oscar and Tony-worthy classic all within easy driving distance.
The Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum counters with the revival of a relatively obscure romantic comedy where the lovers spend most of the evening dressed for the Iditarod.
The very idea is so crazy—and the show is so enjo yable—that it just might work.
Certainly, the large opening-night audience last Friday evening for “Almost Maine” showed their approval for John Cariani’s charming collection of nine unusual love stories, featuring four terrific actors. Most are funny, although at least one starts sadly and ends sadder.
Cariani’s point is that romance always seems to involve a measure of pain, but the author’s clever writing allows us to absorb—and appreciate—his tough lessons while leaving our romantic idealism intact.
He accomplishes his mission with sneaky humor and little twists that adds delightful abstraction to each sketch. It’s as though Rod Serling decided to write an entire extended episode of the old “Love, American Style” TV series.
Cariani’s twilight zone is the town of Almost, Maine, in the far northwest of New England’s frontier territory. It’s really not even a town, which we learn in the first scene.
“To be a town, you’ve got to get organized, and we never got around to it,” a local fellow named East (Michael Irvin Pollard) informs a strange woman who’s camping on his land without permission.
The visitor, Glory (Liz Zazzi), tells East that her heart is broken in 19 pieces. Fortunately for Glory, East is a repairman.
The next scene presents a sad fellow (Daniel Robert Sullivan) whose broken romance, and tragically misspelled tattoo, lead to a surprisingly happy ending. The first act concludes with Pollard as a man who cannot feel pain, and a couple who argue until their love quite literally gives them a soft place to land.
The second act isn’t quite as funny, but Cariani continues to make thoughtful commentary on love. It’s amusing to watch two people who can’t stand up when they fall in love, but bittersweet because neither wants to admit their feelings. In the next scene, neither husband nor wife wants to admit they are miserable. They’re followed by a woman determined to find her lost love, only to learn she waited too long.
It’s almost enough to ruin the warm, fuzzy feelings we banked in the first act, but Cairiani wisely brings us full-circle. The last sketch gives us as longtime friends who finally connect romantically. Their consummation, though, has to hurdle one more obstacle, not a wardrobe malfunction so much as a wardrobe conspiracy.
Cariani closes the book by concluding a prologue that featured Sullivan and Janice Kildea as young romantics with opposing opinions of what it means to be close. Like the best of “Almost Maine,” these bumper scenes are delightfully offbeat, but not so abstract that the most casual observer won’t get it and appreciate the sentiment.
All four actors are well-known on professional stages in North Jersey and can add several lines to their respective resumes with this single show. Regardless of geographical similarity, the many characters they play in “Almost Maine” demand a wide range of skills and every one of them is up to the challenge.
Director Wendy Liscow, another veteran of New Jersey and New York stages, nurtured the actors, and her production, with smooth confidence. The fast-paced show moves smoothly from scene to scene and mood to mood, while the actors appear comfortable in every circumstance.
Scenic designer Jim Bazewicz gives them an appropriately sparse, snowy landscape, with the kind of star-filled sky that attracts lovers and astronomers in equal number.
From Paper Mill Playhouse (“The Miracle Worker”) to Playwright’s Theatre (the world premiere of newsman Jim Lehrer’s “Flying Crows”) to McCarter Theatre (premiering Edward Albee’s “Me, Myself and I”), there’s plenty of obvious choices right now for theater fans. Hopefully, they won’t overlook this charming and worthy show set on the outskirts of U.S. territory.

Over the Hump Day

2008-01-25T02:21:00.000-08:00

Last night I "put to bed," as we say in the biz, Part II of the Daily Record Forecast section, which coincided with my three-month anniversary back in Parsippany. An eventful 90 days, to say the least. Very busy, very exciting, very challenging.

Tonight, I'm at the Bickford. Sunday at Paper Mill. Saturday, I'm off for the first time since Jan. 5. I can kick back, play Internet poker, watch movies on the DVR.

Nap.

TV sports are light in the Superbowl 'tween weekend. But I'm that rare bird that watches golf on TV, and both Tiger and Phil are back swinging.

Might even go hit a bucket of balls if the weather's cooperating. Try out that new driver I got for Christmas.

Life is good, is what I'm saying.

So why am I writing this at five in the morning?

Review preview: "B.F.G. (The Big Friendly Giant)"

2008-01-21T05:54:00.000-08:00

Told you I would post soon; no reason to wait, I guess.

Abstract: Great fun, very colorful, touches of MontyPython, and most adults should enjoy it as well. Lotta fart jokes, though, so stuffy (and regular) parents should beware: you'll have to explain on the way home why the giant was wrong to do all that "whizzpoppping."

Theater review
What: “The B.F.G. (Big Friendly Giant)”
When: through Feb. 10
Where: The Palace Theatre, 7 Ledgewood Ave. (Route 183), Netcong
How much: $14; $10 seniors and students
Info: (973) 347-4946; www.growingstage.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Last weekend was a good one for giant fans. Not only did the New York football Giants earn a ticket to the Super Bowl, but another big giant made quite an impression in Netcong.
At the Growing Stage, however, the giants are battling each other in “The B.F.G. (Big Friendly Giant),” another stage adaptation of a story by Roald Dahl, better known for “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “James and the Giant Peach.” English, Oxford-educated David Wood adapted the Welsh writer’s story, but this production carries the unmistakable trademarks of longtime Growing Stage designer-director Perry Arthur Kroeger.
Kroeger knows how to delight the children these shows are meant for, but also knows how to twist the action in ways that will keep the parents from squirming in their seats. He pushes the limits of good taste at times — parents may have to review good and bad body noises with their kids on the way home — but Kroeger enlivens this colorful romp with nearly 100 props and some cheeky, Monty Python-inspired silliness.
Dahl dabbled in black humor as well, and “B.F.G.” also reprises one of his familiar scenarios, which presents a single adult who becomes a champion for children persecuted by other adults. At first, we’re not so sure the hero is very nice, since the play begins with the unnamed giant kidnapping a pigtailed orphan, Sophie, and bringing her to giant country.
Sophie is quickly relieved to learn that he is known as the Big Friendly Giant, or B.F.G. for short, and spends his day catching dreams for children. He’s also a vegetarian, in contrast to the other giants, who like to snack on children (one prefers Turks, another favors English).
A plot of sorts develops when Sophie and B.F.G. learn the other giants plan to turn her orphanage into a British buffet. With the help of the Queen of England, they manage to serve up the happy ending that you can always count on at the Growing Stage, the state’s only professional resident company devoted to children’s theater.
Equity professionals anchor the cast, beginning with Jason Szamreta as the B.F.G. Nikole Sara Rizzo makes her Palace Theatre debut as Sophie, while Bill Edwards, a regular on the regional scene, makes his Growing stage debut in a variety of roles.
Szamreta affects a chewy Down Under accent (Dahl hints at Giant Country being west of East Rutherford, in the neighborhood of Australia or New Zealand) that complements the B.F.G.’s colloquial English, full of playful words including snozzcumber (a revolting vegetable) and whizzpopping (a body noise similar to a burp, but originating further south).
Rizzo manages to be convincing as a child without resorting to the whiny, cloying clichés grownups use when acting childish, and operates a small puppet twin that the giant speaks to, which establishes Szamereta’s giant perspective.
Edwards and the remaining ensemble (including another professional newcomer, Rachel Schwartz, along with community artists Caitlin Orvetz, David Yashin and Ralph Wallace) have their share of fun, but the second act belongs to Lori B. Lawrence, who channels her inner ham as the wobbly, warbling Queen of England. Mugging and cooing under a tiara and a purple-grey wig, her portrayal of this silly monarch is more John Cleese than Helen Mirren, and is the comic highlight of a very young 2008 theater season.
Kroeger also takes some inspiration from the British school of broad humor. His cardboard, cartoon-cutout “costumes” used to portray many characters will remind adults of Terry Gilliam’s animated skits on the old “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and had the audience in stitches.
Black lights, smoke and other effects give this show a slightly psychedelic quality that will appeal to a broad range of ages. Again, Kroeger flirts with the edges of good taste — the whizzpopping jokes go on so long that one character sprays Lysol — but sometimes, it’s worth the guilt to laugh this much.

Getting busy

2008-01-21T05:45:00.000-08:00

Nearly over the hump, dayjob-wise, and not a minute too soon. Skipped the big premieres last weekend at George Street and Two River, and will skip the delayed Albee premiere Friday at McCarter. But I did get to the Growin Stage to see a fun "B.F.G. (Big Friendly Giant)" last Friday, cause that was the geographical imperative. Review preview will post very soon.

In the same spirit, this weekend I'll be at the premiere of "Almost Maine" at the Bickford and "The Miracle Worker" at Paper Mill. I'll catch up with Albee's "Me Myself and I" soon, while the world premiere of "Flying Crows" opens Jan. 31 at Playwrights Theatre.

Hmm ... perhaps I'll do a double-review of the two world premieres, which by my calendar will make the paper by Feb. 8.

There's something for you guys to look forward to. In the meantime, big deadlines still loom, so let me go.

Congrats to the Giants. Like they say in Piscataway, gotta keep choppin'.

Catching up with Paper Mill

2008-01-21T05:38:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late in posting this but since I didn't get the exclusive, I guess there was no hurry.
Congrats to Mark S. Hoebee on his elevation from interim to permanent artistic director at Paper Mill Playhouse. He's certainly earned it, staying on the sinking ship while others bailed. Hard to blame many of them, given the circumstances, but the ship didn't sink, so Hoebee appropriately gets to keep steering.

He still faces daunting challenges--and must adjust to a new managing administration--so the future is anything but certain. But we'll be rooting for him and Paper Mill.

The complete release follows.

Hoebee Takes Top Artistic Leadership Post
at Paper Mill Playhouse

(Millburn, NJ) January 17, 2008 – The Paper Mill Playhouse Board of Trustees is proud to announce that Mark S. Hoebee, Paper Mill’s Acting Artistic Director since March of 2007 has been promoted to Artistic Director effective immediately. Mr. Hoebee joined Paper Mill Playhouse in June of 2000 as Associate Artistic Director. Most recently Mr. Hoebee directed the critically acclaimed production of Meet Me in St. Louis at the New Jersey theatre.

Mark S. Hoebee is a director and choreographer whose work has been seen at theaters all over North America. In the fall of 2006, Mark directed the Actors Fund Benefit Concert of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at the August Wilson Theatre which starred Emily Skinner, Terry Mann and Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson as well as Songs For NU York, a benefit for Northwestern University at The Promenade Theatre which starred Tony Roberts, Penny Fuller and Patricia Neal. In recent years he has directed five companies of Victor/Victoria including the first national tour starring Grammy® Award winner Toni Tennille, Almost Like Being In Love: An Evening With Lerner and Loewe which toured the United States and Canada starring Diahann Carroll and regional tours of Company and Dreamgirls. He directed Paper Mill’s highly lauded productions of Meet Me in St. Louis, Hello, Dolly! starring Tovah Feldshuh, The King & I starring Kevin Gray and Carolee Carmello, Dreamgirls, and in 2002 was granted special permission from Sir Cameron Macintosh to direct an all-new production of Miss Saigon for Paper Mill's stage.

In spring of 2005, Mark worked along side Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire as he directed and choreographed the new version of their 1983 Broadway show Baby and the following winter he directed and choreographed the world premiere of Tom Jones and Joseph Thalken’s Harold and Maude: The Musical starring Estelle Parsons.

“Mark has been an essential leader during the ‘Save the Paper Mill’ campaign,” says Kenneth Thorn, Paper Mill’s Board Chair. “Mark’s artistic excellence has a national reputation and we are proud to call him our Artistic Director.”

“Mark Hoebee and I have developed a terrific working relationship over the past several months,” says Mark W. Jones, Paper Mill’s Executive Director, “he has a true artistic vision for the theatre that our audiences can relate to.”

“I hope to continue, as well as deepen, Paper Mill’s historic role of providing a stage for excellence in American musical theatre,” says Mark S. Hoebee. “Paper Mill is my home, I understand what our patrons are looking for and I know Mark Jones and I can revitalize this flagship theatre.”

Mark S. Hoebee has over forty shows to his credit as a director and/or choreographer including such standards as 42nd Street, Gypsy, Brigadoon, Singin’ In the Rain, West Side Story and Sweet Charity (for which he was awarded Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award as Best Choreographer), as well as rarely produced shows like Grand Hotel (the American Stock Premiere), Baby (starring Liz Callaway), 70 Girls 70, The First, Romance/Romance and Windy City. Mark made his Network television debut as choreographer for the highly rated CBS show Touched by an Angel. The episode guest starred Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Carol Channing and Tim Conway.

His performance credits include the Broadway companies of Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Nick & Nora, Beauty and the Beast, the Menken/Ahrens A Christmas Carol, as well as working alongside Blake Edwards and Rob Marshall in Victor/Victoria starring Julie Andrews. He has also appeared in national touring companies of Guys and Dolls, A Chorus Line – The Broadway Tour of America, Sweet Charity directed by Bob Fosse, Camelot with Richard Harris, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Coming up next at Paper Mill Playhouse is the heart-warming mainstage production of The Miracle Worker. Before Helen Keller became a world famous speaker, author, and advocate, she was a blind, deaf, and mostly mute child living in Alabama in the 1880's. Misunderstood, pitied, and consequently spoiled by her family, at the age of six she terrorized the household with her tantrums and tricks. Then, Anne Sullivan arrived. She was merely twenty years old herself, but Anne held the key that would unlock the door between Helen and the world. William Gibson's Tony Award-winning play (adapted into the Academy Award-winning film) unfolds the trials and tribulations Anne and Helen encountered as they forged what would become a 49-year-long friendship. From their isolation in the family cottage house to the watershed moment when Helen finally understood the concept of language and communication, The Miracle Worker is a profoundly moving retelling of the groundbreaking work of two pioneers, as well as the volatile relationship between them. The Miracle Worker will run at the Millburn theatre from January 23, 2008 through February 24, 2008. There are three added student matinee performances on February 6, 13 and 14 at 11:00am. The Miracle Worker is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Miracle Worker will play the following performance schedule: Wednesdays at 7:30PM, Thursdays at 2:00PM & 7:30PM, Fridays at 8:00PM, Saturdays at 2:00PM & 8:00PM and Sundays at 2:00PM & 7:30PM. Single tickets are now on sale and range in price from $25 to $92. Student rush tickets are $20 and are available the day of performance in person with current student ID. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973-376-4343, or at the Paper Mill Box Office on Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at www.papermill.org. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted. Groups of ten or more can receive up to a 25% discount on tickets and student groups can attend any performance for only $20 per ticket. For more information regarding group purchases please call 973-379-3636 ext. 2438. For all performances from Wednesday, January 23rd through Sunday, January 27th, buy an adult ticket and receive a children’s ticket for half price (some restrictions may apply).

Rounding out the season is the enduring comedy Steel Magnolias (March 5-April 6), the classic Cole Porter Masterpiece Kiss Me, Kate (April 16-May18) and the “freakishly funny” musical Little Shop of Horrors (June 4-July 6). Visit Paper Mill’s website for a complete list of programming at www.papermill.org.

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, a not-for-profit arts organization, is one of the country's leading regional theatres and is supported in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, A Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, in addition to contributions from many corporations, foundations, and individuals. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of Theatre Communications Group, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

SNEAK PREVIEW STNJ 20008

2008-01-17T04:43:00.001-08:00

Yes, he's still alive.
Sorry for the sporadic posts of late, but just hasn't been any time. Still working on the Daily Record's two-part Forecast business section. Good thing there haven't been any openings since early December (another reason for the lack of posts), since I've been working weekends as well.

That all changes this week. I'll be at the Growing Stage this weekend (while still in full deadline mode). Following week, I've got the Bickford ("Almost Maine") and Paper Mill ("The Miracle Worker").

But the big news of the moment is we got the release on the 2008 schedule at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. I'll post the whole shebang following my notes, but the highlight will likely be Bonnie Monte directing Laila Robins in "Streetcar." Too bad we're going to have to wait many months for that one--reminds me of when I have to buy concert tickets six months in advance, and you just can't wait one more day!

Also should be fun to see "Compleat Works of Wm. Shakespeare Abridged" on the outdoor stage. And, of course, it will be interesting to see who gets the few, but plumb, comic roles this comedy offers. I've got a few ideas (Greg Jackson, anyone? And we haven't seen David Foubert in a while--these guys are funny) but we'll lave it to the professionals.

A few others--"Comedy of Errors," "Romeo and Juliet," are somewhat overdone but typically crowd pleasers, and you have to put fannies in the seats.

Anyway, it's exciting news from what I call the state's most consistent source of top-rate professional theater.

PS: We read this morning in another Paper that Mark S. Hoebee was promoted from acting to permanent artistic director. Congrats to him and well-deserved, after keeping the ship from sinking for the past year. I probably overlooked him in consideration for my 2007 "Hardest Working Man in NJ Showbiz" award.

PPSS: I may have some career and blog future announcements coming soon--all good. Stay tuned.

Anyway, here's the release:

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
Announces an epic 2008 Season
Increased discounts for subscriptions and ticket packages also announced

Madison, NJ – The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey today announced seven of the eight productions of its 2008 Season, on the heels of closing its record-breaking 45th Anniversary Season which saw the addition of a 7th play on the Main Stage. “The 2007 season was extraordinary,” said Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte who begins her 18th Season in 2008. “In addition to each of our productions receiving tremendous critical acclaim, we saw an increase in attendance including our famed Outdoor Stage which broke all records with a more than 40 percent increase. Our 2008 Season promises to be an equally thrilling one, with an amazing line-up of masterpieces appealing to a broad many generations of theatergoers!”

The Shakespeare Theatre also announced today that the 2008 Season would feature increased discounts on subscriptions and ticket packages—offering subscribers substantial discounts of up to 45% off single ticket prices. “Our priority has always been to make our performances available to the broadest spectrum of audiences as possible. We believe, with these increased discounts, we have a subscription for everyone,” said Ms. Monte. With the new pricing, Complete Works subscriptions, which provide a ticket to each of the seven Main Stage productions of the 2008 season, begin at $105—a savings of more than $90 if tickets were purchased individually. As always, student Complete Works subscriptions are available for $70. In addition to the substantial discounts, subscriber benefits include free ticket exchanges and an exchange policy that even allows for last minute exchanges. “In 2008, we’re starting an exclusive Subscriber email address, so if a patron is stuck at work, or even stuck in traffic, they can instantly send us an email, or, of course, give us a call,” Ms. Monte explained.

Laughter kicks off the 2008 Season on April 29th with William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. Two sets of identical twins, separated at birth, find themselves in the same city on the same fast-paced, bewildering day in Shakespeare’s riotous farce of wild misadventures and mistaken identities. The Comedy of Errors will run from April 29th through May 18th.

Beginning May 28th and continuing through June 22 will be Amadeus – Peter Shaffer’s thrilling tale of the young and brilliant Mozart and the fanatic malcontent Salieri who plots to ruin his career and smother his genius.

The summer season will also feature the entire Shakespeare canon “under the stars” at the Shakespeare Theatre’s Outdoor Stage – the Greek Theatre on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown. Beginning June 18th and running through July 20th, family audiences will roar with laughter at The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged). All of Shakespeare’s 37 plays are “performed” with lightning speed (sometimes backwards!) in this unique and wildly celebrated romp penned by the popular and zany Reduced Shakespeare Company.

One of Shakespeare’s greatest masterpieces—King Lear—takes the Main Stage July 2nd and continues through July 27th. This production will star renowned classic actor and Tony Award nominee Daniel Davis, known for his brilliant work on Broadway and at the nation’s most prestigious theatres, as well as for his witty and acerbic portrayal of Niles the butler on the television series The Nanny. Davis also starred in the Tony Award winning Broadway revival of La Cage aux Folles and The Frogs.

Noel Coward’s comedy Private Lives begins performances on August 6th and continues through August 31st. A divorced couple, each newly remarried, accidently find themselves in adjoining honeymoon hotel suites in this quick-witted “confection” by the modern master of comedies of manners.

Beginning the Fall portion of the season will be Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire running September 10th through October 5th. Seen for the first time at The Shakespeare Theatre under the artistic direction of Bonnie J. Monte, this American classic will feature Shakespeare Theatre and Broadway veteran Laila Robins as the legendary Blanche DuBois. Robins was last seen on the Shakespeare Theatre stage in highly acclaimed The Cherry Orchard. Her Broadway credits include The Heartbreak House, Frozen and The Real Thing.

The most famous of all love stories, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, will begin performances on October 15th and continue through November 16th. Seen on the Main Stage for the first time in a decade, this production will also feature special morning performances for students.

The 2008 Season will conclude with a yet to be announced production. Beginning performances on December 3rd and continuing through December 28th, the holiday offering promises to be in the same family-oriented tradition of past holiday productions such as A Midwinter Night’s Dream, As You Like It, and A Christmas Carol.

Advance orders for Complete Works subscriptions, featuring tickets to all seven Main Stage productions, are now being taken. Complete Works subscriptions range in price from $105 to $378. Student subscriptions are available for $70. Call The Shakespeare Theatre Box Office at 973-408-5600. The Complete Works subscription features up to 45% percent savings off the cost of regular tickets, the best seats to all seven Main Stage productions; free, easy and unlimited ticket exchanges should your schedule change; discounts on additional tickets; and the convenience of having your tickets in hand and dates scheduled in advance. Call the box office at 973-408-5600. Look for more information at www.ShakespeareNJ.org

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s Main Stage, the 308-seat F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, is conveniently located in Madison at 36 Madison Avenue (Route 124) at Lancaster Road (on the Drew University campus), just minutes from routes 287, 78 and 10. Parking is free. The Outdoor Stage is located at the Greek Theatre on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown. The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre is barrier free with access into the Theatre via a ramp and elevator access to all floors. Wheelchair seating and transfer seating is available. Braille and large print programs are available. Infrared listening devices are available free of charge. Some performances are audio described, captioned and sign-language interpreted. Contact the theatre for more information. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

Happy New Year

2008-01-03T05:57:00.000-08:00

Greetings from the next year of the rest of your life. Sorry that the posts have been sparse lately, but its been a perfect storm of work, holidays and the lack of new plays opening anywhere west of the Hudson.

January's going to be a tough month as it is the busy month for the business editor,including two Sunday forecast special sections coming out at the end of the month. Also a flurry of premieres beginning Jan. 18.

But I'll get through it. Don't I always?

In the meantime, follow the link below to my year-end awards column. And remember, you too, can win one of my unofficial awards in 2008. Just e-mail me and I'll send you a price list.

Just kidding, boss.

http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071230/LIFE/712300324/1113

Checking in with Edward Albee

2007-12-20T05:18:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to say hi and check in with you all. Between being so busy at work and, now, the lull that always follows the openings of Christmas shows, there's not much to blog about. It will be a light month here at Jersey Stages, but I'm looking forward to 2008, which promises to be full of top actors and, of course, the excitement of a new Edward Albee play at Princeton.

Speaking of Albee, I'm sadly going to have to skip the media meet with him on Friday, but I thought I would share the press release, which is kind of amusing. It follows at the end of this posting.

This weekend, I'll be working on my annual end-of-the-year awards, which won't be published untl Dec. 30. But some of the awards may leak out before that. Keep reading, because this is where the leak drips.

For those of you who don't plan to spend your Christmas break reading blogs, let me throw out an advance Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday to you all.

And to all a good night.

Read on, Albee-philes:

McCarter Theatre will be hosting a MEDIA MORNING
with America's premier living playwright EDWARD ALBEE
on Friday, December 21 from 11:30 to Noon

Mr. Albee is in Princeton for rehearsals of his newest play Me, Myself & I, which will have its world premiere from January 11 through February 17. Directed by McCarter Artistic Director Emily Mann, the production features Tyne Daly, Brian Murray, Colin Donnell, Michael Esper, Charlotte Parry and Stephen Payne.

This new play, commissioned by McCarter Theatre Center and Princeton University, is part of "The Albee Season," celebrating Mr. Albee's 80th birthday, and includes Peter and Jerry at Second Stage; The Sandbox and The American Dream at Cherry Lane Theatre and Occupant at Signature Theatre.

If you are interested in speaking with Ms. Mann or any cast members prior to 11:30 please let me know and I will do my best to arrange.

For background, please read Emily Mann's interview with Mr. Albee, which can be found at the McCarter blog http://www.mccarter.org/ under
Me, Myself & I. It's in four parts.

About the play
When identical twin brothers are both named Otto, how’s a mother (Tyne Daly) supposed to keep them straight? Master playwright Edward Albee is in top form with this dark, funny and moving play that takes sibling rivalry to existential heights.

To arrange an interview with Ms. Mann or cast members, please contact me ASAP at (contacts deleted) Also, please let me know if you plan to join Mr. Albee at 11:30 so that I can plan accordingly.

Thanks, Dan
Please note, Mr. Albee will not talk about what the play is about. Below, is a letter that will appear in the playbill for Me, Myself & I:

A Letter To An Audience I tend to become uncooperative—and occasionally downright hostile—when people ask me what my plays “are about”, especially the new ones, about which I’ve usually not assembled a provocative yet vague enough short paragraph to avoid answering the question, yet seeming to. What is Me, Myself & I about? Oh, about 2 hours, including intermission. Will that do? No; I guess not, though I do like it as an answer, for any play that can be explained (or properly described) in the desired sentence or two should be no longer than its description. A play is, after all, about everything that happens to the characters from the beginning of the play to the end and (unless the author has killed them all off by curtain) the characters’ lives before the play begins and after it ends. This means, as I see it, that a play is fully described (or explained) by the experience of seeing it. My plays are infrequently opaque, only occasionally complicated (though now and again complex) and can be enjoyed to their full, unless you bring to the theatre with you the baggage of predetermination—“a play must go like this!” So....pretend you’re at the first play you’ve ever seen—have that experience—and I think “what the play is about” will reveal itself quite readily. And, if you care to, let me know what you’ve experienced. Best wishes, Edward Albee

Review Preview: Doubt

2007-12-10T06:19:00.000-08:00

So me and the missus took the Porsche to New Brunswick Saturday night to see "Doubt" at George Street Playhouse, and, wouldn't you know it, the valet parking was full and closed.

Don't you hate when that happens?

True story, but allow me to clarify: I've got a Porsche Cayenne on loan for a week to do a story on this four-wheeled, 400-horsepower high-roller suite.

No, I cannot afford a Porsche on a blogger's salary.

Anyway, here's a review of "Doubt" from a 10-year altar boy who, for the record, was never abused on or off the job. The only thing I worry about is the long-term effects of beathing in all that incense.

Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Doubt”
When: through Dec. 23
Where: George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick
How much: $28 to $64
Info: (732) 246-7717; www.gsponline.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Having conquered Broadway, the most celebrated new play of the millennium is now on the regional theater circuit. Having made its way to New Brunswick, there’s no doubt that “Doubt” is having a similar impact in New Jersey.
John Patrick Shanley’s powerhouse drama touts the aura of an Ali-Frazier fight at the Garden. In a single 90-minute act, some clever wordplay precedes a few rounds of bobbing and weaving before two heavyweights trade life-changing blows.
But instead of athletes in boxer shorts, Shanley matches soldiers of the cloth. In this corner, Sister Aloysius (Ann Dowd) is a no-nonsense principal of a Catholic School in the Bronx. In the other corner, charming Father Flynn (Dylan Chalfy), who may be engaging in some inappropriate nonsense with an adolescent male student.
In any era, the pairing puts Aloysius at a disadvantage, but particularly so in 1964, when the diocesan order would all but forbid even a principal nun to reprimand a priest.
“There’s no man I can go to, and the men run everything,” Aloysius tells her reluctant confidant, the brittle Sister James (Meghan Andrews). But full of righteous indignation, Aloysius mounts a crusade to force a confession out of the charismatic priest, who denies it all.
The sensitive subject matter adds a keen focus to the drama, but is secondary to the psychological conflict. The play’s opening lines, spoken by Flynn while preaching a sermon to the audience, put the author’s goal out front.
“What do you do when you’re not sure?” he asks. “Doubt can be a bond as powerful as certainty. When you have doubt, you are not alone.”
Aloysuis, though, has no doubts, despite her lack of evidence or witnesses. All she needed to see was one child pull his hand back when brushed by Flynn’s, and she knew what was going on.
“How can you be so sure?” James asks. “Experience,” Alyosius says, confident enough to lie and break vows to protect the children in her charge.
The quietly powerful conclusion measures justice for all, but some suffer more for their crimes than others. If you leave with doubt that everyone got what they deserved, you, too, will not be alone.
“Doubt” certainly won’t be mistaken for the feel-good holiday show of the season, but for people who crave a challenging night of theater regardless of the calendar, this production stands in a crowd of stocking-stuffer competition. Shanley, whose resume includes the screenplays for both the wonderful “Moonstruck” and the painfully bad “Joe vs. the Volcano,” has crafted a taught thriller that’s part mystery and part morality tale, a sledgehammer of conflict tempered with a delicate complement of humor and nostalgia.
Baby boomer graduates of Catholic school will laugh—and possibly wince—at early scenes in which Aloysius instructs James to curb her enthusiasm and deliver her lessons with a cold discipline. Dowd is an intimidating force of nature, dispensing her precise direction with syncopated diction. Still, you can’t help but laugh when she rails about the pagan heresy of “Frosty the Snowman,” or how ball-point pens lead to lazy children who “write like monkeys.”
Andrews is easy to identify and sympathize with, as she smoothly evolves from an eager novitiate to a conflicted educator who can’t understand how doing the right thing may require her to distance herself from God.
Chalfy also is convincing as the handsome priest whose charm works on everyone except Aloysius, while Rosalyn Coleman is slightly chilling in her single scene, as the mother of an abused child who is willing to look the other way as long as the boy graduates.
Director Anders Cato makes good use of the theater’s rotating stage. There’s only two sets—the principal’s Spartan office (set designer Hugh Landwehr nails the time and place, right down to the multicolored cinder blocks) and a weathered courtyard—but we experience the courtyard from different angles as different sides of the story are explored.
Now an essential part of the American theater landscape, there surely will be many future opportunities to see a production of this Pulitzer and Tony-winning treasure. But with the Broadway-level standard of this “Doubt,” there’s no reason to wait until next time.

'That Girl' coming to George St. Playhouse

2007-12-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

Wow, Elaine May and Marlo Thomas. Two good gets for George Street Playhouse. Marlo's a first crush for many of us who came of age in the 1960s, although that sort of thing really didn't kick in for me until Marcia Brady. Marlo continues to rival Kathleen Turner for sexiest voice in the business.

