'The Last Five Years' opens at Women’s Theater on March 2

 The Last Five Years a one-act musical by Jason Robert Brown opens at  The Women’s Theater in Parsippany, on Friday evening, March 2.   The show runs Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees through March 18...  Evening performances are at 8 pm, Sunday matinees at 3 pm  Performances are at The Parsippany Arts Center, 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha. 

 

The story of The Last Five Years is told by a married, and now separated couple.  The husband tells it chronologically from beginning through the end of five years.  The wife tells the story chronologically in reverse, from present to past.

 

Directed by Lauren Mills of Boonton with Musical Director Warren Helms of Pompton Lakes the  cast members  are Lea Antolini, of Sparta, NJ, and James Sasser of New York City. Both are Actors Equity members.  Tim Metz of Boonton, is the bassist. 

 

Tickets for performances are $20.00, and discounted for Senior Citizens.  Please call 973 316-3033 to reserve seats for a performance. Groups, please call 908 306-0881 for reservations.

'By Jeeves' next at the Chester Theatre Group

Auditions and more at the Kelsey Theatre

February, 2012  For Kelsey Theatre Tickets Call 1-800-570-3333

ABOUT MP ONSTAGE >  Order Drowsy Tickets >  Upcoming MPO Shows >  Podcast Library >  Open Auditions >  Media Relations >  About Maurer Prod. KELSEY THEATRE >  Kelsey Theatre Website >  Directions to Kelsey >  Kelsey Event Schedule COMING TO KELSEY:

CENTER STAGE AUDITION REMINDER: The Drowsy Chaperone, Feb 25-26 Maurer Productions OnStage, the company that brought you Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is holding open auditions for its upcoming production of the musical The Drowsy Chaperone on February 25th from 9AM to 5PM and February 26th from 12PM to 5PM. The show offers performers 17 speaking and singing roles. All actors ages 17 and older are welcome. All roles are open. This production will be presented at Kelsey Theatre on the West Windsor campus of Mercer County Community College. Performances are June 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 2012(MORE...) THE CALLBOARD Perroit Productions Brings An American Classic, Death of a Salesman, to Kelsey Theatre Pierrot Productions brings the fiercely eloquent American classic, Death of a Salesman, to the stage at Mercer County Community College's Kelsey Theatre. Dates and times for this award-winning drama are Fridays, Feb. 24 and March 2 at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, Feb. 25 and March 3 at 8 p.m.; and Sundays, Feb. 26 and March 4 at 2 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on Mercer's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. A reception with the cast and crew follows the opening night performance on Feb. 24. (MORE...) Believe in Magic With Pennington Players' Xanadu The Pennington Players perform magic on roller skates with their upcoming performance of the hilarious musical fantasy Xanadu at Mercer County Community College's Kelsey Theatre. Dates and show times for this spirited take on 1980s popular culture are: Fridays, March 9 and March 16 at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, March 10 and March 17 at 8 p.m.; and Sundays, March 11 and March 18 at 2 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on Mercer's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. A reception with the cast and crew follows the opening night performance on March 9. (MORE...) Death of a Salesman Podcast In this Podcast we talk with the director and the cast of Death of a Salesman being produced by Pierrot Productions at the Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College. Our guests include Director Ruth Markoe, and actors Tim Anderson, Peggy Waldron, Chris Scheid, Tim Liu. (MORE...) Laughter closes to smiles and applause Packed Kelsey Theatre houses roared with laughter as the jokes came fast and furious during the run of MPO’s production of the Neil Simon comedy Laughter on the 23rd Floor. Referring to members of the cast, Stage Magazine reviewer Terry Stern said "...[they] burn up the stage individually...but together they create a bonfire of insanities.” The show closed on February 5th but you can still see photos from the production in our show gallery. (MORE...) Alumni Happenings for February See where MPO alumni are performing in February and March, including productions of Beauty and the Beast, Camp Rock, Broadway Bound and The Wizard of Oz. (MORE...) MPO Theater Quiz: Marriott Marquis - The Show Goes on. In honor of The Drowsy Chaperone  auditions this coming weekend, this quiz will cover shows that opened in the same theater as The Drowsy Chaperone:  the Marquis Theatre at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, NYC. (MORE...)

