WESTFIELD LEADER £ fUFTHE I LEADING finimn inn AND UAV MOSTV WIDELY u/inr CHCULATEDi v ri*
Page 22 Thursday, June 25, 2015 The Westfield Leader The … · · 2015-06-24Page 22 Thursday,...
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Page 22 Thursday, June 25, 2015 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION Union County Freeholder Initiative Provides Aid to Local Arts Groups Susan M. Dougherty for The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times FOR RENT…Mystic Theater performers of Linden, under the direction of Howard Whitmore, sing a musical medley from “Rent” at the press conference on Tuesday, June 16 where Union County Freeholder Chair Mohamed S. Jalloh announced UCACT (Union County Advancing Community Theatre) grants to seven area theaters. By SUSAN MYRILL DOUGHERTY Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times RAHWAY – The under funded arts need all the help they can get, so that’s why Union County Freeholder Chair- man Mohamed S. Jalloh’s initiative to support live theater is so welcome. At a recent formal announcement of the program held at the historic Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) in Rahway, the Freeholder Chair was clear as to why he supports the arts. “Plays are not just entertain- ment. Live theatre gives us a chance to stop and learn how to listen to each other,” he said. His initiative is UCACT (Union County Advancing Community The- atre) which debuted in March with the production of the musical Dreamgirls. Because of the successful reception of that show, the initiative went forward and now will assist seven community theaters with grants. The recipients for this cycle of grants include: United Youth of NJ’s presentation of the play, Mandela: Apartheid to Die For, The Theatre Project’s presentation of Le- gally Blonde Jr., Vanguard Theatre Company’s presentation of Hairspray the Musical, Fearless Hearts, Inc.’s presentation of Wild Party, Someone’s Daughter’s presentation of The Wiz- ard of Oz, and People Helping People’s presentation of Murphy’s Law – Group Therapy Gone Wild. All of the shows will take place over the next months on the Mainstage of UCPAC in Rahway or at the Arts Center’s 300-seat, companion theatre, Hamilton Stage in Rahway. At the Tuesday, June 16 announce- ment, the Chairman said the arts ben- efit the whole community in a variety of ways. “Community theatre is a col- laborative art with important eco- nomic, cultural and social benefits,” he said. “UCACT aims to provide a strategic platform to support the de- velopment of our rich theatre talent. The County is leveraging our existing resources and broadening the defini- tion of economic development and public recreation to include support for community theatre.” Larry McCullough, Executive Di- rector of Union County Performing Arts Center, concurred. “We are pleased to have established groups perform here, but it’s important to give new voices and groups their first chance to be on a professional stage. Our private and public partnerships will help get the word out about live theatre that is available in Union County.” Some of the groups involved in the initiative give scholarships for their programs. Barbara Brady, choreogra- pher of the Mystic Theatre of Linden that produced Dreamgirls said that their organization gives “Reach for the Stars Scholarships” annually for students in their summer program. “There are de- serving children out there who would like to participate in theatre and our scholarship takes the economic burden off the family,” she explained. Brian Remo, founder of Fearless Productions shared his involvement. “We are giving back to the community with our 501c3 program Fearless Hearts.” Their show, Wild Party, a mu- sical by Andrew Lippa, will be pre- sented at UCPAC’s Hamilton Stage in September. UCACT grants funding covers the hard costs associated with putting up a production at the Union County Performing Arts Center. Through cre- ative partnership and a holistic ap- proach, the program crates a success- ful business model for Community Theatre, allowing them to provide quality performances while also thriv- ing financially. For more information about dates and tickets, contact the UCPAC Box Office at (732) 499-8226 or visit ucpac.org. © 2015 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC. WESTFIELD EAST OFFICE • 209 CENTRAL AVENUE • (908) 233-5555 x 113 Jean Marie Morgan Sales Agent, International President's Circle NJAR Circle of Excellence 2014 Top 4% of Sales Associates Nationwide Direct Line: 908-279-4441 711 Fairacres Avenue, Westfield Offered at $849,000 Welcome home! Move right in to this impeccable 4 bedroom, 2.1 bath colonial in the highly desirable Washington School district. The beautiful new bluestone walkway and front porch lead you directly into the sun drenched living room flanked with a lovely mantle, new stone hearth and gas fireplace. The formal dining room flows perfectly into the eat in kitchen com- plete with granite countertops. There is a large family room off the kitchen just perfect for entertaining. The family room overlooks the lovely new techobloc patio & beautiful, profession- ally landscaped grounds (complete with sprinklers in front and back!) There is also a large first floor