Short on time, so I'll let the press release, copied below, fll you in.

Two Great Ladies of Comedy – Elaine May and Marlo Thomas
Come to George Street Playhouse This Spring

The World Premiere of Roger is Dead, Written and to be Directed by
Two-Time Academy Award Nominee Elaine May,
Starring Ms. Thomas, at George Street Playhouse April 8 – May 11

New Brunswick, NJ – George Street Playhouse announced today the final play of its current season: Roger is Dead, written and directed by two-time Academy Award nominee Elaine May. Heading the cast will be another great lady of comedy – Marlo Thomas, of That Girl and Free to Be…You and Me fame. Roger is Dead will make it’s world premiere in New Brunswick beginning April 8 and run through May 11, with opening night set for Friday, April 11.

“It is only fitting that, as we began the season with two great men of comedy – Jack Klugman and Paul Dooley – that we end the season with two great ladies of comedy: the brilliantly talented writer/director and comedienne Elaine May and That Girl Marlo Thomas,” said George Street Playhouse Artistic Director David Saint. “I have long been a fan of Elaine May, beginning with her hilarious partnership with Mike Nichols. In addition, I had the huge honor of directing her and Gene Saks — actors — years ago at Williamstown Theatre Festival. Marlo Thomas in addition to being an amazing actress, is an amazing human being, and I am so pleased she will be coming to George Street. I am thrilled to welcome Ms. May and Ms. Thomas to the George Street family.”

Individual tickets, priced $28-$64, as well as two- and three-play and flexible admission packages are available through the George Street Playhouse Box Office 732-246-7717. In addition, groups of ten or more are eligible for discounted admission – call the GSP Group Sales office at 732-846-2895, ext. 134 or email mbergamo@georgestplayhouse.org for further information. George Street Playhouse is located at 9 Livingston Avenue in the heart of New Brunswick’s dining and entertainment district, within walking distance of numerous dining establishments ranging from fast food to fine dining. It is located three blocks from the New Brunswick train station and is easily reachable by car, bus or train. For directions, parking tips and dining suggestions, visit the Playhouse website: www.GSPonline.org.

In Roger is Dead Marlo Thomas stars as Doreen, a vapid Manhattan socialite who has just lost her husband. She has no one to turn to except Carla, the daughter of Doreen’s favorite nanny. It’s not that Doreen and Carla are friends – it’s just that Doreen doesn’t have any real friends, so she turns to the most real person she knows. Politics, death, love and classes collide in this boisterous comedy from the pen of this two-time Academy Award nominee.

Like her early improvisational comedy sketches, Elaine May’s career continues to take fresh twists and adventurous turns. A comedian, actor, writer and director for both stage and screen, May got her start as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago. While there, she became a member of the improvisational theatre group The Compass Players, founded by Paul Sills and David Shepherd, which later became The Second City. During her membership, she met Mike Nichols, who was then starring in one of Sills’ plays, and began a successful partnership with him. From performances in college and cabaret clubs, Nichols and May went on to become one of the most successful comedy duos of the day, appearing on all the major TV entertainment shows and on Broadway for a year-long sold-out engagement. After splitting with Nichols in the early 60’s, she put her multiple acting, writing and directing talents to use. Among her early memorable projects was a one-act play, Adaptation (Drama Desk Award), which she wrote and directed in an off-Broadway double-bill with Terrence McNally’s Next. In addition, she wrote and performed for radio and recorded several comedy albums. She formed and directed an improvisational company called The Third Ear in New York that included Reni Santori, Peter Boyle, Renee Taylor and Louise Lasser. She also wrote several plays during this period – in addition to Adaptation, other stage plays she has written include Not Enough Rope, Mr. Gogol and Mr. Preen, Hot Line, After the Night and the Music, Power Plays, Taller Than a Dwarf and Adult Entertainment.

Ms. May was one of the first women to pioneer an inroad into Hollywood’s bastion of male directors. Her first credited film was A New Leaf, co-starring Walter Matthau – and Elaine May. A year later, she directed The Heartbreak Kid wich she co-wrote with Neil Simon. In 1978 she teamed with star Warren Beatty to write Heaven Can Wait, a remake of the 1941 film Here Comes Mr. Jordon, which earned May her first Academy Award nomination. In uncredited rewrites, she left her distinctive mark on Reds and Tootsie. For such work, she has earned a reputation as one of the legendary script doctors in the business. Ms. May reunited with her former comic partner Mike Nichols with The Birdcage, which was a retelling of the classic French farce La Cage aux Folles. She received her second Academy Award nomination when she again worked with Nichols on Primary Colors. Other recent films include Down to Earth and Small Time Crooks.

Marlo Thomas the daughter of the late Danny Thomas, first achieved fame on the television series That Girl in the 1960’s. She grew up in Beverly Hills, attending Marymount High School and the University of Southern California (earning a teaching degree). After finishing college, she appeared as a regular on The Joey Bishop Show. She followed that with guest shots on Ben Casey, My Favorite Martian and Bonanza, but it was not until 1966 that she hit her stride as aspiring actress Ann Marie on the ABC sitcom That Girl. The series ran until 1971, garnering her a Golden Globe Award and four Emmy nominations. Equally adept at drama, she proved herself in the television movies It Happened One Christmas (a remake of It’s a Wonderful Life, with Ms. Thomas in the Jimmy Stewart role), Nobody’s Child and The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck, while she starred in Jenny and Thieves on the big screen. In recent years, she has appeared in guest shots on Ally McBeal, Friends (as Rachel’s mother), and made several guest appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing attorney and former judge Mary Conway Clark. She also appeared in the 2000 comedy Playing Mona Lisa with Alicia Witt and Harvey Fierstein.

Ms. Thomas is also known for her children’s books and the recordings and television specials created in conjunction with them: Free to Be…You and Me and Free to Be…A Family, which were born out an attempt to teach her then-young niece Dionne about life. All proceeds from her 2004 book Thanks & Giving: All Year Long, as well as The Right Words at the Right Time and The Right Words at the Right Time Volume 2 (both books are collections of essays written by celebrities and fans, explaining when a friend, family member or perfect stranger said the right thing in the author’s time of need), are donated to her charity, the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Started by her late father, the organization helps young children suffering from disease, especially cancer and leukemia.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Saint, George Street Playhouse has become a nationally recognized theatre, presenting an acclaimed mainstage season while providing an artistic home for established and emerging theatre artists. Managing Director Todd Schmidt was appointed in October 2007. Founded in 1974, the Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway – recent productions include Anne Meara’s Down the Garden Paths, the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League nominated production of The Spitfire Grill and the recent Broadway hit and Tony® and Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at GSP during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays. In addition to its mainstage season, GSP’s Touring Theatre features five issue-oriented productions that tours to more than 250 schools in the tri-state area, and are seen by more than 75,000 students annually.

George Street Playhouse programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. George Street Playhouse gratefully acknowledges the Media Sponsorship of the 2007-2008 Season by our Community Arts Partner, New York Public Radio WNYC 93.9 FM/ 820 AM and Greater Media Newspapers.

# # # #

Roger is Dead
Written and directed by Elaine May
Starring Marlo Thomas

April 8 – May 11

George Street Playhouse
9 Livingston Avenue • New Brunswick, NJ
Box Office 732-246-7717 • www.GSPonline.org

Review Preview: "A Christmas Carol"

2007-12-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

Got my leaves raked up just before the snow, saw a great show last night and got my review done before noon.

Life is good, and now I get to watch football all afternoon.

I hope that doesn't make anyone think less of me.

Here's the draft. Abstract: very good, very different without messing too much with a good thing. And I LOVED the lighting design. Keep your eyes open for that.

If you want to go:
What: “A Christmas Carol”
When: through Dec. 31
Where: Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124), Drew University, Madison
How much: $28-$52
Info: (973) 408-5600; www.shakespearenj.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
The volume and variety of holiday shows in New Jersey are at record highs in 2007. But nowhere will you find a richer blend of traditional warmth and contemporary style than the imaginative impression of “A Christmas Carol” at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.

Artistic director Bonnie J. Monte’s sprightly handling of British playwright Neil Bartlett’s fresh adaptation somehow manages to be respectful to Dickens’ iconic Victorian prose while whisking the audience off on a trippy, Technicolor journey. The adapter and the director remain grounded thoughout the evening with inspiration from the author’s playful spirit.

The words you’ll hear are all Dickens, but many are singled out for their onomatopoeic value—“tick, tick, tick” is chanted small groups of actors imitating a clock; “scratch, scratch” is chanted by Bob Cratchit and the other clerks working on their ledgers. When the two chants are combined—“scratch scratch, tick, tick”—it’s understood that the clerks are counting the minutes until Christmas.

We also hear “scrunch, scrunch” as the nine-member ensemble, which plays more than 50 characters in Bartlett’s unusual staging, trudges through a fresh-fallen snow. When not playing specific characters, the ensemble frequently convenes for a capella songs sung with striking grace and harmony. They also harmonize as dramatic clock bells chiming the hours of arrival for the ghosts we all know are coming.

Only one actor stays in single character. Sherman Howard, one of the company’s most respected and popular leading men, is a magnificently spiteful Scrooge. Younger than many actors who play the original Grinch, Howard’s bitter-lemon scowl makes his character seem not quite elderly so much as old before his time. When he shoos the businessmen soliciting a seasonal donation for the poor, he does so with the malevolent energy of a man who thrives on misogyny.
Howard’s initial strength makes the terror of the humbling hauntings, and his joyous transformation, that much more profound. It’s a powerful performance, which he accomplishes without the scene-chewing that many Scrooges can’t help but succumb to.

The ensemble complements Howard’s focus with impressive versatility. You can start with praise of the delicate harmonies that alone are worth the price of admission (save some praise for music director Rick Knutsen). From there, you can single out the talents of the five men and three women. Ames Adamson contributes an array of colorful accents and is a dashing Ghost of Christmas Past. Greg Jackson, whose has had a busy year on this stage, dials down his comic edge to give us the sensitive Bob Cratchit and jolly Fezziwig we’ve come to love. Erin Partin puts a lot of body language into both male and female roles, while Steve Wilson is dashing in gentlemanly parts, including Freddy and a younger Ebenezer. Wilson is unrecognizable and considerably taller playing the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, while David Andew MacDonald, who played Marc Antony here in “Julius Caesar,” is the Ghost of Christmas Present.

Tina Stafford handles the matronly roles, while Betsy Jilka sings sweetly as Martha. Young Seamus Mulchahy, a veteran of roles both here and at Paper Mill Playhouse, is a tall but earnest Tiny Tim. He’s also convincingly disabled: His braced leg never once touches the ground.

Equally valuable is the imaginative ensemble of technical contributors. James Wolk’s set of doors, windows and storefronts slide into position as set changes are orchestrated with seamless and silent precision. All the props are handled, frequently with humor, by the cast, which rips through a warehouse of authentic Victorian wardrobe from costume designer Karen Ledger.

Sound designer Richard M. Dionne ups the haunting quotient with chilling echoes and rattling chains. But top honors among the backstage artists goes to lighting designer Matthew E. Adelson, who might have taken some inspiration from the last Pink Floyd tour and gives this “Christmas Carol” an eerie visual edge that few of the many preceding can claim.

That’s quite a lot of people doing quite a lot of admirable work. Enjoy it while you can, because the show ends Dec. 31 and this marvelous company, which continues to be the crown jewel of performance art in Morris County, darkens its main stage until spring.

Strike is over!

2007-11-29T11:11:00.001-08:00

Normally we don't report much about New York theater, but the strike did have some impact on the Jersey Stage community.

Or did it?

Since Paper Mill seemed the most likely of NJ theaters to benefit, and were most in need of a break, out of curiosity last Saturday, I made some online ticket requests for "Meet Me in St. Louis." I was shocked to be offered 2 seats, front row center, for that night's performance! Continued inquiries offered good seats in most price ranges (I stuck mainly to better or best available, so for all I know the cheap seats are filled) to the Sunday matinee and evening shows the next day.

So it can be safely said that the strike was not enough to fill Paper Mill. I hope and expect they got some extra business, but certainly we're back to business as usual now, and watchful waiting, as they say in the medical business, to see what develops.

New play reading in Parsippany

2007-11-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Dec. 2 at 3 p.m., the Women’s Theater Company will present a staged reading of a new work by Kathrynne Forsbrey of Flanders.
“Just When I Thought It Was Safe to Wear Mascara” is Forsbey’s deeply personal memoir of a mother who loses a child. It will be read by two veteran actresses, Judy Stone and Carol Caton. Stone is a member of Actors Equity who has played starring roles in the company’s productions of “Wit” and “Painting Churches.” Caton recently appeared at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in “The Time of Your Life.”
Forsbrey is producing manager of The Women’s Theater Company. Company founder Barbara Krajkowski directs.
Admission is free to the reading, which will take place at the Parsippany Community Center, 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha. Reservations are suggested. For information, call (973) 316-3033.

Holiday roundup

2007-11-29T05:31:00.000-08:00

Trying to get into the Christmas spirit. Work keeps getting in the way, although some of that work is going to see holiday shows, so I won't complain (any more).

Of course, there's plenty of holiday shows to see. Here's a link to a nice North Jersey roundup of holiday shows Lorraine Ash did for the Daily Record.

http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071123/ENT07/711230301/1082/ENT

Expanding on her geographic and deadline constraints, I'll point out a few more.

r The Theatre Project, the professional theater in residence at Union County College, will recreate the 1947 Lux Radio Theatre presentation of “It’s a Wonderful Life” Dec. 2 at 3 p.m.
This popular stage production features 12 actors and one musician, supported by an overworked, stressed-out sound-effects technician, in a unique and humorous take on the Frank Capra holiday classic. Liz Zazzi adapts.
Admission is by donation ($10 suggested) with children admitted free of charge. The theater is at 1033 Springfield Ave. For information, call (973) 659-5189.

r 12 Miles West Theatre Company is now in residence at Playwrights Theatre, 33 Green Village road, Madison, an is bringing their annual holiday radio play with them. Liz Zazzi also did this adaptation of "Miracle on 34th St.," which, unlike some 12 Miles stuff, is family friendly.
Friday @ 8pm, Saturday @ 3 & 8pmTickets are $21 Adults / $16 Students & Seniors.
My guess is Madison is an even 30 miles from 34th St.

Other notes:
Let's hope that James A. Stephens is an improvement on last year's Scrooge in McCarter Theatre's "A Christmas Carol." Paul Benedict, a fine actor (remembered from "The Jeffersons" on TV, but a veteran stage actor) seemed overwhelmed by the role.

Another reviewer was appalled by a recent production of Christopher Durang's "Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge." I have not seen the show, but I love Durang, so I'm hoping to find time to see the community theater production at Brundage Park Playhouse in Randolph.

If you're looking for something different for Christmas, but Durang sounds like a bit much, let me once again recommend "My Three Angels" at Centenary (review above). Lots of fun.

I'll be at the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ Saturday night. See you there.

PS: Since TNT already is broadcasting "A Christmas Story," remind me to blog about author Jean Shepherd, who I grew up listening to on the radio and knew the short stories comprising the movie by heart 15 years before they were filmed. Late in his life, I got to meet him, interview him and even spend a bit of time with him. Fascinating guy.

Review Preview: My Three Angels

2007-11-27T06:01:00.000-08:00

Here's the subjective word from Centenary College in Hackettstown

Abstract: worth the trip, for a good production of a very enjoyable play most of us have not seen. Allen Lewis Rickman was particularly good; hope to see much more of him.

If you want to go:
What: “My Three Angels”
When: through Dec. 9
Where: Centenary Stage Company, Centenary College, 400 Jefferson St., Hackettstown
How much: $17.50 to $22.50
Info: (908) 979-0900; www.centenarystageco.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Murder seems to be catching on as a holiday-show hook in North Jersey. Scrooge was no choir boy, but at least he never committed a capital crime.
A week after the Bickford Theatre amused us with “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940,” Centenary Stage Company regifts us “We’re No Angels,” which boasts not one, but two violent offenders.
And a week later, we’re still laughing.
Based on a French play, “La Cuisine Des Anges,” by Albert Husson, Bella and Sam Spewack, the husband-and-wife team best known for writing the book for “Kiss Me, Kate,” brought this charming—if slightly twisted—story to the London stage in 1955.
But Husson’s tale of Devil’s Island convicts who come to the aid of a kindly shop owner is best known for the Hollywood adaptation, “We’re No Angels,” a 1955 film starring Humphrey Bogart (directed by his “Casablanca” director Michael Curtiz). It was remade once again as a 1989 film with Robert De Niro and Sean Penn.
The films’ unlikely protagonists were escaped convicts tying to avoid the authorities, but the stage adaptation returns them to their original status as convicts essentially stranded on Devil’s Island in 1910. Security is light because there’s nowhere to go, so some of the criminals supplement their existence as slave-like labor for the legal residents of the tropical isle in French Guiana.
Joseph (Allen Lewis Rickman), Jules (David Volin) and Alfred (Jeremy Hall) are three such convicts, the former a white-collar crook, the latter two admitting to crime-of-passion murders. They seem remarkably well-adjusted to their fates, happy to have found a measure of brotherhood and happy to have work fixing the roof of a shop run by Felix Ducotel (Roland Johnson).
Felix is a sweet, aging man who we learn was swindled out of a better business by his nasty cousin, Henri (Patrick Cogan). His wife, Emile (Maria Brodeur) worries that he is too easy with customer credit in what appears to be a last-chance job. But Emile and their daughter, Marie Louise (Kate Billard), love him and are happily preparing for Christmas dinner, even if it is 105 degrees in the shade.
The audience, along with the eavesdropping convicts, share the family’s concern when Henri arrives to audit the books and review Felix’s job performance. Henri is accompanied by his nephew, Paul (Morgan Nichols), who Marie Louise worships, but who is now betrothed to a rich man’s daughter.
Floating through the turmoil with Zen-master serenity, the three convicts evolve into guardian angels, bringing the young lovers together and scheming to thwart Henri’s Scrooge-like mission to emasculate Felix, a Bob Cratchit if there ever was one.
But Henri is sharp and suspicious, and the convicts don’t have ghostly powers, so they draw on their checkered pasts to accomplish the mission.
“We’re No Angels” may be short on scruples compared to most holiday shows, but if for one night you accept that the end justify the means, it’s a delightful holiday treat. If not, just leave your holiday spirit home and go have a good laugh.
Whichever approach you choose, you will certainly appreciate the cast.
Equity pros Rickman and Volin have a nice chemistry with Hall as the cheerful trio of hard-timers, dressed in nearly white jumpsuits (their prison stripes are bleached by the sun and, presumably, their quasi-angelic deeds). Hall balances a tranquil calm and dark temper, while Volin, an accomplished comic actor frequently seen in the area, focuses on Jules’ never-to-be requited crush on Emile with sweet subtlety. But Rickman steals the show as Joseph, the smooth-talking con man who cooks company books with the same talent and passion that Emeril pours into a crème brule.
Johnson is perfect as the cherubic Felix, while Brodeur is convincing as the strong, yet vulnerable, wife and mother who wonders if she made the right life choices.
Brian Flynn’s cottage setting accurately suggests the home of a family clinging to Victorian values in a sweaty foreign land.
Call it devil’s food for the soul — and indulge in “We’re No Angels” as an early dessert before your traditional holiday dinner.

Rosemary Harris coming to George St.

2007-11-27T05:59:00.001-08:00

Big news from New Brunswick, where a change has been made to the mainstage season for good reasons. The press release follows below.

Award-Winning Actress ROSEMARY HARRIS
Comes to George Street Playhouse in
East Coast Premiere of Oscar and the Pink Lady
Jan 15 - Feb 10

Tony Award Winner (And Seven-Time Nominee) Known to Spiderman Fans as
Aunt May, Will Be Directed by the Acclaimed Frank Dunlop, Founder of England’s Young Vic Theatre

Oscar and the Pink Lady replaces Donald Marguilies’ Sight Unseen, Which Will be Rescheduled for 2008-09 Season

New Brunswick – George Street Playhouse announced today that Academy Award nominee, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Rosemary Harris will star in the East Coast premiere of a new play by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt titled Oscar and the Pink Lady. Returning to the Playhouse to helm the play will be the acclaimed Frank Dunlop, whose work was last seen in New Brunswick in Kressman Taylor’s Address Unknown. Oscar and the Pink Lady replaces the previously-announced Sight Unseen by Donald Marguilies. This one-woman tour de force will play in New Brunswick from January 15 through February 10, 2008, with opening night set for Friday, January 18.

“I am thrilled and honored to be welcoming Rosemary Harris to George Street Playhouse,” said Artistic Director David Saint, “it is amazing to me to have this great lady of the theatre on our stage. I am doubly thrilled to welcome back Frank Dunlop, the founder of England’s Young Vic Company as well as the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s theatre company. He magnificently directed Address Unknown a few seasons ago, and we are so pleased to be able to work with him again. I am equally committed to producing Sight Unseen, as I believe it to be an amazing play, but when this opportunity, with this caliber of talent presented itself, I simply couldn’t say no. Sight Unseen will be produced next season.”

From internationally-acclaimed writer Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt comes a beautiful and surprisingly funny story of a young patient and his uplifting relationship with a kindly volunteer “Pink Lady,” whose daily visits provide him with inspiration and hope. Starring the celebrated Ms. Harris, Oscar and the Pink Lady is sensitive, heartbreaking, amusing, and ultimately life-affirming.

Originally produced at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre, the production team consists of many of the veterans of that production, including scenic designer Michael Vaughn Sims, costume designer Jane Greenwood and sound designer Lindsay Jones.

Individual tickets priced $28 - $62, as well as flexible admission and dinner/theatre packages are available by contacting the George Street Playhouse Box Office at 732-246-7717, or shop online at www.GSPonline,org. Groups of ten or more are entitled to a discounted rate; for further information call the GSP Group Sales Office at 732-846-2895, ext. 134. George Street Playhouse is located in the heart of New Brunswick’s Dining and Entertainment District, and is easily reached by public transportation.

Tickets issued for the previously announced Sight Unseen will be honored for Oscar and the Pink Lady.

Internationally-renowned actress Rosemary Harris starred in the original Broadway productions of Old Times, A Streetcar Named Desire, the Royal Family, Heartbreak House, Pack of Lies, Hay Fever, A Delicate Balance, Waiting in the Wings, An Inspector Calls and The Lion in Winter, for which she won a Tony Award. She spent six years with Association of Producing Artists (which her husband Ellis Rabb founded), appearing in works by Shakespeare, Shaw, Sheridan, Chekhov, Ibsen, Wilde, Pirandello and Kaufman and Hart at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway. At the Royal National Theatre she appeared in Women of Troy, The Petition, Hamlet and Uncle Vanya. She has appeared in many films including Spiderman 1,2 and 3, Sunshine, and Tom & Viv (Academy Award nomination). Her numerous television credits include Notorious Woman (Emmy Award), Holocaust (Golden Globe), To the Lighthouse, and Death of a Salesman. She remains one of the most beloved and esteemed performers of stage and screen.

Within a decade, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt has become one of the most read and acted French-language authors in the world. Schmitt first made a name for himself in the theatre with The Visitor, a play that posits a meeting between Freud and – possibly – God. Further successes quickly followed, including Enigma Variations, The Libertine, Between Worlds, Partners in Crime, My Gospels and Sentimental Tectonics. His plays have won several Molières and the French Academy’s Grand Prix du Théâtre. More recently, the four novellas that make up his Cycle de l’Invisible, a series of tales dealing with childhood and spirituality have met with huge success both on stage and in the bookshops. Other works include When I Was a Work of Art, a whimsical and contemporary version of the Faustus myth, and My Life With Mozart, a compilation of the composer’s private correspondence. A keen music lover, Schmitt has also translated into French The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni from the original Italian.

Acclaimed director Frank Dunlop returns to George Street Playhouse after directing Kressmann Taylor’s Address Unknown during the 2004-05 season. He is best known for his direction of the Broadway productions of Camelot and Scapino. He was the founder and director England’s Young Vic Theatre, and has served as resident director at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre, associate director at England’s National Theatre as well as a director at the Piccolo Theatre in Manchester, England, the Nottingham Playhouse and the Edinburgh International Festival. He also founded the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Theatre Company in 1978. He holds honorary degrees from the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts, Heriot-Watt University and the Shakespeare Institute, and is an honorary fellow at the University of London.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Saint, George Street Playhouse has become a nationally recognized theatre, presenting an acclaimed mainstage season while providing an artistic home for established and emerging theatre artists. Managing Director Todd Schmidt was appointed in October 2007. Founded in 1974, the Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway – recent productions include Anne Meara’s Down the Garden Paths, the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League nominated production of The Spitfire Grill and the recent Broadway hit and Tony® and Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at GSP during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays. In addition to its mainstage season, GSP’s Touring Theatre features five issue-oriented productions that tours to more than 250 schools in the tri-state area, and are seen by more than 75,000 students annually.

George Street Playhouse programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. George Street Playhouse gratefully acknowledges the Media Sponsorship of the 2007-2008 Season by our Community Arts Partner, New York Public Radio WNYC 93.9 FM/ 820 AM and Greater Media Newspapers.

North Plainfield H.S. grad at Centenary

2007-11-25T05:59:00.000-08:00

Still trying to adjust to new schedules (I'm moonlighting on the copy desk at night these days) but I was in Hackettstown last night for "We're No Angels" at Centenary College's Equity professional company, Centenary Stage company.
Casts there typically include a handful of Equity pros and Centenary students, and I thought my Central Jersey readers would like to know that Kate Billard, a 2007 grad of North Plainfield High School, plays a featured role.
You'll get the review preview withing 24 hours, but I'll say now she does fine and the show is pretty good. That's 2 in a row for Centenary, which is having a pretty good year in my estimation.

Leaf raking this morning, football this afternoon, turkey leftovers tonight. And some theater the night before. A new professional challenge continues on Monday--much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, although I wouldn't mind regifting the leaves.

Review Preview: "The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940"

2007-11-20T06:20:00.000-08:00

Here you go, fresh and fun, just as I promised,.

Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940”
When: through Dec. 9
Where: Bickford Theatre, Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township
How much: $30l $27 members, $15 students
Info: (973) 971-3706; www.morrismuseum.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
With variations of “A Christmas Carol” as common as sidewalk Santas this time of year, the stage door is wide open for counterprogramming. The folks at the Bickford Theatre not only have found a way to avoid what everyone else is doing, they’re doing almost everything else with a single show.
Slapstick comedy, satire, mystery, murder, romance and even a little music make “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” something of a buffet for humbugs who have had their fill of Tiny Tim. By the time it’s over, you can even cheer a victory over the Nazis.
Even better, John Bishop’s lively tribute to the golden age of pulp cinema is so rarely seen that most people can enjoy the whodunit portion of the show, which often is a problem with the recycled choices made by other revival houses.
Artistic director Eric Hafen has a knack for finding out-of-circulation mysteries such as “Dead Certain” and “Catch Me if You Can,” both produced here in recent years. Now, he delivers another refreshing mystery, although he’s turned the director’s chair over to Deirdre Yates, who has earned raves for past productions with the Women’s Theater Company and the Celtic Theatre Company, and she’s done another good job with this tricky show.
Patrons also will be hard-pressed to find a weak link among the 10-member cast (five Equity professionals), one of the larger and more talented ensembles the Bickford has recruited in years.
They assemble at the elegant Westchester County estate of Elsa Von Grossenkneuten (Angela Della Ventura), a wealthy patron of the theater. A big-shot producer, Ken De La Maize (Bill Timoney), has organized a backer’s audition of his latest show. The writers, Roger (John Correll) and Bernice (Georgette Reilly Timoney) and the hired cast arrive just as a blizzard conveniently snows them in.
This troubles Roger, who notes the creative team is the same as a fated production shut down by the unsolved serial murders of three showgirls. But there’s no coincidence: Elsa is working with a police detective (Shaka Malik) to trap the killer.
The masked murderer, however, is one step ahead of everyone. He commits his first murder within seconds of the opening curtain, and the body count rises as quickly as Bernice’s blood-alcohol level.
Everyone’s a suspect, from the German maid, Helsa (Ruth Darey) who may also be a victim, to the sultry actress, Nikki (Diana Cherkas), who clearly has fudged her resume. The actors, meanwhile, are eyeing the ladies. Eddie (Chris Barber), a bad comedian just hoping for a job, adds Nikki to his wish list, while hunky Irishman Patrick (Christopher Yates) is focused on Helsa.
Scenic designer Jim Bazewicz is another key member of the production. His expansive drawing-room set, framed by tall walls of rich, paneled wood, is as attractive as it is functional. Hidden doors, spinning bookcases and false fireplaces allow the murderer easy ingress and egress to and from his prey.
Costume designer Fran Harrison also gets to take a bow the authentic 1940s fashions that add to the considerable visual appeal of this spirited romp.
Of course, a comedy can’t settle for merely looking good, leaving most of the responsibility to the cast to pull off this complex caper. But Yates has her crew well-prepared and hitting all of their marks, no easy feat as the potential victims scurry from one hidden passage to another in search of their hunter.
Some of the jokes fall victim to the pace, as some punchlines are lost in the confusion. But there’s plenty of humor to go around and the opening-night audience certainly got its share of laughs.
Barber generated most of the snickers, channeling Bob Hope as the jittery comic who somehow summons the courage to fight back and win the gal. Georgette Reilly Timoney is a lovely lush, while Correll gets the best of Bishop’s pen as the jaded music writer.
Fresh and fun are two words not often associated with 20-year-old comedy, but here they, just in time for the holidays. What better time of year to indulge yourself?

Last night at the Bickford

2007-11-17T06:04:00.001-08:00

A quick note to check in, say hi and promise to increase my posts in the near future. Working a lot of hours, but it's all good. Transition is going well. But sometimes, just getting to the shows is tough. I started work at 8:30 a.m. yesterday to try and wrap everything up for the weekend and still get to the Bickford by 8 p.m., but it still wasn't enough; had to go back after the show.

Anyway, a Review Preview will soon follow for "The musical Comedy Murders of 1940." For those who can't wait, here's the abstract: you probably haven't seen it, so it's fresh and a lot of fun. But it's a tricky show to pull off. Good cast and good direction, but some of the jokes fly by too fast, or too soft, to register with the crowd. Fortunately, there's a lot of them, so it's worth a look. I suspect most people will be entertained.