The Theater Project hosting An Evening of Sondheim benefit

This is a reminder that The Theater Project will host a benefit Monday, March 5 at 8pm entitled “An Evening of Sondheim” at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts in Maplewood, NJ. 

The performance will feature Broadway and Broadway touring actors from Maplewood, South Orange, Livingston, and other New Jersey communities, who are coming together to support The Theater Project. The event marks the Theater’s debut in a new home... the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts. 
A wine and cheese reception with the artists will be take place following the performance. Tickets are $50 per person. The Burgdorff Center is located at 10 Durand Road, Maplewood, NJ. For reservations call 973 763-4029.

“One of the leading voices in contemporary American Musical Theater, Stephen Sondheim has been a driving force on Broadway for nearly six decades - his work being performed in theaters around the globe,” says the event’s producer and director, Thom Christopher Warren.  Mr. Warren - of Broadway’s The Lion King, who has assembled an ensemble of Broadway talent that will give voice to Sondheim’s works. Musically directed and arranged by Mark Weissman, of Maplewood and choreographed by Kenny Ingram, also of The Lion King, the evening will be hosted by Paul Whelihan, founder of the Running Rabbit Theatre, former Artistic Director of Pushcart Players, and a well-know actor and director at many of NJ’s professional theaters, and boasts the talents of Rose Pedone (It’s A Wonderful Life), Alice Evans (original Broadway companies of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Sweet Charity), Nicolette Hart (The Wedding Singer, Legally Blonde, Rent), Corey Skaggs (Mary Poppins), Matt Densky (The Grinch, The Little Mermaid), Lauren Sprague (The Producers), L. Steven Taylor (The Lion King, Scottsboro Boys), Wyatt Manobla, Sara Masterson, Justin Friesen, and Sean Patrick Gibbons and will include tunes from Sondheim’s vast catalogue of work: including West Side Story, Gypsy, Company, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, Passion, and Sunday in the Park With George.

When asked  about his connection to The Theater Project, Warren says “I have friends on the creative board and felt that we, as artists who live in the area, have a responsibility to help foster the Arts in our community in any and every way we can. I simply reached out to my friends and explained that we have a local, professional theater company in our backyard that needs our help, and because they are my friends, they jumped on board with open hearts and ready to sing. Not to mention that Sondheim helped to change the emotional and intellectual landscape of the American Musical, and his work is a joy and a challenge for any actor to sink his teeth into.”

The hit musical 'Memphis' on tv Friday night

Attention fans of musical theater...here is a chance to see a smash Broadway musical, (that's still playing) for free in your own home: Broadway's 2010 Tony Award-Winning Best Musical Memphis has been captured live-in-performance at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre and in high definition is headed to our television screens on WNET/THIRTEEN’s Great Performances on Friday, February 24 at 9 p.m.  Tony® nominees Chad Kimball and Montego Glover lead the original cast in a story of forbidden love and the early days of rock and roll.

Memphis is the historic first Best Musical Tony Award winner to air on U.S. national television with its original principals while simultaneously continuing a successful Broadway run and national tour.

Memphis was the winner of four Tony Awards® including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book and Best Orchestrations. Featuring the original Broadway cast, including Tony nominees Chad Kimball and Montego Glover, as well as Derrick Baskin, J. Bernard Calloway, James Monroe Iglehart, Michael McGrath and Cass Morgan.

"Memphis takes place in the smoky halls and underground clubs of the segregated 50's, where a young white DJ named Huey Calhoun (Kimball) falls in love with everything he shouldn't: rock and roll and an electrifying black singer Felicia Farrell (Glover). Memphis is an original story about the cultural revolution that erupted when his vision met her voice, and the music changed forever."

The show’s Tony®-winning original score features music by Bon Jovi’s founding member and keyboardist David Bryan and lyrics by Bryan and Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change), who also pens the musical’s book. . The show is based on a concept by the late George W. George (producer of the Tony nominated Bedroom Farce and the film My Dinner With Andre), with direction by Tony nominee Christopher Ashley (Xanadu) and choreography by Sergio Trujillo, (Jersey Boys, Next to Normal).

The critically acclaimed production of Memphis won a total of four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score (David Bryan and Joe DiPietro), Best Book (Joe DiPietro), and Best Orchestrations (David Bryan and Daryl Waters). Memphis is currently in its 3rd smash year on Broadway, delighting audiences nightly at the Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th Street).

