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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:     Larry Landsman
                   BCP Public Relations
                   201-341-6476
                   LL1157@aol.com

BERGEN COUNTY PLAYERS REACHES MILESTONE 75th SEASON
Diamond Jubilee Year Kicks Off With Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Tony Award-Winning The King and I

Oradell, NJ, August 9, 2007 -- The Bergen County Players (BCP), one of America’s longest-running community theater companies, proudly announces its 75th season featuring seven main stage and two second stage shows.  From toe-tapping musicals to hilarious comedies to intense dramas and mysteries, BCP has garnered a reputation over the past 75 years for outstanding quality productions at affordable prices.  To commemorate this three quarter century milestone, BCP has chosen a line-up for its 2007-2008 diamond jubilee season in which every decade of its theatrical life is represented, a fabulous mixture of some of the favorites of years gone by, as well as some first timers to its stage.  Tickets are being made available online for the first time at www.bcplayers.org.  Tickets may also be purchased by calling 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office at the Little Firehouse Theatre, 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, New Jersey. 

The Bergen County Players has grown tremendously from its roots as a small community theater when it was founded in 1932 by a small group of actors (pictured at right), including John Travolta’s mother, Helen Burke Travolta (fourth from left).  Today, nearly 300 volunteer members, working on and off stage, make possible the seven main stage and two second stage 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, BCP mounted the world premiere of Tony Award-winning playwright Rupert Holmes’ (Curtains, The Mystery of Edwin Drood) comedy thriller Thumbs.

With something for everyone, BCP’s 75th season will offer a mix of Broadway's most enduring musical classics, an exciting roster of Tony Award winners, as well as timeless masterpieces by noted playwrights, composers and lyricists such as Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens,  Ken Ludwig, Neil Simon, Dale Wasserman, and Israel Horowitz, among others. 

ON THE MAINSTAGE

THE KING AND I

September 9 – October 13, 2007
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.*, Sundays at 2 p.m.
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Directed by Steve Bell

It’s hard to believe, but in 75 seasons this classic has never been produced at BCP!  Winner of five 1952 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, the score features Rodgers and Hammerstein at their best, including such favorites as “Getting to Know You”, “Hello, Young Lovers” and of course “Shall We Dance?”. In a decade of incredible musicals, The King and I remains unsurpassed

in its use of music and dance, contributing to its enduring appeal and popularity.  Featuring local schoolchildren in the ensemble.

Audience Q & A on September 14.

*September 22nd performance begins at 8:30 p.m.

LEND ME A TENOR

October 27 – November 17, 2007
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.
Written by Ken Ludwig
Directed by Peter Colletto

How lucky are we to find a Tony Award-winning Best Play that opened in one decade and successfully ran through the next one, especially one that was so popular on our stage in the past?

Nominated for seven 1989 Tonys and six Drama Desk Awards (and winner of four), this riotous comedy featuring mistaken identities, swinging doors and precise timing had The New York Times calling it “an impeccable example of how to construct and mount a farce…”.

 Audience Q & A on November 2.

SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL

December 1 – December 23, 2007
Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 1 and 3:30 p.m.
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Lyrics and book by Lynn Ahrens
Directed by Dottie Fischer 

Sure to be enjoyed by children and adults alike, the current decade is well represented by this delightful musical version of Dr. Seuss’s heartwarming world. Watch your children (or grandchildren) become captivated by some of Dr. Seuss’s most beloved characters, live on stage: the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, The Grinch and Yertle the Turtle, just to name a few. And as we celebrate the holiday season, it’s good to remember: “a person’s a person, no matter how small…”

Family and Teacher Study Guides available at www.bcplayers.org

THE WOMEN

January 12 – February 2, 2008
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.
Written by Clare Boothe Luce
Directed by Ray Yucis 

Think of a Depression-era “Sex in the City” in which a group of self-absorbed Manhattan socialites offer up a menu of their lives: gossip, motherhood, infidelity and divorce. Add in a mixture of betrayal, lies, deception and innuendo and you end up with what The New York Times in 1936 called “a kettle of venom.” Featuring an all-female cast portraying more than 40 characters, this humorous yet biting satire was years ahead of its time and ran for a then-record 657 Broadway performances.