More importantly, I wanted to comment on the new lobby/entrance to the Morris Museum and the Bickford. They should be terribly excited and proud because the facility, a well-kept secret in some circles, really makes an impression. With the recent and dramatic improvements to the Museum and the Community Theatre, Morris County really has become a legitimate cultural destination to be reckoned with.

I loved the $78,000 music box they have for sale in the gift shop. A critic can dream, can't he? And the lady promised to come down on the price, so I showed it to Mrs. Willie, who keeps asking what I want for Christmas.

I'll keep you updated on that little campaign. It would great next to my jukebox. Or the gong.

Also, chatted with actors and Morristown residents J.C. Hoyt ("Mass Appeal," "Roar of the Greasepaint") and Katrina Ferguson ("The Poetry of Pizza," "Quatermaine's Terms"), often seen on professional stages in North Jersey. They and a few others are headed for Germany to do a production of "A Christmas Carol."

Check them out if you get to Deutschland. Otherwise, you'll have to settle for the half-dozen or so "Carols" to be found in North and Central Jersey in the coming weeks.

Go R.U. Talk to you soon.

Review Preview: Meet Me in St. Louis

2007-11-13T05:39:00.000-08:00

Sunday night at the press opening, I got a chance to meet and chat with Mark Jones, the new executive director at Paper Mill. Seems to be an upbeat guy with a clear understanding of the challenges.

He told me in effect, without being prompted by a specific question, that (to paraphrase) the board of trustees must get more actively involved and that being on the board is more than coming to a few meetings and shaking hands.

That's a good place to start, although he's going to have to accomplish that without antagonizing them, since they have some say about whether he gets to keep the job.

Of course, given the current state of affairs, if this executive director doesn't get the job done, there may not be a next executive director. So let's wish him good luck and good reviews.

"Meet me in St. Louis" is a mixed bag, very nicely done but not terribly exciting or engrossing. The draft of my review, to publish Friday, follows. Let me know what you think.

If you want to go:
What: “Meet n St. Louis”
When: through Dec. 16
Where: Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn
How much: $25-92
Info: (973) 376-4343; www.papermill.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
The New Jersey holiday theater season officially began last week with the premiere of “Meet Me in St. Louis” at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn. Based on the popular 1944 MGM musical, this revival of the 1987 musical may not be a holiday show in the truest sense, but it does generate the appropriate warmth and happiness we hope to receive form the season.
And, while Halloween gets as much stage time as Christmas, “Meet Me in St. Louis is the source of one of our most beloved holiday songs, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” one of many melodies that will stick with you long after the final curtain.
Certainly, the music carries the night, as 20 minutes of plot is stretched beyond natural limits. The time is the year before the St. Louis World’s Fair (known accurately as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition), and the town is buzzing in anticipation. The Smith family children are excited about the coming fair, but there’s more important work for the time-being. Eldest daughter Rose (Julia Osborne) is busy putting up token resistance with her Ivy League boyfriend, Warren (Patrick Cummings), while Esther (Brynn O’Malley), a junior in high school, is trying to catch the eye of John (Brian Hissong), her handsome new neighbor.
Two younger daughters, Tootie (Sophie Rudin) and Agnes (Roni Caggiano), stir up some innocent trouble, while Lon (Christian Deacroix), the only son, is preparing for college at Princeton.
Throw in some flirting, a few dances and you’ve got the whole story. Alonso (Gregg Edelman), the stuffy dad, startles the family with a pending move to New York City, but the drama is as thin as the rest of the plot.
The pleasures of “Meet Me in St. Louis” lay more in spending a few easy hours in an easier time and place. Perhaps we spend too much time in the family’s home (scenic designer has fashioned a colorful and functional Victorian that opens and closes like a blooming flower), relegating an energetic ensemble to the wings for 90 percent of the night.

One-off best bets in Morris County

2007-11-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

I haven't had a lot of time to blog lately, but I'm burning a lot of hours on the new job. But while writing my Sunday column, two special events caught my eye.

The first is Elaine Bromka's solo show, "Tea for Three: Lady Bird, Pat and Betty," in which she portrays three of America's most notable first ladies. I've seen it and she's very, very good. Even better, it's a free performance Nov. 14 at the Washington township Public Library. but you'll want to call ahead, because they will give priority seating to township residents.

Press release follows. Seriously, very good show.

The other best bet is even more unusual, in part because the circumstances. John Shelby Spong, the former and controversial Episcopal bishop of Newark, also a resident of Morristown, will attend two performances of a show based on his life, written and produced by a professional touring company from Los Angeles. First time the show will be seen in his home town after crossing the country for a few years. I'm only now learning about this guy, and there's a lot to learn. If you agree, the Bickford would be a good place to start your studies.

Both press releases follow. I'll be at Paper Mill Sunday night for the press opening of "Meet Me in St. Louis." You can meet me in Millburn.

A PEBBLE IN MY SHOE

Following the sellout of a first show today at 3 p.m., a second performance of “A Pebble in My Shoe” was added for 8 p.m. tonight at the Bickford Theatre.
This special production is based on the life of John Shelby Spong, former Episcopal bishop of Newark and a resident of Morristown. Spong, who will attend both performances, was a controversial figure who antagonized fundamentalist Christians, religious fanatics and those who cling to tradition, even in the Episcopal church.
“A Pebble in My Show” was written and directed by Colin Cox, artistic director of Will and Company, a Los Angeles-based theater troupe that is taking the play to colleges and churches throughout the country. For information, call the Bickford box office at (973) 971-3706.

TEA FOR THREE

Washington Twp. Public Library, 37 E. Springtown Rd., Long Valley.
908-876-3596

"Tea for Three: Lady Bird, Pat & Betty” on November 14th at 7p.m.

"Tea for Three: Lady BIrd, Pat & Betty" reveals a gallery of intimate portraits of three remarkable First Ladies with Emmy Award-winning New York actress, Elaine Bromka. We discover each at a threshold moment in her life, and learn the personal cost of what Pat Nixon called the hardest unpaid job in the world.

ELAINE BROMKA (The First Ladies, Co-author) has been a professional actress for over thirty years. Film: Cindy, the mom in Uncle Buck; Without a Trace. T.V.: E.R., The Sopranos, Providence, Dharma & Greg, Sisters, L.A. Law, Law and Order, Law and Order: Special Victims’ Unit, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Stella Lombard on Days of Our Lives, the Emmy Award–winning Playing for Time with Vanessa Redgrave and Catch a Rainbow, for which Ms. Bromka herself won an Emmy. She has appeared on Broadway (The Rose Tattoo, I’m Not Rappaport, Macbeth) and off-Broadway (Cloud 9 at the Lucille Lortel, Roundabout’s Inadmissible Evidence with Nicol Williamson, the world premiere of Michael Weller’s Split at E.S.T. and Candide with the National Theatre of the Deaf.) She has played leads at regional theaters across the country, including Long Wharf, Hartford Stage, Center Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, ACT/Seattle, O’Neill Playwrights Conference, Shakespeare and Company, McCarter Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theater, George Street Playhouse, and the Folger Theatre Group, in roles ranging from Much Ado About Nothing's Beatrice to Shirley Valentine, cited as the outstanding solo performance in New Jersey in 1997 by the Star Ledger. Starring opposite Rich Little in The Presidents for P.B.S., she impersonated the last eight First Ladies. A member of the Actors Studio and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Smith College, she returned to Smith in 2003 as a faculty member to teach “Acting for the Media”. As a guest artist, Ms. Bromka has taught her one-day workshop, “Acting for the Camera”, at more than thirty colleges and prep schools across the country.

Call the Library at 908-876-3596 or go to http://www.wtpl.org/ under Adult Activities to sign up!Sorry

Ticket Twofer at Shakespeare Theatre

2007-11-01T05:13:00.000-07:00

If Shakespeare's your bag but your funds are low, take not of the ticket twofer being offered by the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey for the remaining run of "Henry VI: Blood and Roses."

Great, exciting show (review posted in here somewhere) and you can't beat the price, so get thee hence. (973) 408-5600. Phone orders only.

You want bang for your buck? Bang zoom, as Jackie Gleason would say.

Review Preview: "The Sunshine Boys"

2007-10-31T07:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry to be silent for more than a week, but was transitioning from one Gannett newspaper (Jersey Stages blog host The Courier News) to the Daily Record. But got to New Brunswick Saturday night to catch up with Jack Klugman and Paul Dooley in "The Sunshine Boys."

Nice night out for yours truly and Mrs. Willie, although the town was in a bit of a funk following the ugly Rutgers football loss. By dinner time, though, the streets were full of people. Nice to see downtown N.B. so alive when it's easy to remember when it wasn't a very good idea to be walking down George Street after dark.

Lovely dinner at Soho, just around the corner from George Street Playhouse. Good food, good service and prices were a notch below some of the wonderful, but incredibly expensive Hub City restaurants. Of course, Jersey Stages always reminds readers to budget time for a nice dinner before a show in New Brunswick. The choices are myriad, especially if you're willing to drop $100 on dinner and a bottle of wine.

Oh, yeah, and the show was good too. Here's the Review Preview:

Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “The Sunshine Boys”
When: through Nov.11
Where: George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick
How much: $28 to $64
Info: (73) 246-7717; www.gsponline.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Did you hear the one about Lewis and Clark discovering New Brunswick and marking it on their new map as Exit 9?
The famous explorers also inspired the name of the fictional vaudeville team, Lewis and Clark, aka “The Sunshine Boys,” who are packing them in at George Street Playhouse, N.J. Turnpike Exit 9, in the Hub City of Middlesex County.
Neil Simon’s hilarious and sentimental comedy has its own timeless quality, but Artistic Director David Saint has figuratively tossed the clock out the window, teaming one ageless acting legend with another familiar and respected veteran in the title roles.
Jack Klugman, who starred here last fall in “The Value of Names,” continues to explore his roots as a stage actor, with results that are a privilege to witness. The spry 85-year-old, who once played opposite Ethel Merman in “Gypsy,” makes it look almost too easy, as though comic timing was as natural as breathing.
Paul Dooley, one of the most recognizable actors most of us can’t name, is the perfect straight man, calmly serving as the target of Klugman’s comic rage.
After 43 years in the business, Willie Clark (Klugman) and Al Clark (Dooley) are spending their golden years apart. They haven’t even spoken in 11 years, after Al retired before Willie was ready.
We catch up with Willie in 1973, miserably comfortable in his dingy, apartment-style Manhattan hotel room. Willie’s nephew, Ben (Michael Mastro, another veteran New York actor) stocks the pantry during one of his weekly visits, during which he begs his uncle to take better care of himself.
But Willie would rather stay inside, complain and read the obits of his former friends in Variety.
“Look at that, 89 years old” he says, reading one. “He went like that, from nothing.”
Ben also is Willie’s agent, although there’s little work for an aging actor who can’t remember his lines. But Ben’s brought news of a big CBS TV special on the history of comedy, and they want Lewis and Clark.
After much cajoling, and several pages of Simon zingers, Willie reluctantly agrees to the reunion. Ben brings Al up for a rehearsal and the real fun begins.
“I heard your blood doesn’t circulate,” Willie says.
“My blood circulates fine,” Al rebuts. “I’m not saying everywhere …”
Simon’s silly lines are so deceptively simple that many actors turn them into throwaways, knowing if one doesn’t work, there will be plenty more. But Klugman and Dooley are so good at what they do that they don’t even need the lines to get a laugh. One of the funniest scenes in the show is a wordless exercise in which the surly Sunshine boys attempt to set up their famous doctor skit. Each has a sketchy memory of the sketch, and they spend several side-splitting minutes moving chairs around a table until they get it just wrong.
There’s also a quietly funny scene where they mirror mannerisms while sipping tea, never once looking at each other, like an old married couple who have blended into one entity.
Klugman’s voice remains compromised from surgery for throat cancer, scratchy at best and occasionally trailing off to a high-pitched whisper. But the rhythm of his voice, which speeds up when his character is agitated (which is quite often), is familiar as Oscar Madison’s messy bedroom. It helps that all the actors are miked and mixed to the same volume, so every line is clear all the way to the back row.
Ebony Jo-Ann and Peggy Joyce Crosby enrich a supporting cast, respectively playing a sassy home nurse and a shamelessly buxom actress playing a nurse.
A rotating stage brings the audience from Willie’s flat, where most of the action takes place, to the soundstage for a rehearsal of the doctor sketch, which, of course, falls apart as the warring geezers revisit ancient conflicts.
Add a relentless barrage of Jersey Jokes and you have the makings of a show that should back up traffic at Exit 9, which “The Sunshine Boys” appears to be doing. Saturday’s second-week performance drew a full house, so make your reservations early for this limited-run treasure.

Review Preview times 2: Frankie and Johnny; Tartuffe

2007-10-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

Another busy weekend, no wonder my golf game suffered. And it doesn't help to come home to serious computer issues (no time or patience to explain, but Internet access takes some improvisation).

But the information must flow, so here's a draft of my combined review of Frankie and Johnny at the Clare De Lune and Tartuffe. To Tartuffe or not to Tartuffe? That is the question answered ahead.
If you want to go:
What: “Frankie and Johnny in the Clare De Lune”
When: through Nov. 4
Where: Parsippany Community Center, 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha section
How much: $15, $13 seniors
Info: (973) 316-3033

If you want to go:
What: “Tartuffe”
When: through Oct. 28
Where: Matthews Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton
How much: $12 to $55
Info: (973) 316-3033

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
A bountiful harvest awaits theater fans this autumn in New Jersey. Two current productions reflect the wide variety of choices—one is a straightforward approach to a contemporary work, and the other an abstract, contemporary take on an old classic.
The former may be the easier pill to swallow, at least for adult patrons. “Frankie and Johnny at the Clare De Lune” is one of the more provocative dramas staged in recent years by the Women’s Theatre Company. Now in its third year at the Parsippany Community Center, Barbara Krajkowski’s little professional company is hoping to make a big noise this year with a fresh approach that includes plays written by men as well as women. The choice of Terrence McNally’s two-character drama should attract younger audiences eager to experience a daring, edgy and intimate story in an equally intimate space.
So close to the stage, the audience becomes voyeurs, almost uncomfortably close to a pair of lonely, middle-aged coworkers who one night become lovers. We arrive before the first deed is done, greeted by grunts, groans and moans in the dark. The light gradually reveals Frankie and Johnny, a waitress and cook, respectively, at the Clare De Lune diner in Manhattan.
We soon realize Frankie (Susan Barrett) also is uncomfortably close to Johnny, whom she liked enough to have sex with, but would rather he didn’t spend the night.
On the other side of the bed, Johnny (Lenny Bart) is convinced he’s found his true love and won’t leave until she realizes it as well. She spends the next 90 minutes pointing to their differences. He admits to more faults than even she sees, but is hardly discouraged. He also has a knack for discovering their common ground (both are originally from Allentown, both have mothers who left them at age 7, both refer to the refrigerator as the ice box).
Both are desperately lonely, not getting any younger and well aware that the years have not been kind to them. Barrett and Bart both turn in fearless performances, revealing warts and more in various stages of undress (neither quite makes it to completely naked). Barrett takes a little longer, however, to connect with her character’s profound sadness. It takes an impassioned monologue by Johnny, phoning a song request to a radio host, to bring genuine tears to her eyes. From that point, late in the first act, she’s terrific.
Bart lets it all hang out from the opening curtain. Johnny may be a bit of a creep, bordering on stalker, but Bart warms the character with a relentless, cheerful sincerity that is nearly irresistible.
Director Lauren Moran Mills gets the credit for assisting the chemistry of the players, while the narrow, New York-style apartment flat from set designers Gerg Moran and Kathrynne Forsbrey is both functional and realistic.
In Princeton, the set is neither functional nor realistic for “Tartuffe,” the familiar 17th century Moliere comedy about a Rasputin-like grafter who dupes a wealthy man into signing away his daughter and, eventually, his entire net worth. The partially obscured bedroom at stage left looks like a typical “Tartuffe” set, but the rest of the large Matthews Theatre stage is nearly bare. Two large, grey walls, in back and stage right, contain large video screens, airing a live feed from the bedroom. It’s a jittery digital broadcast from a young woman, video designer Alexandra Eaton, wearing a casual test-pattern t-shirt and operating a hand-held camera.
The cast is fine and Richard Wilbur’s English verse translation of Moliere’s original French is always a pleasure. But the odd staging, in and out of the room, seems blocked merely to provide interesting camera angles. You may get the uneasy feeling that this approach could have been applied to any revival with equal impact, or lack of the same. “Tartuffe” seems a random choice — or victim — for director Daniel Fish’s uncertain vision.
Perhaps it’s the You Tube influence on our culture, which apparently has made it all the way to the Ivy League. But if I wanted to watch videos, I could have stayed home. And with “Frankie and Johnny” in the neighborhood, Princeton suddenly seems far away.

Shopping for Shakespeare

2007-10-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

Just got back from the Costume and Prop Sale at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Lots of cool stuff, as I promised. We got some masks, a parasol, some $5 T-shirts and a few other knick knacks. Mrs. Willie loves knick knacks. Lots of fun waiting on line as well as we met up with some fellow old timers, reminiscing about seeing bands in the 70s and the 80s at places like the Main Event and Zaffy's. Anybody else remember the Good Rats? "Rat City in Blue?" "Tasty?"

Takes a fella back. Back to the days when the George Street Playhouse was still on George Street, and the seats at the Shakespeare Theatre were folding desks.

Still plenty of stuff, so if you read this in a timely manner, get over there the same way.

Busy weekend on the boards as we saw "Frankie and Johnny at the Clair de Lune" last night at the Womens Theater Company in Parsippany. Incredible rain storm on the way home.

In about an hour, we're off to Princeton for a matinee of "Tartuffe." Whew.

As Greg Schiano is so fond of saying, "you just gotta keep choppin'."

Forum readings at Playwights Theatre

2007-10-17T01:54:00.000-07:00

Misplaced the press release for this event so did not get it into the column in a timely manner. So let's play catch up with Playwrights Theatre with apologies. Fortunately, I can give you bloggers a complete report, while my column readers will have to pick up with weekend 2 of the new Forum series of staged readings.

Strange I haven't had the chance to blog all that much about Playwrights Theatre, but they were dark all summer and have replaced their usual fall production with this series of readings, which they used to do in December and May.

It's also frustrating because I would love to get to more readings, especially of new works, but my schedule just won't allow it. We generally only review shows that are still running, and I have to budget my limited time to attending events I can write about.

But that's my problem. Playwrights is a developmental theater, so emphasizing readings is true to their mission.

Anyway, here's the info. You guys can decide for yourself how to budget your time.

Playwrights Theatre is proud to announce it will open its 22nd season in October with a new event called FORUM. Staged readings of 7 new plays with intimate discussion with the artists following each performance will take place at 7:00pm each evening on October 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27 and November 2 & 3 at Playwrights Theatre, 33 Green Village Road, Madison, NJ. Patrons can attend one reading for $10 or purchase a FORUM PASS to the entire festival for $25. Playwrights Theatre’s season subscribers receive a FORUM PASS as a free added bonus. Reservations can be made online at www.ptnj.org or call (973) 514-1787 X10.

Featuring the work of some of the nation’s best writers, including Tony and Pulitzer nominee Lee Blessing, off-Broadway regular Richard Dresser, and a commissioned premiere from New Orleans (Rising Water by John Biguenet) a play just nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, FORUM brings critical mass to Playwrights Theatre’s new play programs. Visit Playwrights Theatre’s website www.ptnj.org for additional pre-show and post-show information.

"We are very much looking forward to working on these new plays, and we are especially excited about the line-up. These are some of the best writers working in the theatre today," said John Pietrowski, Artistic Director. “John Biguenet’s play, Rising Water, has been nominated for a Pulitzer, so we’re holding our breath to see what will happen. Even though it’s received a production already in New Orleans, John has done some additional work for this reading."

Thursday, October 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Sexsting by Doris Baizley
Directed by David Winitsky
John Doe, a middle aged married man with two teenage children, has become addicted to Internet Chat Rooms where he likes to engage in "virtual sex" with underage girls. But the girl he becomes closest to is an undercover male FBI agent who is also middle aged. Sexsting is a provocative new play about virtual pornography, entrapment, loss of identity, and the blurring of boundaries in today's cyber world. This play is for ages 18 and up and not recommended for children.

Friday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Lonesome Hollow by Lee Blessing.
Directed by John Pietrowski
Lonesome Hollow is a small town and high security penal colony for pedophiles and others that the government now considers “dangerous.” The open air space has trees and benches; it seems, well, kinda nice. But there sure are a lot of gunshots in the distance--and prisoners frequently get R & R in ways that leave no marks. From the Pulitzer and Tony nominated author of Whores, A Walk in the Woods, and The Winning Streak, is a brand new play that explores where America’s post 9/11 obsessions with self-protection may be heading. Recommended for 18 and up.

Saturday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m.
There or Here by Jennifer Maisel
Directed by John Pietrowski
Robyn and Ajay are desperate to have a baby so they “outsource” the pregnancy by going to a third world country to rent a womb. From the author of The Last Seder, Mallbaby, … And The Two Romeos comes a complex new play about those who yearn to connect within a world where technology let’s everyone remain distant. Recommended for ages 15 and up.

Thursday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m.
The Pursuit of Happiness by Richard Dresser
Directed by John Pietrowski
Annie and Neil are mighty concerned when Jodi, their prized daughter who went to all the right private schools, refuses to go to college. People must go to college; it’s the next step! From the author of Augusta and Rounding Third, comes a funny play about middle-aged baby boomers, obsessed with getting ahead, who build their lives inside a house of sand. Recommended for ages 15 and up.

Friday, October 26 at 7:00 p.m.
Love Song by John Kolvenbach
Directed by James Glossman
Beanne lives alone in his bare apartment. Lately the walls have been closing in, rather slowly, just like his life. When Molly magically appears out of nowhere, she rattles not only Beanne's insular world, but affects the lives of his annoying sister and her rational husband. Recently commissioned by Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, this play is for recommended for ages 15 and up.

Saturday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m.
The Day of the Picnic by Russell Davis
Directed by John Pietrowski
Denise Fullbright is a widow. She now resides inside a nursing home. Lately, she and others are hearing the faint call of "yoo-hoo." It's everywhere. But where does this "yoo-hoo" really come from and where it will finally lead? From the author of The Song of Gwendelyn, Sally’s Porch and Mahida’s Extra Key to Heaven, this menacing yet humorous new play evokes elements of the mystical, explores a prophecy of Isaiah, and wonders whether or not we ever see what's truly coming at us during our lives. Recommended for ages 15 and up.

Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Rising Water by John Biguenet
Directed by John Pietrowski
In post Katrina New Orleans, an old married couple are stuck in their attic. Water is seeping up slowly; the whole neighborhood is flooded. Unsure of what just happened or where they are going, these refugees examine what is left of their long and difficult marriage. This play is for ages 13 and up.

**Programs are subject to change. Please visit the website www.ptnj.org for up-to-the-minutes details.

Season subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now (discounts available for students, seniors and groups). Registrations are being accepted for the Creative Arts Academy Fall classes for children, teens and adults. The New Jersey Writers Project is accepting applications for 2007-2008 residencies. For more information about any of the programs, please visit www.ptnj.org or call (937) 514-1787.

About Playwrights Theatre:
Playwrights Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional (Actors’ Equity) theatre. A community of professional playwrights, theatre artists, and arts educators, Playwrights provides opportunities for writers to develop their works in a nurturing environment and connect with new audiences. Our New Play Development Program is a multi-step process through which playwrights, theatre artists, and audiences collaborate to bring selected texts from rough draft to finished production. Our Education Programs introduce students of all ages and backgrounds to the possibilities inherent in thinking and communicating creatively. Playwrights Theatre's New Jersey Writers Project provides hands-on workshops led by professional writers-in-residence to students in schools and community centers throughout the state reaching over 15,000 students annually. We place an equal emphasis on New Play Development and Educational activities, and encourage our community and audiences to participate fully in both.

We are honored that for the years 2007-2010 the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) designated Playwrights Theatre as a Major Arts Institution. This means that the Council considers Playwrights Theatre to be “an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey” (along with Paper Mill Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and the McCarter Theatre Center).

Funding for Playwrights Theatre is made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc., The Prudential Foundation, the Victoria Foundation, the New Jersey Cultural Trust, Bank of America, Campbell Soup Company, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, The Turrell Fund, Atlantic Mutual Companies, Novartis, Pearsall Family Foundation, Pfizer, PSE&G, St. Paul Travers, Wyeth and many other corporations, foundations and individual contributors. FORUM is supported by grants from the Puffin Foundation, The Shubert Foundation and The Dramatist Guild Fund.

Playwrights Theatre is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the National New Play Network, American Alliance for Theatre & Education, Theatre Communications Group and Madison Arts & Culture Alliance.

Review Preview: "Henry VI: Blood and Roses"

2007-10-15T05:12:00.000-07:00

OK, in a timely manner, for once. Here's the review preview for "Blood and Roses."

As exciting as it was, I'm not sure I can go out of my way to recommend it for casual theater fans, becuase it is long and somewhat demanding. That said, I still think most people, including those with an aversion to Shakspeare, might find it surprisingly exciting. The problem is keeping up with the story, but there's so much action, your attention never wanders.

As for the rest of you (and I assume most of the people who read this blog are theater fans), you simply don't want to miss this. The acting is top-notch, including numerous performances from actors new to this stage, and the the show generally rocks and rolls like one of those old Allman Brothers concerts. Rock on, Brian Crowe, and expect some of my worthless (but highly coveted) end-of-the-year awards.

Here you go:

Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Henry VI: Blood and Roses”
When: through Nov. 11
Where: F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124), Madison
How much: $28 to $52
Info: (973) 408-5600; www.shkespearenj.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Ken Burns needed 15 hours to document America’s four-year involvement in World War II. Brian B. Crowe needed only three to cover the 32-year War of the Roses, three Shakespeare plays and an intermission.
Crowe obviously was the better choice to adapt the Bard’s sprawling trilogy of Henry VI plays, Parts 1, 2 and 3, into the taut “Henry VI: Blood and Roses,” which explodes through Nov. 11 at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
Crowe also directed this thrilling epic, wrapping up a thematic arc that began in May with the company’s season-opener, “Henry V.” Artistic director Bonnie J. Monte got the ball rolling with that one, then turned it over to Crowe to close, which he does with a noisy slam
When performed as separate entities, the “Henry VI” troika can run nine hours or more, so many past adapters have scissored Shakespeare’s fictional look at the infamous War of the Roses, which involved petty power struggles that escalated in the aftermath of the death of conquering King Henry V. “Blood and Roses” begins with V’s funeral, on the rugged, minimalist set used for “Henry V,” now clearly in decay. Also prominent is the scaffold-like London Bridge (used in “Henry V” for prop storage), with plenty of posts to hold severed heads. They are put to good use in the second act.
To detail the plot would require an adapter to fit this space, but young Henry VI’s (grammer-schooler Daniel Marconi is a marvel in a demanding role) peaceful world is being torn apart by his squabbling uncles, protectors and mentors.
The scorecard includes Gloucester (John Hickok), the Bishop of Winchester (William Metzo) and Suffolk (Fletcher McTaggart). York (Rufus Collins) and Somerset (Joe Discher) have their own ambitions, but are more interested in fighting each other.
Suffolk takes the early lead by fixing up Henry with the lovely Margaret (Angela Pierce). By now, Henry’s a sweet young man (Ryan Farley) in way over his head. He’s got no stomach for war, and clutches his Bible like a warm puppy. His wife, however, is always up for a fight, and plots with her lover, Suffolk, to seize power.
The players alternate forming conspiracies with fighting battles, and the pattern repeats for most of the evening. But Crowe’s sharp scissors and knack for staging action keeps the story rolling downhill, picking up speed as it goes along. Some battles last only a few seconds, but fight choreographer Doug West makes the most of every moment. At one point, a new scene begins to play while a battle, already under way, rages on in the background.
More than two-dozen actors execute this complex production with dazzling precision, exiting in the wings, switching costumes and then making dramatic entrances seconds later from the back of the theater.
Hickok and Metzo are memorable sparring partners in the first act, as Gloucester’s steely resolve infuriates the devilishly nasty Winchester. Pierce and McTaggart also raise some heat as the passionate conspirators. Farley tempers the passion with his sad-eyed Henry, who just looks like he needs a hug.
The second act is like a game of Risk, as unstable alliances are formed, armies are broken, players switch sides and the fighting resumes. As the lead players’ severed heads accumulate on the bridge, second-line characters rise in profile, including Scott Whitehurst as the mercurial Earl of Warwick and Derek Wilson as Richard, the homicidal humpback who would later surface as the infamous Richard III. Wilson has turned in some nice work on this stage, mostly in gentlemanly roles. He shows some surprising range here, a frightening sight with stringy hair and flashing an evil grin while declaring “I can smile, and murder while I smile.”
Crowe adds a nod to last year’s startling production of “Richard III,” adding the gasping sound effect used in that show as Richard makes his final exit.
The Shakespeare Theatre has a well-deserved reputation for making what looks like easy work out of difficult productions. “Blood and Roses” raises the bar in Madison by whipping three at once. The only problem is, what do they do for an encore?

To "Tartuffe" or not to "Tartuffe"

2007-10-14T11:47:00.000-07:00

Still writing my review of "Henry VI: Blood and Roses."

Here's the early draft:

"!"

But the reason I'm jumping in here is to share some interesting buzz coming up from Princeton.
I'm friendly with a lot of the other critics and we usually gaggle, especially at the big openings, where the crowd of us can get pretty big. And last night, virtually every one of them asked me if I had seen "Tartuffe," because they didn't see me at Friday's press opening.

And all of them said, "You're lucky. It was awful." And I mean all of them. With the rolling of the eyes and the smirk and the whole magilla.

My response to most was, "well, did you like his (director Daniel Fish, who definitely has some interesting ideas) "Hamlet"? And they all said no. I said, "well, I did," to which they said, "well, then maybe you might like this." Again with the eye rolling and the smirking and the whole magilla.

Ouch! Still haven't got that one on the schedule, but I'm still hoping to go.

They can't scare me off.

Costume and prop sale

2007-10-13T01:43:00.000-07:00

I've often written that one of my favorite theater nights of the year is the outdoor show put on by the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Mrs. Willie's favorite recurring event is the biennial costume and prop sale at said company's F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre.

