Author Archives: Carol Kassie

Rupert Holmes’ ALL THINGS EQUAL – THE LIFE & TRIALS OF RUTH BADER GINSBURG at the Delray Beach Playhouse

02 Thursday Feb 2023

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Rupert Holmes’
All Things Equal –
The Life & Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
at the Delray Beach Playhouse
February 15 – 19 Only!

“Be uplifted by this play and vote like our democracy hangs in the balance.”
~ Jon Palmer Claridge, Tampa Bay Creative Loafing

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244

February 2, 2023

DELRAY BEACH, FL: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg welcomes theatre goers into her cozy chambers to convey, over the course of ninety fascinating and often funny minutes, a sense of her life and its many trials in award-winning playwright Rupert Holmes’ homage to the ‘Notorious RGB’.  All Things Equal – The Life & Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg will run from February 15 – 19 at the Delray Beach Playhouse.

“In creating this play about her richly-lived life and hard-fought struggles, I came to ever more deeply marvel at [Ginsburg’s] strength, tenacity, sly wit, and compassion,” Holmes said recently. “Our play also reveals the love song that ran through her remarkable life and shares the music that was her giddy delight. All Things Equal offers each of us the chance to better know this woman, her yearning for equality, and her love for this nation’s precious institutions: Ruth … Justice … and the American way.”

Michelle Azar will portray Ginsburg as she reminisces about her life and her many trials: losing her mother the day before she graduated as valedictorian of her Brooklyn high school … being one of only nine young women studying law at Harvard while also raising a daughter and helping her husband battle cancer … fighting for women’s rights in the nineteen-seventies before condescending all-male courts … and taking courageous stands for human rights as a voice of reason amid a splintering and increasingly politicized Supreme Court.


All Things Equal will run from February 15 – 19 at the Delray Beach Playhouse.  Tickets are $49 and can be purchased online at delraybeachplayhouse.com/, or by phone at 561-272-1281.The Delray Beach Playhouse is located at 950 NW 9th Street, in Delray Beach (33444).

For more information about All Things Equal contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.
~
All Things Equal – The Life & Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
By Rupert Holmes
February 15 – 19, 2023
Performances:
Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, & Sunday at 2 pm
Friday & Saturday at 7:30 pm
For tickets:  https://delraybeachplayhouse.csstix.com/event-details.php?e=1028
Or call 561-272-1281
All performances at
The Delray Beach Playhouse
950 NW 9th Street
Delray Beach, FL  33444

RUPERT HOLMES, award-winning playwright-composer-lyricist-orchestrator-conducter-novelist-singer-songwriter is the first person in theatrical history to singly win Tony® awards for Best Book, Music & Lyrics. Broadway: The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Tony® & Drama Desk award winner for Best Musical, Book, Music, Lyrics, Orchestrations); Curtains with Kander and Ebb (Drama Desk award, Best Book; Tony® nom. Best Musical, Book, Lyrics); Say Goodnight, Gracie (Tony® nom. Best Play; LORT National Broadway Theatre Award, Best Play); Accomplice (Edgar Award, Mystery Writers of America); A Time to Kill (adapting John Grisham’s novel); Roundabout Theatre revival The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Tony® nom. Best Revival). Over twenty regional musicals and plays performed at major venues around the world. Novels: Where the Truth Lies (adapted for film starring Colin Firth, Kevin Bacon, dir. by Atom Egoyan); Swing #24 all books on Amazon. Coming in 2023: The McMasters Guide to Homicide: Murder Your Employer, Simon & Schuster/Avid Reader Press. Motion Pictures: Contributed songs to Golden Globe-winning score of A Star is Born (Streisand/Kristofferson). Television: Created and scripted all 55 episodes of AMC’s first original series Remember WENN. Recording: A Billboard #1 singer-songwriter of the 1970s and 1980s including his own iconic international hit “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” featured in over 50 motion pictures; wrote, arranged & conducted platinum albums for Barbra Streisand; songs recorded by Barry Manilow, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton, Judy Collins, Britney Spears, Rita Coolidge, Renée Fleming, countless others. Recipient of the George M. Cohan Award from ASCAP and recently received an Honorary Doctorate from The Manhattan School of Music.

MICHELLE AZAR is humbled and thrilled to take on the life of the great Ruth Bader Ginsberg as voiced by the esteemed Rupert Holmes. Her performance background began in Chicago where she sang with the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s children’s choir. She received an MA and BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and started working immediately as Janis Joplin in Beehive. Once moving to Los Angeles, she received Ovation awards for her roles in both dramatic and comedic roles with her theatre compa-ny, Neurotic Young Urbanites, and was the 2016 Stage Raw award winner for Best Actress in Eric Coble’s My Barking Dog, directed by Michael Michetti at the Boston Court Theatre. Other favorite stage credits: Bella in Lost in Yonkers; Berte in Boeing, Boeing ( La Mirada Theatre); Masha in Mayakovsky and Stalin (Cherry Lane Theatre); The Awakening of Spring (Circle Rep); and the creation of Constance Lily in the recent hit musical, Bronco Billy (Skylight Theatre). Select television and film credits include: NCIS: LA, How To Get Away With Murder, Criminal Minds, The Magicians, Aquarius, Community, and the recently released film, Senior Moment, with Gene Smart and William Shatner. The web-series she co-created with her real-life sister-in-law is currently in development for series. Michelle is no stranger to the one-woman show, as her own original piece, From Baghdad to Brooklyn, continues to tour around the country after its sold-out premiere at the United Solo Festival in NYC. The intention of the piece is to explore unconscious fears to bring about societal change, as paved the way by RBG. She is grateful to her family, to this entire artistic team for their faith in her, and to her manager, Alison Caiola, for having a hunch.

