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The Jolliest Holiday
Show Ever!
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DECEMBER 17-21, 2003 |
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Season 2004 |
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AT&T's FAMILY
WEEK AT THE THEATER
CHILDREN
FREE!!!
MARCH
6 & 13, 2004
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SYNOPSIS
GOLLIWHOPPERS
by Flora Atkin, is a wonderful retelling of four "tall tales"--folktales in the tradition of Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox, Babe. The
tales thread through our American heritage from the outrageous comic
story, Big Jesse Febold Ebenezer Chopalong, to the mythic Native
American legend of The Sun Snatchers, an hilarioius Appalachian
tale of greed, Goll-Golli-Gee and a deep southern romp about the
tiny little Knee-High Man. All four tales are told through
dialogue, mime, ballad, dance, and puppetry.
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JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
needs no introduction, but this version of the familiar story introduces
an assortment of characters--Jack's father, who has been kidnapped
by the terrible giant in the clouds; Jack's harried mother, and his
beloved cow, Buttercup! The handful of magic beans is of
course there, and a humongous beanstalk--even a good by clumsy fairy
godmother, Frippery tries to help Jack save his father and destroy the
evil giant. Young audiences will be enchanted by the magic of these
popular characters and exciting scenes!
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CHILDREN
FREE!!!
AT&T's FAMILY WEEK AT THE
THEATER
March 6 - 13, 2004
Presented by AT&T, New Jersey
Theater Alliance,
the alliance of professional
theaters in NJ
and
Tri-State Actors Theater,
Your Professional
Theater Company
in NW NJ, NE
PA, and South Central NY
For the NJ state-wide calendar of theatre events, click on:
www.familyweek.com |
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ALL SEASON!
April 5, May 17, August 30 |
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MAGGIE'S PLAY by Alan Steinberg
April 5,2004
NON-PROFIT by Ginger Lazarus May 17, 2004
A STARTLING BRITISH IMPORT August
30, 2004 |
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March 24 - April 11 |
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A TRUE STORY OF INSPIRATION IN
THE MIDST OF TERROR
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REVIEWS
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APRIL
9, 2004 Review of Tri-State Actors Theater Production--
'Diary of Anne Frank' makes a riveting drama
By William
Westhoven, Special to the Daily Record
Anne Frank would have
been 75 years old this year.
How sad that she died
just before her 16th birthday, yet how wonderful it is that we are
blessed with her diary, a timeless testament to faith and hope
forged in a world of, in her own words, "chaos, suffering and
death."
A revised edition of that testament is now
onstage at Tri-State Actors Theater
in Sussex. Most of us already know the story
of Anne Frank, a young Jewish
girl in Holland who during World War II was
forced into hiding along with
seven other Jews to escape the occupying
Nazis. Anne's diary, given to her
on her 13th birthday, provides a first-person
account of 25 months in hiding
with her family, another family and a
neighborhood dentist.
We also know the tragic outcome. They were all
captured by the Nazis just before
the Allies liberated Amsterdam. Anne and six
other occupants of the "Secret Annex"
die in concentration camps. Her father was the
only one of the group to survive.
Anne's diary was
rescued and published in 1947. A play based on the diary debuted on
Broadway in 1955. A revised edition of the diary was published in
1995 and adapted two years later for the stage by Wendy Kesselman.
Her revisions make this production a must-see, even for those who
are intimately familiar with the story.
Director Ken Wiesinger
and his cast, a mix of experienced amateurs and Equity
professionals, take us on an emotional roller coaster. Lighter
moments of Anne's "adventure" give way to desperate drama. Minor
conflicts become unbearable as eight frightened people get on each
other's nerves, then cower together when they hear a siren or a bump
in the night. The original adaptation had been whitewashed a bit,
focusing on the innocent observations of a 13-year-old girl.
Kesselman allows some of Anne's more mature thoughts to emerge. She
describes the changes in her body in some detail, and admits her
desire to be touched by Peter Van Daan, the 16-year-old boy whose
family shares the hiding place.