We were late getting to the pickings in 2005, but still got a lot of cool stuff. Got someone unique on your holiday gift list? This is the place you want to be. I'm not shilling here; we stood in the rain to get in and had plenty of company. This thing is a lot of fun and well-attended, so get there early.

A more formal writeup of the event follows. FYI: I'll be there tonight for Blood and Roses. And since I'm up writing this at 4:30 a.m., I guess I'll be napping beforehand.

Oh, well, sleepless nights are good for the old blog. sorry I've been scarce lately, but life's been busy. Lots of plays, lots of transition issues as I approach my transfer date to the Daily Record.

I just gotta keep choppin', eh, Rutgers fans?

Remind me to blog about the personal-best 89 I shot last week. I know you want to know all about it.

i Just in time for Halloween, the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey will conduct its second Biennial Costume and Prop Sale Saturday at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124) on the campus of Drew University in Madison.
The sale will feature hundreds of unique items from the company’s costume and prop shops, including many worn, used or seen in main-stage productions. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the company’s educational and artistic programs.
Admission is free of charge and the doors will open at 10 a.m. sharp. Shoppers may want to consider arriving early since the 2005 sale was so well-attended that a long line formed outside the theater, with many people standing in a steady rain while waiting for their chance to enter.
For more information, call (973) 408-5600 or visit www.shakespearenj.org.

Review Preview: School for Wives

2007-10-09T06:11:00.000-07:00

Draft of my review of "School for Wives" at Centenary College follows. Had to wait until alst night to finish the lead (you'll understand when you read it).

Normally, I do not look forward to Centenary's season-opening costume classic, but this was a startling exception. Two reasons not in the review: the cast is not dependent on students that never seem to do very well on this stage, and a tight running time of 2 hours even.

Which is more than I can expect this week when I see "Blood and Roses" at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Looking forward to it (Brian Crowe is rapidly rising to the top of my list of resident directors there, and that's one talented list), but I have a nap scheduled in my DayRunner for Saturday afternoon.

Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “School for Wives”
When: through Oct. 21
Where: Centenary Theatre, Centenary College, 400 Jefferson St., Hackettstown
How much: $15 to $22
Info: (908) 979-0900; www.centenarystageco.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Daily Record
Call him Mr. October.
Morris-area baseball fans may not have a team to cheer for in the World Series, but, like Reggie Jackson in the 1977 fall classic, artistic director Carl Wallnau is the straw that stirs the drink for Centenary Stage Company, which last week premiered a sensational production of “School for Wives.”
Wallnau traditionally directs his professional company’s season-opening, classic-theater production, but for the first time in several years, he’s also claimed the starring role. He’s cast himself perfectly as the unscrupulous, cradle-rocking fraud in Moliere’s 18th century farce, and he’s hit the part out of the park. There are many pleasures in “School for Wives,” but Wallnau’s side-splitting performance is more than enough to nominate it for comedy of the year in Northern New Jersey.
The famed 17th century French playwright Moliere also was known for starring in his not-so-romantic comedy about a middle-aged businessman experiencing something of a mid-life crisis. Arnolphe had achieved some measure of respect and success, but has yet to marry, fearing the fate of other men who have become cuckolds (men whose wives cheat on them). His long-term solution, however, is about to ripen. Agnes (Katie Tame), his young ward, is back home after years in a convent, where her only education came from the Bible and a book about how to be a proper wife.
Unfortunately, while he was traveling, Agnes was smitten by young Horace (Philip Mutz), the son of one of Arnolphe’s oldest friends. Enlisting the assistance of two less-than loyal—and less than competent—servants (Stuart Fingeret and Daniele Tampier), Arnolphe spends the better part of two acts plotting to separate the young lovers, taking one step forward and three steps back the entire way.
To be sure, there is no vegetarian alternative in “School for Wives” as Wallnau’s performance has more ham than the breakfast special at I.H.O.P. Imagine Jackie Gleason doing an impression of David Niven and you’ll begin to get the idea. Wallnau the director has given Wallnau the actor free reign, and he commands the stage like a child throwing a tantrum in the middle of Wal-Mart. Twisting syllables and eyebrows beyond their natural limits, Wallnau had the opening-night audience hyperventilating and gasping for air in between the belly laughs.
Of course, given his character’s utter lack of conscience and scruples (even his bribes are counterfeit), the over-the-top approach is perfectly appropriate. Arnolphe’s behavior is so inexcusable that he must be rendered a caricature for any audience to appreciate him, because they will never like or sympathize with him. This was true, even in Moliere’s day, and it takes a brave man to play such a coward with so much passion.
Wallnau the director also has a nice touch with his supporting cast. Fingeret and Tampier have a nice chemistry as the bumbling servants, while Mutz, who has done some work with the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, is an earnest, eager lover who handles the tricky dialogue with ease. Leon Hill, a Centenary student and Centenary Stage veteran, makes an impression in a brief role as a snooty notary.
Wallnau’s only misstep as director is dressing Agnes in a pink, baby-doll dress with oversize hair ribbons, and having Katie Tame play her as an obnoxious 8-year-old. Gilda Radner used to make this work on “Saturday Night Live,” but her character was not an object of male desire. Wallnau even supplies her with an oversized lollipop, adding a creepy Lolita quality to the list of reasons why we hate Arnolphe.
Tame also delivers her lines with a loud, shrill voice that would make one wonder why two men, let alone one, would want her as a wife. Fortunately, Wallnau lets her act her age during a balcony monolgue that lets us appreciate Tame, and her character, just enough to not consider if she may be the punishment Arnolphe deserves.
Centenary College has a lot to look forward to in the future, with groundbreaking this week on the new, 70,000-square-foot Lackland Center, which will include a new 500-seat theater. In the meantime, Centenary Stage Company has brightened the school’s present with this fine production of an enjoyable classic plucked from the past.

McCarter offering Non-Equity auditions

2007-10-06T06:45:00.001-07:00

Big chance alert for budding professionals: two chances to put your foot in the door at Princeton University's Tony-winning McCarter Theatre Center.

Why are you sitting there reading this? Get to work!

Details follow.
Princeton University’s McCarter Theatre Center has scheduled rare non-Equity audition opportunities this week for two upcoming productions.
Auditions will take place Wednesday in New York City for a workshop of an interactive, educational touring production of “The Odyssey Experience,” directed by Christopher T. Parks. Auditions will be by appointment only. Rehearsals and performances will take place from Oct. 22 to Nov. 2. The performance will combine acting, teaching and storytelling. All rehearsals and performances are in New Jersey. Actors may not be required for all dates.
Male and female actors of all ethnicities are needed to play multiple roles in the production, based on characters in Homer’s “The Odyssey,” as well as leading student participation and improvising. Candidates must have experience working with young people, the ability to shift from character to character quickly, a good sense of humor and strong physical theater skills. Improvisation experience is strongly encouraged and teaching experience is required.
Auditioners are asked to prepare a one-minute classical or contemporary monologue. Cast members will be offered between 2 to 10 days of employment. To request an appointment, send a picture and resume to The Odyssey Experience Casting, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton NJ 08540.
McCarter also will conduct non-Equity auditions Friday for its annual production of “A Christmas Carol.” Signups begin 9 a.m. at Chelsea Studios (Studio 607), 151 W. 26th St., New York City. Auditioners should be warmed up and ready to dance by 10 a.m.
Dancers and singers are needed to complete the ensemble cast. Two supporting roles—Charlotte Fezziwig and Schoolmaster/Ghost of Christmas Future—also will be cast from the ensemble.
Rehearsals begin Nov. 7, with performances scheduled from Dec. 2 to 23. The producers request no calls or e-mail inquiries. For directions to Chelsea Studios, visit www.theatreworksusa.org/chelsea_directions.cfm.

Tyne Daly, Brian Murray coming to McCarter

2007-10-05T04:44:00.000-07:00

That's some cast that Emily Mann has gathered for the world premiere of Edward Albee's "Me, Myself and I" at McCarter (Jan. 11-Feb. 17). See the details below.

Me, myself and the Missus will be at Centenary College tonight for their season-opener, "School of Wives." Centenary is hit-and-miss for me, but I'm looking forward to seeing artistic director Carl Wallnau onstage for the first time. He's done a lot of work on other Jersey stages and I've read some glowing reviews, but I've never seen him act.

Contact:
Dan Bauer Director of Public Relations
(609) 258-6524
dbauer@mccarter.org

TYNE DALY AND BRIAN MURRAY TO STAR
IN THE WORLD PREMIERE OF EDWARD ALBEE’S MY, MYSELF AND I
AT PRINCETON’S McCARTER THEATRE CENTER

DIRECTED BY McCARTER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR EMILY MANN,
THE PRODUCTION RUNS FROM JANUARY 11 THROUGH FEBRUARY 17, 2008

The nationally acclaimed McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey, is pleased to announce that TYNE DALY and BRIAN MURRAY will play the leads in the upcoming world premiere of Edward Albee’s Me, Myself and I. Directed by Artistic Director Emily Mann, the production plays the Berlind Theatre of McCarter Theatre Center from January 11 through February 17, 2008.

When a pair of identical twin brothers both named Otto, how’s a mother (played by Ms. Daly) supposed to keep them straight? Master playwright Edward Albee is in top form with this dark, funny and moving play that takes sibling rivalry to existential heights.

Widely considered one of the most versatile actresses of her generation -- with a wide range of roles on stage and television – Me, Myself and I marks the first time that Ms. Daly has performed in a play by Edward Albee. She joins a growing list of distinguished actresses in recent years to appear in plays by the three-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright: Kathleen Turner, Dame Maggie Smith, Rosemary Harris, Marian Seldes, Elaine Stritch, Sally Field, Mercedes Ruehl, to name a few.

Winner of the 1990 Tony Award for her portrayal of Rose in Gypsy, TYNE DALY was seen on Broadway in the world premiere of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole and in the 1992 revival of Chekov’s The Seagull opposite Jon Voight, Laura Linney, and Ethan Hawke. For her work in television, Daly has been honored with six Emmy Awards. She received the Emmy Award four times for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work in Cagney and Lacey, and two Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Emmys: one for Christy and another for Judging Amy.

A leading Albee interpreter, BRIAN MURRAY, has appeared in Albee's The Play About the Baby and Beckett/Albee Off-Broadway. He is a three-time Tony nominee for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Little Foxes and The Crucible, as well as a recipient of multiple Obie (Ashes and Edward Albee’s The Play About the Baby) and Drama Desk (Noises Off, Travels with My Aunt and The Little Foxes) Awards. Also a distinguished director, his Broadway directing credits include Hay Fever, Arsenic and Old Lace, Blithe Spirit and The Circle. His film and television work includes Bob Roberts; City Hall; Treasure Planet (voice of John Silver); The Investigation, Liberty, Hamlet, Twelfth Night. Mr. Murray is the recipient of a 1998 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence and the 1998 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work; as well as a Fox Foundation Fellow.

Multi award-winning Director and Playwright EMILY MANN received a 2003 Obie Award for her direction of Edward Albee’s All Over with Rosemary Harris and Michael Learned. Ms. Mann’s McCarter directing credits include Nilo Cruz’s Pulitzer-Prize winning Anna in the Tropics with Jimmy Smits (also on Broadway), the world premiere of Christopher Durang’s Miss Witherspoon (also off-Broadway), Uncle Vanya with Amanda Plummer, The Cherry Orchard with Jane Alexander, John Glover and Avery Brooks, Three Sisters with Frances McDormand, Linda Hunt and Mary Stuart Masterson, A Doll House with Cynthia Nixon, and The Glass Menagerie with Shirley Knight. Her plays include Having Our Say (3 Tony nominations), Execution of Justice, Still Life, Greensboro (A Requiem), Annulla, An Autobiography, and her most recent, Mrs. Packard (2007 Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award).

Four major productions of work by playwright EDWARD ALBEE – who celebrates his 80th birthday on March 12, 2008 – will be presented in and around New York during the 2007-08 season. Collectively entitled, “The Albee Season,” the plays – from Peter and Jerry at Second Stage Theatre to Me, Myself and I at McCarter Theatre, to The Sandbox and The American Dream at Cherry Lane Theatre and Occupant at Signature Theatre – span 50 years of Mr. Albee’s singular career, from his first play The Zoo Story written in 1958 (now part of Peter and Jerry) to his newest plays Me, Myself and I and Occupant, premiering in 2008.
EDWARD ALBEE’s plays include the Tony Award-winning Best Plays Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning plays A Delicate Balance, Seascape and Three Tall Women. Other Albee plays presented in New York in recent seasons include The Play About the Baby, Counting the Ways, Tiny Alice, Marriage Play and All Over. In 2005, Mr. Albee received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement, and previously received the Gold Medal in Drama from American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, as well as the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.
This season-long array of plays – premieres, early works and a double-bill comprised of both the old and new – serves as a reminder of why Mr. Albee is widely-regarded as America’s foremost living playwright, most notably on the occasion of this milestone birthday.

Additional casting for Me, Myself and I will be announced at a later date.

Ticket for Me, Myself and I at McCarter Theatre Center (91 University Place, Princeton, NJ) range from $43 to $49. To order tickets by phone, call the McCarter Box Office at (609) 258-ARTS (2787); toll-free 1-888-278-7932; or on-line at www.mccarter.org.

McCARTER THEATRE CENTER
Under the leadership of artistic director Emily Mann and managing director Jeffrey Woodward, McCarter Theatre Center, home to the Matthews and Berlind Theatres, is recognized as one of the nation's premier theatre companies and performing arts centers. Renowned for major contributions to the theatrical canon, McCarter premieres have included Emily Mann's Mrs. Packard (Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays), Beth Henley’s Ridiculous Fraud, Christopher Durang’s Miss Witherspoon (Pulitzer Prize finalist), Steven Dietz’ Last of the Boys, Regina Taylor's Crowns, Dael Orlandersmith's Yellowman (2002 Pulitzer Prize finalist), Emily Mann's Having Our Say (3 Tony nominations), Athol Fugard's Valley Song, and Stephen Wadsworth's Marivaux trilogy. McCarter commissioned and will premiere Edward Albee's Me, Myself & I in January 2008. McCarter has also produced major new productions of Brian Friel's Translations (Tony nomination), directed by Garry Hynes; Nilo Cruz’ Anna in the Tropics (2003 Pulitzer Prize winner , 2 Tony nominations), August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson; Edward Albee's All Over (2 Obie Awards), directed by Emily Mann; and Electra (3 Tony nominations), directed David Leveaux. McCarter is supported by Princeton University, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and over 3,000 individuals, corporations and foundations.

Review Preview: "Happy Days," "The Dinosaur Musical"

2007-10-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

Gee, October already and I've yet to post. Sorry, but the Review Preview got stuck in transit. It follows here. Note that I've piggybacked a review from the Growing Stage to the much-anticipated review of Paper Mill's "Happy Days: A New Musical." Give it a read and give them a try, especially if you have kids.

Looking ahead, 8 plays in the next 4 weeks.

Bonus review: Never would have though to combine the two, but the curried cashews my wife brought home from her trip to Vermont were delicious.

Believe me, I know my nuts, and these were some quality nuts.

If you want to go:
What: “Happy Days: A New Musical”
When: through Oct. 28
Where: Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn
How much: $25-92
Info: (973) 376-4343; www.papermill.org

If you want to go:
What: “The Dinosaur Musical”
When: through Oct. 21
Where: The Growing Stage, the Children’s Theatre of New Jersey, 7 Ledgewood Ave. (Route 183), Netcong
How much: $10-14
Info: (973) 347-4946; www.growingstage.com

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Two musicals premiered on Morris-area stages last week that transport their audiences to times past. One is clearly aimed more at older audiences, but neither really speaks to the grown-up that may or may not be in some of us.
Paper Mill Playhouse opened its 2007-08 season with the recycled nostalgia of “Happy Days: A New Musical,” while the Growing Stage, the Children’s Theatre of New Jersey, passed nostalgia and proceeded to prehistoric for “The Dinosaur Musical.” Both have their strong points, though the latter accomplishes its mission more consistently than the former.
Of course, Paper Mill has a larger and more demanding audience than the Growing Stage and, given its well-documented financial difficulties, there’s a lot more at stake. Paper Mill ran out of money and nearly closed before the end of last season, so it’s reasonable to assume that one more box-office failure could again cripple the state’s largest professional theater.
So it’s a relief to report that “Happy Days: A New Musical” should keep the ticket sellers busy. Based, of course, on the long-running TV sitcom, “Happy Days” has the color, pizazz and energy to attract a large audience already presold on the concept. A wide swath of baby boomers will find plenty to like about this staged reunion of beloved characters, including Richie Cunningham, his pals and, of course, Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli.
“Happy Days,” which is touring regionally with hopes of making it to Broadway, also comes with a pedigree of sorts, with book by legendary TV producer Garry Marshall and new original tunes by songwriter Paul Williams. Both were at Sunday’s press opening, yukking it up onstage with the audience before the opening curtain.
“Hello rich people,” said Marshall, who produced TV’s “The Odd Couple,” “Happy Days,” “Mork and Mindy” and “LaVerne and Shirley” (which starred his sister, Penny Marshall).
Williams, looking fit and healthy, sported a spiky new hairdo, referring to his once infamously long blond locks as from “my Haley Mills look-alike period.”
With budding journalist Richie (red-headed Rory O’Malley) serving as a narrator of sorts, the Jefferson High gang from Milwaukee is still hanging out at Arnold’s malt shop in 1959, but Arnold (Michael J. Farina) is worried his land may be grabbed by developers who want to build one of those newfangled mall things.
Richie’s dad, Mr. C. (Patrick Garner), and his fellow Leopard Lodgers hatch a fund-raising scheme to save Arnold’s by staging a wrestling match between Fonzie (Joey Sorge, a dead ringer for Henry Winkler, right down to the subtle overbite) and the rival Malachi Brothers. But with former flame Pinky Tuscadero (Felicia Finley) back in town, and nursing a bum knee, Fonzie’s off his game.
No need to discuss the plot further, but a convenient dance contest gives the ensemble a chance to strut, while recycled jokes from the series are updated by a few in-jokes. Richie gets the best one: “I can usually solve my problems in a half-hour, but this one’s a doozy!”, while Arnold blows off a merger meeting by some guy named Denny.
People with no recollection of the 1950s or the series may wonder what all the fuss is about, but that still leaves a few million people in the Tri-state area who might find a connection here. It runs out of steam well before its ending — something that Broadway audiences won’t tolerate — but “Happy Days” is a cute show with a very appealing cast.
Meanwhile, if your idea of nostalgia is the Jurassic age, or if you have kids who think 1959 was the Jurassic age, “The Dinosaur Musical” is equally cute, with wonderful songs (including “Spaghetti,” which doesn’t fit the show but is still a highlight) and a cast featuring six Equity professionals. The actors have fun wearing silly costumes and telling silly jokes, but there’s a story to follow as well, as the carnivores work together to establish a food chain that doesn’t involve eating each other. And the tickets ($14 adults, $10 children) won’t put quite the bite on your budget that a visit to “Happy Days” ($25-$92) will.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2007-09-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

Some personal news to report that would be relevant to the Jersey stages universe, so I guess it belongs in the blog. As some of you know, I hold the unusual distinction of being a full-time editor for one paper (the Courier News) while serving as theater columnist and critic for another (the Daily Record, where I worked previously full-time for 7 years). Both are Gannett papers, so we worked it out, and I hope both papers were happy with the result.

However, after two years as Special Sections Editor with the Courier, I'll be going back to the Daily Record (as of Oct. 22) as the editor of the Business Section, although I'll be working on other projects as well. I'm parting on the best of terms with my colleagues here, who are as good a bunch as I've ever worked with. A lot of variables played a role in this decision, not the least of which was swapping a 100-mile daily commute for a job with my old friends in the town where I live.

I assume I'll continue my mostly pro bono theater coverage, although you never know how things will shake out when so many unstable forces are in play. I assume the blog will continue as well, possibly with links from both papers, or perhaps with a new link through the Daily Record.

I'll keep you posted as to what ends up where. In the meantime, I'll see you in the lobby.
WW

New managing director at George Street Playhouse

2007-09-27T05:47:00.000-07:00

See the following release from George Street Playhouse. I don't deal a lot with managing directors (except at the smaller theaters, where the artistic directors multitask like you would not believe) so I don't have much in the way of comment, except to say that I wonder how experience in Wisconsin will translate to this area, where the competition is so relentless. Of course, it's always good to see these positions filled instead of eliminated, if you know what i mean.

Two plays this weekend. I'm in Netcong Friday for "The Dinosaur Musical" and at Paper Mill Sunday for "Happy Days." We're back to the "no rest for Willie" portion of the 2007 theater season. Look for the Review Previews to flow liberally over the next few months--my calendar tells me only two weeks of no plays between now and mid-December.

George Street Playhouse Announces
Appointment of Todd Schmidt
As Managing Director

New Managing Director Comes to New Brunswick From
Wisconsin’s Peninsula Players Theatre

New Brunswick, NJ – The Board of Trustees of George Street Playhouse announced the appointment of Todd Schmidt as Managing Director. Mr. Schmidt is currently Executive Producer of Peninsula Players Theatre, based in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. His first day at the New Brunswick theatre will be November 12.

“I am thrilled with this choice,” said Artistic Director David Saint. “Todd seems to be absolutely the right fit for George Street. I was so impressed with his skills in fundraising, having headed a successful capital campaign of $7.2 million for a new theatre. I also took it as a great sign that each of our first forays into the theatre was under the tutelage of the great producer Jim McKenzie.”

George Wolansky, Jr., Chairman of the George Street Playhouse Board of Trustees, said, “It is with great pleasure that we welcome Todd to the George Street family. His incredible, well-rounded background in all aspects of theatre are enormously impressive, and will be put to good use in New Brunswick.”

Prior to joining George Street Playhouse as Managing Director Todd Schmidt served as the Executive Producer of Peninsula Players Theatre, America’s oldest professional resident summer theatre, in Door County, WI. While with the Peninsula Players Todd produced more than 70 plays and led the theater through a remarkable period of growth that revitalized and reorganized the organization culminating in the opening of a new state-of-the-art performance space in 2006. In Chicago Todd directed and co-produced St. Nicholas by Conor McPherson at Victory Gardens Theatre and The Woman in Black, which was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for best production. He is president of the Council of Resident Summer Theatres, past president of the Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance and an active founding member of Theatre Wisconsin, the alliance of professional theaters in the state. Todd holds an MFA degree from the Goodman School of Drama, DePaul University and a BA from Auburn University, Alabama. He has been on the faculty of Loyola University-Chicago, directed for Oakland University in Detroit, and has worked with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and Apple Tree Theatre.

Review Preview: Stick Fly

2007-09-25T04:23:00.000-07:00

I know it's been running for two weeks, but I just saw it this weekend. So here's my draft of the review for "Stick Fly" at McCarter.

Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Stick Fly”
When: through Oct. 14
Where: Berlind Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton
How much: $15 to $49
Info: (609) 258-2787; www.mccarter.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Dysfunctional families are part of the American fabric. Race, wealth and geography filter none of our capacity to drive our parents, partners, siblings and children crazy.
Fortunately, we also have the makeup to laugh at ourselves, at our worst, which is why it’s so much fun to laugh at “Stick Fly,” Lydia Diamond’s gem of a story that kicks off the 2007-08 season at Princeton University’s McCarter Theatre Center.
“Stick Fly,” though, transcends comedy as it explores serious racial issues and some dark corners of familial relationships in one of the most original settings you could ask for—an elite “colony” of affluent black families on haughty Martha’s Vineyard.
Diamond, one of the more promising new theatrical voices to emerge in the 21st century, earns valuable bonus points by delivering such a full-bodied story through the most routine of narrative styles—the soap opera.
The LeVay family is one of many privileged black families on Martha’s Vineyard whose lineage traces back to the 18th century. Patriarch Joseph (John Wesley), a celebrated neurosurgeon, added his hard-earned wealth to the old money and earned the right to rule his clan. We catch up with the family as sons Flip (Javon Jackson) and Kent (Kevin T. Carroll) have both arrived for a summer visit with their significant others. Flip, a confident, handsome plastic surgeon, has brought his new girlfriend, Kimber (Monette McGrath), a self-described “straight-up WASP.”
Sensitive little brother Kent, a serial student, turns up with his fiancée, Taylor (Michole Briana White), and the galleys for his new novel. Joseph sees the book as another excuse to avoid real work and the tension convention gets under way.
Father and sons break a sweat with some round-robin verbal sparring, but the women are far more interesting. Turns out that Taylor is the daughter of a Pulitzer Prize-winning black cultural anthropologist whose books have included chapters about the LeVays. They’re less impressed to learn that Taylor was the product of the doctor’s first family, long since traded in for a new model.
Then there’s Kimber, a blonde beauty who is much more than easy on the eyes. She’s taken liberal guilt to a new level, writing dissertations on black culture and working with inner-city children. She even gains the reluctant admiration of Cheryl (Julia Pace Mitchell), the brainy daughter of the family maid, who is keeping house while her mom is sick.
“You’re a princess, but you’re tough,” Cheryl says, perhaps distracted by her own family affair—mom’s just spilled the beans about her real father.
Kimber also makes friends with Taylor, despite an ugly confrontation in which Taylor attacks Kimber’s credibility. “Kimmy here goes slumming for five minutes and knows all about it,” is one of her more printable comments.
Trouble is, as several people observe, Taylor’s crazy, but she usually has a point. “We (sleep together) and pretend people don’t hate us for it,” Kimber tells Flip.
“We (sleep together) and get off on that people hate us for it,” Flip counters.
And what about Mom? Seems she and Joseph are fighting; we’ll learn more about that in the second act, which explodes like a soap at the end of sweeps.
Two acts and one intermission last more than 2 ½ hours, but the pace is lively. The action takes place in the impressive LeVay home, complete with balcony views of a lighthouse and full moon. Felix E Cochren’s set is a dream home most us of could at best hope to time-share. Lighting designer Victor En Yu Tan brushes director Shirley Jo Finney’s set changes with sunrises, sunsets and storms that indicate passing time.
There’s little room left to praise the cast, which is outstanding, but it’s worth pointing out that the women get the best of, and from, the Diamond’s delicious lines. She may not yet be the next great voice of black American theater, but “Stick Fly” is enough fun to make you ask her for more.

Crossroads names new Exec

2007-09-25T04:20:00.001-07:00

See the press release that follows from Crossroads Theatre company regrading the appointment of a new executive director.

I don't have much comment because I don't know the man, but his arrival would seem a positive, needed step, as he has considerable theater management experience, something that Crossroads can put to good use.

Tony® Award winning Crossroads Theatre CompanyCelebrating 30 years of Artistic Excellence!

New Brunswick, NJ--Crossroads Theatre Company proudly announces the appointment of Marshall Jones III to the position of Executive Director effective immediately. Ricardo Khan will remain as Artistic Director and Richard A. Nurse who has held the position as Executive Director since 2004 will remain with Crossroads as a Board Member. Jones is currently a tenure-track theater professor at the prestigious Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and will remain in that capacity while assuming the role at Crossroads Theatre Company.

Marshall Jones earned a BA in Theater Arts from Rutgers University and an MA in Arts Management from New York University. He has almost twenty-five years of experience in a wide variety of key executive positions at some of New York city's most reputable institutions including the world famous Apollo Theater where he was General Manager, Radio City Music Hall (Producer), Disney on Broadway's The Lion King, and Madison Square Garden (Company Manager). He is a Member of the New Brunswick Arts Council and has served on the New Brunswick Task Force for Arts Education. Marshall is a member of the Dramatists Guild and Theatre Communications Group and serves on the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts and the Central New Jersey Chapter of the American Conference on Diversity. This past spring Marshall was instrumental in bringing the three day Coexistence Festival to New Brunswick which involved a partnership between Rutgers University, the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, the City of New Brunswick, and Johnson & Johnson. Marshall is married and lives in North Brunswick.

Clifford A. Virgin III, President of the Board of Trustees of Crossroads, welcomed Marshall to the Crossroads team stating that "Marshall brings to Crossroads a tremendous administrative depth in the arts, and his contribution to our organization will be invaluable." Virgin also thanked outgoing Executive Director Richard Nurse saying that "Over the last few years Dick's hard work and unselfishness on many levels has been the glue that has held this organization together. The Crossroads family is proud that you are a member and thank you for all you've done."

Crossroads Theatre Company co-founder and Artistic Director Ricardo Khan and a graduate of the Mason Gross School of the Arts said "As an alum of Mason Gross from the early days and as a Rutgers graduate, I am always proud when I see the achievements of my fellow grads. Marshall Jones joining the Crossroads Executive Staff gives me special pride. But most importantly, Crossroads has been given a very important professional lift with Marshall Jones as its new Executive Director, and I am looking forward to partnering with Marshall who I deeply respect and appreciate as a theatre professional and a friend."

John McEwen, Executive Director of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, is likewise enthusiastic about the professional association stating "I think Marshall's knowledge of the theater--his business knowledge as well as his artistic expertise--will go a long way in moving Crossroads forward and his strength and Rick's strength will make for an ideal team to move Crossroads into its next chapter."

Since its founding in 1978, Crossroads Theatre Company has produced over one hundred works, many of which were premiere productions by the world's leading African and African American artists. Crossroads' world premieres include: The Colored Museum, which originated at Crossroads in 1986 and was then seen by millions on national public television when it was produced for WNETs "Great Performances," and Spunk, both by Tony Award@ winner George C. Wolfe.

Additional Crossroads world premieres include: The Love Space Demands, Ntozake Shange's choreopoem; Black Eagles by Leslie Lee, an historic chronicle of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II; Sheila's Day, the cultural collaboration of six South African and six African American women written by Sarafina! creator Mbongeni Ngema that toured the United States, Britain and South Africa; Ruby Dee's stage adaptation of the novel The Disappearance; Vernel Bagneris' musical, And Further'Mo; former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove's first play The Darker Face of the Earth; the award-winning Lost Creek Township by Charlotte A. Gibson; It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues which went on to Broadway, Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song and History of the Word.

A silent tribute to Marcel Marceau

2007-09-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of mimes, but I grew up seeing Marcel Marceau on more TV variety shows than I can count. Seemed like a nice guy. Kinda quiet, but nice. So we mourn his passing at age 84.

I was not aware of his association with Princeton University and McCarter Theatre until I received the following tribute, which I share here with you. It's worth adding here that McCarter has an incredible history, which includes early stage work by Jimmy Stewart and Tom Cruise, to represent two notable generations.