  • Michelle Azar as Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • Rupert Holmes
  • Michelle Azar

Pigs Do Fly Productions to present Tom Dugan’s CEMETERY PUB – March 13 – 19, 2023

24 Tuesday Jan 2023

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Pigs Do Fly Productions
presents an
East Coast Premiere:
Cemetery Pub
March 3 – 19

“… fast-paced script, which is taut and sharp… Cemetery Pub is a terrifically entertaining piece of theatre…”
Paul Myrvold’s Theatre Notes, May 2022

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244

January 24 2023

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL:   Rehearsals will begin shortly for Pigs Do Fly Productions’ production of playwright/actor Tom Dugan’s Cemetery Pub.  This will be only the second time the play has been produced – the first time was in May 2022 in Dugan’s own Backyard Theatre in California. Cemetery Pub will run from March 3rd through March 19th at Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale.

Set in the old-time and slightly run-down O’Brien’s Tavern (also known as the Cemetery Pub) across from St. Gertrude’s Catholic Cemetery as well as from the railroad tracks, Cemetery Pub is a dark comedy, and features a trio of fascinating characters: Dixie, the young owner of the bar, Ken O’Brien, Dixie’s uncle, and Danny, Dixie’s long-lost cousin.

Tom Dugan

This three-character play is somewhat of a departure for playwright Tom Dugan, who is well known to South Florida audiences for his award-winning play (and performances in) Wiesenthal, and several other one-person shows: “I grew up in a big Irish Catholic family, I had over 60 first cousins, aunts and uncles,” he explains.  “As the second youngest of the clan, no one sat me down to explain, who was who and what was what.  I was on my own to figure out my family history – I cobbled together a family narrative, based largely on half pieces of information, fortified by my own imagination.  My older siblings have pointed out to me recently that most of my assumptions are wrong, but they also pointed out that my version was much more entertaining.  This got me thinking about writing a play based not on the facts of my family story but rather the rumors and embellishments I came up with.”

“How I feel about this play is ‘Wow’”, says Pig’s Do Fly’s Executive Producer Ellen Wacher.  “It’s definitely a departure from many of the shows we’ve done in the past.  But it’s superbly written – I can visualize each scene – and it has a great deal of humor integrated with its serious subject matter and the characters’ lives.”

“To me, Cemetery Pub defies classification,” says the production’s director, Deborah ‘DK’ Kondelik.  “It is deadly funny, full of mystery and suspense, and at times even farcical. The characters and relationships are distinctively off-beat and captivating; there is an edginess to the play, a tongue-in-cheek kind of humor that will titillate audiences.”

Kondelik has cast Caroline Dopson as Dixie, David Corey as Ken, and Todd Bruno as Dan.

Cemetery Pub’s Stage Manager is Joseph Long, Dean Landhuis is the show’s Scenic Designer, David Hart will do the Sound Design, Preston Bircher will create the Lighting Design and serve as Technical Director, Jameelah Bailey will handle props, and Director Deborah Kondelik will coordinate Costumes. Jessica Kaschube is the Company Manager.

Tickets for Cemetery Pub are $39 and are available online at www.pigsdoflyproductions.com  or by calling 954-678-1496.  Performances are on Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, and on Sunday at 5 pm. All performances will take place at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304.

For more information about Pigs Do Fly Productions, please visit www.pigsdoflyproductions.com.   For more information about Ellen Wacher, please visit www.ellenwacher.com.  To arrange for interviews, or for photos, please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.

~*~

Cemetery Pub
By Tom Dugan
March 3 – 19, 2023
Directed by Deborah Kondelik
Performances:
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
Sunday at 5 pm
Tickets:  $39
For tickets:  www.pigsdoflyproductions.com / 954-678-1496
All performances will take place at
Empire Stage
1140 N. Flagler Drive
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
www.pigsdoflyproductions.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PigsDoFlyProductions/

Tom Dugan:  Dubbed by critics “A National Treasure,” for the past twenty years Tom Dugan’s one-man plays have thrilled audiences from Beverly Hills, to 42nd street, and have been the subject of many PBS programs throughout North America.   His play Wiesenthal, (Produced by Daryl Roth) honored with multiple awards and nominations (N.Y. Drama Desk, N.Y. Outer Critics Circle, L.A. Ovation, L.A. Drama Critics Circle), has enjoyed productions in Israel, India, Australia, Italy, and Mexico. A feature film of Wiesenthal is planned for 2024. 
Mr. Dugan’s one person plays include The Civil War Trilogy, Robert E. Lee – Shades of Gray (100% Sweet -Bitter Lemons), Frederick Douglass In The Shadow Of Slavery (“the best history lesson ever!” – Peninsula News) and The Ghosts of Mary Lincoln (Spellbinding – LA Times), The twentieth century trilogy; Tevye In New York! (“Delightful” – Broadway World) Wiesenthal (“Masterful”- Backstage), Tell Him It’s Jackie. (“Brilliant”- Curtain Up). Tevye In New York will have its Florida premiere at The Delray Beach Playhouse in December 2023. For more information contact; Tom.dugan@outlook.com