Anne also goes into
more detail about her hatred for her mother, a phase in her life
that gives way to love before the story is over.
There is also more
emphasis on the need for them to hide because they are Jews. Peter
says he will likely change his name when they are free to avoid such
conflicts in the future. Anne says she could never turn her back on
what she is.
Brittany Knoll, a
senior at Wallkill Valley Regional High School in Hardyston, bears
an uncanny resemblance to Anne and does some fine work in an
extremely difficult role. She can be a bit shrill when excited, but
that's a trait not uncommon among younger teens, even, one would
assume, Anne Frank. Knoll actually does her best work with her eyes,
in which you can clearly see all of Anne's wishes, hopes and fears.
The cast's
professionals support Knoll's admirable apprentice work and anchor
this strong production. David Snizek stands tall as Anne's warm,
dignified and courageous father, who gladly takes in other Jews who
have no where else to hide. Judy Rosenblatt as Anne's mother is the
strong, silent cornerstone of the Frank family who explodes when Mr.
Van Daan is caught stealing bread.
Anne Connolly, as the
slightly snooty Mrs. Van Daan, earns our compassion when she's
forced to sell her prized mink coat, then comforts her husband when
he's shunned by the others. Neal Arluck gives us a few laughs as the
quirky Mr. Dussel, who is nervous enough without having to share a
bedroom with relative strangers.
This moving and
memorable production closes on Easter Sunday, so those who want to
see it had better move fast. You may already have plans for the
holiday, but what theatrical experience would suit the occasion
better than this one? Anne Frank would have been 75 years old this
year. Instead, she left us with the hope that "I still believe, in
spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart."
NYTIMES--BROADWAY REVIEW--
"THE DIARY OF
ANNE FRANK [ is ] the dramatization of the legendary
journals of a Jewish
girl hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam. . . . never lets us
forget the inhuman darkness waiting to claim its incandescently
human heroine.
This version, adapted (which in this instance means almost entirely
rewritten) by
Wendy Kesselman from
Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett's 1955 script . . . offers
no treacly consolations about the triumph of the spirit. Indeed, the
effect is more like watching a vibrant, exquisite fawn seen through
the lens of
a hunter's rifle . . .This
version is undeniably moving . . .The horror of its central
situation, and the natural dramatic tightness it lends itself to,
continue to hold the attention with an iron clamp. It also doesn't
hurt that many people who see the play bring their own resonant
associations with the diary . . . .
[There have been]
furious debates over the diaries' appropriation as a pop commodity.
The most resounding salvo was fired . .
. in an essay in The New Yorker by the novelist and critic Cynthia
Ozick, who argued that Anne Frank's journals had been 'infantilized,
Americanized, homogenized, sentimentalized,' especially in their
translation to the stage. 'In celebrating Anne Frank's years in the
secret annex,' Ms. Ozick wrote, 'the nature and meaning of her death
has been, in effect, forestalled.'
Ms. Kesselman's reworking of the original script, which incorporates
new material from
the complete editions of the diaries made available in the last
decade, goes a long way in redressing such objections. This new
interpretation never relaxes its awareness of the
hostile world beyond the attic that was the Franks' sanctuary and
prison for two claustro-
phobic years, nor of the religious identity that made them a quarry.
The earlier version
began in a scene of sentimental hindsight, with Anne's father
discovering her diaries; this
one leaps, with a gripping immediacy, into medias res . . . .
Perplexed, often defiant
references to what it means to be a Jew in the occupied Netherlands
abound in the diaries,
and Ms. Kesselman has incorporated as many as time allows: from
Anne's catalogue of the activities forbidden Jews in Amsterdam to
her vision of a former classmate in a concentration camp. The
evolving sophistication of her writing about the world around her is
far more evident now. "
Excerpts from Ben Brantley,
THE NEW YORK TIMES |
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MAY 5 - MAY
23
"The
BIG BANG is a smash hit !" |
 by Jed Feuer & Boyd Graham
TREMENDOUS, STUPENDOUS!
MOST EXPENSIVE MUSICAL
EVER PRODUCED!
FOR EVERYONE--EXCEPT CHILDREN !!
