Bergen County Players Announces 2023-24 Season, Opening With Tony Award Winner For Best Musical, Rent

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bergen County Players
298 Kinderkamack Rd, Oradell, NJ 07694
201-261-4200 ~ www.bcplayers.org
Media Contact: Larry Landsman ~ LLandsman1157@gmail.com

Oradell, NJ, July 19, 2023 – The Bergen County Players, one of America’s longest-running little theater companies, is proud to announce its 2023/24 season with an ambitious, joyous, and playful year of audience-pleasing musicals and innovative plays for its 91st season. From delightful musicals to hilarious comedies to thought-provoking dramas, BCP has garnered a reputation for outstanding quality productions at affordable prices. The group is excited to kick off with the rock musical Rent, winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Tickets for Rent and the rest of the 2023/24 season are available starting August 1st, online and by phone. Early Access tickets are available starting July 21st. The box office, located at the Little Firehouse Theatre, 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, NJ, will open on Friday, August 18, 2023, for walk-up sales or by calling 201-261- 4200. (Dates subject to change, please visit www.bcplayers.org for updates). Special discounts for groups of 20 or more are also available by calling the box office number (extension 6) or by emailing groups@bcplayers.org.

“Where do you go after 90 years? The simple answer, of course, is on to the next 90,” said Alyson Cohn, President of Bergen County Players. “For 2023–24, our team curated a season that speaks to BCP’s values of joy and belonging. We are eager for audiences to take part in the uniquely personal and shared community experience of engaging with art and artists in our space.”

MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS

Rent
Music, Lyrics & Book by Jonathan Larson
Directed by Steve Bell
Sept. 9 - Oct. 14, 2023

One of the most impactful shows in the history of musical theater comes to the BCP stage. “...this contemporary answer to “La Boheme” rushes forward on an electric current of emotion that is anything but morbid. The styles include not only electric rock but salsa, Motown, be-bop and reggae, with a firm nod to Stephen Sondheim and even a passing one to Burt Bacharach. When the whole ensemble stands at the edge of the stage, singing fervently about the ways of measuring borrowed time (in ‘Seasons of Love’), the heart both breaks and soars.” (NY TIMES). Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Musical, Book and Score of 1996, and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical, Book, Music, Lyrics and Orchestrations. Ran for over 12 years and 5,100 performances. Please note that this production contains strong language and mature thematic material involving drugs, HIV/AIDS and a broad spectrum of sexuality.

Master Class
Written by Terrence McNally
Directed by Alan Demovsky
Oct. 28 - Nov. 18, 2023

Master Class is the character study of a great diva and a woman whose multi-faceted personality—wit, strength, ego but also vulnerability—make this play appealing to anyone with an interest in human nature and in how a special gift and the lack of love can shape a person. In this case the “special gift” is (Maria) Callas’ exceptional operatic voice and her ability to feel the music she’s performing – but ‘opera’ is by no means what defines the play.” (LONDON THEATRE). Winner of both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards Best Play of 1996!

A Christmas Carol
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Book by Mike Ockrent & Lynn Ahrens
Directed by Larry Landsman
Dec. 2 – 17, 2023

This timeless holiday story of Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, features music by Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors, Newsies) and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime: The Musical, Seussical, Once on This Island). “It’s a nonstop cornucopia of crowd-pleasing, showstopping numbers as well as several rich and introspective ballads. Probably just about everyone knows how A Christmas Carol ends, but the popularity of Dickens’ tale proves that it never gets old.” (TALKIN’ BROADWAY). This is NOT a typical BCP holiday family show...it is a full-scale, large-cast holiday musical spectacular presented in a single act of 90 minutes! Please note that the performance calendar and ticket prices are different from our family shows of the past. Recommended for kids aged 5 and up.