  • Tom Dugan
  • Dave Corey
  • Caroline Dopson
  • Todd Bruno
  • Deborah Kondelik
  • Ellen Wacher
  • Todd Bruno, Dave Corey, Caroline Dopson
  • Todd Bruno, Caroline Dopson
  • Caroline Dopson, Todd Bruno
  • Dave Corey, Caroline Dopson

TO LIFE 3: STORIES & MUSIC CELEBRATING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF JEWISH COMPOSERS TO THE GREAT HOLLYWOOD MUSICALS – January 20 – February 5 at the Willow Theatre

29 Tuesday Nov 2022

Posted by in Clients, Hy Juter, Shari Upbin, Uncategorized

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January 20 – February 5, 2023

“Music doesn’t argue, discuss, or quarrel. It just breathes the air of freedom.”
~ Harold Arlen

“Hooray for Hollywood!” ~ Johnny Mercer

“You ain’t heard nothing yet, folks!” ~ Al Jolson

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244

November 29, 2022

BOCA RATON, FL:  George Gershwin.  Irving Berlin. Johnny Mercer. Harold Arlen. Sheldon Harnick.  Jerry Herman. These composers and many more will be highlighted in To Life 3: Stories & Music Celebrating the Contributions of Jewish Composers to the Great Hollywood Musicals.  The production will run from January 20th through February 5th at The Willow Theatre in Boca Raton’s Sugar Sand Park. To Life 3 is a follow-up to two previous To Life productions – both of which sold out at the Willow Theatre in 2019 and 2020. 

Featuring amusing anecdotes and fascinating historical facts, along with tributes to some of the greatest Jewish performers in Hollywood history, including Eddie Cantor, Danny Kaye, and Barbara Streisand, To Life 3 will be performed by five of South Florida’s award-winning musical theatre artists:  Julie Kleiner, Bruno Faria, Michael Materdomini, Amy Tanner, and Shari Upbin.

Hy Juter

Hy Juter (Jupiter Theater Company, LLC) will produce the show: “We’re extremely excited about this iteration of our To Life series,” he says.  “This time we’re focusing on Hollywood and the outstanding talents that contributed to those great musicals we all remember. We have an amazing cast – their talent is extraordinary! Our director, Shari Upbin, has also written the show this year.  Her background in theatre and her extensive knowledge of the Hollywood musical made her a natural choice to continue our tradition of presenting audiences with a unique combination of history, music, and fun!”

Shari Upbin

Upbin will also direct the production, and Bobby Peaco will serve as music director and pianist.

“To Life 1 and 2 featured the Jewish composers of Broadway,” Upbin says. “But what most people don’t realize is first of all, how many of them transitioned to Hollywood, and secondly, that there were numerous Jewish composers who wrote primarily for ‘the movies’.  I had an amazing time writing the script for the show,” she continues. “I learned so much – there are so many fascinating stories involving these amazingly talented individuals I can’t wait to share with our audiences. And of course,  I couldn’t leave out some of the greatest Jewish stars who left their indelible marks – Eddie Cantor, Danny Kaye, Barbra Streisand… so many and so memorable.”

To Life 3 will run from January 20 through February 5 at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park.  Tickets are $43; group rates (6 or more tickets purchased in one transaction) are $38.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.sugarsandpark.org/life-3 or by phone at 561-347-3948.  The Willow Theatre is located at 300 South Military Trail, in Boca Raton’s Sugar Sand Park (33486).      

For more information about To Life 3: Stories & Music Celebrating the Contributions of Jewish Composers to the Great Hollywood Musicals please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.    

~

Hy Juter (Jupiter Theater Company, LLC) presents
To Life 3: Stories & Music Celebrating the Contributions of Jewish Composers to the Great Hollywood Musicals
January 20 – February 5, 2023
Written and Directed by Shari Upbin 
Tickets: $43 / $38 for groups of 6 or more tickets purchased in one transaction
For tickets:  561-347-3948 or
https://www.sugarsandpark.org/life-3
Showtimes:
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
Saturday, & Sunday at 2 pm
All performances take place in
The Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park
300 South Military Trail,
Boca Raton, FL 33486

About The Willow Theatre:
The Willow Theatre, opened in 1998, is a beautiful 155-seat proscenium theater, located inside Sugar Sand Park Community Center and allows for a unique experience for theatre patrons. Before or after a show, you may wander the nature trails, visit the Children’s Science Explorium, look at the art exhibit on display, or picnic at one of our pavilions.

  • Shari Upbin
  • Bobby Peaco
  • Julie Kleiner
  • Michael Materdomini
  • Bruno Faria
  • Amy Tanner
  • Hy Juter

MNM Theatre Company presents THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE – December 2 – 18

14 Monday Nov 2022

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MNM Theatre Company
to present
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
at the Willow Theatre

December 2 – 18, 2022

“…Hilariously F-U-N-N-Y (enjoyment, amusement or lighthearted pleasure) and delightfully Q-U-I-R-K-Y (characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits) night of theatre.”   Ilene Chalmers – DC Metro Theater Arts

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244

November 14, 2022

BOCA RATON, FL:  MNM Theatre Company will present The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at The Willow Theatre December 2 – 18.  This will be the award-winning company’s first production at the popular Boca Raton venue.   