Review: 'Reparation' at the Luna Stage

Shane Taylor & Frankie Faison

The Luna Stage is presenting the world premiere of a powerful and fascinating drama of the under-exposed story of the slave trade north of the Mason-Dixon line. The play is Reparation and was written by Gino DiLorio, a college professor of Theatre at Clark University in Massachusetts, and directed by the Luna Stage's Artistic Director Jane Mandel. DiLorio, in a Talk Back discussion on Sunday following a performance, said he was inspired to develop the play from a lecture he attended about slavery in New England. The method he has chosen to illuminate this sad chapter in American history is a three character tale about a real estate deal that is on the brink of collapse when the site is discovered to be a slave burial ground. 

The 'mayor' and custodian William Patterson a long-term resident of the mostly abandoned housing project insists that no deal to compensate and relocate the few remaining tenants is possible without preserving the burial ground he alone has maintained for many years and considers his legacy. The real estate team consists of the head of the firm, Chrissy Aurora, who is desperate to close this development deal. Failure could mean the end of the long time family business. To negotiate with William she turns to David, a black out-of-work investment banker, who not only is a former employee who had a falling out with her late father, but is also a former lover. He has simple, very direct instructions "Get the deal done, no matter what it takes." In the process of 'getting the deal done' do they trample on William's legacy for maximum profit or will they 'do the right thing' and honor the historical site?

 

Catherine Eaton & Shane Taylor

Now the cast, they are superb. Director Jane Mandel has put together a perfect threesome. Chrissy is played by the very fine actress Catherine Eaton, equally impressive is Shane Taylor as David, and, the performance that is worth the price of admission alone, the truly extraordinary actor Frankie Faison as William (Frankie is not only a star of stage and screen he is also Director Jane Mandel's husband).

This is a fascinating, provocative play with superior performances that reminds us that many of our institutions were built either on the backs directly or by the profits from slave labor. The play offers no clear answer regarding the moral dilemma it presents....is there one?

Of special note... is the excellent use of original music by jazz musician Oliver Lake at each break. The clever three level set is designed by Maiko Chii. Lighting is by Rachel Budin, sound by Steve Brown and costumes by Deborah Caney. The production is stage managed by Mary Ellen Allison. 

Reparation was the winner of the E. Desmond Lee Prize in 2011 (African-American subject) and a Yale Drama League Finalist in 2010.

The play runs through March 11th. Performance times are Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $20-$30 per person and can be purchased in person, on the phone at 973-395-5551, or on the Luna Stage website: www.lunastage.org. Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road, West Orange, NJ 07052. 973-395-5551. The theatre is handicapped accessible and assisted listening devices are available.
 

Reviewed by Rick Busciglio Sunday February 19, 2012

Dreamcatcher participating in the New Jersey Theatre Alliance’s Stages Festival

DREAMCATCHER REPERTORY THEATRE, the professional Theatre in Residence at the Baird Center in South Orange, is offering a number of special programs during the month of March as a part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance’s Stages Festival, an annual statewide event that provides discounted and free theatre performances, workshops and events for families throughout the month of March. The program was developed to encourage New Jersey’s citizens to attend their local professional theatres by making the experience affordable, accessible and fun. 

"All across the state, patrons will receive free and discounted tickets to over 100 performances and special events, including classes, workshops and backstage tours.  Since its inception in 1998, the program has served over 75,000 people.  The New Jersey Theatre Alliance encourages audiences to bring children, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, and make a day of it. To receive a full schedule of statewide events for The Stages Festival please visit www.stagesfestival.org."

The first of its special programs is a discounted ticket offer on its next mainstage production, BLOOD: A COMEDY by New Jersey playwright David Lee White.  When it was performed at Passage Theatre of Trenton, its only other production, The New York Times said, “BLOOD couldn’t be cleverer as it deals with the onset of Alzheimers disease, a soap-opera-style family shocker and reflections on the existence of God.” Student tickets (aged 13 and up) for the Saturday, March 10 8:00 pm performance are $10 with the purchase of one full-price adult ticket.  This highly entertaining play contains the kind of irreverent humor that can be enjoyed by teens and adults alike.