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SYNOPSIS
The
FUN
will start
off with a “bang” with
THE BIG BANG!
A hugely popular musical comedy! 2 producers are looking for backing for a
new, long and expensive show on Broadway. The only way to sell their
concept is to act out the entire show themselves, using every single
object in the apartment they have "borrowed"! The music and the
comedy are infectious as these 2 hilarious actors play dozens of
characters at rapid-fire pace. Light. Funny. Entertaining.
Over the top!
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REVIEWS
"The BIG BANG is a smash hit . . .
taut direction . . .
Ian August
and Eben Gordon tickle the audience's fancy . . .
amusing . . .
charming . . .deliciously silly . . .
good-natured parodies . . . ."
parodies."
--Peter Filichia, THE
STAR-LEDGER |
"
Laughter? Explosive
. . .
outrageous . . .
the songs—they’re funny. Often Mel Brooks funny, because they’re so
brazen. . . . .its
essential theatricality transcends the 'insider' aspect of the
occasion—making it a
tour de force on
its own terms—and because it is so consistently dangerous: the escalating
gag keeps threatening to self-destruct, and it never does.
. . .Book,
music, lyrics, all of it, for 90 minutes, no intermission, funny.
Talk about the
best "Bang" for your buck…"
--AISLE SAY New York
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"
A downright riot
. . .
[a] merry spoof.
. . hilarious musical comedy
. . . . We get
Columbus and Isabella, Pocahantas and Minihaha, Napoleon and Josephine,
Shanghai Lil and Tokyo Rose, and in one especially hilarious bit, . . . an
Eva Braun lament about Hitler, whose first name she once thought was Heil.
. . .
cleverly corny . . .
outrageously funny, reminiscent of
burlesque, but with theatrical class.
--Wolf Entertainment Guide.Com
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jUNE 16 - July
4 |
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RAIN IN THE HOLLOWS
a new play by Sean O'Leary |
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A
family in a remote West Virginia mining community is torn
by a showdown between competing virtues.
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SYNOPSIS
Some places can be left, but cannot be left
behind. That is the problem for Rob Hukill, a young Boston journalist,
who, after years of absence, returns to his native West Virginia hollow in
response to his family’s plea for help. Rob’s older brother and nemesis, Claudie, has all but disappeared, leaving his wife, his eleven year-old
daughter, and their mother destitute.
Yet, not everyone shares Rob’s resentment of
Claudie. Rob’s sister-in-law believes Claudie is mentally ill and Rob’s
mother seems to think him divinely inspired. But, what everyone
acknowledges is that Claudie, whose exploits are legendary in the Buffalo
hollow, has defined their lives. And even as Rob tries to repair his relationship with his mother, Claudie’s
actions continue to drive them apart, until Rob realizes that only by
coming to terms with Claudie can he hope to come to terms with his mother
and ultimately himself.
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COMMENTARY
“brilliant
. . .It’s
impossible not to be drawn into a compelling story that explores the
nuances of family dynamics.”
-- John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
" . . .strong,
distinctive characters . . .clear dramatic arc and powerful emotional
depth . . .engrossing, thought-provoking . . . richly written and
playable.”
--Nick Olcott, Round House Theatre
Washington, DC
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PRODUCTION REVIEW
. . .O'Leary . . . comes
up with a surprising resolution to the question of who's a "good" son --
and who's a "better" one.
. . .Kurt Elftmann as Rob, Jane Cunningham as Kit, and J.C. Hoyt as Sam
are adequate in the best sense of the word
. . . Cori Lynn Campbell has the requisite haughtiness and confident walk
for Tierney, whose ancestors arrived on the Mayflower. As Pearl, Kendal
Ridgeway gives an admirable portrayal of a natively strong woman who has
finally reached the breaking point.
. . .The most haunting performance is delivered by Anne Barclay as Clara.
She is marvelously adept at playing a blind woman, but meeting that
challenge is not her biggest achievement. Clara believes in both her sons,
but with Rob ignorant of that, she must defend herself to him. Barclay is
a wonder at stating her case softly, eloquently and honestly. She'd make
even the most citified cynic believe in folk wisdom.
