Little Firehouse Theatre
298 Kinderkamack Road
Oradell, NJ 07649

  PRESS RELEASE

BERGEN COUNTY PLAYERS PRESENTS HONK!
WARM AND WITTY MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF ANDERSEN CLASSIC "THE UGLY DUCKLING" HAS MUSIC AND MEANING FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Oradell, NJ, November 10, 2010

The Bergen County Players (BCP) presents Stiles & Drewe’s extraordinary musical Honk!. A warm and witty musical retelling of the classic Hans Christian Anderson tale “The Ugly Duckling”, Honk! will be performed at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell from November 27 to December 19.  Shows are at 8pm on Friday and 1pm & 3:30pm on Saturday and Sunday.  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. 

This winner of the 2000 Laurence Olivier Award for London’s Best New Musical is a story of love and acceptance that cleverly illuminates the challenges of being different.  Honk! has a relatable  message and wonderful music that will touch the entire family – just as it has the families at Bergen County Players. 

It’s a familiar theme, with amped-up charm. Meet Ugly (played by Darren Carfano of Suffern, NY), an aesthetically challenged farmyard fowl, in a predicament.  A bit different, both in looks and sound (he “honks!” when all the others “quack”), he is misunderstood, teased, even preyed upon by a villainous Cat (Jennifer Cottone, Westwood).  But Ugly is courageous and determined, “holding his head up high” in the face of adversity. He escapes the claws of the devious Cat, but finds himself lost, lonely and on a desperate search for home.  Through an unforgettable cast of characters on his journey, Ugly discovers that everyone can find love, “warts and all”.

Director Dotty Fischer of Tenafly has many directorial credits, including Seussical the Musical, The Pajama Game, Sylvia, Anything Goes, City of Angels, They’re Playing Our Song, Snow White Goes West, Forum, and The Fourth Wall, for which Dottie was nominated for a Perry award. Also a dancer, Dottie has choreographed numerous musicals including The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, Gypsy, Lucky Stiff, and The Emperor’s New Clothes.  Dottie chose to direct Honk! not only for its important message about diversity and tolerance, but for its wonderful music, including suggestions of Les Miserables and Into the Woods. 

Appropriate for this family-friendly show, the cast and crew are “all in the family”:

·        Music Director Steve Bell (of Teaneck) and Producer Joanna Bell (of Union City) are a father-daughter duo.

·        Ugly’s mom Ida is played by veteran performer Nancy Feldman (New City, NY).  She is excited to be working with her son Adam who (appropriately) plays one of Ida’s Ducklings.

·        The part of Henrietta (a friend of Ida’s) and the role of co-choreographer are filled by Joanne Moldt of Cresskill. Joanne’s 7^th-grade daughter Sarah is in the ensemble, while her husband Steve designed the set.

·        Dorothy Zdanowicz of Dumont plays Grace (the most distinguished duck on the pond).  She is joined on stage for the first time by her granddaughter, Victoria Zdanowicz who is playing one of Ida’s ducklings.

·        Husband and wife team Emily and Chris Nelson of Westwood re-unite as the helpful geese Dot and Greylag (Emily also plays the role of Penny, Ugly’s love). 

·        Anne Marie Esteve of Elmwood Park is responsible for costumes.  She is pleased to be working again with her daughter Anita Esteve, Stage Manager for this production.

·        Another dynamic duo, behind the scenes, is Alan Zenreich (Photography) and his wife Lauren (Décor) of Oradell.

Rounding out the cast are Jordan Zaretsky (South Amboy) as Bullfrog; Bill Kaufman (Paterson) as Turkey; Ken Douglas (Garfield) as Drake; Edie Orlando (Hillsdale) as Maureen; Owen Abbott (Westwood) as Ensemble; and Laura Ramsay (Bergenfield), Sarah McIlroy (Emerson), Brian Urvater (New City, NY), and Josette Diaz (Cresskill) as Ida’s Ducklings.

Additional members of the production team include Alan Wander of Harrington Park (Producer); Ron Siclari of Oradell (Assistant to the Director); Tim Larsen of Glen Rock (Sound Design); Alan Seward of Bardonia, NY (Lighting Design); Katie Lupfer of Tenafly (Costumes); Bill Wetzel of Maywood, Joyce Ghia of Dumont, and Pat Bain of Englewood (Props); Amy Nadler of Wanaque (Lights); Joe Ercole of Dumont (Sound); Steve Mintz of Englewood and Gloria Bumbaco of Dumont (Stage Crew); Janica Carpenter of Old Tappan (Member at Large); Joanne O’Leary of Dumont (Publicity); Will Nolan of Bogota (Bios); and Stephanie Bazzanella of Washington Township and Leigh Adel-Arnold of Teaneck (Programs).

TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION

• All performances take place at The Little Firehouse Theatre at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, home to the Bergen County Players for 59 years.
• Tickets for Honk! are $13 for all performances, and 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.  Visa, Master Card, and American Express are accepted.
• Those interested in Group Sales of 20 or more tickets can call (201) 262-0515.
• 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 nine productions presented each season.

Further information can be found at www.bcplayers.org.

The Bergen County Players, Inc. is a non-Equity, non-profit community theater company dedicated to presenting quality productions for the enrichment of the community and is a member of the New Jersey Association of Community Theaters.