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298 Kinderkamack Road, Oradell, NJ 07649

201-261-4200

Bergen County Players, inc.

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NEWS/PRESS

RUTHLESS! PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Peter Caust, 201-615-0404
Publicity@bcplayers.org

BERGEN COUNTY PLAYERS TO CONCLUDE ITS 81ST MAINSTAGE SEASON WITH THE NEW YORK OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL RUTHLESS!
 
This Hilarious And Campy Musical Comes To The Little Firehouse Theatre On May 3rd
 
Oradell, NJ, April 18, 2014 - Bergen County Players (BCP) continues its "From Page to Stage" season with the New York Outer Critics Circle award-winning musical Ruthless!. Performed at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell from May 3rd through June 1st (no shows Memorial Day Weekend: May 23-25), performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. All tickets are $22 and may be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, by calling 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road during regular box office hours.

With a book and lyrics by Joel Paley and music by Marvin Laird, Ruthless! tells the story of suburban housewife Judy Denmark and her daughter Tina, who is the greatest song-and-dance sensation to ever hit the third grade. She's cute. She dances. She sings.  And she would KILL to get the lead role in her school play. This hysterical and campy musical, which features an all-female cast, traces the story of eight-year old child actress Tina Denmark, her split personality mother Judy, and her stylish but strangely familiar talent agent, Sylvia St. Croix, who has all the charm of Joan Crawford in a daycare center. There’s also more in store with a school teacher who is "no longer afraid to get on with my life and off medication," a theatre critic who channels Ethel Merman and the personal assistant who makes us want to fasten our seatbelts in anticipation of a bumpy night.

It’s a hair-pulling good time, and you will HOWL over this killer musical comedy.  In a nutshell, Ruthless! is a twisted story; however, it is this "mutilated" plotline that makes it so original and so laugh-out-loud funny.

The original production opened off-Broadway at the Players Theatre in 1992 and closed after 342 performances. The central role of Tina was played by Laura Bell Bundy, Natalie Portman and Britney Spears. The show won the 1993 New York Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. The show has had an untold number of professional productions since turning into a cult hit over the past two decades.

Ruthless! is directed by long-time BCP life member Steve Bell of Teaneck, who has directed numerous shows at BCP including Urinetown: The Musical, Gypsy, The King and I, The Little Dog Laughed and Modern Orthodox. He also teaches vocal music at Teaneck High School and is the artistic director of the Teaneck Community Chorus. The music is under the direction of Kerr Lockhart, who was most recently the musical director for the exciting production of Curtains.

The talented cast of Ruthless! includes: Gabriella Baldacchino as Tina, Nancy Feldman as Judy/Ginger, C.G. Lewis as Sylvia St. Croix, Helen Boyadjian as Lita Encore, Paula O’Brien as Myrna/Miss Block and Shiva Kiani as Louise/Eve.

The production team includes Steve Bell (Director), Kerr Lockhart (Musical Director), Lauren Muraski (Choreographer), Lynne Lupfer (Assistant Director), Rhea Smith (Producer), Paul Reitnauer III (Stage Manager), Michael Smith (Set Design/Construction), Ellyn Essig (Décor), Alan Seward (Lighting Design), Joe Halajian (Sound Design), Patty Howard (Costumes), Richard Ciero (Sound Operation), Marty Obolsky (Lighting Operation), Jim Espaillat (Lighting Operation), Barbra Murtha (Props and Crew), Abby Light (Props and Crew), Joanne Guarnaccia (Makeup), Alan Zenreich (Photography) and James Parent (Publicity).

TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION

  • All performances for Ruthless! 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.
  • Tickets for Ruthless! are $22 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)261-4200, x6.
  • As it has for the past few seasons, BCP will continue to offer a Questions & Artists (Q&A) discussion following select performances. The Ruthless! Q&A will commence immediately following the May 9th, 2014 performance. Admission to the Q&A is included in the price of the ticket.
  • Discount tickets for students age 25 and under with proper ID are available for $14 by phone or walk-up only. Student Rush tickets are also available for $5, beginning 30 minutes before curtain. The Student Rush is dependent upon availability, one ticket per student, payable in cash only.
  • 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. The remaining season includes the Second Stage production of My Favorite Wife (June 7th and 8th).
 
Bergen County Players, Inc. is a non-equity, non-profit community theater company dedicated to presenting quality productions for the enrichment of the community.
 
# # #
 
To schedule press interviews, photos, press comps or for additional information, please contact Peter Caust at 201-615-0404 or by e-mail at PUBLICITY@BCPLAYERS.ORG. Photos and press information are also available at www.bcplayers.org.
 
FOR FULL SIZE PRESS PHOTO IMAGES, PLEASE CLICK ON THUMBNAILS BELOW:
Photos by Alan Zenreich
 
 (l-r) Paula O'Brien, Nancy Feldman, Gabriella Baldacchino, C.G. Lewis, Shiva Kiani
 (l-r) Nancy Feldman, Gabriella Baldacchino, C.G. Lewis
 (l-r) Gabriella Baldacchino, Paula O'Brien
 (l-r) Gabriella Baldacchino, Nancy Feldman

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