Nominated for six Tony Awards, and winning 2, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee features an eclectic group of sixth graders (played by adult actors in uproariously comical caricatures), who arrive at a fictional spelling bee set in the geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School to vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime; the Bee is run by three equally quirky grown-ups. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter – one speller leaves! At least the losers get a juice box!

Marcie Gorman

“We are so pleased to be making our Willow Theatre debut with ‘Spelling Bee’”, says Marcie Gorman, MNM’s CEO and Producing Artistic Director. “This show is fun, funny, and heartwarming all at once.  It’s a bit ‘raunchy’, that’s true – so it’s not for very young audiences – but we think it will appeal to theatre patrons of just about any age.  And there’s even some audience participation – it’s very possible someone will be invited onstage and asked to spell ‘syzygy*’!”

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will be directed by Johnathan Van Dyke, who will also do the show’s musical staging: “I am so excited about digging into this gem of a show,” he says. “The content is so strong and a rare gift for actors to sink their teeth into such fulfilling material.  The humor, music, and poignancy are all so relevant to the human condition I think audiences are in for a wonderful time at the theatre.” 

Spelling Bee’s cast consists of Jen Chia as Marcy Park, Mikayla Cohen as Olive Ostrovsky, Jinon Deeb as Rona Lisa Perretti, Michael Harper as Chip Tolentino, Michael Materdomini as William Barfee, Geoffrey Mergele as Leaf Coneybear, Leah Sessa as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere, Troy J. Stanley as Vice Principal Douglas Panch, and James White lll as Mitch Mahoney.

As in the past, the production will be accompanied by a live band led by Musical Director Eric Alsford, with Rick Kissinger on woodwinds, Tim Kutcha on drums, Eden Marte on synthesizer, and Madalina Marcovel on cello.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’s Production Stage Manager is Francesca Barioli. The show’s Assistant Stage Manager is Anna Schulman, Production Manager/Set Design is Jordon Armstrong, Technical Director is Johnbarry Green, who will share Sound Design duties with Jordon Armstrong.  Penny Williams is Costume Design, and Abby Rasmussen is Props.

Tickets for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee are on sale now and can be purchased on line at www.willowtheatre.org, or by calling 561-347-3948.  Tickets are $45; a group rate of $35 is available if 6 or more tickets are purchased in one transaction.

For more information about MNM Theatre Company or The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, visitwww.willowtheatre.org or contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.        

Please note:  The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee contains ridiculously childish adult material!  It is not suitable for children under the age of 13.      

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
December 2 – 18, 2022
Music & Lyrics:  William Finn
Book: Rachel Sheinkin
Conceived by: Rebecca Feldman
Additional Material by: Jay Reiss
Performances:
Friday and Saturday at 8 pm
Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm
Prices:  $45 ($35 for 6 or more tickets purchased in a single transaction)
For tickets:
Online: www.willowtheatre.org or mnmtheatre.org
Phone: 561-347-3948
All performances take place at
The Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park
300 South Military Trail
Boca Raton, Florida  33486

*The straight line configuration of three celestial bodies.


  • Geoffrey Mergele, Leah Sessa, Michael Materdomini
  • Leah Sessa
  • Michael Materdomini
  • Jen Chia
  • Mikayla Cohen
  • Jinon Deeb
  • Geoffrey Mergele
  • Leah Sessa
  • James White III
  • Jonathan Van Dyke
  • Marcie Gorman
  • Spelling Bee Cast
  • Jen Chia
  • Jinon Deeb & Troy Stanley
  • Leah Sessa
  • Michael Harper
  • Michael Materdomini
  • Mikayla Cohen & James White lll
  • Geoffrey Mergele
  • Spelling Bee Cast

Riveting Legal Drama! A CLASS ACT – November 11 – 20, 2022 at Sandrell Rivers Theater

20 Thursday Oct 2022

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A Riveting Legal Drama
A Class Act
at Sandrell Rivers Theater
November 11 – 20, 2022

“…always absorbing, always unpredictable.”
~ TheaterScene.net

“…contamination is really a national crisis, and the real scale of contamination is staggering. The more we test, the more we find it.”
~ Melanie Benesh, Legislative Attorney at the Environmental Working Group, Washington

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244

October 20, 2022

MIAMI, FL:   A major chemical company pours cancer-causing waste into the water supply, and a high-powered law firm brings a class action lawsuit on behalf of thousands of “the little people” – who might die from the poisonous water. Who wins?  Who loses?  A Class Act, Norman Shabel’s intriguing and timely look at the inner workings of our justice system will ask and possibly answer these, and other questions when the play runs from November 11th through November 20th at the Sandrell Rivers Theater in Miami.  

As the lawyers wheel and deal and decide whether to take a settlement or go to trial, it becomes increasingly unclear who is really winning. Who makes millions whether they win or lose? Which lawyers battle the best… or the worst? Who gets justice in the end? A Class Act is a sophisticated thrill ride that has been described as “engrossing and gripping”. It examines a world in which greed pervades, the loyal suffer, and morality is always relative.