I'll also add a bonus trivia question: Who can name the only film in which Marcel Marceau could be heard speaking? Hint: On second thought, you don't get a hint. This is easy.

Read on. Just be quiet about it.

McCARTER THEATRE BIDS ADIEU TO MARCEL MARCEAU
McCarter Theatre mourns the loss of Marcel Marceau, the world’s greatest mime, who passed away Saturday in France. He was 84.
“Marcel Marceau enjoyed a special relationship with McCarter Theatre,” said McCarter Special Programming Director Bill Lockwood. “McCarter was one of his favorite venues and there was never an unsold seat.”

Marcel Marceau made his first appearance outside of New York at McCarter Theatre on October 11, 1955. He would return to McCarter regularly for the next 46 years, and still holds the theatre’s record for number of appearances (thirteen) by any solo visiting artist, his last as recently as 2001.

Princeton University presented Marcel Marceau an honorary degree in 1981 in recognition of his long association with McCarter. “I remembered he mimed his thank you to the audience, a picture which made the front page of The New York Times,” Lockwood added.

# # #

Happy Days Sock Hop tomorrow in Millburn

2007-09-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

A quick reminder that the free Happy Days sock hop begins 5 p.m. tomorrow in downtown Millburn, which will celebrate the Tuesday opening of "Happy Days: A New Musical" at Paper Mill Playhouse. Press release follows.

Should be interesting to see how this show does at the box office. I would think there's tremendous potential here. Sort of sobering to realize that the reviews might have a real impact here. We try not to think about that, we critics. Our first, perhaps only, responsibility is to give thoughtful and informed information and opinion to the readers, so they can make thoughtful and informed choices spending their time and money. I'm often told that a good review I wrote helped to sell tickets, and I'm always glad to hear that a show is doing well for whatever reason. But you can never accept credit for selling tickets, because that's not your job. And besides, the next bad review might result in the opposite effect.

Anyway (I said quick reminder, didn't I?), Millburn is fun, pedestrian-friendly downtown and this event sounds like it could be fun. No, I won't be going, even with 25-cent burgers (mmmm ... burgers). I'll see the show soon enough, and I'm hoping for the best. After all, I'm a closet Paul Williams fan (dude could write pop like nobody's business) and he wrote the music.

Hopefully the weather will hold. I could have sworn they said no rain for days, but clouds and fog have just given way to steady rain here in Parsippany.

Off to Princeton for "Stickfly" (love those 3 p.m. matinees). Check back soon for the Review Preview.

HAPPY DAYS!
BLOCK PARTY~SOCK HOP

When- SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD 5:00pm-7:00pm

Where- Main Street, Between Essex & Millburn Avenue, Millburn NJ

What- Happy Days Are Here Again! A Block Party, Sock Hop Celebrating Millburn’s 150th Anniversary and Paper Mill Playhouse’s Opening of Happy Days: The Musical.

§ FREE! Open to the public
§ Hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream marked at a 1955 price
§ Live entertainment featuring popular 1950’s music
§ Dance floor installed in the middle of Main Street
§ Dance contests for all ages
§ 1950’s costume contests
§ Give-a-ways
§ Vintage Cars

PLEASE JOIN THE "CAMPAIGN TO SAVE PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE"! You can make a tax-deductible donation online at www.papermill.org or by calling 973-379-3636 ext. 2SAV (To SAVE Paper Mill Playhouse)

Groovelily Alert

2007-09-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

See below regarding Groovelily's long-awaited return to New Jersey. For those who don't remember, they were the New York (Brooklyn, actually) based band whose music and performance was the centerpiece of the brilliant McCarter-Paper Mill coproduction of "Midsummer" two years ago.

At that time, I also got to interview them at length, and enjoyed a very nice afternoon with them down in Princeton. Very nice people with enormous reserves of talent and imagination. Should be a great show, although I will sadly miss it: the schedule just will not allow it.

I'll be in Princeton Saturday to catch up with "Stickfly," which so far is getting mixed reviews. The Review Preview will post by Monday, although I will most likely check in with you guys before then.

Anyway, the press release and details follow. They get my AAA recommendation. Also, if they are selling CDs, my recommendation will be "Are We There Yet?" Lots of choice stuff on that one. More recently they released a CD of music from "Midsummer," but the running time is short and, at least for those who saw the show, it's sort of a tease to hear the music without the rest of the package. Don't get me wrong, it's terrific music, but if you only buy one, go for "Are We There Yet?" It's in my regular music rotation, which is saying something since I have about 7,000 records and CDs to choose from here at Basecamp Willie.

OK, gotta go. Got some errands tonight, then hopefully I'll get some sleep (see previous post). Then ...wait for it ... four-day weekend!

To our friends:
We're thrilled that *Groovelily* <http://www.groovelily.com/> are coming
back to The Sanctuary this Saturday night. There's really no way to
express how exciting this band is: The soaring electric violin solos,
the jazzy upbeat songs, the rapport and humor onstage, are electrifying.
GrooveLily
Because they have always been a sold-out favorite for us, we've been
trying for years to bring them back, but we always found that they were
doing long runs in the musical theater pieces that they compose
(including at Theater On The Square in NYC, the Paper Mill, McCarter
Theater, and most recently in Los Angeles).
At long last, we've managed to woo them back, in what they've called
"their only NJ concert appearance for a long time to come." We can't wait.
*Here* <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUKo5xzdj4A> is a video sampler
of their music.
GROOVELILY, with special guest Danny Schmidt, at The Sanctuary, 240
Southern Boulevard, Chatham. Saturday 9.22, 8pm. Tickets $20 **on-line*
<http://www.sanctuaryconcerts.org/> * or at the door.

Insomnia

2007-09-19T22:30:00.000-07:00

Anyone else out there who cannot sleep? It's 1:30 a.m. and it's just one of those nights when neither side of the pillow feels right. Change of seasons, perhaps? Or is it other changes howling in the wind that draw me from my rest?

Always a good time to write. Have I shared with you my own playwrighting projects? One is a dramedy based on my experiences as a caddy. There's a job where you deal with some serious social extremes, from the rich and privileged that you spend four or five hours toting their bags, balls and sticks, assisting them in their efforts to minimize the exercise they presumably are on the course for in the first place. At the opposite end are the caddy lifers, the "caddy bums," who hitch a ride to the course, take a loop, get paid and then hitch a ride to the nearest gin mill. Remember, my perspective is that of a middle class kid just trying to earn money for college.

The other is a little more abstract, a satire about, to put it simply, a guy who invents instant water.

I'm nothing if not versatile.

Did I mention I shot a 43 on the back nine the other day? Very proud of that. I can still shoot my age if I quit after 11, maybe 12 holes.

Still can't sleep. You'd think I was a Mets fan or something.

Got the press release for "The Sunshine Boys" coming up at George Street Playhouse with Jack Klugman and Paul Dooley. Fine actors both. I got to interview Klugman last year when he was at GSP for "Value of Names." Very sweet man. I mentioned my father also had survived throat cancer and he wanted to know all about it, and was sad to hear my dad eventually passed. Then he laid out his world travel plans following his stay in New Brunswick, despite a recurrence of his own cancer.

Obviously his health has improved since then, and I'm grateful for that. Obviously he doesn't need the money, particularly the money GSP can afford to pay, but he's looking forward to reviving the play on the 20th anniversary of doing it with Tony Randall. He still speaks reverently of his former "Odd Couple" foil.

He also made some funny observations about the CSI series and similar crime procedure dramas, noting that in his seven or so years on "Quincy," "we never actually showed an autopsy." No surprise that he found the graphic gore favored by these shows to be in bad taste.

Just thinking about that conversation gives me a glow. Think I'll try and turn it into 40 winks.

Did I mention the 43 on the back nine?

12 Miles West moving west

2007-09-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting item from one of the state's most interesting companies, 12 Miles West, which is on the move again, this time to share space with Playwrights Theatre in Madison.

Sounds like good fit, since both favor cutting-edge content (although Playwrights is more of a developing theater, while 12 Miles West favors revivals of works off the beaten Broadway path) and both have similar-sized audiences.

Bad for the Montclair/Bloomfield area, but good for Willie, who hopefully will get to see more of their shows now that they are 12 miles or so closer to my Parsippany home. And good for you readers, who will read all about them here.

I've only seen a few of their shows, but have liked them all. I'll blog another time about the review I wrote of a play there that was killed by the editor because he felt the play's content was too provocative for his "family newspaper." But don't get me started now.

In the meantime, here's the release, Read all about it.

12 Miles West of Where?
The landscape of New Jersey’s theater scene is shifting again. What once was 12 miles west of Manhattan and only three short years ago became 10.5 miles west is now defying the laws of geography. 12 Miles West Theatre Company, the award-winning professional theater company started in Montclair in 1992, has packed up and moved out of its most recent home in Bloomfield. "When we first moved into the old Center Theatre in Bloomfield (most recently a Roberts Lost Picture Show movie theater and still owned by Roberts-GEH) in August of 2004, it was with the intent of purchasing the building and establishing a permanent home for our company," says Artistic Director for 12 Miles West Lenny Bart. According to Bart, after the company had completed all the necessary steps towards the purchase including an appraisal, structural, environmental and mechanical inspections and an architectural plan for the renovation of the building, reached an agreed price, and arranged very favorable private financing from a local developer, in a sudden and surprising turn of events the landlord withdrew the offer. With the option to purchase the building off the table, the Board of 12 Miles West knew the burdens of its "triple net" lease structure would quickly sound the death knell of this small, not for profit organization and so negotiated to terminate the lease with its landlord as of September 15. The company, although deeply concerned about the impact this news will have on its patrons and the surrounding community, felt publicly announcing this decision prior to signing the agreement might jeopardize negotiations.
So where will "12 Miles West" be on the map next? Well, a bit more than 12 miles west of Manhattan even as the crow flies. The theater is in the final stages of negotiation with Playwrights Theatre in Madison to use their space for two main stage shows in the Spring of 2008 and a holiday radio play in December of this year. The theater will be announcing the titles shortly. "We’re so grateful for the incredible support of John Pietrowski and Playwrights for opening their doors to us, our major donors including the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and organizations such as the New Jersey Theatre Alliance who believe in 12 Miles West and what we do. They recognize the need to help us, particularly during what could be a difficult time of transition, so that we can continue to present the award-winning productions of new and lesser known works for which we’ve come to be known," says Gloria Falzer, Development Director and Treasurer for the company.
Although the details are still under wraps, Mr. Bart indicates the company is in negotiations to become the anchor tenant in a new arts facility back in the area of "12 miles west" on the map where they hope to be in residence in time for the start of the 2008-09 Season in September 2008. "I know it may sound odd, but I see this as a time of great opportunity for our Company," says Mr. Bart. Over the past several years, the company’s programming had grown to present Guest Artists and special events nearly every weekend which although exhilarating artistically had lead to a staggering workload for the company’s handful of employees. Clearly the driving force behind the Company, Bart’s enthusiasm is infectious, "this will give us a chance to catch our breath, re-energize our Company, and focus on what we do best—present great theater. We hope our large family of friends and artists who supported us in Montclair and Bloomfield will join us on this journey, and we look forward to welcoming new audience members from around the state."
-end-
About 12 Miles West
12 Miles West Theatre Company is an award-winning, not-for-profit professional resident theater company dedicated to presenting high quality productions for the enrichment of the local and regional community with an emphasis on original and lesser-known works as well as innovative interpretations of classic plays. The company also endeavors to identify and support New Jersey artists, specifically by creating a resident company and providing them with a home where they can grow artistically by creating, developing and performing exciting dramatic productions in a viable and nurturing environment.
Programming at 12 Miles West is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and a generous grant from The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and through the support of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

Review Preview: "The Owl and the Pussycat"

2007-09-18T04:03:00.000-07:00

Little late on the post, but work comes first, right? Anyway, here's the short word on "The Owl and the Pussycat" at the Morris Museum's professional Bickford Theatre: pretty good production of a very well-written play.

Here's the long version, in draft:

If You Want to Go:
What: “The Owl and the Pussycat”
Where: The Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township
When: through Oct. 7
How much: $30, $28 seniors, $27 museum members; $15 students 18 and younger
Info: (973) 971-3706; www.bickfordtheatre.org

By William Westhoven
Staff Writer
Hollywood produced a colorful version of “The Owl and the Pussycat.” Eric Hafen, artistic director of the Bickford Theatre, prefers it in black and white.
You may agree with him after seeing his revival, which opened last week on the professional stage at the Morris Museum. Hafen’s version may lack the star power of the Hollywood edition — which starred Barbra Streisand near her commercial peak — but it authentically represents the writer’s vision, and returns the story to the intimacy of the stage, where it works best.
One admirable quality of Bill Manhoff’s comedy is that while he calls for interracial casting, his script is colorblind. Both the white man and the black woman in this two-act, two-character romp could have lineage to any race or ethnicity. “The Owl and the Pussycat” also is very funny, with plenty of emotion and conflict to keep things moving. And despite the setting—freewheeling San Francisco in the go-go 1960s, the story isn’t nearly as dated as the manual typewriters, rotary phones and other period touches in scenic designer Bill Motyka’s attractive apartment set.
Sporting neon-colored miniskirts, Nicole Powell is a brisk March wind as Doris, a typically unsuccessful actress-model who is forced to moonlight as a hooker. Her extracurricular activity catches the attention of another apartment dweller, Felix (Andrew Rein) an uptight, unsuccessful writer who reports to shenanigans to the super.
The story begins with Doris banging on Felix’s door. She’s there to give him a piece of her mind, which the ditzy Doris has little of to spare. Then decides to stay, mainly because she’s been evicted and has nowhere to go. It’s an atypically “cute” meeting of characters that strains credibility, but no more so than many Neil Simon comedies.
Naturally, with so little in common, the opposites attract and become a couple. Business as usual for Doris, who admits she frequently falls for guys who are “soft in the body and strong in the head.”
Felix decides Doris is an intellectual at heart, and just needs someone to save her from “circumstances prevent you from using your mind.”
“Your trapped intelligence called to me,” he claims, rationalizing his attraction to a woman who displays neither education nor common sense.
When his efforts fail, Felix lashes out and drives her away. If you saw the movie, you may think you know the ending, but you won’t find any Hollywood whitewashing at the Bickford. You’ll have to discover the story, in its original form, for yourself, but the opening-night crowd went home quite satisfied.
Both of these Equity professional actors have their limitations, but each has visible talents as well. Powell, on break from a featured role in the Broadway musical, “Hairspray,” beams a wide range of emotions from an expressive face. She easily slips into a wistful smile while watching a TV program one minute, then shrinks the next in the wake of stinging insults from Felix. It makes no sense for her to be attracted to Felix, a pasty, intellectual bully, but somehow, she makes you believe.
Powell struggles more as a comedienne, failing to capture the eccentric charm of her character. As a result, she sometimes is shrill when she should be silly, but Powell’s energy keeps you rooting for both her and her character. Sticking to the vision of the writer, and the director, she also never slips into racial stereotype or diction, which relegates the character’s color difference to a benign visual reminder of their emotional incompatibility.
Rein’s dour interpretation of Felix is a fine contrast to Powell’s bubbly manner. He’s as dry as the desert and as cold as the poles, so the audience really feels it when he loses his grip. Given the hateful (albeit never racial) tone of his insults, it’s hard at times to feel sympathy for the character, but Rein shows us enough vulnerability to make it work.
This first of five main-stage plays (up from the usual four) signals the note of a promising year at the Bickford, which now has a new entrance and lobby within the still-expanding Morris Museum. Hopefully, the momentum will carry the company to a prosperous new year.

Field trips to the theater

2007-09-12T04:22:00.001-07:00

Here's an item running in my Sunday column that should be of interest to educators and students interested in theater.

Another school year is upon us and many students are already longing for the first field trip that frees them from the classroom. This year, with the assistance of some Morris-area theaters, those field trips may transport them across the country and perhaps even through time.
And if the Garden State is too far to travel, the Growing Stage, the Children’s Theatre of New Jersey, can arrange to bring it to you.
Both the Shakespeare Theatre in New Jersey in Madison and the Growing Stage in Netcong are offering special student-matinee deals for upcoming shows.
Schools can take advantage of four matinee dates for “The Time of Your Life” at the Shakespeare Theatre — the first being Wednesday, with additional opportunities Sept. 25-27.
William Saroyan’s morality tale, with elements of both silly comedy and serious drama, is recommended for high-school grades only, but the language and “adult situations” are tame compared to prime-time television standards. “The Time of Your Life” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and is infrequently produced, so this is a rare opportunity to see a true American classic.
The play’s setting, in Depression-era San Francisco, also complements other literature from the early 20th century, including Steinbeck and Tennessee Williams, as well as the study of the Great Depression, according to Shakespeare Theatre staff.
Student-matinee deals also are available for upcoming productions of “Henry VI: Blood and Roses” (Nov. 1, 6, 7; recommended for grades 8 and up) and “A Christmas Carol” (Dec. 5, 12; recommended for grades 5 and up).
Student matinees begin at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $16, with free admission to chaperones. For more information, call (973) 408-3980 or e-mail jbgrant@shakespearenj.org.
Student matinees also are planned at the Growing Stage, where the main-stage season begins Sept. 28 with “The Dinosaur Musical.” This prehistoric romp, which runs through Oct. 19, is one of three child-oriented plays available for matinee booking during the 2007-08 season at the professional company’s home in the Palace Theatre in Netcong. A student matinee of “The Dinosaur Musical” will be offered on Oct. 1. The others are “The BFG (Big Friendly Giant)” (Jan. 21 to Feb. 8) and “Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse” (April 28 to May 16).
Lesson plans will be provided to teachers and the performances are followed by a question-and-answer session with the theater’s artistic team. More information about the plays is available at www.growingstage.com.
The Growing Stage also has planned a special production about New Jersey, which will be available either for performances at the Palace Theatre or at the booking school.
“Tales From The Garden” is described as “a fun-filled journey through the rich history of the Garden State, from its original settlers to its many legends as well as some of the more unique roles New Jersey has played in American history.” It is recommended for Grades 3 through 8, available March through May and meets N.J. State Department of Education Core Standards 1.1. through 1.5, 3.1, 3.2, 3.5 and 6.3 through 6.6.
For additional information, contact Lori B. Lawrence, director of education programs, at: eddir@growingstage.com or call (973) 347-4946.

9/11 reflections

2007-09-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to let the date pass without some comment and reflection. So once again we break topic.

I still feel the sting and utter disbelief at what happened that day. That alone makes me angry; it was a complete surprise, at least to most of us. I like to think of myself as a cynical journalist who's never shocked or surprised, but 9/11 was a sucker punch in the breadbasket. Knocked the wind right out of me.

I hate when that happens.

Then I feel guilty, as if I don't have a right to be so angry since I wasn't directly acquainted with any of the victims. As if I was stealing the more righteous anger from those more tangibly affected. So many victims; so many more family and friends left to mourn.

It's all a little irrational, I understand. We all have a right to feel angry, and a little afraid. Agression aimed at your life can mess with the best of us. But one of our most admirable qualities as Americans is our capacity to come together and be at our very best when things get tough. So together, we honor our dead, and we fight back.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not for the war we find ourselves in. Things need to change; the fighting has to stop. But we were attacked. They did declare war. And, as my stepson, Cyle, told me, "I'd rather fight them over there than over here."

I listen to Cyle in matters such as this. He may be a few years shy of 30, but he's done two tours in Iraq, and he's headed back to the Middle East any day now. For maybe a year.

So I listen. And I wonder, how did our parents ever cope with World War II? And I remember--we're at our best when things get tough.

It's not so bad, really. It's just our turn to be strong. We can get through this if we stick together.

And so I wish strength to all of you, the family and friends of 9/11 victims, the family and friends of soldiers killed or injured in this damnable war, and the rest of you who just need a little hope to get through the day. Fight back in your own way. Live the life you choose. Be a proud American. Do something to make it better.

And those who hate our way of life, they really hate when that happens.

Review Preview: "The Time of Your Life"

2007-09-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

Here's the draft of my review of "The Time of Your Life" at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Expect it to be published Friday in the Daily Record. I don't know when or if you'll see it in the Courier News (long story for another time), but you've got it right here, so what's the diff, right?

Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “The Time of Your Life”
When: through Sept. 30
Where: F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124), Madison
How much: $28 to $52
Info: (973) 408-5600; www.shkespearenj.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for William Saroyan writes them well. The prize-collection of back-alley knockabouts he wrote about in “The Time of Your Life” certainly are exalted in this rarely seen 1939 classic, revived with stylish detail at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
Premiering on Broadway at the tail end of the Depression, Saroyan’s tragic comedy struck enough chords to claim both a Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Award. While the cynical may find it somewhat sentimental and naïve, it’s easy to understand the play’s appeal—the lifting up of the downtrodden, with enough humor and conflict to entertain representatives of all social classes.
It all happens in a not-quite-seedy bar, Nick’s Pacific Street Saloon (James Wolk’s set is a stunningly detailed work of art), in the rough commercial-waterfront district of San Francisco. From behind the bar, burly Nick (Gregory Derelian) says everyone is welcome, although they may have to endure a few of his insults. An Arab immigrant (Paul Meshejian) claims the bar’s corner seat, sipping slowly and responding to all inquiries with the catchphrase, “no foundation, all the way down the line.”
Others visit seeking employment, including a bad dancer and comedian (Blake Hackler), a pianist (Anthony Stokes) and a parade of streetwalkers. Others come and go, but Joe (Andrew Weems) takes up residency at one table, cheerfully chatting up the barflies and buying rounds with a wad of cash that never taps out.
Joe takes advantage of one regular, Tom (Ned Noyes), a simpleminded young man who runs Joe’s peculiar errands, ranging from buying toys and gum to tipping the nearby, unseen Salvation Army band.
For a show lasting more than two hours, very little happens, but everyone’s got a story to tell. A prostitute (Sofia Jean Gomez) who calls herself Kitty Duvall claims a background in burlesque, while the comedian, Harry, auditions with a monologue that baffles everyone into an uncomfortable silence. Another young man, Dudley (Salvatore Cacciato), pleads over the phone with an estranged girlfriend, although he comes on to another woman he dials by mistake.
A shred of plot, involving a plainclothes cop (Christopher Burns) who covers the waterfront with sadistic anger, helps to boil an exciting climax, but is hardly necessary. Director Paul Mullins, an accomplished actor himself, knows what he’s got here—a bounty of showcase parts to let his actors stretch and run.
Weems, an audience favorite here playing both dramatic (the title role in “King John”) and comic (“Rhinoceros” and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”), puts another notch on his belt as the perplexing Joe. Resisting the urge to overplay his character as an idle-rich boozehound (think Dudley Moore in “Arthur”), Joe’s guilt is easier to understand, even though we have to wait for him to reveal his motives. Weems lets Joe slide through the day, finding joy in whatever comes up.
Gomez also shines as Kitty, whose profound sadness is broken by the occasional giggle. Burns is appropriately menacing as the cop, while Noyes is a delight as Tom, a simple-minded, buck-toothed errand boy who’s got it bad for Kitty. Hackler is another joy, dancing his way through every scene and delivering his abstractly awful jokes with the confidence of Henny Youngman at the Copa.
Even the non-Equity company grabs its share of moments, including Cacciato as Dudley, a truly unlikely lady’s man, and John Nahigian as a surprisingly philosophical longshoreman.
The final bow is reserved for Edmond Genest as Kit Carson, a grizzled old prospector with more tall tales than Grandpa Simpson. Genest is a familiar face here, most often playing upper-crust gentlemen, but chews the scenery here, grinning through a scraggly beard like Gabby Hayes. Genest had the audience in stitches, but ends the play with a final, dramatic moment.
Somewhat dated at this stage, “The Time of Your Life” may not demand to be seen, but this production sure does.

Shakespeare Initiative in Randolph

2007-09-07T03:24:00.000-07:00

Here's some exciting news that helps to illustrate how even community theaters make a genuine contribution to the cultural landscape. Brundage Park Playhouse has launched the Shakespeare Initiative, which, among other goals, is dedicated to performing the entire Shakespeare Canon.

I'll let you sift through the details embedded in the following press release, but I'm very impressed with the idea, and hope any of you in the reading audience who may have some influence in money grants take some notice.

Three-Day weekend! Sort of. Look for a Review Preview of "The Time of Your Life" Sunday or Monday.

Brundage Park Playhouse, Carrell Road, Randolph, announces the formation of an exciting new theater company, The Shakespeare Initiative.
The Shakespeare Initiative grew out of a fundraiser production of TITUS ANDRONICUS at the theater this past June.
TITUS ANDRONICUS was so well received, a core group of people involved with the show proposed that a separate ensemble company be formed at Brundage Park Playhouse to stage the classic works of William Shakespeare in contemporary, nontraditional productions utilizing amateur actors. The company was approved by the Brundage Park Playhouse Board and will begin their inaugural season in 2008.
The Shakespeare Initiative plans two complete festival style productions a year - one in June, one in December. There are plans to offer an evening of scenes from Shakespeare or a shortened play that will be made available to civic groups and schools throughout the year. Educational classes are also planned for those interested in performing Shakespeare.
The group plans to perform Shakespeare's complete canon in the years to come. Details about the 2008 season will be announced shortly.
Company members include Company Director, Richard Norman (of Randolph); Company Associate Director, Brendan Naranjo (of Bedminster); Company Production/Stage Manager, Jeremy Lesser (of Morris Plains); Company Educational/Community Outreach Director, Debbie Campanali (of Towaco); Company Scenic Designer/Properties, Nola Young (of Wharton); Company Costume/Lighting Designer, Mark Carovale (of Mine Hill); Company Fight Choreographers, Christopher Young and Joseph Brennan (both of Wharton); Special Effects Fabricator, Mar Omega (of Stanhope); and Company Technical Director, Tom Young (of Wharton).
For information about the new company, productions planned and upcoming auditions, please check The Shakespeare Initiative website at http://www.blogger.com/www.theshakespeareinitiative.org.
Brundage Park Playhouse is a non-profit organization sponsored by the Randolph Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services. For information about services provided by Brundage Park Playhouse, please access the theater website at: http://www.blogger.com/www.brundageparkplayhouse.org or call the theater at (973) 989-7092.

September already?

2007-09-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

Didn't want to let a week go by without checking in, but even bloggers like to take some me time around Labor Day. After a tough August full of big deadlines and other work-related stress, I enjoyed three days off and attained my goal of two rounds of golf.

Planning another three-day weekend this week and two more rounds of golf. Gotta get that exercise. Also may go to the Rutgers-Navy game Friday if Mrs. Willie can adjust her work schedule.

Then it's back to some serious theater time. "Time of Your Life" Saturday at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Next week: "Stick Fly" at McCarter and "The Owl and the Pussycat" at the Bickford Theatre (Morris Museum).

As for the latter, read the short item I wrote that follows below. Interesting casting choice by Artistic Director Eric Hafen, who met the author while a student at Boston College and learned it was originally written for a white man and a black woman. I'm sure many of you will remember by the time it got to Hollywood, the black prostitute had turned into Barbra Streisand.

As Bono once said introducing the song "Helter Skelter," "Charles Manson stole this from the Beatles; we're gonna steal it back." Well, score one for the Bickford here.

PS: In our e-mail conversation, and I'm not sure why, Hafen shared this bit of naivete from his freshman year at BC: "Later that year I went to a Bobby Seale lecture thinking it was Seales and Crofts."

Priceless.

Anyway, here's the Bickford item:

Eric Hafen, artistic director of the Bickford Theatre, met the author of “The Owl and the Pussycat” when he was still a student at Boston College. He’s wanted to direct the play ever since.
Hafen gets his chance this week as the professional-theater arm of the Morris Museum opens its expanded 2007-08 season this week in Morris Township. “The Owl and the Pussycat” previews Thursday, opens Friday and continues through Oct. 7.
It’s the same play most people remember as a film and starring vehicle for Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal. But playwright Bill Manhoff originally wrote the play—about a quiet writer and a brassy, brash prostitute and would-be model who find each other in a New York City apartment building—for a white man and a black woman.
“He told us that the Broadway play had a black actress in it when it opened,” Hafen said. “He said that he wanted to introduce the interracial casting but was not sure how it would go over. What really struck me was that although he had to adjust some of the dialogue for a black actress, he deliberately did not want to include any obvious racial references. He wanted the characters to be more universal.”
Since its high-profile cinema treatment, the romantic comedy has remained popular on the regional theater circuit, but casting usually follows the Hollywood lead.
“Actually, his dialogue is so well-written that it really lends itself to any casting situation,” Hafen said. “He had wanted Diana Sands, the black actress who starred on Broadway (opposite a young Alan Alda in 1964), to continue into the movie, but the producers wanted a bigger name.”
Hafen has also snagged a big talent for his “Pussycat” Doris—Nicole Powell, who performed on Broadway in “Hairspray” and has national tours on her resume. Andrew Rein, who appeared at the Bickford in “A Thousand Clowns,” is the “Owl,” Felix, a reserved, would-be author who one night spots Doris — through his binoculars—working her (illegal) trade in another apartment. When he reports her to the manager, she’s evicted, setting off a noisy confrontation that results in her spending the night with Felix. This being a comedy, of course, the odd couple becomes a romantic one.
Performances are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. This year, each production also will include a single 2 p.m. Saturday matinee on the second week of performances.
Tickets are $30, $27 for museum members, $28 for seniors and $15 for students. Discounts are available for season subscriptions and groups of 10 or more.
The Bickford is at 6 Normandy Heights Road. For information, call (973) 971-9706 or visit www.bickfordtheatre.org.

pre Labor Day sale at GSP

2007-08-31T06:25:00.000-07:00

Really just wanted to wish everyone a happy Labor Day Weekend, but got a late reminder that general sale of tickets for the upcoming season at George Street Playhouse go on sale Sept. 4. In the meantime, e-club members can buy now. So sign up and get your tickets to see the Jersey premiere of "Doubt" or "The Sunshine Boys" with Jack Klugman and Paul Dooley.

I missed Klugmanthere last year but got to interview him in advance. Very sweet guy. I mentioned my dad had the same throat cancer as him and he was full of questions and sympathy. He also told me at the time his cancer had recurred elsewhere, but obviously he's coping well. And be assured, he doesn't need to work (especially at these rates), so this is about the joy of the craft.

