Category Archives: Clients

Carol Kassie’s clients.

Thinking Cap Theatre’s Neo-Restoration Comedy OR, at the Vanguard Sanctuary for the Arts – February 19 – March 5

03 Wednesday Feb 2016

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Thinking Cap Theatre at The Vanguard
presents
OR - ckFebruary 19 – March 5

“Love ceases to be a pleasure when it ceases to be a secret.” Aphra Behn

February 3, 2016
LAUDERDALE, FL: Thinking Cap Theatre will open its 2016 season with OR, Liz Duffy Adams’ wild and witty neo-restoration comedy set in the intriguing and intrigue-filled days of Charles II. The play will run at The Vanguard Sanctuary for the Arts in Ft. Lauderdale from February 19th through March 5th.

As the play’s title, OR, suggests, much remains uncertain about Aphra Behn, England’s first professional female playwright.  Was Aphra gay or straight?  A playwright or a whore?  A loyalist or a spy? Adams’ clever, bawdy, and riotous send-up of restoration comedy will give audiences plenty to ponder – and to laugh at – in this exploration of Behn, the decadent King Charles II, and their mutual lover, the stage beauty Nell Gwynne.

Thinking Cap Theatre at the Vanguard has quickly established itself as a respected presence in the South Florida theatrical community.  The company earned three Carbonell Award nominations during their 2015 season:  Ann Marie Olson (Best Actress in a Play, Always Patsy Cline), Barbara Sloan (Best Actress in a Play, Vita & Virginia), and Niki Fridh (Best Suporting Actress in a Play, Vita & Virginia).

Niki Fridh will star as Aphra Behn in OR, alongside Betsy Graver as Nell Gwynn, and Alex Alvarez as King Charles II.

Niki Fridh

Niki Fridh

“I’m thrilled to be joining TCT for my fifth production,” says Fridh. “Nicole is a friend and a true inspiration in my life, and when she told me that she wanted to do OR, and have me play Aphra Behn, of course I jumped at the opportunity to work with her again. She is a real visionary and the South Florida Theatre community it so very lucky to have her as an integral part of it. Nicole is the ONLY producer/director down here to take on such varying works and I love her sense of fearlessness and passion for theatre.”

Nicole Stodard

Nicole Stodard

“Most audiences will be unfamiliar with Behn’s name,” Stodard explains. “But it’s one that any lover of mystery, art, and liberty should know.  She was a royal spy, a bisexual, the author of more than 18 plays and countless volumes of poetry, and an innovator of the modern day novel. For centuries, Aphra, like so many other (women) artists had been edited out of history books,” she continues. “But she has thankfully been restored to her exciting place in history, thanks to artists such as Virginia Woolf and Liz Duffy Adams, and general increased interest in the 17th century because of films like The Libertine and Stage Beauty.  The era of Charles II’s court (1660-1685) was one of the sexiest and wittiest of all London ages, making it a blast to travel back in time to play with him, Aphra, and the great Nell Gwynne!”

Tickets for OR, are $35 ($20 for students with ID) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling 813-220-1546 or on line at www.thinkingcaptheatre.com .

The Vanguard Sanctuary for the Arts is located at 1501 S. Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, 33301.  There is free street parking surrounding the building and a metered municipal lot just south of The Vanguard on Andrews Ave.

For more information about Thinking Cap Theatre at the Vanguard visit www.thinkingcaptheatre.com.  or contact Nicole Stodard at nicole@thinkingcaptheatre.com / 813-220-1546 or Carol Kassie at ckassie@gmail.com  / 561-445-9244.

Or,
By Liz Duffy Adams
February 19 – March 5
Tickets:  $35 ($37.22 with s/c)
Students 25 and under with valid ID $20
For Tickets: 813-220-1546
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2492363   
www.vanguardarts.org
February 19 8pm
February 20 8pm
February 21 3 pm & 7 pm
February 25 8pm
February 26 8pm
February 27 8pm
February 28 5pm
March 2 8pm
March 3 8pm
March 4 8pm
March 5 8pm

All performances will take place at
The Vanguard Sanctuary for the Arts
1501 S. Andrews Avenue
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316
www.thinkingcaptheatre.com
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Critical Praise for OR,

“…Tom Stoppard is the most celebrated contemporary playwright to compose history-based fictions that occasionally take liberties with the facts. Many have tried to emulate the formula in his heady wake; most have sunk under the challenge… Ms. Adams fares remarkably well. Her language has a natural period flavor and a formidable wit; her characters possess the spark of fully animated spirits; and she weaves into her story both biographical detail and cultural context with grace.” –Charles Isherwood, New York Times. 

“Adams’s historical play celebrates not only Behn’s pioneering career, which Virginia Woolf famously memorialized in A Room of One’s Own (‘All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn’), but also the side of the writer’s tumultuous life that Woolf dismissed as ‘shady and amorous.’ [Adams] has written an Aphra-disiac valentine, not a stodgy bio-play.”—Rob Weinert-Kendt, TimeOut New York

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Shari Upbin presents WOMEN’S MINYAN – February 3rd, 2016

21 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in Clients, The Theatre Arts Series at B'nai Torah

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The Theatre Arts Series at B’nai Torah:
Shari Upbin
presents
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                                          February 3, 2016
“Ragen is… a champion of those who have no voice.”  ~ Amazon.com

BOCA RATON, FL: Naomi Ragen’s powerful play, Women’s Minyan resonates as deeply today as it did when it premiered in July 2002 at Habima National Theater in Tel Aviv.  A powerful and fascinating exploration of religious fundamentalism in a patriarchal society, the play is based on a true story.  Women’s Minyan will be performed at Boca Raton’s B’nai Torah on February 3, 2016 in the Weiner Auditorium.