BLOOD will run at Dreamcatcher at The Baird, 5 Mead Street in South Orange from Friday, March 9 through Sunday, March 25.  Performances are Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.  Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for seniors and students, with special rates for subscribers and groups.  To take advantage of the Stages Festival offer, purchase your full-price tickets at www.dreamcatcherrep.org  or by calling Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006.  Then reserve your discounted student ticket at 973-3787754 x2228.

Dreamcatcher’s next special program is a Free Sample Class Day for its Summer Theatre Conservatory, a program for students aged 10-17 during the month of July.  Students in this varied program will take classes in subjects like acting technique, improv, voice, and dance and will have the opportunity to create and put on a show!    The Sample Class Day will be held Saturday, March 24 from 10 am to 2 pm, where students will get a taste of what’s in store for them in the summer program.  The STC is a fun way for students to explore their interest and deepen their skills in the performing arts during their summer vacation.  Professionals in their field teach all classes, and students receive individual attention, constructive feedback, and the support needed to achieve their personal goals.  Reservations are required for the Sample Class Day, and enrollment is strictly limited.  To register, please call 973-378-7754 x2228 or email info@dreamcatcherrep.org.

The third Stages Festival event that Dreamcatcher provides is a series of free cabaret performances at various locations in Essex and Union Counties.  Singers from the Dreamcatcher company will perform “A Musical State of Mind,” a cabaret featuring songs that feature our beautiful United States, like “Georgia on My Mind” and “New York State of Mind.”  Audience members are invited to sing along using the lyric sheets provided for them.  The 45-minute cabaret performance will take place at the following venues:  Livingston Public Library, March 20 at 1:30pm; South Orange Public Library, March 26 at 1:00 pm; Winchester Gardens, Maplewood, March 27 at 1:00 pm; and Summit Senior Center on Friday, March 30 at 11:00 am.  No registration is required – just come!  For more information, call Dreamcatcher at 973-378-7754 x2228.

Founded in 1981, the New Jersey Theatre Alliance is the first statewide organization for professional, not-for-profit theatre companies in the United States, and is a leader in developing model programs that foster collaboration, cooperation and audience development. Currently celebrating its 30^th year, the Alliance provides member theatres and arts patrons a wide range of supportive services and programs. The Alliance assists member theatres in their growth and development, as well as in the promotion of their programs, helping them reach their full potential. For arts patrons, the Alliance provides a variety of services to enhance their theatre-going experience. 

Review: The Ladies Man at the Centenary Stage Company

The source of the hilarious comedy, 'The Ladies Man', now playing in the Centenary Stage Company's Sitnik Theatre is the French playwright Georges Feydeau's comedy 'The Ladies’ Dressmaker' freely translated and adapted by Charles Morey. This quote from Feydeau provides more than a clue to the plot of 'The Ladies Man', "Whenever two of my characters absolutely, positively under any circumstances shouldn't meet, I put them in the same room together." What he has created with Moray's assistance is one of the funniest, madcap comedies of this or any other season. First...a warning...this not a cerebral event...don't look too closely....this fast-paced farce, particularly Act Two, is to be enjoyed without too much concern for logical situations, excessive silliness or occasional French accent lapses.

This handsome production is directed by the Centenary Stage Company's Artistic Director and frequent star, Carl Wallnau. Not only a fine director of comedy, he is also a master of casting. He wisely chose for the leading role, Dr. Hercule Molineaux, the star of CSC's 2010 'Oliver' (Fagan) Carl Wallnau. Carl is perfect in this wacky role. 

His skill in casting is also evident in the supporting cast led by one of our favorite NJ acting treasures, Liz Zazzi, who plays the Doctor's Mother-in-Law from Hell, Madame Aigreville. No one makes an entrance as grand, with the support of Mozart, as she does. Another favorite is Allen Lewis Rickman, direct from Broadway ('Relatively Speaking'), who is hysterical as a patient (Bassinet) with a unique speech impediment and a missing wife. The good doctor has an extremely faithful valet masterfully played for laughs by Robert Anthony Jones. Rounding out the cast are three very attractive ladies and one towering handsome Prussian officer. The doctor's young wife is in the able hands of a newcomer (actually a CSC intern) the lovely Alycia M. Kunkle. All French drawing room comedies would not be complete without the obligatory sexy maid....filling that role perfectly is Jaclyn Ingoglia as maid Marie. Last are the Aubins....Suzanne Aubin is the over-sexed wife of the Prussian officer, Gustav Aubin. Suzanne is played by the young and vivacious Ashley Kowzun. Gustav, the jealous Prussian officer (in full uniform including a helmet) is played with the appropriate amount of blustering and gusto by Colin Ryan.
 