Norman Shabel

“When I originally wrote the play, we were all probably peripherally aware that there was poison being dumped in the worlds’ drinking waters by non-caring corporations whose only consideration was saving expenses in the production of their products,” Shabel said recently.  “But of late there have been numerous articles and exposés – nationally and locally – that have brought the issue to the forefront. 

“In fact, this past June, the Environmental Protection Agency warned that ‘forever chemicals’ found in our nations’ drinking water are more dangerous than previously thought, and by some estimates, these toxic family of chemicals can be found in the blood of nearly every person on our planet.

“The issue of polluted drinking water is now in the headlines regarding Camp Lejeune, where millions of soldiers housed there were poisoned by deadly drinking water.  A Class Act involves the deadly drinking water in the fifty states of the US and the litigation that evolved from that awful water poisoning, etc.

“Courts are inherently dramatic places, and I guess I saw that connection between law and theater before I even realized it,” he continued. “A Class Act depicts the dramatically war-like negotiations between those corporate non-caring pollution perpetrators and the lawyers who represent the dying public.”

Attorney turned author and playwright Norman Shabel spent close to 50 years as a trial and class action lawyer.  He has drawn upon his experience to fashion a ‘pulled from the headlines’ look at what goes on in corporate America, in courtrooms, and behind the scenes.  A Class Act received excellent reviews when it played Off-Broadway in 2016.

A Class Act director Seth Trucks’ cast includes Lito Becerra, Adam Crain, Christopher Dreeson, Carey Hart, Harold Petion, and Nick Valdes.  Sara Grant will serve as the production’s Stage Manager.

A Class Act will run at Sandrell Rivers Theater from November 11 – 20. Ticket prices range from $25 to $40 and can be purchased online at https://normanshabel.net/plays/a-class-act-performance  or by phone at 305-284-8872.

Sandrell Rivers Theater is located at 6103 MW 7th Avenue, in Miami (33127).

For more information about A Class Act, or to arrange to see the production, pleasecontact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.
~

A Class Act
By Norman Schabel
November 11 – 20, 2022
Performances:
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
Saturday & Sunday at 2 pm
Tickets: $25 (veterans, seniors, students with ID)/$35 (advance sale)/$40 (at the door)
For tickets: https://normanshabel.net/plays/a-class-act-performance
Or call 305-284-8872
Sandrell Rivers Theater
6103 NW 7th Avenue
Miami, FL 33127

  • Seth Trucks
  • Lito Becerra
  • Adam Crain
  • Christopher Dreeson
  • Carey Hart
  • Harold Petion
  • Nick Valdes
  • Kent Wilson
  • Sara Grant
  • Norman Shabel
  • R. Kent Wilson, Nick Valdes, Carey Brianna Hart, Christopher Dreeson
  • Lito Becerra, Adam D. Crain, Harold Petion
  • Bottom: Harold Petion, Carey Brianna Hart, Nick Valdes Top: Adam D. Crain, R. Kent Wilson, Christopher Dreeson, Lito Becerra

Mel Brooks’ YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN at the Willow Theatre – October 21 – 30

17 Monday Oct 2022

Posted by in Entr'Acte Theatrix, Uncategorized

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Entr’Acte Theatrix
Gives Back with
Mel Brooks’
Young Frankenstein

A Halloween treat:  Tickets for the award-winning musical are only $20!

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
Carol@CarolKassie.com /561-445-9244

October 17, 2022

BOCA RATON, FL:  Along with their commitment to provide opportunities for young and up and coming talent, Entr’Acte Theatrix has a longstanding tradition of giving back to their community.  They have often donated tickets and profits to local and national not-for-profit organizations, including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, Compass LGBTQ Community Center, Red Nose Day – Comic Relief, and earthquake victims in Haiti.  They are continuing this tradition in a different way with their upcoming production of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, which will open on October 21st, and run through October 30th at the Willow Theatre in Boca Raton.

“We have set our ticket prices at $20 for this production,” says Entr’Acte Theatrix producer and founder Vicki Halmos.  “We believe this very low price for a fully produced musical comedy will encourage people who have been hesitant to venture back into a theatre until now will find this an incentive to do so.  And that it will perhaps encourage those who have never seen live theatre to come to the Willow Theatre to see what it’s all about! 

“In addition, for this show we are holding an on-line auction to benefit Hurricane Ian relief efforts and offering a chance for an audience member to join the cast on stage in a scene during the show,” she adds.

“We have a wonderfully talented cast, they’re doing a marvelous job, and it’s such a fun show,” she continues, “And we want to share the fun with as many people as we can!” 

A wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend, Mel Brooks’ comedy masterpiece follows bright young Dr. Frankenstein (that’s Fronkensteen!) as he attempts to complete his grandfather’s masterwork and bring a corpse to life. Together with his oddly shaped and endearing helper Igor (that’s Eye-gor), his curvaceous lab assistant Inga, and in spite of his incredibly self-involved madcap fiancé Elizabeth, Frankenstein succeeds in creating a monster — but not without scary and quite often hilarious complications

Tickets for Young Frankenstein – The Mel Brooks Musical are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.sugarsandpark.org/young-frankenstein or by phone at 561-347-3948.  Tickets are $20.  Group rates (10 or more tickets purchased in one transaction) are $15.