Audience Q & A on January 18.

 
ANGEL STREET (Gaslight)

February 16 – March 8, 2008
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.
Written by Patrick Hamilton
Directed by Jerry Hurley

Opening on Broadway just two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, this amazing psychological thriller went on to run for more than three years before being turned into the classic film Gaslight starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer. Packed with bigamy, madness, treachery, lechery, captivity, hidden treasure and an elusive killer poised to strike again, Angel Street poses the question: is the woman going crazy like her mother before her, or is the husband trying to drive his wife mad?

 Audience Q & A on February 22.

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

March 22 – April 13, 2008
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.
Written by Dale Wasserman
Directed by Alyson Cohn

Some of theater's most memorable characters (Nurse Ratched, R.P. McMurphy, Billy Bibbit, The Chief) provide intense drama, rollicking laughs and despairing poignancy in an unforgettable

setting. This powerful exploration of the beauty and danger of being an original in a world that frowns on originality opened on Broadway just one week before President Kennedy's assassination in 1963 and thus never had a long run. But its impact as a film a decade later will never be forgotten.  Contains mature content and language. 

Audience Q & A on March 28.

THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE

May 3 – June 1, 2008
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.
Written by Neil Simon
Directed by Jerry Pettintati

Crime is rampant. Pollution is everywhere.  Nothing works. This two-act kvetch about the hazards and tribulations of living in New York City was nominated for Best Play of 1972 and was the winner of two Tony Awards. A perfect blend of black comedy and pathos, Simon's ode to city dwelling is like Death of a Salesman filtered through "All in the Family" and will have patrons laughing and gasping at the same time. A fantastic conclusion to our Season for the Decades!  Contains Mature Language.

 Audience Q & A on May 9.

 
ON THE SECOND STAGE

This year, the Players will present two offerings in its highly successful Second Stage series.  These special events allow the Players to try something different or offbeat.  In the past these have been “one-night only” events.  This season, however, BCP will present two performances of each show:  a Saturday matinee, followed by a Sunday evening performance.   

LINE

January 26 at 2 p.m. and January 27 at 7 p.m., 2008
Written by Israel Horowitz
Directed by Frank Osmers 

What better way to celebrate our longevity than by presenting Off-Off-Broadway’s current longest-running production? Now in its 32nd year, this simple yet thoughtful play features five characters that fight each other as they compete for the coveted place of "front of the line."  What are these people waiting for? This question does not seem as important as what they will do to get to the front. "A perfectly drawn line," wrote Walter Kerr of The New York Times.  Two performances only! 

OUR ENCHANTED EVENINGS

April 12 at 2 p.m. and April 13 at 7 p.m., 2008
Directed by Jacqueline McElroy-Poquette

We invite our patrons to join us for a glorious evening of Broadway-style cabaret, song and dance. Don't miss this slick and snazzy one-time only performance! BCP has presented more than 40 musicals over the years, ranging from small and intimate to big and brassy.  Join us for an extraordinary salute to some of the most popular songs from shows such as Cabaret, Guys and Dolls, Company, The Mikado, Gypsy and Fiddler on the Roof. This light and breezy homage to our musical history, featuring original performers when possible, is sure to be a crowd pleasing event and will have only two performances, so get your tickets early!

QUESTIONS AND ARTISTS

As it has for the past few seasons, the Players will continue to offer a Q & A (“Questions & Artists”) discussion following select performances.  These popular “talk-backs” will take place on the first Friday evening of each Mainstage show.  Admission is included in the cost of the ticket.  

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 58 years.  All tickets for the opening musical are $21.00. All tickets for the December holiday show are $13.00. All other tickets are $19.00 on Friday and Saturdays and $16.00 on Sundays. Second Stage tickets are $10.00.

 Those interested in schedules, discount offers and making reservations for the 75th anniversary diamond jubilee season, can log onto BCP’s website at: www.bcplayers.org, or visit the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, or call (201) 261-4200.  Visa, Master Card, and American Express accepted.

 Parking is free for our patrons at the Park Avenue municipal lot, across the street, one-half block north of the theater.

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.

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.