The play is set, early in the 20th century, in the second-floor Parisian parlor of the Molineaux residence that serves as his office and later in a dressmaker's shop that's more suited for men than women. Dr. Molineaux is married to a beautiful young wife, Yvonne, who passionately calls out "Tiger, Tiger" during love making, his totally unacceptable reaction is to giggle destroying all romantic thought (and ability). The result is that he takes to sleeping alone in his study claiming the reason is that his wife snores. As the play opens, his wife discovers that he has not been home all night with the only explanation possible to her (and her mother) is that he spent the night in a palace of sin. In truth, he spent the night on a park bench in the pouring rain (disregard the fact that he returns in the morning in neat dinner clothes) after a failed rendezvous at the Moulin Rouge with his amorous patient, Suzanne Aubin. What can he do... admit his indiscretion? No, instead he concocts a mammoth lie about sitting up with a near-death patient. What follows is lie, after lie, leading to a series of mistaken identities and embarrassing situations worthy of the Marx Brothers. Be prepared...this is a laugh out loud event. 

Production credits: The elegant set was designed by Emmy Award winner Bob Phillips (Sesame Street), the Stage Manager is Kathryn China Hayzer, lighting by Ed Matthews, sound design by Michael Magnifico, and superior costumes by Julia Sharp.

Reviewed by Rick Busciglio February 17, 2012


The Ladies Man opened at Centenary Stage Company on February 17th and runs through March 4th. Performance times are Friday and Saturday nights at 8 PM, Sundays at 2PM, Thursdays (Family Nights) at 7:30 PM, with one additional matinee performances on Wed, Feb 22 at 2 PM. A student matinee is offered on Wednesday, February 29th at 10 A.M. with discounted ticket prices for school groups with advance reservations Ticket prices are $20 - $25, with discounts for seniors and students. Thursday evenings are “Family Nights” with two-for-one “rush” tickets available at the door. Tickets can be purchased online at www.centenarystageco.org, by calling (908) 979-0900, or in person at the Lackland Center at 715 Grand Ave in Hackettstown, with box office hours from 1-5 Monday through Friday, and two hours prior to performances. Performances will take place in the Sitnik Theater of the David and Carol Lackland in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The Centenary Stage Company is a not-for-profit, professional Equity theatre, in residence at Centenary College.

Photo:  L=R  Jacklyn Ingoglia, Alycia Kunkle, Robert Anthony Jones, Carl Wallnau (at desk), Colin Ryan, Allen Lewis Rickman, Ashley Kowzun and Liz Zazzi  (CSC)

Mark Dacey joins cast of 'By Jeeves' at Chester Theatre Group

There is an actor change in the cast of the Chester Theatre Group's production of 'By Jeeves.' Actor Bob Mackasek had to leave the cast due to an out-of-state family emergency. Stepping in will be the multi-talented ( singer / songwriter / guitarist / voice artist / vocal impressionist / actor) Mark Dacey of Wayne. Mark recently was in the Barn Theatre's production of ‘Marvin’s Room.’ More about Mark at www.markdacey.com.

Mark Dacey

The play: The Chester Theatre Group will present the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Alan Ayckbourn musical comedy By Jeeves on Friday and Saturday at 8 pm March 2 to the 17 and Sunday at 2 pm, March  11 and 18, 2012, at the Black River Playhouse, located at the corner of Grove Street and Maple Avenue in Chester, NJ. Tickets are $24 ($22 for Seniors/Students). For reservations call 908-879-7304. For more information visit the CTG website www.chestertheatregroup.org

 By Jeeves will be directed by Jeff Jackson with Roseann Ruggiero..  Music Director: Thomas Rodgers. Choreographer: Bernadatte Baron. The cast includes: Bob Longstreet as Jeeves, Jeff Jackson as Bertie Wooster with  Rich McNanna, Jeffrey Fiorello, Eric Harper, Juliet Brines, Kathleen Campbell Jackson,Tina Kaye, Mike Patierno and Mark Dacey. The ensemble: Diane Butler, Barb Haag, Steven Nitka, and Bob Sackstein.  