For more information about Entr’Acte Theatrix and/or Young Frankenstein, please contact Carol Kassie at Carol@CarolKassie.com / 561-445-9244.
~
Young Frankenstein – The Mel Brooks Musical
Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks
October 21 – 30, 2022
Tickets: $20 (Group Rates available)
For Tickets:  https://www.sugarsandpark.org/young-frankenstein  / 561-347-3948
Performance Schedule:
Friday and Saturday at 8 pm
Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm
All performances at
The Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park
300 S. Military Trail
Boca Raton, FL 33486

Entr’acte Theatrix is a not-for-profit, semi-professional, showcase company providing opportunities for emerging theatre artists, both on-stage and backstage. The company puts students of college or post-graduate programs on a professional trajectory with a goal of working in the profession a chance to gain experience in their area of training or interest.  Entr’acte, as the name suggests, is the “next step,” from classroom to career, and provides the young theatre artist with one of his or her all-important first professional resume-building credits. 

About The Willow Theatre:

The Willow Theatre, opened in 1998, is a beautiful 155-seat proscenium theater, located inside Sugar Sand Park Community Center and allows for a unique experience for theatre patrons. Before or after a show, you may wander the nature trails, visit the Children’s Science Explorium, look at the art exhibit on display, or picnic at one of our pavilions.

  • Greg Halmos & Kevin Cruz

‘Hot Gypsy Jazz’! The DJANGO FESTIVAL ALL STARS at the Boca Black Box – November 8th Only!

03 Monday Oct 2022

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Pat Philips in Association with
Boca Black Box Center for the Arts
presents
Django Festival All Stars
Performing ‘Hot Gypsy Jazz’

November 8th Only!

“Lightning-fast finger-work, powerful strumming, wide sweeps across the fingerboard, and astonishingly fast tempos…” – LA Times

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
Carol@CarolKassie.com /561-445-9244

October 3, 2022

BOCA RATON, FL:   The Django Festival All Stars,a group of renowned French jazz musicians, have wowed audiences in venues across North America including the Kennedy Center, New York’s Birdland Jazz Club and Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, and the Newport Jazz Festival. 

The group will appear at the Boca Black Box Center for the Arts for one night only, on November 8th at 8 pm.

Led by Gypsy guitar great Samson Schmitt of the legendary Schmitt musical family, the Django Festival All Stars’ performances bring to mind Paris in the 1920s and 30s when ‘gitane’ music filled the air in the cafés, in the streets, or in the countryside.  It is evocative of a romantic Paris evening, filled with lovers in the time of Montmartre and la belle époque. Yet their music, in the style of the legendary Gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, is fully that of the twenty-first century.

Reinhardt’s driving, swinging style became known as hot jazz. With its roots in American popular music and reverence for Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and other American jazz greats, hot jazz continues to enjoy world-wide popularity to this day.

The brilliantly cohesive Django Festival All Stars with their unique, high-energy performances pay tribute to Reinhardt while adding their own interpretations, arrangements, and original compositions to the mix. A sample of the All Stars’ music can be found HERE.

Along with Samson Schmitt on lead guitar, the group members are Ludovic Beier on accordion and accordina, Pierre Blanchard on violin, Antonio Licusati on bass, and Michael Harris on rhythm guitar.

A photo filled musical slide show can be viewed HERE.

The Django Festival All Stars will perform on November 8th at 8 pm and 10 pm at the Boca Black Box Center for the Arts in Boca Raton.  Tickets, which range in price from $36.50 to $46.50, are on sale now, and can be purchased online at www.bocablackbox.com or by phone at 561-483-9036. The Black Box Center for the Arts is located at 8221 Glades Road in Boca Raton.

For more information about the Django Festival All Stars visit the222.org/django-festival-allstars/ or contact Carol Kassie at Carol@CarolKassie.com / 561-445-9244.

“The highpoint of the entire weekend of the Playboy Festival at The Hollywood Bowl was The Django Festival Allstars” – LA Scene Magazine

Django Festival of All Stars
November 8th at 8 pm.
Tickets:  $35.50/$46.50
Direct link for tickets:  www.bocablackbox.com/detail.php?id=2358#detailsection
Or call:  561-483-9036
Boca Black Box Center for the Arts
8221 Glades Road #10
Boca Raton, Florida 33434

“Some of the greatest musicians in the world”
Leonardo DiCaprio

  • Django Reinhardt

Maplewood Playhouse presents YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN (revised) at Stage West Theater- October 7 & 8

22 Thursday Sep 2022

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Maplewood Playhouse Presents
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
(revised)
October 7th & 8th

Happiness is great musical theatre! 

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244


September 22, 2022

LAKE WORTH, FL:  Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang will take the stage at the Stage West Theater in Lake Worth when Maplewood Playhouse presents You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (revised) at Stage West at the Duncan Theatre on October 7th and 8th. 

With charm, wit, and heart, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown explores life through the eyes of Charlie Brown and his friends as they battle with kites, school, baseball, and misunderstandings before finally coming to realize what makes them truly happy. A charming revue of vignettes and songs, spanning the months from Valentine’s Day to Beethoven Day with emotions ranging from wild optimism to utter despair. 

“We are very excited to be producing the classic family musical You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown,” says the show’s director and Maplewood Playhouse Artistic Director Kimberly Rommel-Entright. “We wanted to focus our return season on friendship, love, happiness, and positivity. We wanted audiences to be able to come to the theater, sit back and enjoy a feel-good show and leave the theater relaxed and renewed.”  