That's a good note to wrap up a Labor Day post. Take it from me, it's great to make a living doing something you love. So if you need a lesson how, go see Jack at GSP, and keep reading Jersey Stages.
WW

5 audition dates

2007-08-29T05:07:00.000-07:00

Summer's over, actors. Time to get back on the stage and strut your stuff.
Following are five audition opportunities.

As for me, I'm finishing up a big deadline today and looking forward to a three-day weekend, hopefully with three naps, two rounds of golf and at least one cold beer. I better rest up, because if I read my trusty NJ Theatre Alliance press-opening calendar (where would I be without it?) correctly, I have six plays to review in the next four weeks.

As usual, no rest for Willie.

1. The Barn Theatre, Skyline Drive, Montville, will conduct auditions 2 p.m. Sept. 8 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9, for its production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein revue, “A Grand Night For Singing.”
Roseann Ruggiero of Ledgewood will direct, with musical direction by Clifford Parrish of Bernardsville. The directors are looking for up to six women and four men, ages 20s to 60s, with parts available for several vocal ranges.
Auditioners are asked register within the first two hours of the audition and should prepare a show tune. Bring music in your key; an accompanist will be provided. Auditioners should also be prepared to learn a dance.
Performances will take place Nov. 9 through Dec. 1. All casted actors must be available for all performances, for the evenings of the entire tech week (Nov. 4-8) and for strike day on Dec. 2. For more information, call (973) 334-9320 or visit www.barntheatre.org.
2. Can you tell a joke? That will be part of the audition for The Chester Theatre Group’s production of “A Clean House.”
Auditions will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 9 and 7: 30 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Black River Playhouse, corner of Maple and Grove, Chester. Kate Lyn Reiter will direct the comedy hit by Sarah Ruhl. Auditioners also will read from the script.
Ruhl earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination in 2005 for “A Clean House,” about a depressed Brazilian woman and budding comedienne who takes a housekeeping job with for an uptight female doctor. The play is described as “A delightfully quirky comedy that compares our divergent needs for orderliness and for laughter, exploring the messiness that comes along with life, the universe and joi de vivre.”
The lead role requires an actress who can appear to be in her 20s, can learn some dialogue in Portuguese and can tell a good joke.
Performances will be weekends in November. If you would like to audition but cannot attend the audition dates, call Cindy Alexander (908) 713-6207 and the company will attempt to make other arrangements.
3. The Women’s Theater Company will conduct auditions 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 6 for a staged reading of a new play scheduled for Sept. 25.
Nine parts are available for the reading of “Letting Go,” by Mary Lee Martin, at the Parsippany Playhouse, 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha section. The company will follow with a full production of the play in March.
Male and female parts are available for actors ranging in age from early 30s to 60s. There also are parts for a child actor (who ages from age 6 to 8) and actress (age 12).
Those who wish to audition may simply show up. For additional information, call (973) 316-3033.
4. The County College of Morris Performing Arts Department will conduct auditions for the Disney musical, “Beauty and the Beast” 6:30 p.m. Thursday and again on Sept. 11.
Auditions will take place in the Dragonetti Auditorium, 214 Center Grove Road, Randolph. Participants should wear comfortable clothing and shoes for dancing. Music will be provided.
Performances are scheduled for Oct. 31 to Nov. 3. For more information, call (973) 328-5427.
5. The Harmonium Choral Society will conduct auditions Wednesday through Saturday for experienced choral singers interested in joining this Morristown-based group led by Artistic Director Anne Matlack.
Limited openings exist for excellent singers with good sight reading skills. The 20-minute auditions will take place at Grace Episcopal Church, Madison Avenue at Kings Road, Madison.
Harmonium presents three subscription concerts annually in the Morristown area and also participates in other events such as First Night Morris. For music educators seeking continuing education credits, Harmonium Choral Society is a registered New Jersey Professional Development Provider.
To schedule an audition appointment, call (973)-765-9028. Rehearsals will take place Sunday evenings following Labor Day and continuing through May at Grace Lutheran Church, 65 East Main St., Mendham. For more information, visit www.harmonium.org.

Lorenzo Lamas coming to NJ

2007-08-25T05:03:00.000-07:00

Got word that former "Falcon Crest" hunk and Hollywood legacy Lorenzo Lamas is going to play the title role in "dracula" at Premiere Stages in Union. Steady ladies, and get your tickets early.
This is the sort of casting coup that could help put Premiere Stages on the map.

I've never been, but have heard some good things about the new professional theater at Kean College in Union, and they've made some interesting production choices. I just may have to put this one on the schedule.

Mrs. Willie says "aaah!"

Suddenly, I feel threatened.

Keep your fangs to yourself, there, pretty boy, or I'll critique you right in the kisser.

Filmmakers Symposium

2007-08-24T01:33:00.000-07:00

I used to be quite a film buff, but these days, with seeing 40 or so plays a year, I rarely have the time or the inclination to go to the movies (or the pictures, I always loved that phrase). The only film I've seen in a theater in the last 18 months is "The Simpsons Movie," and that was because I figured it would be my only chance to see Homer in all his big-screen glory.

But for those who love a good picture show, see below regarding the FIlmmakers Symposium, which for 16 years has been sneak-previewing major films before they are officially released. Discussion follows with actors, writers and other principals of the production. I went to a few of these when Chuck Rose was first starting out, and I also know they have, at least at times, been very very popular. So if you like the idea, get your name on the list sooner than later.

Big weekend on tap as we head into the end of August, traditionally one of the slowest times for the theater beat. But I just got my calendar of premieres for the new season from the NJ Theatre Alliance, and it looks like a busy fall. So while I fill the lull with Phil Rizzuto tributes and cinema notes, you can all look forward to a lot of review previews and theater chat in the near future.

How about letting me know: What are you looking forward to seeing on Jersey Stages this fall? Jack Klugman returning to George Street Playhouse? "Blood and Roses" at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey?" "Happy Days" (let's hope) at Paper Mill?

Personally, I can't wait to see Fonzie bust on Potsie, then break into song. Aaaay!

CHERRY PICKING THE BEST MOVIES FROM SUNDANCE, CANNES AND TRIBECA
Imagine seeing a movie before anyone, then the lights come up, and there in front of you are the creators of the film, ready to answer questions and discuss their work. Starting September 17th, Filmmakers Symposium will run for twelve weeks in New Jersey at two theatres: AMC Loews Mountainside and AMC Loews Monmouth Mall. This series has hosted 1,198 movie premieres with 792 live guest appearances over the past sixteen years. “The program will always be flexible in order to take advantage of opportunities as they arise,” said Symposium director Chuck Rose. “Wonderful surprises and fantastic celebrities can pop up out of nowhere, so I try to keep the schedule as fluid as possible. In the past two years, we premiered 71 films that later earned a total of 18 Oscar, 16 British Academy, 18 Spirit, and 17 European Film Award nominations.” Oscar winners and nominees Danny Aiello, Alan Arkin, James Cromwell, Frank Darabont, Ethan Hawke, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, John Sayles, Marc Shaiman, Howard Shore and David Strathairn have joined Dylan Baker, Al Franken, Famke Janssen, Delroy Lindo, Derek Luke, David Morse, Viggo Mortensen, Connie Nielsen and Kevin Smith as guest speakers who have come to share their insights with Symposium participants. Rose added, “Last fall, well in advance of public release, we previewed Academy Award nominees “Pan’s Labyrinth”, “Jesus Camp” and “Little Children”, highlighted by a fascinating discussion with screenwriting nominee Tom Perrotta. For information or to register, call 1-800-531-9416 or visit www.PrivateScreenings.org The series is open to anyone, but seating is limited, so early enrollment is advised. Subscription is $166 for six weeks or $299 for twelve weeks. Discounts will be available for registrations made by September 4th. “Even before we started in 1991, I have worked to create a VIP network of filmmakers, international reporters, critics and film industry executives whose jobs involve identifying and evaluating the cream of Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, Venice, Berlin, Tribeca and the other important film festivals. We also work to ferret out potential hits in the development and production stages so we are ready to pounce on the best films first,” explained Rose. Confirmed films and those under consideration for the upcoming session include: “Charlie Wilson’s War” with Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, director Mike Nichols; “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” with Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, director Julien Schnabel; “Elegy” with Penelope Cruz, Ben Kingsley, director Isobel Coixet; “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” with Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, director Shekhar Kapur; “Feast of Love” with Morgan Freeman, Selma Blair, director Robert Benton; “Flawless” with Michael Caine, Demi Moore, director Michael Radford; “Grace Is Gone” with John Cusack, Alessandro Nivola, director James C. Strouse; “Into the Wild” with Vince Vaughn, Emile Hirsch, director Sean Penn; “The Kite Runner” with Wali Razaqi, Shaun Taub, director Marc Forster; “Leatherheads” with George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, director George Clooney; “Lions for Lambs” with Tom Cruise , Meryl Streep, director Robert Redford; “Love in the Time of Cholera” with Javier Bardem, Benjamin Bratt, director Mike Newell; “Margot at the Wedding” with Nicole Kidman, Jack Black, director Noah Baumbach; “Mongol” with Channing Tatum, Tadanobu Asano, director Sergei Bodrov; “No Country for Old Men”; with Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, directors Coen Brothers; “The Orphanage” with Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, director Juan Antonio Bayona; “The Other Boleyn Girl” with Eric Bana, Natalie Portman, director Justin Chadwick; “P.S. I Love You” with Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, director Richard LaGravenese; “Redacted” with Kel O’Neill, Ty Jones, director Brian De Palma; “Rendition” with Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, director Gavin Hood; “The Savages” with Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, director Tamara Jenkins; “Starting Out in the Evening” with Frank Langella, Lauren Ambrose, director Andrew Wagner; “Sweeney Todd” with Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, director Tim Burton; “Terror’s Advocate” with Jacques Verges, director Barbet Schroeder; “There Will Be Blood” with Daniel Day Lewis, Paul Dano, P.T. Anderson; and “Things We Lost in the Fire” with Halle Berry, David Duchovny, directed Susanne Bier.

Scooter redux: Talk to me

2007-08-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

Got some interesting feedback on my homage to the Scooter, Phil Rizzuto. Heard from an old friend and roomie, which is very cool. He remembers.

Always nice to know people are reading.

But it would be swell to get some comments from the readers hiding silently in the wings. What do you want to talk about? I feel we as a theater community are wasting an opportunity to communicate with each other and help each other. Learn from each other.

What should Jersey Stages be writing about to get a dialogue going? I was told these things are interactive. Don't get me wrong, I could write every day. Um, actually, I do.

But I want to hear from you. YOU! In the back. I can hear your lips moving. You're reading this!

Let's start with a small gesture of good faith: Tell me true, what did the Scooter mean to you?

And we'll work from there.

Homage to the Scooter

2007-08-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

It occurs to me, not without a small measure of guilt, that I feel the passing of Phil Rizzuto more than the loss of some relatives. This, from a writer who has met and interviewed more than his share of so-called celebrities, but one who is not normally caught up in fame. In my life, I've asked for only two autographs, and one was for a friend.

But the day I first met Phil Rizzuto, I was sniveling pile of mush, ready to let him run me over in the parking lot if it would help preserve the treads on his tires.

Allow me to provide a little context. Now on cusp of age 50, I grew up in the 1960s and came of age in the 1970s. The youngest of an extended family, with older parents, I always had trouble fitting in with the clan. But one thing we all shared was a love of the Yankees. In truth, in my family, it was God, Notre Dame and the Yankees, not necessarily in that order. And the face, the voice, the heart and the soul of the Yankees, particularly following their post-dynasty era beginning in 1965, was Phil Rizzuto.

I was 8 years old in 1965, and all I knew was that the Yankees were the best team. The grown-ups knew times had changed, but I didn't. And neither did Phil. I grew older and wiser, but the Scooter continued to see his beloved Yankees through the eyes of an innocent child. And I loved him for it.

My fondest memories of childhood were of watching the Yankees, as a family, on our plastic black-and-white TV, at least when the vertical hold wasn't on the fritz. When it was, we went upstairs and listened on the radio. Back then, the three TV anchors would rotate to the radio side for three innings apiece, so Phil sometimes would come upstairs with me and keep me posted on the misadventures of Horace Clarke, Ruben Amaro and Joe Pepitone. It took a decade for the Yanks to regain their championship form, but the Scooter kept me faithful to the cause. I could no more turn my back on the Yankees and Phil Rizzuto than I could my own family.

When the game was close, and Rizzuto's buzzing baritone would soar a few octaves, my mother, bless her soul, would get so nervous, she would flee to the kitchen and ask us for updates, because she just couldn't watch. And when he would go off on one of his abstract monologues on movies, current events or the cannolis he just ate, she would laugh until she cried.

Even when I was in college, and rejecting family values for alternative points of view, I couldn't shake the Scooter. As a Rutgers student in the late 1970s, we were early participants in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" craze, frequently attending midnight shows at the Art Cinema (since razed for an office building). So we were hip to Meatloaf and first on line when his debut album came out. To my amazement, who would be featured on "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"? Get out! Rizzuto? The poor guy, (allegedly) ignorant of the song's sexual connotations, had gone hip without even knowing it. Holy Cow.

Later in life, in a previous career as a salesman at Crazy Eddie's in Union, I got to meet Rizzuto, who shopped there many times, always with his beloved Cora at his side. He was shy and gracious, and bought whatever she liked.

Still later in life, while working in Springfield, I ran into him several times at Stanley's Diner (since razed for a Rite Aid). I greeted him each time, stuck out my hand and he always accepted it with genuine appreciation. Again, always with Cora at his side.

So, while there is some guilt, I don't apologize for loving the man, because he was as lovable as any man who ever walked the earth.

Just ask Cora. Or my mother, may she rest in peace.

Forgive me for getting off topic. But there's no point in being a writer if I let milestones such as the passing of Phil Rizzuto pass silently. And when they finally get around to conducting a public memorial, you will find me among the faithful, wearing a Yankee jersey and a smile.

Review Preview: The Bald Soprano

2007-08-17T06:31:00.001-07:00

A thousand apologies for not posting this Review Preview sooner.

As it turned out, the Courier held the review until next week, while the Daily Record publshed it today. So while it may be old news for some, it still qualifies as a Review Preview.

By the way, I'll break form over the weekend and post a tribute to one of my heroes, Phil Rizzuto. Until then, let's play on:

"THE BALD SOPRANO"
Tuesdays-Sundays
Through Aug. 26
F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre
Drew University
36 Madison Ave. (Route 124),
Madison
Tickets are $28 to $52
Call (973) 408-5600
www.shkespearenj.org
"Realism ... falls short of reality. ... Truth is in our dreams, in the imagination."
So said Romanian-born playwright Eugene Ionesco, a leading proponent of the Theatre of the Absurd movement in the 1950s. Certainly, there is absurdity and imagination throughout "The Bald Soprano," in revival at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
There's a certain absurdity to the English language as well, with so many different meanings for so many words. Right? So it's no wonder that Ionesco experienced a certain measure of frustration while learning the language. As the legend goes, the stiff and useless phases in his English textbook inspired him to write his first play, "The Bald Soprano," which fuels a ridiculous story with a seemingly endless stream of non sequiturs and banalities.
Sitcom fun
In the wrong hands, material like this could be crushed by the weight of its own pretensions. But, as it did in 2000 with another Ionesco gem, "Rhinoceros," the Shakespeare Theatre turns it into a sitcom that plays like "Seinfeld" meets "Monty Python's Flying Circus." Even better, it's funny enough that you don't have to get it to have a good time. For those who don't, the lesson wraps up in less than 90 minutes, possibly the shortest running time this theater has seen in decades.
Director Matthew Arbour (last year's "The Rivals") and set designer Mimi Lien deliver cast and set to the stage in a wooden, industrial crate, large enough to contain the living room of Mr. and Mrs. Smith (company newcomers Matthew Floyd Miller and Kelly McAndrew). Basking in the comfort of their suburban London home, the Mrs. darns socks and prattles on about dinner ("potatoes taste good fried in fat;" "perhaps the soup was too salty"), while the Mr. buries his head in the newspaper.
When Mr. Smith finally joins the conversations, the banalities gradually turn more abstract, as facts are presented, contradicted and forgotten. Ionesco's making a point that people reach the stage where they don't listen to each other, and sometimes not even to themselves, and what they say sometimes does little more than fill the void of silence in our lives.
Their pushy maid (Angela Pierce) has her own agenda, but she doesn't make much sense, either. Another couple (Greg Jackson and Mary Bacon), invited (or were they?) to dinner, is left alone long enough to explore their relationship, the details of which seem to have eluded them. The arrival of the fire chief, seemingly on a random search for fires to extinguish, stokes the absurdity.
Even at 75 minutes, Ionesco's English lesson goes on too long. Following a climax of twisted clichés, a coda brings us full circle, repeating several minutes of dialogue when a few lines would suffice. But the actors are having so much fun, you'll root for an encore.
Miller and McAndrew have perfected the plastic smiles their characters use like a crutch, a nonverbal signal that all is well, even as their conversation spins out of control. Miller also has fun with a nervous tick he experiences each time the clock chimes, which is often, ringing at random intervals like a slow Morse code.
Jackie caricature
Bacon, who debuted here last year in "The Rivals," dresses and acts like a Jackie Kennedy caricature, although her pink outfit is more English tweed than French Chanel.
Jackson, though, steals the show as her husband, nervously trying to remain composed and polite while confusion swirls around his head. Following his hilarious performance earlier in the season on this stage in "The Play's the Thing," Jackson's enjoying the finest of his 10 seasons with the company.
Walker and Pierce also delighted the audience with their eccentricities. Pierce's pitched squeal as she segues from laughter to tears is priceless.
Although it was skipped on opening night, a post-performance discussion with the cast is part of "The Bald Soprano" package. It should be fun to hear these fine performers speak English after an hour or so of speaking Ionesco.

Womens Theatre Co. update: Men allowed

2007-08-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

Spoke to Barbara Krajkoswki, as promised, regarding the inclusion of plays written by men in her upcoming season at the Womens Theater Company. We spotted that earlier in the week and posted some inquiries.

The lady is on vacation out of state and she still finds time to return her e-mails. Gotta love that.

Anyway, following is an excerpt from a column I'm wokring on, which should clarify things a bit.

The Women’s Theater Company has detoured slightly from its artistic course to set a new direction for its 15th season.
Now comfortably in residence at the Parsippany Community Center, founder, artistic director and Parsippany resident Barbara Krajkowski last week announced her professional theater company’s 2007-08 season.
The season begins Oct. 19 with a revival of the Broadway hit, “Frankie and Johnny at the Clare de Lune,” by Terrence McNally. The production continues through Nov. 4 with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. “Letting Go,” a new play by New Jersey playwright Marylee Delaney, continues the season March 7 to 23.
The season will conclude in grand style with “Souvenir” (May 16 to June 1), which earned raves in New York in 2005 and also was a hit last season at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick. Stephen Temperley’s outrageous “musical” is a hilarious tribute to Florence Foster Jenkins, a widowed society matron who followed her dreams all the way to Carnegie Hall in 1944. Her out-of-tune, but passionately sung renditions of classical repertoire were the stuff of legend, earning her both sold-out recitals and the title of “the worst singer who ever lived.” Told through the memories of her pianist, this charming comedy also has a heart.
Sounds perfect for the Women’s Theater Company, except in previous seasons, Krajkowski has devoted her main stage to the works of female playwrights, which are undeniably underserved in the theatrical community. McNally’s “Frankie and Johnnie” is another celebrated work, but, like “Souveneir,” written by a man.

"Why two plays written by men?” Krajkowski said. “My mission statement has always said that the company would offer a place for women theater artists to practice and hone their craft. We will still do that. Though I will pick pieces that are still relevant for women and their relationships to men, I chose to start opening my events for male writers to experience their relationships to women.”

The new perspective will certainly give Krajkowski and her company plenty of options.

“I will try to choose plays with strong women roles and strong male female relationships,” she said. “I will also produce one original play a year written by a woman. ‘Letting Go’ will be that play … This is an updated production of a play originally developed at the Womens Theater Company.”

Tickets are $15 for plays and $20 for musicals, with discounts for seniors and groups. The Parsippany Community Center is at 1130 Knoll road in the Lake Hiawatha section of Parsippany. For more information, call the box office at (973) 316-3033.

Scrooge and Shakespeare: Perfect together

2007-08-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

See below for details of a revision to the 2007 season at the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ.

To my knowledge, they've never done "A Christmas Carol" (of course, until recent years, they were dark in the winter). They are staging the East Coast premiere of Neil Bartlett's adaptation, which relies exclusively on Dickens' original words and is structured for an ensemble cast of seven.

Tri-State Actors Theatre in Sussex has been doing a similar adaptation for a few years, so I'm not sure how original it will be. But with Bonnie Monte directing, it should be a winner.

Read on for the details.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey to present the American East Coast premiere of an exciting new adaptation of
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol replaces previously announced production of The Blue Bird

Madison, NJ – The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey announced today it would replace its previously announced holiday production of The Blue Bird with the American East Coast premiere of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol adapted by British playwright Neil Bartlett. The Shakespeare Theatre’s Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte will direct. This innovative and exciting production will begin preview performances on November 27th, open on December 1 and continue through December 31. Performances are Tuesday through Sundays at The Shakespeare Theatre’s Main Stage – the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre in Madison. This will be only the third time this version has been produced in the United States and the first production of it east of the Mississippi. From now through October 15, tickets are available to subscribers or to those purchasing a Fall 3-play discount Ticket Package, which offers guaranteed seats to the three plays of the Fall season: William Saroyan’s The Time of Your Life, Shakespeare’s Henry VI: Blood & Roses adapted by Brian B. Crowe and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol adapted by Neil Bartlett. Fall three-play discount Ticket Packages range from $72 to $132. Full-priced single tickets will go on sale on October 15. Regular ticket prices are $28-$52. For tickets or more information, call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

Bonnie J. Monte, artistic director of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, also announced today that one of the Theatre’s most prestigious talents, and audience favorite Sherman Howard, will be playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Howard has received critical acclaim for his work in The Shakespeare Theatre productions of Enrico IV, Much Ado About Nothing, Life of Galileo and The Cherry Orchard. His prestigious list of credits spans film, television and Broadway including his most recent appearance in Inherit the Wind.

Joining Howard on stage are seven actors who portray more than 50 unusual “characters” including those we have come to know and expect. “I recently came across this theatrical adaption and it took my breath away and made my director’s pulse quicken,” said Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte. “Bartlett’s aesthetic and approach feels very akin to my own. His innovate take on A Christmas Carol features an incredible aural landscape of actor-generated sound and song, and provides a fantastic opportunity for families and people of all ages to experience this classic tale in a whole new way. When I realized we had the opportunity to be the first company on the East Coast to premiere the play, I made the decision to postpone our production of The Blue Bird in order to have the honor of premiering one of the world’s most beloved holiday tales in a style and vision that exemplifies our brand of artistry and artists.”

About the Adaptor
Adaptor Neil Bartlett is a famed British playwright, award-winning novelist, Olivier Award-nominated director and the former artistic director of the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith in London. He is the author of the novel The House on Brooke Street and has published adaptations of The Misanthrope, The School for Wives, and Oliver Twist, which received rave reviews in its American premiere in Boston, New York and San Francisco this spring. Bartlett’s A Christmas Carol was originally created for the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, and contains only Dickens’ own words. “I wanted to do it using Dickens’ words, and nothing but,” wrote Bartlett. “Dickens himself prompted this decision; after all, he wrote the story not just to be read, but to be read out loud, for an audience. His words don’t describe; they enact.” In addition, Bartlett has included spoken and sung Victorian carols delivered a capella throughout the play.

About his production of A Christmas Carol at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, The Guardian wrote, “This is one of those rare and festive offerings for which no adult will need the excuse of a child in tow to book a ticket.”

Tickets & General Information
Tickets for A Christmas Carol may now be purchased as part of a Fall 3-Play discount Ticket Package. Three-Play discount Ticket Packages range from $72-$132 and include William Saroyan’s American classic The Time of Your Life (September 4 – 30); Shakespeare’s Henry VI: Blood & Roses adapted by Brian B. Crowe (October 9 – November 11) and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, adapted by Neil Bartlett (November 27 – December 31). Discount Ticket packages offer 15% off regular ticket prices. Full-price single tickets for A Christmas Carol will go on sale on October 15. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s Main Stage, the 308-seat F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, is conveniently located in Madison at 36 Madison Avenue (Route 124) at Lancaster Road (on the Drew University campus), just minutes from routes 287, 78 and 10. Parking is free. The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre is barrier free with access into the theatre via a ramp and elevator access to all floors. Wheelchair seating and transfer seating is available. Braille and large print programs are available. Infrared listening devices are available free of charge. Some performances are audio described, captioned and sign-language interpreted. Contact the theatre for more information. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

Restored Capra film at the Palace

2007-08-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

See the following release for something different on a Jersey Stage - the world premeire of a restored Frank Capra film, "Rain or Shine," at the historic Palace Theatre on the shores of Lake Muscontcong, home of the Growing Stage, the children's Theatre of New Jersey.

A good chance to visit a cool old theater and be a part of a cool event--the movie hasn't been on a big screen in 70 years.

Also a good chance to finally use the image feature on this blog. Thought you guys deserved an upgrade.

Off to the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ tomorrow for the opening of "The Bald Soprano." Something different this time--they've added the occasional post-show discussion with cast to the program at every performance, which promises to be 90 minutes, no intermission. Mrs. Willie will be leased. She loves the short ones.

She's gonna hate "Blood and Roses." But I promise to be my usual objective self.

Read on, moving picture fans. I'll be back with a Review Preview hopefully by Sunday night.

8/10/07
For Immediate Release

Restored Capra Movie to Premiere at Netcong’s Palace Theatre - Home of The Growing Stage Theatre – The Children’s Theatre of New Jersey
Netcong, NJ -- A world premiere in Netcong, New Jersey! Well almost – an early Frank Capra movie not seen on the big screen for over 70 years has been restored and will debut on September 15, 2007 at Netcong’s Palace Theatre. Thanks to a collaboration of The Growing Stage Theatre – The Children’s Theatre of New Jersey and the Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum, arrangements have been made with Sony Pictures for the September 15th premiere of Rain or Shine.
Rain or Shine was originally released in August 1930, just two years after the introduction of sound into movies. It starred Joe Cook, one of the leading comedians of the day, and his sidekick Dave Chasen, as well as Tom Howard and Joan Peers. Rain or Shine had been a successful Broadway musical when a young Frank Capra decided to adapt it to the silver screen as a non-musical.
Originally released by Columbia Pictures, the film was a vehicle for Joe Cook to show off his many talents. Completely restored by Sony Pictures, the film is now considered important as an example of Frank Capra’s work prior to his success as director of such hit movies as It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Meet John Doe and It's a Wonderful Life.
Why Netcong? Joe Cook formerly lived at Lake Hopatcong - just a few miles from the theater. He is considered one of the lake’s most famous residents, having lived there full time for almost two decades. In fact, he entertained most of the cast of Rain or Shine at his lake house known as "Sleepless Hollow." Originally finding fame as a vaudeville performer, Cook became one of Broadway’s leading stars in the 1920s and 1930s and starred in the Broadway production of Rain or Shine.
The premiere is a collaboration of the Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum and The Growing Stage Theatre, which makes its home at and operates the Palace Theatre. Built in 1919, the Palace was an entertainment landmark for over 50 years in the communities of northwest New Jersey. Commencing as a silent movie and vaudeville house, it later featured talking movies, local high school plays and graduations, minstrel shows and other live entertainment. It is the perfect venue in which to show the film – 77 years after its original premiere.
Tickets are $10 and can be obtained through the Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum at 973-398-2616 or at LHHISTORY@ATT.NET.
#
Cut line
A scene from Rain or Shine shows Joe Cook balancing on a ball in a circus trick as Dave Chasen (far left) and Joan Peers watch anxiously. The musician on the far right is unknown

"Frankie & Johnnie" opens season at Womens Theater Co.

2007-08-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

See below for the details of the new season for the Womens Theater Company, now in its third season at the Parsippany Community Center.

For those who don't know, founder, artistic director and fellow Parsippany resident Barbara Krajkowski has built a company that is dedicated to the works of female playwrights, which, when you think of it, don't get a lot of consideration. Strange to think that such an "enlightened" and progressive industry would have a bias to women, but do the math an and argument is there. Certainly, there could be many more such-minded companies and a gap might still exist, so bravo to Barbara--you go, girl.

Only one problem--Souveneirs was written by a man. I'll have to check into that. Perhaps she couldn't resist reviving such a plumb part for a talented female singer and comedienne. Maybe she has someone in mind ... hmmm. who does she know? Perhaps someone in the family?

Gotta stop myself, this is how rumors get started.

But I will follow up on this, don't you worry about that.

Always makes me think of Bonnie Monte's line, to parpahrase, we "usually do dead white guys."

Anywa, looks like an interesting set of choices and, if you haven't been there, the space is intimate and very close to the audience. And the tickets are cheap ($20 top last year, if I recall), so give her a look-see. You'll be glad you did.

The Women’s Theater Company
P.O. Box 5924
Parsippany, NJ 07054
973 316-3033
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Women’s Theater Company Announces New Season

Parsippany,NJ, August 8, 2007

The Women’s Theater Company, now in residence at the Parsippany Community Center, announces its 2007 -2008 season of plays. The first production is the Broadway hit play, Frankie and Johnny at the Clare de Lune, by Terrence McNally. It opens on Friday, October 19 and runs through November 4, at the Center, 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha, playing Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm.
Letting Go, a new play by New Jersey playwright, Marylee Delaney, opens on March 7 and will play through March 23, 2008.
On May 16, Souvenir, by Stephen Temperley opens for a run through June 1, 2008. Souvenir received excellent revues during its New York run this past season. The Women’s Theater Company, now in its 15th year, is an Actors Equity company and a member of the New Jersey Theater Alliance. Ticket prices are $15 for plays and $20 for musicals. There is a discount for Senior Citizens and for groups.
For further information regarding group sales, benefits and reservations please call the box office, 973 316-3033.

Non-Equity auditions

2007-08-08T04:30:00.000-07:00

See below from the Bickford. Sounds like some fun roles to be filled. Go for it.