. . .Much of the evening is so successful . . . .
THE STAR-LEDGER
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JULY
14 - AUGUST 14
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THE TAT INTERN
ACTING COMPANY
PRESENTS
SKUPPER DUPPERS
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by Flora Atkin |
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SAILING AROUND THE WORLD IN SEARCH
OF FOLKTALES |
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and our 2nd play- -
THE LITTLE MERMAID !!
by William Glennon
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THROUGHOUT
JULY
AND AUGUST!
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SKUPPER DUPPERS
by Flora Atkin
Some voyages set out for exploration. Some sail for trade; and some for
treasure. The schooner Skupper Dup, however, sets sail in search of
folklore. When they find it, the crew is transformed into the stuff of
legend … ravens and crabs, gods of the sea, players of steel band drums, blowers of conch horns
and even the joyous tricksters of the modern Carribean. Take the
journey with the crew as they sail from Alaska to Hawaii, to the Virgin
Islands and Puerto Rico reveling in the far-flung cultures of our nearest
neighbors. Story Theater at its best!
THE LITTLE MERMAID
A Comedy by William Glennon
The familiar Andersen story has been splashed with color and imagination,
the characters fully realized and hilarious, leading to the most
satisfying of endings. The Little Mermaid is a strong-willed yet
endearing innocent, headed for adventure on her first trip to the top of
the sea. There she meets Ollie, the painfully shy but quietly funny
Prince. Ollie is not exactly the Little Mermaid's idea of a
storybook Prince, but their special friendship is at the core of the
tale. With great humor, a contemporary spin is placed on the
Andersen classic, adding laughter and fun to the classic tale's sweet
warmth and charm.
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AUGUST 18- SEPTEMBER 5
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FALL DOWN FUNNY!
THE
COMPLEAT WORKS
OF
WLLM SHKSPR,
(abridged)
by Jess Borgeson,
Adam Long, & Daniel Singer
”Shakespeare must be
spinning in his grave !!!" |
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All 37 Plays
(and other stuff) in a
Riotous 97 MINUTES!
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for August and September! |
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SYNOPSIS
The first
act devotes a whole ten minutes to a twisted Romeo and Juliet. It
then squeezes the sixteen comedies into a single play, The Comedy of
Two Well-Measured Gentlemen Lost in the Merry Wives of Venice on a
Midsummer's Twelfth Night in Winter. Next Julius Caesar is
"done in" as a "romantic thriller," the cursed "Macbeth" is spoken
trippingly in Scottish accents and "Titus Andronicus" metamorphoses
into a bloody cooking demonstration, while the title character of
Othello becomes a song and dance man.
The theory behind condensing the comedies ("they're not nearly as funny as
the tragedies") proves correct when Act II presents the Histories as a
football game. The premise is that "With all those kings and queens
killing each other off, and the throne passing from one generation to the
next, it's exactly like playing football, but you do it with a crown."
This merry send-up reserves its biggest coup d' comedy for last: a
fast, funnier and backward rendition of Hamlet that includes
audience participation which is always risky at best; but this merry
comedy will build so much general good will and high spirits by poking fun
even at itself, that the risk will pay off for a delighted audience.
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REVIEWS
Cndnsd Shkspr nchnts
Acrobatic trio gleefully sends up Bard's plays
Friday, August 20, 2004
BY
PETER FILICHIA
Star-Ledger Staff
Three spectacular actors are performing "The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr
(Abridged)" on a stage -- or is it a trampoline?
At
the Tri-State Actors Theater in Sussex, Ian August, Eben Gordon and David
Volin are jumping around and bouncing so high that the flooring beneath
them seems to give way. Audiences will seize up with laughter when they
see this terrific trio in action.
The
show almost appears to be a mini-version of Cirque du Soleil. The only
difference is that once these zanies leap in the air, they're not afraid
to fall on the floor. If they get through the run without breaking a bone,
it'll be a minor miracle.