“I’ve loved the Peanuts characters since I was a kid,” says Jessie Hoffman, who will play Snoopy in the production, and shares choreography duties with Demi Master. “They’re each so lovely, everyone can find a character they relate to. My childhood dream role was Snoopy… he’s always had a special place in my heart. I admire his imagination, how he can look at a doghouse and see a home, a bed, a plane, a writing desk for his typewriter, and more! I do my best each day to try to be as creative as he is. I’m honored that I get to bring him to life in this production.”

Justin Roland-Bramkamp, who will be playing Charlie Brown, agrees: “This show is special to me as it is the first music I sang together with my husband, Josh. It has also been a long time favorite of mine,” he says.

Along with Jessie Hoffman and Justin Roland-Bramkamp, Rommel-Enright has cast Heidi Salonia as Sally Brown, Jy’ireze Bell-Bennett as Schroeder, Christopher Ombres as Linus, and co-choreographer Demi Master as Lucy Van Pelt.  Michael Ursua is the production’s Music Director.

Tickets for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.maplewoodplayhouse.org/ or by phone at 561-657-6400.  Tickets are $35 plus service fee).

For more information about You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and/or Maplewood Playhouse, visit www.maplewoodplayhouse.org  or contact Carol Kassie at Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.

~

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (revised)
October 7th & 8th, 2022
Music & Lyrics:  Clark Gesner
Additional Music & Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Additional Dialogue by Michael Mayer
Based on the characters created by Charles M. Schulz
Performances: 
Friday at 7:30 pm
Saturday at 2 pm and 7:30 pm
Tickets:  $35 (plus service fee)
Direct link for tickets: 
https://www.ticketsource.us/Maplewood-Playhouse/youre-a-good-man-charlie-brown-revised/e-oxalgb   or
Call 561-657-6400
All performances will take place at
Maplewood Playhouse/Stage West at the Duncan Theatre
4200 Congress Avenue
Lake Worth, FL 33461
www.maplewoodplayhouse.org

  • Justin Roland-Bramkamp
  • Jessie Hoffman
  • Jy’ireze Bell-Bennett
  • Heidi Salonia
  • Demi Masters
  • Christopher Ombres

Pigs Do Fly Productions Presents THE SAVANNAH SIPPING SOCIETY – November 4 – 20

13 Tuesday Sep 2022

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“…the perfect show for these times – many of us have faced uncertainty, loss, and the struggle of rediscovering who we are and who we want to be – difficulties the characters in this show face with much humor and grace.”  Andrea Stephenson – Broadwayworld.com

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244

September 13, 2022

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL:   Rehearsals will begin shortly for Pigs Do Fly Productions’ production of the Jones, Hope, Wooten comedy, The Savannah Sipping Society.  The show will run from November 4th through November 20th at Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale.

Filled with laughter, hilarious misadventures, and the occasional liquid refreshment, The Savannah Sipping Society focuses on four unique Southern women, initially strangers, as they successfully bond and find the confidence to jump-start their lives.  Together they discover lasting friendships and a renewed determination to live in the moment – and most importantly, realize it’s never too late to make new old friends.

“This play is absolutely perfect for us,” says Pigs Do Fly’s Executive Producer Ellen Wacher.  “It completely fulfills our mission to produce plays that highlight actors – and characters – over the age of fifty, who are doing interesting things with their lives.  And these four women are certainly doing that!  We have assembled an amazing cast, who will bring these four women to life with humor, grace… and perfect timing.  And I can’t wait to see it!”

Ellen Wacher
Deborah Kondelik

“Everyone needs purpose, self-affirmation, and connection,” says the show’s director and Pigs Do Fly Productions’ Artistic Dirctor, Deborah Kondelik.  “The Savannah Sipping Society is about four women of a certain age, being accepted for who they are and realizing that there is more to life than they can imagine. It is through friendships and influences that the women in the play relearn how to have fun, make discoveries, and flourish. After all, ‘girls just wanna have fun!’”

Kondelik has cast Dalia Alemán as Randa, Barbara Bonilla as Marlafaye, Janice Hamilton as Jinx, Carol Sussman as Dot,and Donna Pacheco de Castro as Cordelia.

The Savannah Sipping Society’s Stage Manager is Joseph Long; David Hart will do the Sound Design; Preston Bircher will create the Lighting Design; director Deborah Kondelik will provide Costumes and Props, and MNM Theatre Company’s Jordon Armstrong and Johnbarry Green will Design and Construct the Set.   Jessica Kaschube is the Company Manager.

Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, collectively known as “Jones Hope Wooten”, enjoy the reputation of being three of the most popular and widely produced playwrights in the United States. They specialize in writing laugh-out-loud comedies and creating vivid strong roles for women.  Between them, they’ve written classic television, hit movies, and Off-Broadway comedy.

Tickets for The Savannah Sipping Society are $39 and are available online at www.pigsdoflyproductions.com  or by calling 954-678-1496.  Performances are on Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, and on Sunday at 5 pm. All performances will take place at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304.

For more information about Pigs Do Fly Productions, please visit www.pigsdoflyproductions.com.   For more information about Ellen Wacher, please visit www.ellenwacher.com.  To arrange for interviews, or for photos, please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.