The characters Jeeves and Wooster were created by the brilliant humorist P.G. Wodehouse. Bertie Wooster, the hapless society fop, and his unflappable (if a bit snooty) manservant, Jeeves, have inspired countless books, movies, and radio and television programs ever since.
Nearly all of the Jeeves stories share the same irresistable comic premise: Bertie, while a member of upper-crust society, is quite clueless and dimwitted—as are his friends. His manservant Jeeves is the one character with cunning, and he employs it tirelessly, time and again, to rescue his poor young master from his foibles, follies and escapades. The irony: In his own mind, Bertie is quite brilliant and capable, mostly unaware that without Jeeves around he would be lost. Yet Jeeves—ever the dutiful valet—never lets on that he is firmly in control of his employer’s life, content with his role as silent Machiavelli.

Add to that winning mix the cutting wit of playwright Alan Ayckbourn (The Norman Conquests, Absurd Person Singular) and the infectious melodies of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and you have a perfect little gem of musical theater comedy, By Jeeves.  Mistaken identities and romantic entanglements are the classic comic engines of By Jeeves, but wrapped around the story is a clever device: At the start of the show, the audience is told they are in attendance at a hall for a charity concert featuring a banjo performance by Bertie Wooster (a skill at which he is as inept as he is boastful). To spare the poor attendees, Jeeves contrives to have Bertie’s banjo conveniently stolen, leaving him no choice but to fill the evening with anecdotes of his misadventures. Jeeves narrates us through Bertie’s spotty recollections, ultimately spinning the tale we see unfold—enhanced by impromptu (and delightfully inadequate) props, costumes, scenery and sound effects.

   © 2012 Microsoft Corporation   © 2010 NAVTEQ

   © 2012 Microsoft Corporation   © 2010 NAVTEQ

Location: The Black River Playhouse, Grove st. Chester NJ

Cast of '12 Angry Men' set at the George Street Playhouse

Summonses have been issued, and twelve extraordinary actors -- including one living legend – have been selected for a very special jury.  George Street Playhouse’s production of Reginald Rose’s Twelve Angry Men has been cast, led by stage and TV legend Jack Klugman.  GSP Artistic Director David Saint will helm the classic drama, scheduled to deliberate in New Brunswick March 13 through April 8.  

Jack Klugman (GTP)

 

George Street veterans Jim Brachitta (Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are), David Adkins (The Seafarer),  Lee Sellars (The Subject Was Roses), David Schramm (GSP’s The Seafarer and TV’s Wings), Jonathan Hadary (Jolson Sings Again and Broadway’s Gypsy) and John Bolger (Lips Together, Teeth Apart)  the aforementioned Mr. Klugman (The Value of Names, The Sunshine Boys at GSP and TV’s The Odd Couple and Quincy) will be joined by four-time Tony Award nominee Gregg Edelman (City of Angels, Passion), Scott Drummond (Mother Courage and Her Children at La Jolla Playhouse), James Rebhorn (TV’s Homeland and White Collar), Michael Sirow (the films Meskada, Union Square), Jonathan C. Kaplan (Broadway’s Falsettos, The Diary of Anne Frank) and Andrew Nogasky (Brink! at Actors Theatre of Louisville).

“I am thrilled to be able to bring this timeless classic with such a talented and dynamic cast to New Brunswick, said Mr. Saint.   “I am doubly thrilled that Jack Klugman will be joining us for his third appearance at the Playhouse.  He is the consummate actor, and being the only living remaining cast member of the original film, will add a whole other dimension to this production.  In addition, I have always been impressed by the enormous warmth, intelligence and charisma that Gregg Edelman has brought to his many starring roles on Broadway over the years and feel certain that both he and Jack will lead this superb ensemble of actors to provide a thrilling evening in the theatre.”

Creating the world of Twelve Angry Men will be a slate of George Street veterans: set designer R. Michael Miller, costume designer Esther Arroyo and lighting and sound designer Christopher J. Bailey.

Individual tickets, starting at $26.50, as well as three play subscriptions and flexible admission packages are available through the George Street Playhouse Box Office, 732-246-7717 or by visiting the GSP website:  GSPonline.org.  George Street Playhouse is located at 9 Livingston Avenue in the heart of downtown New Brunswick and steps away from plentiful parking, and dining options for every taste and budget.