Pride and Prejudice
Written by Kate Hamill
Directed by Carol Fisher
Feb. 3 – 24, 2024

“A woman elevating her own life, liberty and pursuit of happiness above the wishes of her family and the men who desire her? That’s not simple or cynical. In 1813, it is a revolutionary choice.” (NY TIMES). Kate Hamill, one of the most-produced playwrights in America over the past half-decade, has created “A comically charming (in all the right places) condensation of the book. As it is written, this two-hour trifle has a giddy sense of chaos, while attempting to maintain the upper crust veneer of British society types vying for social position and attempting to secure lucrative marriages for all the eligible daughters.” (DC THEATRE SCENE). It’s hard to imagine that an interpretation of a 225-year-old book “breathes fresh life into these characters in a way that makes them feel contemporary and relatable while retaining the plot, setting and dialog of the Jane Austen original.” (BROADWAY WORLD).

The Fantasticks
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Lyrics and Book by Tom Jones
Directed by Ray Yucis
Mar. 9 - Apr. 6, 2024

This allegorical story, concerning two neighboring fathers who trick their children into falling in love by pretending to feud, is the world’s longest-running musical, having run Off-Broadway for 42 years and 17,162 performances, with hundreds of thousands more presented around the world. “It’s hard to imagine a musical theater world without the iconic, simple but lovely, musical THE FANTASTICKS. Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt’s “little musical that could” has touched hearts and audiences for the last 62 years. It has evolved and changed over that time but has never lost its core appeal—a beautiful, poetic, and highly theatrical tale of the power and depth of love —gained, lost and found again.” (BROADWAY WORLD). Go ahead and ‘Try to Remember’ the first time you saw this magical musical!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Written by Simon Stephens
Directed by Alyson Cohn
Apr. 20 - May 11, 2024

Fifteen-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain; he is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbor’s dog, he sets out to identify the true culprit, which leads to an earth-shattering discovery and a journey that will change his life forever. “A singular theater piece that commands enormous admiration for the thought that has gone into its every word, gesture, and technical effect ... a tremendously exciting demonstration of the power of theater. It makes us want to reconsider the world around us, without missing a single one of its infinite details.” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER). Winner of five Tony Awards, six Drama Desk Awards and seven Olivier Awards, including Best Play for all three!

SECOND STAGE PRODUCTIONS

In and Out of the Light
Written by Elaine May
Directed by Glenn Woertz
Jan. 12 – 14, 2024

Iconic comedy genius Elaine May has created a farcical delight revolving around a workaholic dentist attempting to have a fling with his curvaceous assistant. His plans are set hilariously awry by an after-hours patient who is a meganeurotic psychologist with a pain phobia, and by a surprise visit from his son who has two heart-bursting announcements. Some mature themes presented in comedic style.

You Make My Frame Shake!
Written by Luigi Jannuzzi
Directed by David Luke
May 31 - June 2, 2024

Twelve romances come to life at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in a fast-paced series of eight comedic love plays and four comedic monologues. Award-winning playwright Jannuzzi is New Jersey-born and bred and specializes in romantic/absurdist comedy with serious themes of love, truth, and the need to rise above it all.

TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION

• All performances will take place at The Little Firehouse Theatre at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, home to the Bergen County Players since 1949. Mainstage performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm with Second Stage performances on Saturday at 2 pm and Sundays at 7 pm. Other curtain times apply to some performances of Rent, and all performances of A Christmas Carol.
• Tickets prices for the 2023/24 Season are Musicals $29, Plays Fri/Sat $25, Plays Sun $23, Second Stage $15 and Family Show $25 adults/ $18 children, 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.
• BCP's popular Questions & Artists talkback session will be held on the first Friday performance of the show’s run.
• Those interested in Group Sales of 20 or more tickets can email groups@bcplayers.org or call the main number and press #6.
• Row K, Seats #1 and #2 are held to accommodate people with disabilities.  They can be purchased by calling the box office at 201-261-4200. These seats will be released for public sale two weeks prior to performance.
• Advance discount tickets for students age 25 and under with proper ID are available by phone or walk-up only, and student rush seats can be purchased for $5 (cash only) starting 30 minutes before curtain at every performance, pending seat availability. There is a limit of one rush ticket per student. Student Rush discount does not apply to the Family Show
• Parking is free at the Park Avenue municipal lot, across the street, one-half block north of the theater.

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