Little Firehouse Theatre
298 Kinderkamack Road
Oradell, NJ 07649

  PRESS RELEASE

BERGEN COUNTY PLAYERS PRESENTS PLAZA SUITE,
A HILARIOUSLY WITTY MASTERPIECE BY NEIL SIMON

Oradell, NJ, December 20, 2009

The Bergen County Players (BCP) presents Plaza Suite, a hilariously witty masterpiece by Neil Simon.  Under the direction of Jerry Pettinati, Plaza Suite will be performed at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell from January 9 through January 30, 2010, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, by calling 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell during regular box office hours.

In Neil Simon's classic comedy Plaza Suite, the play is comprised of three acts, each involving different stories, but set in the same location of New York’s spectacular Plaza Hotel.  The acts are tied together with the common threads of relationships.  A long-married couple celebrates an anniversary with a return trip to their honeymoon suite. A Hollywood producer, famous for both his films and his womanizing, arranges a rendezvous with his old high school flame, now a starstruck New Jersey housewife. And a manic couple hosting an expensive wedding reception for their daughter faces one basic problem--the bride refuses to come out of the bathroom.  Nominated for three Tony Awards in 1968 (winning for Mike Nichols as Best Director) and then turned into a highly successful film starring Walter Matthau, Plaza Suite ran for over 1,000 performances and is still one of Simon’s most enduring (and endearing) plays.

Plaza Suite is directed by Jerry Pettinati of Fair Lawn, who has been a member of BCP for over 30 years.  He started directing in 1974 and has helmed over 20 productions, with this being his sixth Neil Simon show. He has been involved in all technical aspects at BCP, and was last seen onstage in Follies in Concert.

In Act One ("Visitor from Mamaroneck") , we meet Karen and Sam Nash, portrayed by Elizabeth M. Marsh and Bill Porterfield, while the waiter and bellhop are portrayed by Nick Pascarella and Brandon Essig, respectively.  Act Two ("Visitor from Hollywood") features Howell Mayer playing Hollywood director Jesse Kiplinger, who is trying to seduce his high school sweetheart, Muriel, played by Jean Marie Garver-Gaydos (who was recently nominated for a Perry Award for her role in BCP's Lend Me a Tenor).  In the final Act ("Visitor from Forest Hills"), nervous bride Mimsey is played by BCP newcomer Shelly DeChristofaro with her parents, Roy and Norma Hubley, portrayed by the entertaining Michael Scelzo and Debbie Buchsbaum.

The team behind the scenes of this amusing comedy includes Jerry Pettinati (Director); Rhea Smith (Producer); Jennifer Tardibuono (Assistant to the Director/Stage Manager); Michael Smith (Set Design/ Construction/ Photography); Jeff Pieper (Set Design/Décor); David Ross (Lighting Design); Jim Higgins (Sound Design); Ruth Morley (Costumes); Anne Giesemann and Karen Hermey (Properties); Cliff Dreispan and Theresa Jones (Lighting Operators); Greg Thomsen (Sound Operator); Marilyn Pettinati (Make-Up); Amy Edelstein (Publicity); Stephanie Bazzanella & Shari Buchwald (Programs); Joanna Bell (Program Notes); and Janica Carpenter (Member-at-Large).

TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION

• All performances take place at The Little Firehouse Theatre at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, NJ.  The show will run from January 9 - 30, 2010, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2:00pm. Tickets are $19 (Fri/Sat) and $16 (Sun) can be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, by calling 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office during regular box office hours.  Visa, Master Card, and American Express are accepted.
• An Audience Q & A (“Questions & Artists”) is scheduled for January 15^th.  Admission is included in the cost of the ticket.
• Those interested in benefit theater parties or group sales can call (201) 262-0515.
• Student Rush tickets available for $5 for students age 25 and under with valid ID, 30 minutes prior to curtain. One ticket per ID. Cash only. Students can also guarantee their seats in advance either online or through the box office for the special student price of just $14.00.
• Parking is free at the Park Avenue municipal lot, across the street, one-half block north of the theater.

The Bergen County Players has grown tremendously from its roots as a small community theater when it was founded in 1932; today, nearly 300 volunteer members, working on and off stage, make possible the eight productions presented each season.  The company's professional alumni include Tony Award-nominated actress Beth Fowler (The Boy From Oz, Sweeney Todd), Tony Award-winning actor Robert Sean Leonard (FOX’s House, The Invention of Love), Tony Award-nominated director Robert Jess Roth (Beauty and the Beast, Lestat), and international best-selling suspense author Mary Higgins Clark, just to name a few.  In May 2001, Tony Award-winning playwright and composer Rupert Holmes (Curtains, The Mystery of Edwin Drood) collaborated with the Bergen County Players to premier his new play at the Little Firehouse Theatre, a comic mystery called Thumbs.

Information on the remaining shows in the 2009-2010 season can be found at www.bcplayers.org.

The Bergen County Players, Inc., is a non-Equity, non-profit community theatre company dedicated to presenting quality productions for the enrichment of the community.