Twelve Angry Men was written in 1954 and didn’t make its Broadway debut until 50 years later.  Originally conceived as a television play presenting on the 1950’s-era anthology series Studio One, its writer Reginald Rose, expanded it into a stage version in 1955, and wrote the Academy Award – nominated screenplay in 1957.  In 2007, Twelve Angry Men was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

"A young man is on trial for the first degree murder of his own father – a charge which carries a mandatory death sentence.  As the curtain opens, the twelve men are instructed by the judge on the gravity of their deliberations, saying that if there is the slightest doubt in their minds as to the guilt of the defendant, they must acquit.  Eleven members believe that the young man is guilty; one juror – Juror 8 – is not convinced, and asks the others to persuade him.  The drama depicts a jury forced to reconsider its nearly unanimous decision by the single dissenter who sows a seed of reasonable doubt.  Throughout their deliberations, the men do not even call each other by name – because they don’t know their names.  But as the deliberation goes one, they learn more about each other than they ever bargained for."

Auditions: 'Parade' at the 4th Wall Theatre

4th Wall Theatre, a non-union, professional theatre company, will hold open auditions for all roles in the musical Parade with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and a book by Alfred Uhry. The musical will be directed by Bob Cline with musical direction by Markus Hauck. The show will be presented at The Westminster Arts Center in Bloomfield, NJ, where the company is in residence.
Rehearsals will begin in April and the performances and scheduled for June 8, 9, 15-16-17, 22-23

Parade tells the true story of Leo Frank, a Brooklyn-raised Jew living in 1913 Georgia,who was put on trial for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan, a factory worker under his employ. Through the difficult process of proving his innocence, Leo and his wife find a new way to love and support each other.

Auditions are scheduled for Saturday, March 3 at 11:00 am, or Monday March 5 and Tuesday, March 6 at 7:00 pm. Sign up begins at ½ hour prior to the audition start time, and anyone auditioning must arrive no later than 12 noon or 8:00 pm respectively. All auditions will be held at the Westminster Arts Center, 449 Franklin Street in Bloomfield and is easily accessible by train or bus from Manhattan. Callbacks will be held on Saturday, March 10, at an assigned time, if required.

They are seeking 15-18 very strong singers/actors who can move. All roles are open. All actors will double roles, with the exception of Leo and Lucille. Auditioning actors should prepare a song selection (16 bars, no more than 32 bars) in the style of the show.

"You are welcome to sing from the show, if desired. Please bring sheet music in the appropriate key. An accompanist will be provided. Also bring a headshot and resume stapled together, and be prepared to provide all potential conflicts for evening and weekend rehearsals beginning April 1. Small Stipend / Non Union production."

PARADE Character Breakdown:

Leo Frank – 30’s. Bari-Tenor. A Brooklyn Jewish man that transplanted his life to Atlanta, in an effort to give the woman of his dreams the life she deserves. He runs the National Pencil Company in Atlanta, Georgia, and is accused of killing Mary Phagan.
Lucille Frank – The woman of his dreams. 30’s. Gorgeous voice. Probably a mezzo. Must have strong legit, mix, and belt voice. Strong. Stunning. Steadfast. Probably in thatorder.
Mary Phagan – Adult actress to play a thirteen-year-old. Strong character belter with mix. Small. Pretty. Employee at the National Pencil Company who is murdered in thebasement of the factory.
Frankie Epps – Adult actor to play 15-year-old boy. Tenor. Short. Horny teenage boy who would like to be Mary's suitor or anyone’s suitor.
Britt Craig – Could be Late 20’s – 40’s. Tenor. An insatiable journalist for the Atlanta Georgian. Have all the flaws that come from being blinded by a hunger to get famous.
Governor John Slaton – 40-50’s. Baritone. Handsome. Still has it. The governor of Georgia. Trying to remember he once had a heart.
Sally Slaton – 30’s -40’s. Alto or mezzo. Slaton's wife. Troyphy-esque. Smart.
Tom Watson – Character Man. Baritone. Southern. Blustery. The editor of the zealot newspaper, the Jeffersonian.
Jim Conley – 20’s -30’s. African American. Bari-tenor. The janitor at the National Pencil Company. And extremely happy to be the star witness at the trial.
Angela – 20’s -30’s. African American. Belt with strong mix. Jim’s girl. Enjoys her man being the star of the trial.
Newt Lee – 30’s -60’s. African American. The night watchman at the National Pencil Company the night that Mary was killed.
Hugh Dorsey – 30’s-50’s. Baritone. The charismatic and ambitious prosecuting attorney. Who wouldn’t love such a high profile case?
Mrs. Phagan – Late 30’s – 50’s. Mezzo. Mary's mother. Dealing with the loss of a child the best she can.
Judge Roan – 50’s-70’s. Any voice type. The sickly judge presiding over Leo's trial.
Luther Z. Rosser – 40’s – 60’s. Baritone. Leo's attorney, a Southern 'Good Old Boy'. Naturally gets attention wherever he goes.
Detective JN Starnes - Chief of the Atlanta Police Department
Officer Ivey - Starnes' assistant
Iola Stover – Adult to play teen. Strong vocalist. Mary's best friend from the factory
Monteen – Adult to play teen. Mary's other friend from the factory
Essie – adult to play teen. Mary's other friend from the factory
Young Confederate Soldier - A young Confederate soldier that appears in the Prologue.
Old Confederate Soldier - An older version of the young Confederate soldier, but he has now lost his leg.
Minola “Minnie” McKnight – 30’s. African American. Belter with mix. Employed by the Frank’s in their home, and prosecutors’ pawn.
Mr. Peavy - The guard at the Milledgeville Prison
Ensemble of Townspeople
For additional information including directions to the theatre, please visit
www.4thwalltheatre.org.