~*~

The Savannah Sipping Society
By Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten (Jones, Hope, Wooten)
November 4 – 20, 2022
Directed by Deborah Kondelik
Performances:
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
Sunday at 5 pm
Tickets:  $39
For tickets:  www.pigsdoflyproductions.com / 954-678-1496
All performances will take place at
Empire Stage
1140 N. Flagler Drive
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
www.pigsdoflyproductions.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PigsDoFlyProductions/

  • Deborah Kondelik
  • Ellen Wacher
  • Barbara Bonilla
  • Carol Sussman
  • Janice Hamilton
  • Dalia Aleman
  • Dalia Aleman, Barbara Bonilla, Carol Sussman, Janice Hamilton, Donna Pacheco de Castro
  • Barbara Bonilla, Carol Sussman, Dalia Aleman, Janice Hamilton
  • Janice Hamilton, Barbara Bonilla, Dalia Aleman, Carol Sussman
  • Deborah Kondelik (Director) & Ellen Wacher (Executive Producer)
  • Dalia Aleman, Ellen Wacher, Barbara Bonilla, Carol Sussman, Joseph Long, Janice Hamilton, Deborah Kondelik, Donna Pacheco de Castro

The Celebrity Housewives Invade Delray Beach!

08 Thursday Sep 2022

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The Delray Beach Playhouse Presents
The Ultimate Girls Night Out
When
The Celebrity Housewives Invade Delray Beach!

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
Carol@CarolKassie.com /561-445-9244

September 8, 2022

DELRAY BEACH, FL:  Get ready to get real with your favorite Celebrity Housewives – onstage in person! The Delray Beach Playhouse is launching a special series this season featuring reality stars from all your favorite Housewives shows. Each evening will feature a different Housewife as they discuss the scandals and the high points of the ground-breaking TV program that changed the face of television!

Audiences will learn all about these dazzling ladies, their personal lives, cherished families, amazing businesses, and how fame has changed their lives forever! Meredith Marks (Salt Lake City) will take the stage on December 8, Dolores Catania (New Jersey) on February 2, Jill Zarin (New York) on February 23, and Marysol Patton (Miami) on March 23.

See below for more information about each of these Fabulous Housewives.

To purchase tickets or for more information about the Celebrity Housewives shows, visit www.delraybeachplayhouse.com or call 561-272-1281.  Tickets range in price from $50 to $75.  There will also be a limited number of Meet & Greet/Photo Op tickets available and an exclusive, very limited Ultimate V.I.P. Package for customers which includes a private “Meet & Greet” backstage, champagne toast, exclusive limited edition signed poster from the show, souvenir VIP Pass, and a personal photo op with the Celebrity Housewife prior to the show.

The Delray Beach Playhouse is located at 950 NW 9th Street, in Delray Beach, 33444. (561-272-1281).

For more information about The Celebrity Housewives at the Delray Beach Playhouse, contact  Kevin Barrett/Executive Director, Delray Beach Playhouse at kevinbarrettgm@gmail.com / 561-272-1281 or Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com /561-445-9244.

The Celebrity Housewives at the Delray Beach Playhouse:

Meredith Marks (Salt Lake City) December 8, 2022 @ 7:30 PM

Meredith Marks

Meredith Marks is an award winning and celebrity favorite jewelry designer and TV personality. After joining the cast of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City franchise in 2020, she quickly became a fan-favorite due to her extravagant looks and extensive background in fashion. As the founder of a multi-functional, luxury jewelry line ‘Meredith Marks Jewelry’ her designs have been worn by many A-list celebrities including Charlize Theron and Courteney Cox. Marks currently resides in Utah with her husband Seth and her two children, as she continues to embark on new business ventures. Third season premieres September 29th.

Dolores Catania (New Jersey) February 2, 2023 @ 7:30 PM

Dolores Catania

Dolores Catania came into the limelight when she joined the main cast in the seventh season of Bravo franchise The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Prior to becoming a television personality, she worked as a Surgical Technician and a Realtor. At present, Catania is a business entrepreneur owning and operating two local gyms, an active philanthropist who is involved with charities across the United States, and is most known for her recurring role as one of New Jersey’s favorite Housewives!

Jill Zarin (New York City) February 23, 2023 @ 7:30PM

Jill Zarin

As a former, and one of the original cast members of Bravo’s Real Housewives of New York City, and who recently appeared in “Ultimate Girls Trip”, Jill Zarin is no stranger to the spotlight! Zarin had a major career in fashion and textiles prior to her time on RHONY, which helped start her entrepreneurial journey of creating her own home decor and fashion line, The Jill Zarin Home collection. Aside from Zarin’s business and philanthropic endeavors, she appeared in the film “Night of the Wild” and has made multiple cameos on other Reality TV shows. As a current resident of Boca Raton, Florida, she focuses on her rapidly growing, woman-owned company Jill & Ally.

Marysol Patton (Miami) March 23, 2023 @ 7:30 PM

Marysol Patton

Marysol Patton, founder of one of the most premiere PR firms in Miami, The Patton Group, was an original member of Bravo TV’s Real Housewives of Miami franchise. After three seasons as a Miami Housewife, serving as both a main cast member and a “friend of”, she returned for the franchise’s revival on Peacock. Since then, she continues to film RHOM, while also running her high-end, successful PR firm.

(Photo credits: The Stander Group)

  • Meredith Marks
  • Marysol Patton
  • Jill Zarin
  • Dolores Catania