den & newer powder room that complete the lovely first floor. The second floor features four lovely bedrooms including the master suite equipped with its own private bath as well as a newer hallway bath. The lower level has a large finished rec room and has radiant heat. A wonderful location – conveniently close to all schools, Westfield's award winning downtown and New York City transportation, don't miss this unique opportunity to make this your home! Follow me on Twitter @JeanMarieMorgan to get a Sneak Peek at our new listings at #209Central...the #1 real estate office! www.HomewatchCareGivers.com • Hourly or live-in care in your home or residence • All caregivers are state certified CHHAs • Hourly caregivers can drive for errands and appointments • Every client supported by an RN and Social Worker at no charge Homewatch CareGivers Professional Staff Raising the bar in homecare every day! (908) 448-2230 N O W A V A I L A B L E A W A R D W I N N I N G S E R V I C E IN WESTFIELD & SCOTCH PLAINS Nursing Staff Social Worker Team Young Frankenstein at Plays-in- The-Park Showcases Local Talent By SUSAN MYRILL DOUGHERTY Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times EDISON – There’s Community Theater and then there’s Plays-in- the-Park (PIP) that takes theater to a whole new level. With audiences that are the size of most Broadway houses, it’s often referred to as Middlesex County’s Broadway. Sponsored by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, PIP’s hilarious season opener, Young Frankenstein, is Mel Brooks’ comic genius that unfolds at the open-air theater. Gary Cohen, producer/director of Plays-in-the-Park, tells auditioners at call backs every year, “Look around. You are all on the A List.” And that they are. No weak links here in acting, singing or dancing or any other part of this production. The show requires full out, over the top performances and that’s what they give. From the opening number, “The Happiest Town,” set in Transylvania, to the next scene in a medical school in NYC with the introduction of Dr. Frederick Fran- kenstein (Michael Louis) and his song, “The Brain,” the audience sees energy and laughs are in store. And it’s obvious that 21 st century tech- nology will be utilized instead of just traditional roll-on sets. A back wall of mammoth projections sets the various scenes - a train, a boat, a library, the laboratory of Dr. Frederick Frankenstein’s grandfa- ther, and a hilarious hay ride where the projection is not just a still shot, but a video clip pulling the charac- ters and audience into the action. There are even black and white scenes from the original 1930s movie that flesh out the much an- ticipated lab scene. That scene where the brain for the monster is secured is shot using the current actor and it works big time. Corny jokes like the old, “Walk this way,” are delivered by comic actor extraordinaire and Westfield resident Billy Geltzeiler. As the humpback whose hump keeps shift- ing, Mr. Geltzeiler manages to steal every scene he’s in. The “Together Again” number with Dr. Franken- stein is delivered brightly in voice and choreography. The doctor gets lots of laughs himself with extra bits sprinkled in by director Cohen. Mr. Louis’ speaking and singing voice is right on the money in strength, in- flection, tone and delivery. The show is rife with double entendres from Frederick’s ego-cen- tric fiancée Elizabeth (Ali Gleason) in “Deep Love,” to “Roll in the Hay” by the supposedly sweet Inga (Kelliann DeCarlo). Katie Riley’s performance of the creepy Frau Blucher is a scream in “He Vas My Boyfriend.” The unlit candle bit works every time. And all three gals really know how to sell a song as well as milk a solid note for all it’s worth. Veteran lighting director Ro- man Klima shows his precise tim- ing especially when the last beat of the song, “He Vas My Boyfriend,” is illuminated perfectly “on the but- ton.” Michelle Massa, assisted by Emma Schwartz, recreates the origi- nal choreography of Susan Stroman and it pops on the giant stage. The best number tears it up in “Puttin’ on the Ritz” where tuxedoed tap dancers rock out wearing monster- like booties. A substantial orchestra of a dozen professional musicians follows mu- sic director Nick DeGregorio’s able lead. The sound design, by Matt Boyle, even in the cavernous space is impeccable. The acappella quartet lends a sweet note in Act II as does the lovely voice of the seductress Inga in “Listen to Your Heart.” Jay Lowman’s “Please Send Me Some- one,” never gets too sappy because of the gags pertaining to his charac- ter, the blind Hermit. The show is silly, raucous, unbridled fun. Al- though it carries a PG rating, little kids probably wouldn’t get most of the jokes anyway and The Monster (Scott Daniels) is never terrifying, even when he comes out into the audience. This parody of the 1930s film is all about fast pacing, solid singing and split-second comic delivery. Got it. And pizzazz. Got it. Entertain- ment. Got it. You can get in on that fun tonight through Saturday night at Roosevelt Park Theatre behind the Menlo Park Mall. Bring a lawn chair and bug spray. www.goleader.com
Transcript of Page 22 Thursday, June 25, 2015 The Westfield Leader The … · · 2015-06-24Page 22 Thursday,...