By Jeeves starts March 2 at The Chester Theatre Group

The Chester Theatre Group will present the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Alan Ayckbourn musical comedy By Jeeves on Friday and Saturday at 8 pm March 2 to the 17 and Sunday at 2 pm, March  11 and 18, 2012, at the Black River Playhouse, located at the corner of Grove Street and Maple Avenue in Chester, NJ. Tickets are $24 ($22 for Seniors/Students). For reservations call 908-879-7304. For more information visit the CTG website www.chestertheatregroup.org

 

By Jeeves will be directed by Jeff Jackson with Roseann Ruggiero..  Music Director: Thomas Rodgers. Choreographer: Bernadatte Baron. The cast includes: Bob Longstreet as Jeeves, Jeff Jackson as Bertie Wooster with Bob Mackasek, Rich McNanna, Jeffrey Fiorello, Eric Harper, Juliet Brines, Kathleen Campbell Jackson,Tina Kaye and Mike Patierno. The ensemble: Diane Butler, Barb Haag, Steven Nitka, and Bob Sackstein.  

The characters Jeeves and Wooster were created by the brilliant humorist P.G. Wodehouse. Bertie Wooster, the hapless society fop, and his unflappable (if a bit snooty) manservant, Jeeves, have inspired countless books, movies, and radio and television programs ever since.

Jeff Jackson and Bob Longstreet (CTG)

Nearly all of the Jeeves stories share the same irresistable comic premise: Bertie, while a member of upper-crust society, is quite clueless and dimwitted—as are his friends. His manservant Jeeves is the one character with cunning, and he employs it tirelessly, time and again, to rescue his poor young master from his foibles, follies and escapades. The irony: In his own mind, Bertie is quite brilliant and capable, mostly unaware that without Jeeves around he would be lost. Yet Jeeves—ever the dutiful valet—never lets on that he is firmly in control of his employer’s life, content with his role as silent Machiavelli.

Add to that winning mix the cutting wit of playwright Alan Ayckbourn (The Norman Conquests, Absurd Person Singular) and the infectious melodies of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and you have a perfect little gem of musical theater comedy, By Jeeves.  Mistaken identities and romantic entanglements are the classic comic engines of By Jeeves, but wrapped around the story is a clever device: At the start of the show, the audience is told they are in attendance at a hall for a charity concert featuring a banjo performance by Bertie Wooster (a skill at which he is as inept as he is boastful). To spare the poor attendees, Jeeves contrives to have Bertie’s banjo conveniently stolen, leaving him no choice but to fill the evening with anecdotes of his misadventures. Jeeves narrates us through Bertie’s spotty recollections, ultimately spinning the tale we see unfold—enhanced by impromptu (and delightfully inadequate) props, costumes, scenery and sound effects.