Bickford Theatre will hold a non-Equity open call for the comic/thriller “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” by John Bishop on Thursday, August 16th from 5pm to 9pm. The production dates are November 15 through December 9. There is no performance on November 22nd Thanksgiving. Rehearsals which will be weekday evenings and weekends begin October 29. Deirdre Yates is directing. Please see character breakdown below. Actors are asked to prepare for the role that best suits them. For sides, please check www.BickfordTheatre.org under Auditions. Auditions will be held at the theatre, 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown, NJ. For directions, see website www.BickfordTheatre.org.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
Helsa Wenzel- (20's) female, a maid who plays four unique personalities including a man; physical comedy skills necessary, proficient German accent a must
Elsa von Grossenknueten- (late 40's) female, Broadway angel, West Chester (NY) elite personality, attractive, very wealthy, great patron of the arts, very adventurous
Michael Kelly- (40-50) African-American male; solid, no-nonsense cop; no sense of humor
Patrick O'Reilly- (30's) male, Irish-tenor must be able to sing well; proficient Irish and German accent necessary

Ken de la Maize- (40-60) male, Hollywood and Broadway director, large ego, name-dropper, considers himself ladies man,
physical comedy skills a plus
Nikki Crandall- (20's) female, must sing well, beautiful chorus girl; tough and adventurous
Eddie McCuen- (20-30) male, energetic comedian; must sing well, physical comedy skills necessary; courageous though he usually hides it

Marjorie Baverstock (60-70) female, very wealthy Broadway producer; always stylish and in the "know", acts like royalty; bitchy personality;
physical comedy skills a plus
Roger Hopewell- (40-60) male, flamboyant musical composer, sharp-tongued; physical coward; able to play the piano a plus

Bernice Roth- (40-60) female, eccentric musical lyricist; writing partner of Roger; physical comedy skills necessary; enjoys her libations

Forum Theatre to close Aug. 25

2007-08-08T04:16:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late with this news but sad to report the Forum Theatre is closing Aug. 25 with the final performance of "Stuart Little."

I haven't been there in some time but remember some fine productions there in the early 1990s, including "Minnie's Boys," when Vicki Tripido was trodding the boards there. Since then, I've concentrated more on North Jersey than Central Jersey, but with my geographic focus evolving (more on that soon), I was looking forward to catching up with Peter Loewy and his family-owned and operated shop.

I found an article online from CMD Media, which mails shoppers in the area (never heard of them before), citing declining box office, increased success of outside ventures (including their productions of "The Kid from Brooklyn: The Danny Kaye Story," about which I recall reading some positive reviews).

It also cites the curious problem of declining media coverage and reviews. Sure, blame it on the media. I know this: I get press release sfrom as far away as the East Lynne Theatre Company in Cape May, but I never get anything from the Forum.

This is a lesson to you all. Send us your stuff and we'll run it, but we don't have the time to track you down. I also note they are not on the list of members of the NJ Theatre Alliance, which could have helped them in this area. I've put in a call to the Alliance and hope to get some further details, which I'll share with you.

In any event, sad news to share, and I would love to get some comments, be they memories of past Forum shows or opinions on why they didn't make it. So speak up, all you theater fans. I know you want to be heard.

"Stars of Tomorrow" tomorrow

2007-08-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

Pop Quiz for all you Jersey Stage experts:

What do the following actors have in common?

Anne Hathaway – THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN and Disneys’ THE PRINCESS DIARIES
Matthew Scott – Broadway’s JERSEY BOYS (Four Season and Frankie Valley understudy)
Robert McClure - Broadway’s AVENUE Q (Nicky, Trekkie Monster, Bear and Others) National Tour as “Princeton/Rod”
Christine Danelson – “Tracy Turnblatt” HAIRSPRAY national tour
Veronica Kuehn – Broadway’s MAMMA MIA
Antonio D'Amato – Broadway’s CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG and DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!
Nikki M. James – Broadway’s ALL SHOOK UP and Dorothy in THE WIZ at La Jolla Playhouse
Samantha Futerman – Sony Pictures’ MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
Allison Siko - HBO Films’ SPEAK and "Law & Order: SVU"

But first, a word from Paper Mill Playhouse

SEE THE STARS OF TOMORROW AT PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE!!!

What- NEW VOICES 2007 CONCERT!
Live Broadcast Opportunity! Students Singing and Dancing!

When- FRIDAY, AUGUST 3RD 7:30pm

Where- Paper Mill Playhouse
Brookside Drive
Millburn, NJ 07041

Investors Savings Bank Charitable Foundation Presents:
NEW VOICES 2007: HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD!

(Millburn, NJ) August 1, 2007 – Paper Mill Playhouse is proud to present over 100 New Jersey young artists from Paper Mill’s Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory and the outstanding nominees from the Rising Star Awards 2007 bound onto the Paper Mill stage in a musical celebration of Hollywood movie musicals. The New Voices Concert of 2007 is the culminating event of Paper Mill's five week Summer Conservatory and is an original concert on the Paper Mill main-stage directed and choreographed by Paper Mill’s professional artistic staff. The concert features over 100 students from the Senior, Junior Plus and Junior Divisions of the Conservatory, where for five weeks the students (ages 10-18) take classes in singing, dancing, acting, improvisation and attend guest artist workshops led by professional actors, directors and casting agents.

For two days only, Friday, August 3rd at 7:30pm and Saturday August 4th at 3:00pm and 7:30pm students will perform numbers from such movies as Singin’ in the Rain, Hairspray, The Full Monty, Billy Elliot, Meet Me in St. Louis and classic Disney films.

Many students from Paper Mill’s Conservatory have appeared in Broadway Productions, Regional Theatre and even on the big screen. Conservatory Alumni include:
· Anne Hathaway – THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN and Disneys’ THE PRINCESS DIARIES
· Matthew Scott – Broadway’s JERSEY BOYS (Four Season and Frankie Valley understudy)
· Robert McClure - Broadway’s AVENUE Q (Nicky, Trekkie Monster, Bear and Others) National Tour as “Princeton/Rod”
· Christine Danelson – “Tracy Turnblatt” HAIRSPRAY national tour
· Veronica Kuehn – Broadway’s MAMMA MIA
· Antonio D'Amato – Broadway’s CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG and DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!
· Nikki M. James – Broadway’s ALL SHOOK UP and Dorothy in THE WIZ at La Jolla Playhouse
· Samantha Futerman – Sony Pictures’ MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
· Allison Siko - HBO Films’ SPEAK and "Law & Order: SVU"

OK, does anyone need a study guide before answering our question? You can add John Lloyd Young to the list, since he spoke so eloquently about his experiences at Paper Mill before leaving Jersey, ironically, to star in "Jersey Boys." I saw him there in "The Chosen" and remember him to be quite terrific. If you don't believe me, he pasted my review on his web site. See for yourself.

http://johnlloydyoung.com/ChosenReviews.htm

Always weird when people do that. I'm always reminded that Robert Cuccioli, who I have often praised as an actor, pasted on his website my negative review of his direction of "The Glass Menagerie" at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Now, there's a mensch. Like they say, if you boast about the good reviews, you can't dismiss the bad.

Tickets are $20-37. For information, call (973) 376-4343 or visit www.papermill.org.

Community theater auditions

2007-08-02T04:54:00.000-07:00

Brush up you monologues, amateur actors. Following are releases for two audition opportunities in northern NJ. And yoou could not ask for more variety: "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" in Randolph (October play dates) and "Crimes of the Heart" in Chatham (November play dates).

I'd like to see the range of the actor who gets a part in both. But there is a connection: both were written by women.

More to come this week as the theaters scramble to get their fall productions going. No professional plays to review yet this weekend, but "The Bald Soprano" opens next week at the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ. Have I mentioned their first preview on Tuesday is a Pay What You Wish Night? For info, visit www.shakespearenj.org.

Read on for the audition stuff:

Brundage Park Playhouse, Carrell Road, Randolph, will hold auditions for their October production of MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN on Tuesday, August 7, and Thursday, August 9, from 7:30 until 9:30 PM.

The October "chiller" has become a bit of a tradition at the Randolph playhouse. This year's show follows BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA which was the theater's popular offering last season. Based on Mary Shelley's classic novel, as adapted by Victor Gialanella, FRANKENSTEIN is unquestionably an intriguing tale of horror and suspense perfect for the Halloween season.

Set in nineteenth-century Switzerland, MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN details the ill-fated experiments of young Dr. Frankenstein as he attempts to fathom the secrets of life and death. Purchasing cadavers from two unsavory grave robbers, he gives life to a creature so physically powerful and mentally twisted that he soon brings death and destruction to all who stand in his way.

Adhering more closely to the original novel than did the famous motion picture versions, the play blends moments of brooding terror and sudden shock with questions of morality and the dangers of unrestrained scientific inquiry. Blending thrills and shuddering horror with moments of touching sentiment and compelling philosophical insights, the play accomplishes the singular feat of being as moving and affecting as it is terrifying.

Director Richard Norman seeks 3 women (age ranges from 20's to 50's), 8 men (age ranges from 20's to 50's) and a teenage boy who can play younger. Men auditioning for the role of The Creature should be in their 20's/30's, athletic and in excellent shape.

Complete cast requirements can be found on the theater website at www.brundageparkplayhouse.org.

Cold readings from the script will be provided for the audition. Auditioners are requested to bring a recent headshot or snapshot and resume. Performances will run for three weekends from October 12 to the 27th.

For further information please call the theater at 973-989-7092.

Cold readings from the script will be provided for the audition. Auditioners are requested to

CRIMES OF THE HEART AUDITIONS

The Chatham Community Players is pleased to announce auditions for CRIMES OF THE HEART by Beth Henley. The show opens November 2 and runs through November 17, 2007. Director Bob Cline asks that actors come prepared to read from the script. Auditions will be held on Monday, July 30 and Monday, August 6 at 7 p.m.Rehearsals will begin after Labor DayAll auditions will be held at The Chatham Playhouse, 23 North Passaic Avenue, Chatham, NJThe Chatham Community Players has an open casting policy. All roles are open; none are pre-cast. For more details, please visit www.chathamplayers.org/auditions.htm. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Kristin Barber at (732) 208-4184 or email casting@chathamplayers.org

Additional Information
Synopsis: A tale of three sisters who are trying to make sense of their lives -- In Hazlehurst, Mississippi, the three Magrath sisters have gathered to await news of the family patriarch, their grandfather, who is living out his last hours in the local hospital. Lenny, the oldest sister, is unmarried at thirty and facing diminishing marital prospects; Meg, the middle sister, is back after a failed singing career on the West Coast; while Babe, the youngest, is out on bail after having shot her husband in the stomach. The three reminisce over old memories while making new ones. Like most families, these three sisters have their fair share of laughter, jealousy, and differences.

Casting Information
All characters are extremely southern, and must have great comic timing, as well as emotional depth. The ability to add real detail to character work is a plus. We can easily play with some of the ages and character descriptions below, as we are seeking the best actor for each part.

Casting Breakdown
Lenny Magrath: 30, the oldest sister. Described as having a round figure and face. Most importantly, she is the oldest sister and has had to embrace all that that entails.Meg Magrath: 27, the middle sister. Described as having sad magic eyes. Moved to Hollywood to become a famous singer, she's back in town to help out. Self reliant and an individual. Babe Magrath: 24, the youngest sister. Described as having an angelic face and fierce volatile eyes. Described by sisters as being the prettiest and most perfect. When play opens, she has just shot her husband the night before. Must be capable of portraying everything form exuberance to devastation.Chick Boyle: 29, the sisters’ first cousin. Described as a brightly dressed matron. Could be tall and skinny, or even lanky. Knows how to sniff out drama, and sort of knows no boundaries. Makes self at home.Doc Porter: 30 (but appears older), Meg's old boyfriend. Described as an attractive worn man with a slight limp that adds rather than detracts from his quiet seductive quality. Barnette Lloyd: 26, Babe's Lawyer. Described as a slender, intelligent young man with an almost fanatical intensity that he subdues by sheer will.

Centenary Stage Co. unveils new schedule

2007-07-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

Following is the press release detailing the upcoming season at Centenary Stage Company. Centenary College's professional Equity theater doesn't get a lot of notice, probably because geography (Hackettstown) separates them from a lot of New Jersey's theater-loving population. But using a mix of Equity pros along with theater students at the college, they do a decent job of classics and new works. They also are dedicated to supporting female playwrights by staging a reading festival of plays by women and select one to premiere during their main-stage season.

Their three-play 2007-08 season is business as usual, opening with a "costume" classic (Moliere's "School for Wives") and wrapping with this year's Women Playwright Series winner, Eugenie Chan's "Daphne Does DimSum."

Personally, I tend to favor their contemporary works over the classics, which are done better and closer to home. But at a top price of $22.50, with discounts available, Centenary qualifies as a legitimate "best-kept secret" theater nominee. So think about giving them a look-see. I'll be reviewing all of their main-stage shows, so check back for Review Previews.

PS: Last day of a vacation largely sacrificed of a lingering back injury. But I did catch a tasty sea bass and saw "The Simpsons Movie" (woo-hoo!). And, if the weather holds, I'll be sailing over Central Jersey at 6:30 p.m. today in the Everready Energizer Bunny hot-air balloon. So weep not for Willie, life goes on, o bla dee, o bla da.

Centenary release below:

The Centenary Stage Company will continue its tradition of presenting classic theatrical treasures by opening its 2007-08 season with the timeless classical comedy, School for Wives by Molière October 5th -October 21st. Out of his own experience and personal suffering Molière crafted the play School for Wives, a witty perfectly constructed gem of confusion that manages to chronicle the biggest hopes and lowest agonies of love.
CSC will continue its season with a production for the Holiday Season from Nov. 23rd - Dec 9th. My Three Angels by Sam and Bella Specwack is an old fashioned and wonderfully crafted holiday fable that take a warm and witty romantic look at our long standing moral convictions of what is right and what is wrong.
The CSC season wouldn't be complete without the annual World premiere of a new play from the Women Playwrights developmental series. Eugenie Chan's wonderfully crafted comedy Daphne Does Dim Sum will premiere on our very own stage Feb. 22nd -March 9th. Don't miss this delightful new play by San Francisco playwright Eugenie Chan.
The Women Playwrights Series will reconvene in April once again, bringing three new plays in workshop presentations to the CSC audiences. For three Wednesday evenings, April 9th , April 16th and April 23rd , audiences will be invited to experience the talents of three exciting new women authors from around the country, and to play their own part in the development of new work through lively discussions with the playwright and cast following each presentation
Tickets for the CSC 2007-08 productions are $22.50 for adults, $17.50 for seniors/ students, and $15 for children under twelve on Saturday evenings, $20 for adults $17.50 for seniors/students, and $15 for all other evening performances. Ticket prices for all Matinee performances will $17.50.
The popular "Family Night" option will be presented once again, offering affordable two-for-one "rush seats" available at the door only on the evening of the performance. ADA performances will be offered Oct 21st at 2:30pm, Dec. 9th at 2:30pm and March 9th at 2:30pm.
Season subscriptions are also now available, including all plays in the CSC season at the "best deal in the state" price of $45. Tickets may be purchased through the Centenary Stage Company Box office at 908-979-0900, or online at www.centenarystageco.org.

Free Willie (Shakespeare)

2007-07-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

Details follow for the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Next Stage touring ensemble production of "The Tweltfh Night" at the Washington Twp. Public Library, 37 E. Springtown Rd, Long Valley.

Shakespeare good. Free better. Go watch.

Not exactly an eloquent endorsement, but I'm on vacation.

908-876-3596

Note Date Change!

Twelfth Night
August 2, 2007 at 7:00 p.m

In one of Shakespeare's most lyrical comedies, a twin brother and sister are separated by a disastrous shipwreck and cast ashore in the land of Illyria , each thinking that the other is dead. As they cross paths with scheming servants, a grieving beauty, and a wise fool, the result is a compelling, funny and bittersweet tale of unrequited love, newfound hope, and irrepressible festivity.

Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Approximate running time: 1 hour.

This play is performed by the Next Stage Ensemble. One of the divisions of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Summer Professional Training Program, the Next Stage Ensemble was created to foster the work of early-career actors. Participants take advanced classes in voice and movement, while working on hour-long productions of classic and contemporary plays. These productions bring theatre to a variety of locations throughout the region including libraries, retirement communities, summer camps, and schools. Acting as "ambassadors" of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey during the summer months, the Next Stage Ensemble brings theatre to communities throughout New Jersey.

Call the Library at 908-876-3596 or go to www.wtpl.org under Adult Programs to sign up for this exciting program!

Sweeney Todd auditions: no singing required

2007-07-20T05:16:00.000-07:00

If you've always wanted to act in "Sweeney Todd" but don't have the pipes, here's your chance.

Pax Amicus Caslte Theatre in (on, really) Budd Lake, is doing the nonmusical dramatization of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Open call; beginners welcome. Details follow below.

I'll be on vacation next week, but will keep checking in. No theater on the vacation schedule, but I (and Mrs. Willie) am booked for a flight on the Everready Bunny hot-air balloon. And if you're at Sandy Hook, and think you see a beached whale, give a wave. It just maybe your friendly neighborhood bloggerman. Except the day I'll be bunny-hopping over Central Jersey.

My wife says, if nothing else, I take her to the most unusual places. Coincidentally, I was speaking to a press representative about a restaurant when it came up that she also represents musician Gail Anne Dorsey, who I recalled played bass in David Bowie's band when he co-headlined a tour with shock-rockers Nine Inch Nails (1995?). I then recalled that was the first concert I took Mrs. Willie to when we were first dating.

And she married me anyway.
But she still tells the story.

TITLE: Open Cast Call

DESCRIPTION: The Pax Amicus Castle Theatre, Lake Shore Road, Budd Lake will hold an Open Cast Call for its Fall production of the classic melodrama, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by C.G. Bond.
This non-musical version will be directed by Stan Barber and tells the story of a man falsely accused and banished from his home in London, who returns years later to wreak havoc on the people who destroyed his life.
Roles include Sweeney; his innocent teen age daughter, Johana; Anthony Hope a sailor who falls in love with her; the lecherous Judge Turpin; the conniving Beadle; Mrs. Lovett who makes meat pies from the bodies of the men Sweeney kills; her helper, Tobias and several men and women in smaller roles who fall prey to Sweeney's rage.
Beginners are welcome. The Open Cast Call is being held on Saturday, July 21st at Noon and Tuesday, July 24th at 7:00 pm at the Castle Theatre in Budd Lake. There is no singing, as this is the non-musical play upon which Stephen Sondheim based his famous operetta.
Sweeney Todd will be presented September 28, 29, October 6 and 13 at 8:00 pm. For additional information/reservations please call 973-691-2100.
Thank you,
Jean

PAX AMICUS CASTLE THEATRE
23 Lake Shore Road – Budd Lake, NJ 07828
973-691-2100
FAX: 973-691-5783 – Group Sales: 973-691-4900

Blues Traveler stiffs C-N;Club Bene awaits

2007-07-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

FYI: Blues Traveler stiffed my reporter who was promised an interview to run in the Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning special section, which I just finished, but you'll have to wait until Sunday to read.

Yo, Popper, put the gun down, put the bong down, and pick up the phone, or you're going to end up begging for gigs at Club Bene. Wasn't their last hit record in like, 1968?

I know, it's closed, but we used to love recognizing Club Bene as Club Has-been-ay, where the headliners were either on the way up or the way down. I've been to gigs there where there were more musicians onstage than there were people in the audience (King Sunny Ade and his African Beats had us outnumbered 2 to 1).

Loudon Wainwright used to play there for their infamous "dinner and a concert" shows and would always take a poll--"OK, show of hands, who had the chicken and who had the fish?"

Cakes and Ale at Playwrights Theatre

2007-07-18T05:45:00.000-07:00

Release follows for a one-off one-act musical at Playwrights Theatre. A lot of people arounf the Jersey Stage scene know Jewel Seehaus-Fisher, a resident of Highland Park who writes a lot of plays and is even better at getting them produced and promoted.

Here, she's put a book to some old songs. Sounds like fun. I recently enjoyed the premiere of her drama, "My Sister Underground," at the Womens Theater Company. So, if you are looking for something old and new, go for "Baroque" and head to Madison.

Off to work--put my home and garden editor hat on.

****CAKES AND ALE, a one-act musical comedy set in an early 18th century alehouse. Book by Jewel Seehaus-Fisher, lyrics and music by 18th century song-writers.
*****The plot: Julia, fears her husband Sir Toby's reaction if he discovers her first fling with a singing actor.She turnsfor help to out-of-work drinking musicians in the Cakes and Ale.
****Tuesday evening, August 14 at 7:30, at Playwrights Theatre of NJ, 33 Green Village Road, Madison, NJ Tickets: $10. Call Jewel Seehaus-Fisher at 732-572-7340 for further info and reservations. Tickets may be purchased at the door, but seating is limited to 100.
****Our unforgettable cast of eccentric characters will feature John Lamb (Randolph, NJ), Laine Sutton (Hillsborough), Bryan Jamieson (Bergenfield), E Michael Markwis (Newark), Anthony Bevilacqua (Garfield) and Maestro Robert W.Butts (Boonton). Jewel Seehaus-Fisher (photo attached) is from Highland Park.
****CAKES AND ALE is one night during the week-long Summer Festival of Baroque Music, with Robert W. Butts, Music Director. For info about the entire festival, Email www.baroqueorchestra.org or call 973-572-7340
****Jewel Seehaus-Fisher is the 2007 recipient of the NJ State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship in Playwriting (her second time receiving this prestigious award)

Dodge Grants: any comments?

2007-07-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

Press releases follow below for the announcement of the 2007 arts grants from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

Any comments, peaople?

I ask because it had been suggested to me earlier this year that Dodge was cutting back and, to paraphrase, "getting out of the arts business." This came to me from the principal of an organization I believe to be a qualifying organization, and one which is not on the list below. So, I'm wondering if this was a case of sour grapes or if there still is something I don't know.

Anyway, Jersey Stages is a great place for those involved to chime in on the subject of arts grants. Do the big theaters get too much, at the expense of smaller groups, or do the big fellas earn it? (I notice Paper Mill is not on the list). Are there groups that are denied grants for subjective reasons (i.e., personal, political or moral)? I'm not suggesting there are, but certainly, all these factors have an impact on arts funding, at least on the federal level.

Who got too much, not enough or was completely hosed?

Or should we just thank the lucky stars for Dodge and groups like them for doing the good they do?

What do you know? What do you think? Anyone can chime in here without fear of reprisal.
Although I think I might have blown my grant for 2008.

John Pietrowski of Playwrights Theatre speaks more, and more intelligently, on the subject of grants and funding than anyone I know. Perhaps I should touch base with him and get back to you. So many questions, so little time.

And half the world is on vacation. Me, too, starting Tuesday.

FYI: The Courier staff met its new publisher today. My former boss and fellow Morris Catholic alum, Charie Nutt, has gone home to Vineland. Good luck, Charlie.

And good luck to my new boss, who I will not name because I think I've breached a news embargo just by telling you as much as I have already.

I just can't resist the urge to say, "you read it here first."

Read on, soldiers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 16, 2007

GERALDINE R. DODGE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES
$4.1 MILLION DOLLARS OF FUNDING TO SUPPORT
NEW JERSEY ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND ARTISTS

(MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY) The Trustees of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation have announced their approval of $4.1 million dollars in 2007 Arts grants. Ninety-six grants have been made to museums and galleries, community and media arts organizations, and performing arts organizations in the disciplines of theater, dance, and music, throughout the state of New Jersey. These grants also include a variety of organizations that provide services to the arts field and to New Jersey artists.
“The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation is proud to support New Jersey’s outstanding creative community,” stated David Grant, the Foundation’s President and CEO. “The arts are an essential part of our civil society, bringing both joy and meaning into our lives, individually and collectively.”
“The arts are making a difference in communities throughout our state, from small rural hamlets to large urban centers,” agreed Laura Aden, the Foundation’s Program Director for the Arts. “As a recent study from the Americans for the Arts pointed out, non-profit arts organizations play a key role in strengthening our economy while also providing opportunities to stimulate and nurture the creative and intellectual spirit.”
This year, the Dodge Foundation provided grants to arts organizations in nineteen of the state’s twenty-one counties. Two organizations received the Foundation’s largest grant amount of $175,000: Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (Madison) and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (Newark). Other grants of note include $170,000 to The Newark Museum and George Street Playhouse (New Brunswick); $100,000 to the Jersey City Museum, Montclair Art Museum and WheatonArts; $95,000 to the New Jersey Theatre Alliance and New Jersey Performing Arts Center; and $75,000 each to Appel Farm Arts & Music Center (Elmer), the Nonprofit Finance Fund and New Jersey Network (to support the Emmy-Award winning “State of the Arts”). The Princeton-based New Jersey Opera Theatre received a $30,000 grant; and the Westfield Symphony, in honor of their 25th anniversary, received a $25,000 grant plus a $12,500 matching grant.
Of the ninety-six announced grants, ten were new to the Arts docket this year including four visual arts organizations: Paul Robeson Gallery at Rutgers-Newark ($7,500), Arts Council of Princeton ($7,500), Mercer County Community College ($7,500) and the soon to be reopened State Museum ($25,000). Other new grants were awarded to Digital Stone Project in Hamilton for an artist residency ($5,000); Dreamcatcher Repertory Company, South Orange, for general operating support ($7,500): ValleyArts for a community mural project in Orange ($10,000); and SHUA Group, a dance company based in Jersey City ($5,000). Two grants were made to provide support for new works by New Jersey composers: $7,500 to the Pro Arte Chorale for the commissioning of a new choral work by Robert Cohen; and $10,000 to Montclair State University for the premiere of Robert Aldridge’s new opera, Elmer Gantry.
The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation was established in 1974 through the foresight and generosity of Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge. The Foundation’s areas of giving are the Arts, Education, Environment, and Morris County. 12 Miles West Theatre Company, Inc.
Bloomfield, NJ
Contact: Mr. Lenny Bart: (973) 960-0994
$30,000 for general operating support.

Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre
Old Bridge, NJ
Contact: Ms. Eva Lucena-Gruby: (732) 255-4071
$10,000 for general operating support.

Aljira
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Victor L. Davson: (973) 622-1600
$75,000 for general operating support.

American Music Center
New York, NY
Contact: Ms. Joanne Cossa: (212) 366-5260
$50,000 for the Live Music for Dance New Jersey grantmaking program.

American Repertory Ballet
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Mr. Graham Lustig: (732) 249-1254
$85,000 for general operating support.

Appel Farm Arts and Music Center
Elmer, NJ
Contact: Mr. Mark E. Packer: (856) 358-2472
$75,000 for general operating support and Community Arts Outreach Programs.

Art Omi International Arts Center
New York, NY
Contact: Ms. Ruth Adams: (212) 206-5660
$10,000 to support two residencies for New Jersey artists.

ArtPRIDE New Jersey, Inc.
Bordentown, NJ
Contact: Ms. Ann Marie Miller: (609) 443-3582
$60,000 for general operating support.

The Arts Council of Princeton
Princeton, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jeff Nathanson: (609) 924-8777
$7,500 to support the inaugural exhibition of the Paul Robeson Center for Arts.

The Arts Guild of Rahway
Rahway, NJ
Contact: Mr. Lawrence Cappiello: (732) 381-7511
$10,000 for general operating support.

Bay-Atlantic Symphony
Bridgeton, NJ
Contact: Mr. Paul D. Herron: (856) 451-1169
$70,000 for general operating support.

Boheme Opera New Jersey
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Sandra M. Pucciatti: (609) 581-9551
$10,000 for general operating support.

Brodsky Center
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Ms. Amy Lebo: (732) 932-2222
$10,000 for general operating support for artist residencies, exhibitions, and K-12 programs.

Cape May New Jersey State Film Festival
Cape May, NJ
Contact: Mr. Todd Land: (609) 884-6700
$7,500 for the Young Filmmakers' Summer Institute.

Cape May Stage
Cape May, NJ
Contact: Mr. Joseph S. Pannullo: (609) 884-1341
$25,000 for general operating support of the 2007 season.

Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company
Union, NJ
Contact: Mr. Tom Werder: (908) 687-8855
$80,000 for general operating support.

Centenary Stage Company & Performing Arts Guild
Hackettstown, NJ
Contact: Mr. Carl Wallnau: (908) 979-0900
$15,000 for general operating support.

Center for Community Arts
Cape May, NJ
Contact: Mr. Steve Bacher: (609) 884-7525
$15,000 for general operating support and community arts and humanities programs.

Center for Modern Dance Education, Inc.
Hackensack, NJ
Contact: Ms. Elissa M. Machlin-Lockwood: (201) 342-2989
$10,000 to support the "Open Door Dance Project".

City Without Walls
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Ben Goldman: (973) 622-1188
$30,000 for general operating support.

Cleo Mack Dance Project
Edison, NJ
Contact: Ms. Cleo Mack: (201) 927-7208
$6,400 for support of "All Voices In: Being Everything."

Dance New Jersey
Morristown, NJ
Contact: Ms. Macada Brandl: (973) 222-8844
$35,000 for general operating support.

Digital Stone Project, Inc.
Mercerville, NJ
Contact: Mr. Christoph Spath: (609) 587-6699
$5,000 to support Digital Stone Project's Artist Residency pilot program.

The Discovery Orchestra
Warren, NJ
Contact: Mr. George Mariner Maull: (908) 226-7300
$45,000 for educational Discovery Concerts, outreach and related staffing.

Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre, Inc.
South Orange, NJ
Contact: Ms. Laura Ekstrand: (973) 378-7754
$7,500 for general operating support.

Freespace Dance
Upper Montclair, NJ
Contact: Ms. Donna Scro Gentile: (973) 743-8078
$10,000 for general operating support.

Friends of Cape May Jazz, Inc.
Cape May, NJ
Contact: Mr. David J. Greenspun: (609) 884-7200
$10,000 for general operating support.

Friends of the New Jersey State Museum
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Barbara Moran: (609) 394-5310
$25,000 to support the reopening exhibition in the fall of 2007.

George Street Playhouse
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Mr. David Saint: (732) 846-2895
$170,000 for general operating support.

The Growing Stage Theatre for Young Audiences
Netcong, NJ
Contact: Mr. Stephen L. Fredericks: (973) 347-4946
$40,000 for general operating support.

Haddonfield Symphony
Haddonfield, NJ
Contact: Mr. Trevor Orthmann: (856) 429-1880
$70,000 for general operating support.

HANDS, Inc.
Orange, NJ
Contact: Mr. Patrick Morrissy: (973) 678-3110
$10,000 to support Valley Arts’ Creative Community Mural Project.