Page 22 Thursday, June 25, 2015 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION
Union County Freeholder InitiativeProvides Aid to Local Arts Groups
Susan M. Dougherty for The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesFOR RENT…Mystic Theater performers of Linden, under the direction ofHoward Whitmore, sing a musical medley from “Rent” at the press conference onTuesday, June 16 where Union County Freeholder Chair Mohamed S. Jallohannounced UCACT (Union County Advancing Community Theatre) grants toseven area theaters.
By SUSAN MYRILL DOUGHERTYSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and
The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times
RAHWAY – The under funded artsneed all the help they can get, so that’swhy Union County Freeholder Chair-man Mohamed S. Jalloh’s initiative tosupport live theater is so welcome. Ata recent formal announcement of theprogram held at the historic UnionCounty Performing Arts Center(UCPAC) in Rahway, the FreeholderChair was clear as to why he supportsthe arts. “Plays are not just entertain-ment. Live theatre gives us a chance tostop and learn how to listen to eachother,” he said.
His initiative is UCACT (UnionCounty Advancing Community The-atre) which debuted in March with theproduction of the musical Dreamgirls.Because of the successful reception ofthat show, the initiative went forwardand now will assist seven communitytheaters with grants. The recipientsfor this cycle of grants include: UnitedYouth of NJ’s presentation of the play,Mandela: Apartheid to Die For, TheTheatre Project’s presentation of Le-gally Blonde Jr., Vanguard TheatreCompany’s presentation of Hairspraythe Musical, Fearless Hearts, Inc.’spresentation of Wild Party, Someone’sDaughter’s presentation of The Wiz-ard of Oz, and People Helping People’spresentation of Murphy’s Law – GroupTherapy Gone Wild.
All of the shows will take place overthe next months on the Mainstage ofUCPAC in Rahway or at the ArtsCenter’s 300-seat, companion theatre,Hamilton Stage in Rahway.
At the Tuesday, June 16 announce-ment, the Chairman said the arts ben-efit the whole community in a varietyof ways. “Community theatre is a col-laborative art with important eco-nomic, cultural and social benefits,”he said. “UCACT aims to provide astrategic platform to support the de-
velopment of our rich theatre talent.The County is leveraging our existingresources and broadening the defini-tion of economic development andpublic recreation to include supportfor community theatre.”
Larry McCullough, Executive Di-rector of Union County PerformingArts Center, concurred. “We are pleasedto have established groups performhere, but it’s important to give newvoices and groups their first chance tobe on a professional stage. Our privateand public partnerships will help getthe word out about live theatre that isavailable in Union County.”
Some of the groups involved in theinitiative give scholarships for theirprograms. Barbara Brady, choreogra-pher of the Mystic Theatre of Lindenthat produced Dreamgirls said that theirorganization gives “Reach for the StarsScholarships” annually for students intheir summer program. “There are de-serving children out there who would
like to participate in theatre and ourscholarship takes the economic burdenoff the family,” she explained.
Brian Remo, founder of FearlessProductions shared his involvement.“We are giving back to the communitywith our 501c3 program FearlessHearts.” Their show, Wild Party, a mu-sical by Andrew Lippa, will be pre-sented at UCPAC’s Hamilton Stage inSeptember.
UCACT grants funding covers thehard costs associated with putting upa production at the Union CountyPerforming Arts Center. Through cre-ative partnership and a holistic ap-proach, the program crates a success-ful business model for CommunityTheatre, allowing them to providequality performances while also thriv-ing financially.
For more information about datesand tickets, contact the UCPAC BoxOffice at (732) 499-8226 or visitucpac.org.
© 2015 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC.
WESTFIELD EAST OFFICE • 209 CENTRAL AVENUE • (908) 233-5555 x 113
Jean Marie MorganSales Agent, International President's CircleNJAR Circle of Excellence 2014Top 4% of Sales Associates Nationwide
Direct Line: 908-279-4441
711 Fairacres Avenue, Westfield Offered at $849,000Welcome home! Move right in to this impeccable 4 bedroom, 2.1 bath colonial in the highlydesirable Washington School district. The beautiful new bluestone walkway and front porchlead you directly into the sun drenched living room flanked with a lovely mantle, new stonehearth and gas fireplace. The formal dining room flows perfectly into the eat in kitchen com-plete with granite countertops. There is a large family room off the kitchen just perfect forentertaining. The family room overlooks the lovely new techobloc patio & beautiful, profession-ally landscaped grounds (complete with sprinklers in front and back!) There is also a large firstfloor den & newer powder room that complete the lovely first floor. The second floor featuresfour lovely bedrooms including the master suite equipped with its own private bath as well as anewer hallway bath. The lower level has a large finished rec room and has radiant heat. Awonderful location – conveniently close to all schools, Westfield's award winning downtownand New York City transportation, don't miss this unique opportunity to make this your home!