Since the show's debut in 1987, many have done this two-hour spoof of all
the Bard's comedies, tragedies and histories. Few have succeeded as well
as this triumvirate, under Paul Meacham's expert direction.
On a
smartly designed set by Liz Proepper -- meant to evoke Shakespeare's Globe
Theater -- there's the funny-faced August, the cute Gordon and the
professorial Volin. They treat "Titus Andronicus," one of the Bard's
bloodiest, as a cooking show. All the histories are summarized as a
football game. ("Richard the second; Richard the third; Henry the sixth
one, two and, three -- hike!")
The
language isn't always Shakespeare's. ("Second base for second dates,"
chides a demure Gordon, when playing Juliet.) But once in a while, an
actual Shakespearean quotation squirms its way into the show, such as
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in
your philosophy." Certainly this script by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and
Jess Winfield proves that there are many more things than Shakespeare ever
could have imagined while penning his plays.
But
he very well might have been the first to laugh at what the writers and
performers have accomplished, especially in the second act, which is
entirely devoted to "Hamlet." August has a wonderfully doddering old-man
walk as Polonius. As Ophelia, Gordon out-screams Estelle Parsons in
"Bonnie and Clyde." Volin, as Hamlet, does well with "To be or ..." --
though he has a bit more trouble remembering "not to be."
And
how much of a Bard-brain does an audience member need to be? To quote the
show, "One doesn't need to know Shakespeare from Shinola." August, Gordon
and Volin make their audience wish that Shakespeare had written more
plays.
Tri-State actors offer
riotous overview of 'Wllm Shkspr'
By William Westhoven, Special to the
Daily Record 8/27/04
Shakespeare is surely
rolling in his grave as "The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)"
rocks the house at Tri-State Actors Theater in Sussex.
The house did, indeed,
shake during Saturday night's well-attended performance. And it's nice to
see a full house at Tri-State, whose productions are usually worthy of a
much larger audience than they attract.
Then again, this
wildly funny comedy, which renders all of Shakespeare's plays into one
two-hour laugh fest, has proven to be a popular ticket all over the world
since it was created by Jess Winfield, Adam Long and Daniel Singer for the
Reduced Shakespeare Company in 1996.
The play is fun as
long as it's done right, which it has been here.
Ian August, Eben
Gordon and David Volin tackle the unenviable task of making light comedy
out of the Bard's heavy body of work. The first two have done this sort of
thing before on this very stage. As a duo back in May, they killed in the
manic "The Big Bang - The Musical," each playing dozens of roles during a
comedy that attempted to dramatize the complete history of civilization.
This production is not
quite as precisely choreographed as "The Big Bang," and not as
consistently funny. But in many ways it's more fun, both for the cast and
the audience, as the show brings the two parties together through the
magic of audience participation. Never mind trying to sit in the back row;
everybody gets involved before the evening is over.
The actors play
themselves and use their own names, although each is actually playing a
character with a scripted personality. Volin starts out as the scholarly
narrator, pipe in hand, at least until his lack of expertise is revealed.
August is the affable, eager, semi-straight man, while Gordon is the
excitable one who gets all the female parts and frequently loses his
focus.
On a set that is part
Globe Theatre, part Coney Island, all three continually rush on and off
stage, changing costumes and parts as often as the U.S. wins Olympic
medals.
The costumes are as
ridiculous as the irreverent presentations of revered classics such as
"Romeo and Juliet" (Gordon has to fend off August's busy hands), "Titus
Andronicus" (the bloody tragedy is reinterpreted as a cooking show),
"Othello" (as a rap song) and "Hamlet" ("performed" several times at
several speeds and once in reverse).
Along the way, Gordon
flees from the theater in a fit of panic and August is left to tell a bad
joke as Volin chases after him, while Volin also has to deal with a
misaimed spotlight. Some of the silliness works, and some of it doesn't,
but the pace is so fast that you never have long to wait before something
comes along to tickle your fancy.
Of course, none of
this can work without a tremendous amount of talent. Volin's sly and
slightly more restrained humor complements the proven commodity that
Gordon and August bring to the table.