Harmonium Choral Society
Morristown, NJ
Contact: Dr. Anne Matlack: (973) 701-1732
$5,000 for the professional orchestration of an original choral piece.

Hunterdon Museum of Art
Clinton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Marjorie Frankel Nathanson:
(908) 735-8415
$60,000 for general operating support.

Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Mr. Gregory J. Perry: (732) 932-7237
$30,000 for general operating support.

Jersey City Museum, Inc.
Jersey City, NJ
Contact: Ms. Marion Grzesiak: (201) 413-0303
$100,000 for general operating support.

Joseph P. Hayes Surflight Theatre
Beach Haven, NJ
Contact: Mr. Steve Steiner: (609) 492-9477
$15,000 for general operating support.

Kean University Foundation
Union, NJ
Contact: Mr. Doug Nelson: (908) 737-4360
$15,000 for support of the Premiere Stages Play Festival.

Luna Stage Company Inc.
Montclair, NJ
Contact: Ms. Charlotte McKim: (973) 744-3309
$37,000 for general operating support.

The MacDowell Colony
Peterborough, NH
Contact: Ms. Cheryl A. Young: (212) 535-9690
$6,500 to support one fellowship for a New Jersey artist.

McCarter Theatre
Princeton, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jeffrey Woodward: (609) 258-6514
$130,000 for support of the New Play Development program.

Mercer County Community College
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Tricia Fagan: (609) 570-3250
$7,500 for support of the art exhibition "Dangerous Women."

Monmouth County Arts Council
Red Bank, NJ
Contact: Ms. Mary Eileen Fouratt: (732) 212-1890
$30,000 to support the Community Outreach and Arts Planning Project.

Montclair Art Museum
Montclair, NJ
Contact: Mr. Patterson Sims: (973) 746-5555
$100,000 for general operating support.

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
Fort Lee, NJ
Contact: Mr. Andrew Chiang: (800) 650-0246
$80,000 for general operating support.

New Jersey Ballet Company
Livingston, NJ
Contact: Ms. Carolyn Clark: (973) 597-9600
$65,000 for general operating support.

New Jersey Network
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Elizabeth G. Christopherson:
(609) 777-5001
$75,000 to support "State of the Arts," NJN's Emmy award-winning series.

New Jersey Opera Theater
Princeton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Lisa S. Altman: (609) 799-7700
$30,000 for general operating support.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Lawrence P. Goldman: (973) 642-8989
$95,000 to support the "Alternate Routes" program and facility rental subsidies for NJ arts organizations.

New Jersey Repertory Company
Long Branch, NJ
Contact: Dr. Gabor Barabas: (732) 229-3166
$75,000 for general operating support.

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. André Gremillet: (973) 624-3713
$175,000 for general operating support.

New Jersey Tap Ensemble, Inc.
Bloomfield, NJ
Contact: Ms. Susan A. Simek: (973) 743-0600
$35,000 for general operating support.

New Jersey Theatre Alliance
Morristown, NJ
Contact: Mr. John McEwen: (973) 540-0515
$95,000 for general operating support.

New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Inc.
Laurel Springs, NJ
Contact: Ms. Tracey I. Batt, Esq.: (856) 627-0428
$25,000 for general operating support.
New Jersey Youth Theatre
Westfield, NJ
Contact: Mr. Theodore J. Agress: (908) 233-3200
$10,000 for general operating support.

Newark Arts Council
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Linwood J. Oglesby: (973) 460-7661
$40,000 for general operating support.

Newark Museum
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mary Sue Sweeney Price: (973) 596-6550
$170,000 for general operating support.

Newark Public Radio
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Cephas Bowles: (973) 624-8880
$95,000 for support of the WBGO-produced "JazzSet" national radio program.

Newark School of the Arts
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Stephen L. Shiman: (973) 642-0133
$75,000 to support arts education programs.

Nonprofit Finance Fund
Morristown, NJ
Contact: Ms. Joyce Jonat: (973) 285-9446
$75,000 to support advisory and financial services for New Jersey cultural organizations.

The Noyes Museum of Art
Oceanville, NJ
Contact: Mr. Michael Patrick Cagno: (609) 652-8848
$55,000 for general operating support.

Office of Arts and Cultural Programming
Montclair, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jedediah Wheeler: (973) 655-3049
$10,000 to support the premiere of "Elmer Gantry."

Office for Academic & Public Partnerships in the Arts & Humanities
New Brunswick, NJ
Contact: Ms. Isabel Nazario: (732) 932-4391
$15,000 for the Community Artist Residency Training Series (CARTS).

Passage Theatre Company
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. June Ballinger: (609) 392-0766
$65,000 for general operating support.

Paul Robeson Gallery of Rutgers University-Newark Campus
Newark, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jorge Daniel Veneciano: (973) 353-1625
$7,500 for general operating support.

Perkins Center for the Arts
Moorestown, NJ
Contact: Mr. Alan Willoughby: (856) 235-6488
$60,000 for general operating support.

Peters Valley Craftsmen
Layton, NJ
Contact: Mr. Jimmy R. Clark: (973) 948-5200
$75,000 for general operating support.

Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey
Madison, NJ
Contact: Mr. John Pietrowski: (973) 514-1787
$50,000 for general operating support of new play development and statewide education programs.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra
Princeton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Melanie Clarke: (609) 497-0020
$10,000 for general operating support.

Pro Arte Chorale
Paramus, NJ
Contact: Mr. Hugh Dougan: (212) 858-1131
$7,500 for the commissioning of a new choral work.

Pushcart Players
Verona, NJ
Contact: Ms. Ruth Fost: (201) 857-1115
$40,000 for general operating support.

Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts
Millville, NJ
Contact: Mrs. Carolyne Krull: (856) 327-4500
$23,000 for general operating support.

Roxey Ballet Company
Lambertville, NJ
Contact: Mr. Mark A. Roxey: (609) 397-7616
$15,000 for general operating support.

Running Rabbit Family Theatre
Glen Ridge, NJ
Contact: Mr. Paul Whelihan: (973) 744-3309
$10,000 for general operating support.

Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts
Camden, NJ
Contact: Ms. Virginia Oberlin Steel: (856) 225-6610
$50,000 to support the Community Arts Programs in Camden.

School of the Garden State Ballet
Newark, NJ
Contact: Ms. Jody L. Jaron: (973) 623-1033
$20,000 for general operating support.

Sculpture Space
Utica, NY
Contact: Ms. Sydney Waller: (315) 724-8381
$5,000 for support of a residency for one NJ artist.

Settlement Music School
Camden, NJ
Contact: Ms. Valerie Clayton: (856) 541-6375
$30,000 for general operating and financial aid support of the Camden branch.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
Madison, NJ
Contact: Ms. Bonnie J. Monte: (973) 408-3278
$175,000 for general operating support.

The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts
Long Branch, NJ
Contact: Mr. Douglas Ferrari: (732) 263-1211
$20,000 for general operating support.

SHUA Group
Jersey City, NJ
Contact: Mr. Joshua Bisset: (201) 433-9622
$5,000 for the creation and performance of a new work, "Soft Wall."

Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture
New York, NY
Contact: Ms. Kate Haw: (212) 529-0505
$10,000 for Fellowship support of three New Jersey visual artists.

South Jersey Cultural Alliance
Pleasantville, NJ
Contact: Ms. Cynthia Lambert: (609) 645-2760
$60,000 for general operating support.

Terra Firma Dance Theatre
Highland Park, NJ
Contact: Mr. Stuart Loungway: (732) 207-6318
$7,000 for support of the development of "OF/YOU/OF/US."

The Theater Project at Union County College
Cranford, NJ
Contact: Mr. Mark Spina: (908) 659-5189
$10,000 for general operating support.

Thomas A. Edison Media Arts Consortium
Jersey City, NJ
Contact: Mr. John Columbus: (201) 200-2043
$25,000 for the Black Maria Film and Video Festival and the NJ Young Film and Videomakers Festival.

Trenton Downtown Association
Trenton, NJ
Contact: Ms. Taneshia Nash Laird: (609) 393-8998
$10,000 for general operating support of arts programming.

Tri-State Actors Theater
Sussex, NJ
Contact: Mrs. Patricia Meacham: (973) 875-2950
$20,000 for general operating support.

Two River Theatre Company
Red Bank, NJ
Contact: Mr. Guy H. Gsell: (732) 345-1400
$80,000 for general operating support.

Vermont Studio Center
Johnson, VT
Contact: Mr. Jonathan Gregg: (802) 635-2727
$17,500 to support five residencies for New Jersey artists and writers.

Virginia Center for the Creative Arts
Amherst, VA
Contact: Ms. Suny Monk: (804) 946-7236
$21,000 to support ten residencies for New Jersey artists, writers, and composers.

Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
Summit, NJ
Contact: Mr. Eric Pryor: (908) 273-9121
$20,000 for general operating support.

Westfield Symphony Orchestra
Westfield, NJ
Contact: Ms. Elizabeth Ryan: (908) 232-9400
$37,500 for general operating support of the Symphony's 25th anniversary season.

What Exit? Theatre Company
Maplewood, NJ
Contact: Ms. Beverly Sheehan: (973) 763-4029
$9,100 for general operating support.

WheatonArts and Cultural Center
Millville, NJ
Contact: Ms. Susan M. Gogan: (856) 825-6800
$100,000 for general operating support.

Women's Studio Workshop
Rosendale, NY
Contact: Ms. Ann Kalmbach: (845) 658-9133
$15,000 to support two Artist-In-Residence opportunities for NJ women artists.

Review Preview: Measure for Measure

2007-07-16T04:59:00.000-07:00

Here's my draft of the review for "Measure for Measure" at the Shakespeare Theatre of new Jersey. One discussion point may be added, but I'm waiting on some information. But the "judgment" aspect of the review will not change.

Abstract: Pretty good production of a play that is not without problems, but is a good example of Shakespeare's uncanny timeliness, even after 400 years.

Note to regular readers: As the "Midsummer" lull beckons, I don't see a show to review on my schedule until "The Bald Soprano" at the Shakespeare Theatre on August 11. But posts will continue. Theater directors, get your audition notices to me and I'll get them up as soon as they arrive. The Fall season will be on you before you know it..

PS: I hear Bonnie Monte and I are sharing a similar problem: a bad back. Get well soon, Bonnie-it's always a tragedy to be betrayed by your vertabrae.

Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Measure for Measure”
When: through July 29
Where: F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124), Madison
How much: $28 to $52
Info: (973) 408-5600; www.shkespearenj.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
The actor Jack Wetherall made a strong first impression earlier this year at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, playing the Chorus and Montjoy, the French envoy, in “Henry V”
Last week, the director Jack Wetherall made a promising company debut with his novel adaptation of “Measure for Measure,” solving some, if not all, of the challenges presented by one of Shakespeare’s notorious “problem plays.”
Essentially a drama about morality, politics and abuse of power, “Measure for Measure” finds modern relevance in the myriad scandals of our elected officials and power brokers. There’s no shortage of romance and comic relief, either, making for a rich and briskly paced (just short of three hours with the intermission) night of theater.
So, what’s the problem? While “Measure for Measure” is easy enough to follow, it is difficult to swallow. Shakespeare is no stranger to preposterous plot, and they are frequently part of the fun in his better comedies. But in a darkly dramatic setting, they simply can’t be taken seriously.
Duke Vincentio (David Manis) gets things rolling by leaving Verona, leaving hard-liner Angelo (Michael Milligan) in charge of a city in moral decay. Angelo immediately revives an old law that condemns fornicators to death.
He makes an example of young Claudio (Stephen Tyrone Williams), who has put his beloved Juliet (Jo Williamson) in the family way. His sister, Isabella (January LaVoy), a novice nun, pleads with Angelo for mercy, but balks when Angelo offers to spare Claudio if she sleeps with him.
Meanwhile, the Duke has gone under cover (specifically, under hood) as a friar to spy on everyone. When he learns of Angelo’s scandalous hypocrisy, he cooks up a complex plot to right several wrongs in one fell swoop.
The happy ending and an endless supply of mercy (a Shakespeare staple) have never sat well with scholars or audiences, and it doesn’t help that the Duke hits on Isabella before it’s all over.
Wetherall wisely makes light of the problem points—some key lines are delivered with dry humor that say to the audience, “yeah, we know,” with a metaphorical wink. Manis gets the best of it. When the Duke must inexplicably exit a key scene to resume his friar disguise, he declares, “I, for a while, will leave you,” as Ed McMahon would deliver a straight line to Carson. The audience howled. Problem solved.
Wetherall also shows a nice touch with his actors, particularly the supporting players. Kristie Dale Sanders, as Mariana, gets laughs and tears in less than 10 minutes of stage time. Elizabeth Sheperd, who usually plays stuffy Victorians, is a bawdy and buxom Mistress Overdone. Non-Equity company members Roderick Lapid and Christopher McFarland also shine, respectively, as a charming rogue and a dazed executioner.
None of the leads really stands out, although all get the job done. Manis looks more like an accountant than a king, but grows in the role, seemingly feeding off the cumulative silliness of the story. Milligan seethes as Angelo, but can’t quite convince us of his character’s motivation, which is partly the fault of the author.
Wetherall also chose to reset the play in America’s post Civil War Southwest, where Union soldiers, Confederates, free former slaves and assorted reprobates populated a dangerous, untamed territory. His director notes logically link these seemingly conflicting places, but in execution, the switch is more curious than crucial.
A stage of unpainted hardwood, with two walls of similar construction in back, provide a simple, unvarnished platform for a play that is anything but simple.
In short, and by any measure, Wetherall has given us a credible production of a play that struggles for credibility, but is ultimately worth the effort.

Crossroads announces new season

2007-07-13T04:38:00.000-07:00

Read it here first cuz I I only got it at 11 p.m. last night--the press release for the new season at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick follows.

Highlights include an autobiographical musical writtenand performed by Melba Moore and a new doo-wop musical (!) Sounds very promising. Read on ...

CROSSROADS THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES 2007-2008 SEASON

New Brunswick, NJ Crossroads Theatre Company of New Brunswick, NJ, has announced three plays, including a world premiere, for the 2007-2008 season followed by the Genesis Festival of New Voices.

The opening play is Melba Moore: Sweet Songs of the Soul which is an autobiographical musical production written and performed by Melba Moore. The audience follows Moore's life with its trials and tribulations along with her many successes revealed through dialogue and a heady mix of jazz, gospel, and Broadway melodies. This petite woman with a with a four octave range holds nothing back as she shares her personal story with the audience. Melba Moore began her Broadway career in the ground breaking musical Hair in 1969 where she originated the role of Dionne. She went on to the role of Lutiebelle, the innocent southern domestic who falls in love with a fast-talking preacher, in the long running musical Purlie, the role which launched her successful television and recording career. Her show-stopping performance in Purlie won Melba the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress In A Musical, making her the first African-American actress to do so. Melba was born in New York and studied piano and voice at the High School for Performing Arts and went on to receive a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Montclair State College in New Jersey. Melba Moore: Sweet Songs of the Soul can be seen on the Crossroads' stage September 28 through October 7.

In November, Crossroads presents Daniel Beaty's highly acclaimed Emergence-See! This explosive new play begins on a clear blue day with the supernatural emergence of a slave ship in front of the Statue of Liberty sending New York into a whirlwind of emotion and exploration. Daniel Beaty's solo tour de force features slam poetry, multi-character transformation, and song. New York Magazine praised Beaty and Emergence-See! stating that his play "revealed him to be a dynamic and forceful performer, as well as an intelligent and provocative new writer--on both counts, the strongest debut of the year." Beaty portrays numerous characters including an 11- year-old boy from the projects, a scientist, a business executive and homeless man--throughout which the audience is treated to a poetry slam already in progress. Beaty is the recipient of the 2007 Obie Award for Excellence in Off-Broadway Theater for this production along with a 2007 Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination for a Solo Performance. Previously Beaty was seen on HBO's Russel Simmons Presents Def Poetry and as a guest artist on NBC's Showtime at the Apollo. Daniel was the 2004 Grand Slam Champion at the Nuyorican Poet's Cafe and has performed with artists including Jill Scott, MC Lyte, Mos Def, Deepak Chopra and Phylicia Rashad. Emergence-See! and Daniel Beaty will be at Crossroads November 28 through December 9.

Doo-wop comes to the Crossroads stage in March with the world premiere musical Great Googley Moo which had been a part of the 2007 Genesis Festival . Written by Michael Thomas Murray, Great Googley Moo is a lively celebration of the early 1950's roots of doo-wop, the group singing style that dominated youth pop music into the mid-1960's. The inspiration for this musical play comes from Murray's friendship with Jimmy Guilford who was an original member of the 1940's swing group the Inkspots. Guilford went on to a long career as a doo-wop and soul singer with pop groups including the Dominos and Orioles. Great Googley Moo is the fictionalized story of those R & B artists who opened the doors for every rock star to follow but who, at the time, did not receive the recognition, credit, or compensation they deserved. The play also depicts the internal dynamics of a racially integrated vocal group who experience the racial bigotry prevalent in the music industry of the day. Great Googley Moo is a toe-tapping hit parade of highly entertaining renditions of songs like Sincerely, Sixty Minute Man, and Lovers Never Say Goodby that become a powerful message using street-corner harmony as a metaphor for creating peaceable relations in the world.

The Genesis Festival of New Voices will take place May 1-4. The Genesis Festival began more that a decade ago as the brainchild of Artistic Director Ricardo Khan and then New Play Development Director Sydne Mahone as a means of giving voice to young writers and new, cutting edge forms of theatre in a nurturing and creative environment. Among plays that have found their way from Genesis to the world's stages are Sheila's Day, George C. Wolfe's Spunk, Anna Deveare Smith's Dream and original works by Ntozoke Shange, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.

For Tickets call 800-766-6048. Single tickets are $40-$55 with discounts for subscribers, students and groups. For further information call the customer service line at 732-545-8100 or visit www.CrossroadsNB.com.

Plays for Pets?

2007-07-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a cool thing going on in Hillsborough:

The Somerset Valley Players will offer two free tickets to anyone who adopts a pet during an upcoming run of performances of the play, “Sylvia,” which runs July 20 to Aug. 5.
“Sylvia” is described as “a heart-warming tale of a man who adopts a dog, and the problems and joy associated with the experience.”

The Plainfield Area Humane Society (www.petfinders.com ) will display information about its pet adoption programs at the theater and have pictures of pets currently available for adoption.

Anyone who adopts a pet will receive coupons for two free tickets to any upcoming SVP performance.

Shows will be performed at 8 p.m.on Friday and Saturday nights. Matinees will be offered at 3 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $14 or $12 for seniors.

The Somerset Valley Playhouse is at 689 Amwell Road (Route 514) in Hillsborough. For more information, visit www.svptheatre.org.

The Plainfield Area Humane Society is a nonprofit organization that has been in continuous operation since 1933, located at 75 Rock Ave. in Plainfield. For information, call (908) 754-0300.

"'Midsummer' extended at STNJ

2007-07-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

Release from the Shakespeare Theatre follows regarding the extended run of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Seriously, folks, if you've never been to the magnificent outdoor Greek Theatre at the College of St. Elizabeth, that alone should put it on your destination list. The outdoor show here has been one of the highlights of my summer for the last six years. And bring a picnic.--you can even bring your food and wine inside and claim some extra space (at least if its not too crowded, but they even let people do that on a crowded opening night), or picnic before the show on the lawn.

And it's a cheap ticket for a show that's every bit as good as the mainstage shows that people willingly pay a lot more for.
Release follows:
"Due to popular demand The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey announces a week-long, 5 performance extension of A Midsummer Night's Dream on its Outdoor Stage
Performances now are through July 28th"

Madison -- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey today announced a one week extension of its Outdoor Stage production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, performed at the outdoor Greek Theatre on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth at Convent Station. This replica of an ancient Greek theatre nestled into the hillside of the park-like campus offers a theatrical event unique on the East Coast.
Originally scheduled to close on July 22, A Midsummer Night's Dream will continue performances Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 8:15 p.m. through Saturday evening, July 28th. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Shakespeare Theatre box office by calling 973-408-5600 or visiting www.ShakespeareNJ.org. Tickets are available at the door based on availability.

Bickford Auditions--Equity/nonEquity

2007-07-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

The summer slowdown is in full effect on the Jersey Stages scene, as most professional theaters are dark for the summer. But new seasons loom, so I'm expecting a slew of audition notices. Performers should check back regularly for updates--I'll post as soon as I get.
Also, we run an auditions column in the Courier every week in the Kicks section, so don't say you would have auditioned if you knew about it.

Cause we told you, all you Olivias and Oliviers.

Starting with the Bickford, whose info follows.

Bickford Theatre will hold auditions for the comedy, The Owl & The Pussycat by Bill Manhoff. Auditions for Equity members will be held Friday July 27 from 9:30am to 1:30pm at the AEA Audition Center, 165 W. 46th Street, NYC, also Saturday July 28 from 10am to 1:30pm at the Bickford Theatre, 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown. Sign up both days is at 9am. Auditions for non-Equity members will be held Saturday, July 28 from 2pm to 5pm. Artistic Director Eric Hafen will direct.
Character breakdown: Doris: African-American woman; 25-35; prostitute who claims to be a model/actress; feisty, alert; protected at every human point by a thick shell; yet possesses a warm heart and soul; Felix: 30-40; bookstore clerk who claims to be a novelist; highly organized; pseudo-intelligence; his superficial emotions reflect his unsuccessful writing
There will be cold readings from the script. A reader will be provided. Sides are available at www.BickfordTheatre.org under Auditions.
Production dates: September 13, 2007 through October 7, 2007. Rehearsal process begins August 27, 2007. Rehearsal schedule will be determined and will include weekdays, evenings and weekends. For additional information and directions, see the website or call 973.971.3706.

Review Preview: Valhalla

2007-07-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

Finally got to see a Theater Project show Friday night and glad I did.

Funny how the rain-delayed fireworks coincided with intermission. Very cool and added to the evening.

Overheard on the way out:

"I liked it. I mean, it was too long, and I think at one point I fell asleep. But it was zany."

Vox populi.

My vox below, in draft. Should run Wednesday with pix in the Courier.

Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Valhalla”
When: through July 29
Where: The Theater Project, Union County College, Cranford
How much: $20 adults, $10 students (Fridays, Saturday, Sunday); $12 (Thursday)
Info: (908) 659-5189; www.theaterproject.com

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Talk about opening a show with a bang. The intermission of Friday’s premiere performance of “Valhalla” at the Theater Project featured an Independence Day-worthy fireworks display.
You don’t get that kind of pizzazz on Broadway, let alone a Central Jersey theater with less than 100 seats. And the play was pretty good, too.
Full disclosure reveals that Cranford’s rain-delayed fireworks in Nomahegan Park coincided with this performance across the street at Union County College, where the pyrotechnics were limited to a few staged gunshots. But some combustible and fearless performances helped the audience survive Paul Rudnick’s wild and occasionally exhausting comedy.
Piscataway native Rudnick’s abstract and edgy history lesson ties two seemingly random places in time—19th century Bavaria and 1940s Texas. The former introduces us to Ludwig (Dennis DaPrile), the infamous “Mad King” who was dethroned for the madness of some building beautiful castles that are now part of the region’s identity.
The latter subject is equally mad and dangerously angry. Abused by his parents, James (Kevin Sebastian) becomes a delinquent who eventually beds the prom queen, Sally (Jenelle Sosa), but prefers her fiancé, the varsity quarterback, Henry Lee (Stephen Medvidick).
Ludwig, we learn in alternating scenes, also prefers the company of men, giving us the first link between Bavaria and James’ backwater, Bible Belt town. The second is that both, in their own, very unique ways, are seeking true beauty at all costs.
With the two Equity professionals in the cast, Gail Lou and Rick Delaney, playing multiple roles, these four talented young actors romp through madcap scenes overflowing with comedy ranging from dry one liners to shockingly profane bursts of intensity. Early on, Rudnick pushes too hard, almost daring the audience to take offense. But if you stick with it, his dysfunctional characters become more sympathetic than you could possibly imagine at intermission.
“Valhalla” takes liberties with, but follows some real history, as Ludwig deals with a Prussian invasion and an obsession with Wagnerian opera. James and Henry Lee end up on a troop ship to Europe, where they parachute to within visiting distance of Ludwig’s castles. There, they rediscover their attraction.
Tragedy ends both story lines, but the attraction of “Valhalla” is the laughs and, in the case of this production, a tremendously entertaining cast.
DaPrile somehow endears a whiny fop of a free-spending, clueless monarch, never losing the childlike innocence of the character, even as he ages from 10 to adulthood. Sebastian has the tougher job of selling James, who revels in ruining the lives of classmates who never wronged him. He smolders with James Dean intensity, but is even better in more subtle moments, such as when Sally accuses him of stealing.
“I didn’t steal it,” he says quietly and unapologetically. “I needed it.”
Sosa has fun playing Sally as a Legally Blonde airhead, obsessed with superficial beauty. She admires the deeds of Eleanor Roosevelt, but wonders, “Can you imagine how much more she could have accomplished if she was pretty?”
Medvidick also works hard, fearlessly fending off, and succumbing to, James’ advances.
Lou and Delaney work the perimeter, hamming it up in roles of various genders, accents and octaves. Sosa also multitasks as a humpback princess who finds a soulmate, if not a bedmate, in Ludwig, and becomes the nexus for a series of humpback jokes that yank guilty laughs from the audience. Bad boy Rudnick also includes some absurdly inspired song-and-dance numbers, one of which would fit well in a Mel Brooks movie.
Artistic director Mark Spina keeps a complex production on course, spilling over a Spartan, but functional stage, which in this intimate space is only four rows from the back of the room.
“Valhalla” may not be for the faint of heart, but it’s a comedy of operatic proportion. Don’t expect fireworks, but the floor show is a gas.

More outdoor Shakespeare in Basking Ridge

2007-07-05T05:44:00.000-07:00

While the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey continues its fine outdoor production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Trilogy Repertory Company in Basking Ridge opens its 20th season of Plays in the Park July 13 (Friday the 13th or the Ides of March be damned, I guess) with the premiere of its production of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.”

Performances continue through July 21 at the outdoor amphitheater at Pleasant Valley Park, Valley Road.

The cast includes Christine Marquet of Basking Ridge, Hugh Wallace of Parsippany and Tim Murphy of Denville. Admission is free and attendees are welcome to bring picnic baskets, lawn chairs and blankets.

The festival continues with “Kiss Me Kate,” which runs from July 26 to Aug. 4. For more information, call (908) 204-3003.

Can't say I've seen any of their shows, but at minimum, it fits into one of my favorite categories:

Free is good.

If we haven't given you enough outdoor Shakespeare for one summer, here's a link to a story in today's Courier News Kicks section. Covers the scene in detail.
http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070705/ENTERTAIN01/707050317/1035

Fredericks remains chairman of NJ Theatre Alliance

2007-06-29T05:27:00.000-07:00

Press release follows regarding Steve Fredericks elected to a 10th term as chairman of the NJ Theatre Alliance.

A lot of regular theatergoers, particularly those without children, have never been to Steve's charming Palace Theatre (yet another one of NJ's wonderful old vaudeville theaters, on the shore of Lake Musconetcong), but Steve's a good guy, his company does great work and they are one of the state's success stories.

As the state's only professional theater dedicated to children's programming, they stick mostly to the Sleeping Beauties, Cinderellas and Junie Jones type of fare. But every once in a while, they cross over to more dramatic works (last year's "A Midnight Cry," about slavery and the underground railroad, was a gem). Fredericks and another director, Perry Arthur Kroeger, also stage delightfully original adaptations of familiar fairy tales, full of surprises and updated humor. Kroeger's are often seriously cracked, containing some seriously warped humor and stuff the parents will get, but still won't warp the children.

They also have a strong company of Equity pros (Lea Antolini Lid and David Spellman are the most consistent of several regulars) who work well with the local kids (and some talented amateur adults) who fill out the casts. The kids, by the way, often will surprise you with their ability to carry a show.

More importantly, they pack 'em in, fulfilling their mission of luring a theater-ignoring generation into the theater. A lot of other theaters repeatedly fail at this task, despite their best efforts. So it's good to have Fredericks in a position of leadership as the theater world struggles to adapt to a world overloaded with competition for our attention and disposable income.

So hats off to Steve. I hope he's getting some rest while the summer is dark and his director of Education, Lori B. Lawrence, heads the summer camps and classes.

Read on, folks.

Fredericks elected to 10th term as Chairman of NJ Theatre Alliance
Netcong, NJ -- Stephen L. Fredericks, founder and Executive Director of The Growing Stage, The Children’s Theatre of New Jersey, Netcong, NJ, has been elected to his tenth consecutive term as Chairman of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
Founded in 1981, the New Jersey Theatre Alliance is the only statewide service organization for professional, not-for-profit theatre companies in the United States and is viewed by New Jersey's arts community and its colleagues nationwide as a leader in developing model programs which foster collaboration, cooperation and audience development.
The New Jersey Theatre Alliance exists to promote and develop professional theatre in the Garden State by providing programming that fosters a collaborative environment amongst the state's not-for-profit, professional theatre companies. NTA supports and encourages professional theatre arts activity, arts education, artistic presentations and other programs designed to increase public access and exposure to, interest in, and understanding of the art of theatre.
According to NJTA Executive Director John McEwen, during Fredericks’ leadership over the past ten years NJTA membership has increased and they launched a number of new programs including NJArtsTix.com., the nation’s first state-wide discount ticketing program for the performing arts.
"All of us at NJTA value the time Steve has devoted to our organization and the guidance he has provided to our membership," McEwen said.
Fredericks founded The Growing Stage, located in the Historic Palace Theatre in Netcong, NJ, 26 years ago to nurture the development of the performing arts through education, and to create, produce, and perform works that engage the entire family. Seeking to be a model of excellence in theatre for young audiences The Growing Stage strives to develop new initiatives through the arts, on both the stage and in the classroom, which will enhance and benefit the lives of young people across the state.
Founded in 1981, The Growing Stage is a not-for-profit thriving center for the performing arts that engages a community of professional equity actors and artists, community players, students, teachers and families who share in the wonder and enriching environment of theatre. As the only theatre solely dedicated to young audiences in New Jersey that owns its own facility, The Growing Stage offers children throughout the state performances on their Main Stage as well as an extensive educational program.
The Growing Stage 26th annual Main Stage season opens Sept. 28 with The Dinosaur Musical. For tickets and information, call 973-347-4946 or go on-line to www.growingstage.com.