Follow me on Twitter @JeanMarieMorgan to get a Sneak Peekat our new listings at #209Central...the #1 real estate office!
www.HomewatchCareGivers.com
• Hourly or live-in care in your home or residence• All caregivers are state certified CHHAs• Hourly caregivers can drive for errands
and appointments• Every client supported by an RN and Social
Worker at no charge
Homewatch CareGivers Professional Staff Raising the bar in homecare every day!
(908) 448-2230
N
OW AVAILABLE
AW
ARD W INNING S
ERV
ICE
INWESTFIELD& SCOTCH
PLAINSNursing Staff Social Worker Team
Young Frankenstein at Plays-in-The-Park Showcases Local Talent
By SUSAN MYRILL DOUGHERTYSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and
The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times
EDISON – There’s CommunityTheater and then there’s Plays-in-the-Park (PIP) that takes theater toa whole new level. With audiencesthat are the size of most Broadwayhouses, it’s often referred to asMiddlesex County’s Broadway.Sponsored by the Middlesex CountyBoard of Chosen Freeholders, PIP’shilarious season opener, YoungFrankenstein, is Mel Brooks’ comicgenius that unfolds at the open-airtheater.
Gary Cohen, producer/director ofPlays-in-the-Park, tells auditionersat call backs every year, “Lookaround. You are all on the A List.”And that they are. No weak linkshere in acting, singing or dancing orany other part of this production.The show requires full out, over thetop performances and that’s whatthey give.
From the opening number, “TheHappiest Town,” set inTransylvania, to the next scene in amedical school in NYC with theintroduction of Dr. Frederick Fran-kenstein (Michael Louis) and hissong, “The Brain,” the audience seesenergy and laughs are in store. Andit’s obvious that 21st century tech-nology will be utilized instead ofjust traditional roll-on sets. A backwall of mammoth projections setsthe various scenes - a train, a boat,a library, the laboratory of Dr.Frederick Frankenstein’s grandfa-ther, and a hilarious hay ride where
the projection is not just a still shot,but a video clip pulling the charac-ters and audience into the action.There are even black and whitescenes from the original 1930smovie that flesh out the much an-ticipated lab scene. That scenewhere the brain for the monster issecured is shot using the currentactor and it works big time.
Corny jokes like the old, “Walkthis way,” are delivered by comicactor extraordinaire and Westfieldresident Billy Geltzeiler. As thehumpback whose hump keeps shift-ing, Mr. Geltzeiler manages to stealevery scene he’s in. The “TogetherAgain” number with Dr. Franken-stein is delivered brightly in voiceand choreography. The doctor getslots of laughs himself with extra bitssprinkled in by director Cohen. Mr.Louis’ speaking and singing voice isright on the money in strength, in-flection, tone and delivery.
The show is rife with doubleentendres from Frederick’s ego-cen-tric fiancée Elizabeth (Ali Gleason)in “Deep Love,” to “Roll in theHay” by the supposedly sweet Inga(Kelliann DeCarlo). Katie Riley’sperformance of the creepy FrauBlucher is a scream in “He Vas MyBoyfriend.” The unlit candle bitworks every time. And all three galsreally know how to sell a song aswell as milk a solid note for all it’sworth. Veteran lighting director Ro-man Klima shows his precise tim-ing especially when the last beat ofthe song, “He Vas My Boyfriend,”is illuminated perfectly “on the but-
ton.”Michelle Massa, assisted by
Emma Schwartz, recreates the origi-nal choreography of Susan Stromanand it pops on the giant stage. Thebest number tears it up in “Puttin’on the Ritz” where tuxedoed tapdancers rock out wearing monster-like booties.
A substantial orchestra of a dozenprofessional musicians follows mu-sic director Nick DeGregorio’s ablelead. The sound design, by MattBoyle, even in the cavernous spaceis impeccable.
The acappella quartet lends asweet note in Act II as does thelovely voice of the seductress Ingain “Listen to Your Heart.” JayLowman’s “Please Send Me Some-one,” never gets too sappy becauseof the gags pertaining to his charac-ter, the blind Hermit. The show issilly, raucous, unbridled fun. Al-though it carries a PG rating, littlekids probably wouldn’t get most ofthe jokes anyway and The Monster(Scott Daniels) is never terrifying,even when he comes out into theaudience.
This parody of the 1930s film isall about fast pacing, solid singingand split-second comic delivery. Gotit. And pizzazz. Got it. Entertain-ment. Got it. You can get in on thatfun tonight through Saturday nightat Roosevelt Park Theatre behindthe Menlo Park Mall. Bring a lawnchair and bug spray.
www.goleader.com