All three also flash a
gift for improvisation, mostly during the audience participation portions
of the evening. On Saturday night during the second act, which is largely
devoted to "Hamlet," a woman from the audience was recruited to play the
shrieking Ophelia. Taking her instructions a little too literally, she
screamed once too often and threw the entire sketch off, but the boys'
reaction quickly turned a potential negative into a hilarious positive.
While the show
sometimes teeters on the edge of good taste, it never quite crosses the
line. Still, there's enough nudge-nudge, wink-wink humor to make you think
twice about bringing younger children, although most of them have probably
seen more adult humor on the Fox Network.
A sketch comedy show
like "Saturday Night Live" could do worse than to add any of these
versatile and capable performers to their company. You may have seen "The
Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)" before, and you'll surely get
the chance to see it again, but you don't want to miss this particular
group of lunatics doing to Shakespeare what Chuck Berry did to Beethoven.
WORLD REVIEWS
”Shakespeare must be
spinning in his grave . . . . a whoopee cushion with legs."
--LA Times
“You'll be laughing out loud. . . . raucous and engaging. . . . hilarious
excellence.”
--CityBeat.com
“ . . . does more with less . . .The pithier-than Python parodies defolio
Shakespreare . . . irresistible.”
--NYTimes
"two-hour
roller coaster ride through all of the Bard's 37 plays. . . lightning fast
costume and wig changes and lots of pratfalls . . ."
--Curtainup.com
“Fast-paced,
continually clever, an exhilarating mix of highbrow and lowbrow that will
appeal to all but the stuffiest adults.”
--LA Daily News
“The
funniest show you are likely to see in your entire lifetime.”
--Montreal Gazette
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SPECIAL
EVENTS (1 evening presentations) --
MUSIC, DANCE, DRAMA!!
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Tuesday, May 11--- ALMOST,
ALMOST FAMOUS: a Cabaret Evening of Song
with PATRICIA DURANTE---
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Tuesday, July
6-----GRACE AND GLORIE: a poignant comedy in a staged
reading
by Tom Ziegler |
Tuesday, Aug. 24--LOCAL WINES
& CHEESE TASTING
with MUSIC and ART:
The Wines and Art of Sussex County--a fund-raiser |
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And a Special
Scary Treat for Halloween!!!
October 13 -31 |
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CAST
REVIEWS
SYNOPSIS
PHOTOS |
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SYNOPSIS
A
tongue-in cheek adaptation of Bram Stoker's chilling
novel, transporting
us to a small village in the English
Countryside. A trio of doctors,
a young reporter and a
brave English lord battle the mysterious Count
Dracula
for the life of beautiful Wilhelmina, the lovely and
sentimental
heroine. THE PASSION OF DRACULA is the
perfect mix of thrills,
laughter, and old-fashioned detective
work. Final performance is
Halloween night for all you
ghouls
and
goblins!
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REVIEWS
"A genuine old-fashioned
horror-thriller. "
-- N.Y. Daily News
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"Funny, serious, scary, hilarious . . . bloody enjoyable, cross my heart."
-- WABC TV
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PARTICIPATE IN OUR
DRACULA
BLOOD DRIVE
TO HELP LOCAL HOSPITALS!
COUNT DRACULA
HIMSELF WILL BE PRESENT ... HE NEVER
DRINKS WINE! OCTOBER 2,
2004, 10AM-3:30PM
CRESCENT THEATER
74 MAIN STREET ON FOUNTAIN SQUARE
SUSSEX, NJ.
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DECEMBER, 2004 |
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the JOLLIEST
HOLIDAY EVENT
EVER!!!
Paul Meacham
Reads
A CHRISTMAS
CAROL
by Charles Dickens
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SYNOPSIS
A
holiday treat for the whole family! The great Christmas classic by Charles
Dickens: the miserly Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, the ghosts of past,
present and future, in this wonderful recreation read by professional
actor and artistic director of Tri-State Actors Theater Paul Meacham.
Make A CHRISTMAS CAROL part of your holiday at Tri-State!
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*[Selection
of plays subject to change without notice] |
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