Little Firehouse Theatre |
PRESS RELEASE
BERGEN COUNTY PLAYERS OPENS 2011-2012 SEASON WITH
THE 25TH
ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE |
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Offbeat, Heartwarming Musical Comedy Begins September 10th |
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Oradell, NJ, August 23, 2011 Bergen County Players
will kick off its 2011-12 season with the multiple Tony and Drama Desk
Award-winning musical
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, hailed by The Wall Street Journal
as “perfect in every possible way – that rarity of rarities, a super-smart
musical that is also a bona fide crowd pleaser.”
Featuring a book by Rachel
Sheinkin with music and lyrics by William Finn,
The 25th Annual Putnam
County Spelling Bee will be performed under the direction of Larry
Landsman at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell from September 10th
through October 2nd, 2011, with shows at 8pm on Fridays and
Saturdays and 2pm on Sundays.
An additional performance is scheduled for Sunday, September 25th
at 7pm, and a special, adults-only “blue” performance at 11pm on Friday,
September 30th.
This tuneful, offbeat and at times heartwarming show
also offers interactive fun, giving audience members the opportunity
(strictly voluntary) to become part of the action as on-stage spellers.
Anyone interested in being a guest speller should arrive at the
theater 45 minutes prior to curtain.
The hit musical is about the unlikeliest group of heroes: a quirky yet
charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where
they can stand out and fit in at the same time.
Meet Chip Tolentino,
a cocky Boy Scout and champion of the 24th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee, returning to defend his title;
Leaf Coneybear, a gentle soul and unlikely contestant who was
second-runner up at his regional spelling bee; William Morris Barfée,
whose untimely allergic reaction to peanuts knocked him from last year’s
Bee; Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, a perky young liberal with two
competitive dads; Olive Ostrovsky, a lonely young newcomer to competitive
spelling who made friends with her dictionary at an early age; and Marcy
Park, a sleep-deprived Catholic School overachiever who speaks six
languages and is tired of always winning. Chaperoning
these young contestants are former Putnam County Spelling Bee winner and
returning moderator of the Bee, Rona Lisa Perretti; Vice Principal Douglas
Panch, who returns after a five-year hiatus to serve as judge of the Bee;
and ex-convict and official Comfort Counselor for the Bee, Mitch Mahoney.
The 25th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee is directed by
long-time BCP member Larry Landsman of Wyckoff, who asserts that the
unique quality of the show does not end with the characters.
“This
is not your ordinary musical theater piece,” said Landsman. “The authors
realized that the improvisational feel of the piece provides much of the
fun, so there are topical references, quick ‘jump cuts’ and character
fantasies that seem to spring out of nowhere – techniques that we often
see in film and TV, but are not often seen on stage. But in the midst of
the mayhem, music, and laughter, it brings us back to those terrible and
wonderful, middle school years and the beginning of the journey to
discover who we are.”
Landsman has
amassed numerous acting and directing credits with BCP, directing musicals
The Full Monty and
Into the Woods and appearing most recently on the BCP stage as The
Cat in the Hat in Seussical the
Musical, Ira in Laughter on the
23rd Floor, Ivan in Art and
Fagin in Oliver!
He also served as BCP president for two years.
“It’s impossible
to resist,” added Landsman.
“When I first saw this show, I was stunned not just by its incredible
sense of humor, but by how much it truly affected me. You don’t just laugh
at these sharp, kooky characters – you really come to care about them.”
A talented cast
brings these “kooky characters” to life.
Chip Tolentino is played by Timothy Meola of Flanders, who was last
seen on the BCP stage in two productions last season, as Benjamin in
From Screen to Stage and as Paul
in Company.
Brad Forenza (Ridgewood), who plays Leaf Coneybear, has performed
in several BCP productions including
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and
Urinetown.
Several BCP newcomers also join the cast, including Phil Sloves
(Fair Lawn) as William Morris Barfée, Elaine Thoman (Ridgewood) as
Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere, Lena Grotticelli (Mahwah) as Olive
Ostrovsky, and Louanna Factora (Flushing, NY) as Marcy Park.
Rounding out the
cast are BCP veterans Nancy Feldman of New City, NY as Rona Lisa Perretti,
and Jim Lugo of Congers, NY as Vice Principal Douglas Panch, with Jeff
Foote of Denville making his BCP debut as Mitch Mahoney.
The team behind
the scenes includes Director Larry Landsman (Wyckoff), Musical Director
Steve Bell (Teaneck), Choreographer Vanessa Pellecchia (Harriman, NY),
Producer Kathie Robitz (Westwood), Assistant to the Director Emily Bosco
(Closter), Improv Coach Staci Beth Block (Hackensack), and Stage Manager
Alyson Cohn (Wyckoff). Set Design and Construction is
by
Chantale Bourdages (Nyack, NY) and Rob Ward (Washingtonville, NY), Lighting Design by
Allan Seward (Bardonia, NY), Sound Design by Rob DeScherer (Woodcliff
Lake), Costumes by and Sherry Iradi (East Hanover) and Rosella DeVincenzo
(Oradell), Costume Assistance by Ruth Morley (Ridgewood), and Properties
by Lisa Dahlborg (Lodi) and Kathleen Ruland (Lodi). Michele Roth (New
Milford) and Joe Lanteri (Fort Lee) will serve as Lighting Operators, and
Tom Lambrix (Franklin Lakes) as Sound Operator.
Publicity, Stephanie Hughes Koenig (River Edge); Photography, Alan
Zenreich (Oradell); Workday Photography, Barbara Schwartz (New Milford);
Hair, Dana Robitz (Westwood); Crew, Eva Piccioni (Teaneck), Earle Ziff
(Englewood), Jordan Kerin (Cresskill), and Amy Nadler (Wanaque); and
Member-at-Large, Ron Siclari (Oradell).
Programs by Leigh Adel-Arnold (Teaneck) and Chris Nelson
(Westwood); Program Notes by Marci Weinstein (Teaneck).
Audience Wranglers include Joe Lanteri (Fort Lee), Karin Wander
(Harrington Park), Joanne Misha (Montvale), and Marci Weinstein (Teaneck).
Some content not
appropriate for pre-teens.
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 since
1949.
Performance times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm.
An additional performance is scheduled for Sunday,
September 25th at 7pm, with a special adults-only “blue”
performance at 11pm on Friday, September 30th.
·
Tickets for
The 25th Annual Putnam
County Spelling Bee are $21 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.
·
As it has
for the past few seasons, BCP will continue to offer a “Questions &
Artists” (Q&A) discussion following select performances. The
Spelling Bee Q&A will kick off
immediately following the Friday, September 16th performance.
Admission is included in the cost of the ticket. · Student Rush
tickets are 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.
·
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.
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