Chana Sheinhoff, is the respected Rabbi’s wife in an ultra-Orthodox community in Jerusalem. After years of abuse by her husband, she breaks her silence only to find herself excommunicated and forcibly separated from her twelve children. She convenes a ‘minyan’ (a quorum) of women asking them to decide her worthiness to be reunited with her children.  Hearing for the first time what led to her divorce, this group of women explores the boundaries between religion and social convention, truth and falsehood, and women’s true place in the religious world.

Producer Shari Upbin, one of the driving forces behind B’nai Torah’s Theatre Arts Series, will direct Women’s Minyan.   The production will feature Faiza Cherie as Chana Sheinhoff, along with Rene Barrett, Fern Katz, Abby Linker, Peggy Linker, Ellie Murray, Clelia Patrizio, Renee Rogoff, Phyllis Spear, and Skylar Voelker.  Jeffrey Bruce will provide the voice of the Rabbi.  Sound design for the production is by Carbonell Award-winner Matt Corey and lighting design is by Sean Cutler, Artistic Director of Ft. Lauderdale Children’s Theatre and winner of the 2015 BroadwayWorld.com Best Director of a Musical award.  Live music will accompany the production.

Women’s Minyan has received universally rave reviews whenever and wherever the play has been produced, and praise for Upbin’s production of the play, which ran at the West Boca Theatre Company at the Levis Jewish Community Center in Boca Raton in November 2012 was unanimous.

Women’s Minyan will run for one performance, only – on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016, at 7:30 pm at Congregation B’nai Torah in Boca Raton.  Tickets are $36 ($25 for congregational members), and may be purchased by calling 561-392-8566 or on line at www.bnai-torah.org.  Group rates are available.

For more information about Women’s Minyan or Shari Upbin, please contact Carol Kassie at ckassie@gmail.com / 561-445-9244.

Women’s Minyan
by Naomi Ragen
Produced and Directed By Shari Upbin
February 3rd, 2016
7:30 pm
Tickets:  $36 ($25 for congregational members)
Phone: 561-392-8566
B’nai Torah Congregation
The Weiner Auditorium
6261 SW 18th Street
Boca Raton, FL 33433
www.bnai-torah.org

Shari2Shari Upbin:
Shari Upbin (Producer/Director) has been a theatre professional since the age of 13 when she became a member of Actors Equity. (Her father was a writer for Jack Benny). She has been a professional tap dancer and choreographer and is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers; she was the president of the League of Professional Theatre Women/New York for seven years, and is currently President of the National Society Of Arts And Letters, Florida East Coast Chapter.
Shari has produced and directed over 50 productions in New York and around the country. Her directing Credits include Vincent, The Passions Of The Artist Van Gogh, Danny And Sylvia at the Forum Theatre in New Jersey. Other credits include Life With Father,  Fiddler On The Roof, Cabaret, Jacques Brel, and The Roar Of The Greasepaint; she was awarded Best Director for her production of Side By Side By Sondheim. Shari will be producing the national classical ballet competition En Pointe in South Florida in 2017.
Along with Women’s Minyan, some of Shari’s Florida directing credits include Broadway Live! and Hollywood Live!, Confessions Of A Jewish Shiksa Dancing On Hitler’s Grave at the Kravis Center, Dames In Divaland, From Door to Door, and In the Voice of Our Mothers (at the Posner JCC).
Shari served as assistant director to the world renowned British Director Michael Langham for the first Black/Hispanic Julius Caesar and Coriolanus at the New York Shakespeare Festival with Joe Papp starring Morgan Freeman.
Shari Upbin and Sandi Durell have been long time producing partners in Hollywood Live! and Broadway Live! as well as the Manhattan Association of Cabaret Award nominated Timeless Divas! series with hosts Ben Verreen, Tony Randall,  Karen Mason,  Tovah Feldshuh , Phyllis Newman, and Leslie Uggams.  Shari is currently teaching a master class, and will be staging Tony Finstrom’s Wave Your Flag for the Jan McArt Playwright’s Series at Lynn University.

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MY SON THE WAITER: A JEWISH TRAGEDY – February 4 – March 27 at The Palm Beaches Theatre

11 Monday Jan 2016

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WaiterNewLogo_July28-3 at
The Palm Beaches Theatre
(Formerly Florida Stage/Plaza Theatre)
February 4 – March 27, 2016

Actor/Comedian Brad Zimmerman’s hilarious and inspiring story
about the grit and passion required to ‘make it’ as an artist and the sweet rewards that come from never giving up on your dream. 

January 12, 2016

MANALAPAN, FL:  Brad Zimmerman’s My Son the Waiter:  A Jewish Tragedy is the story of one man’s struggle to fulfill his dream and ‘make it’ as a comedic actor in New York.  One part standup, one part theatrical, and all parts uproarious My Son the Waiter:  A Jewish Tragedy will open at Manalapan’s Palm Beaches Theatre on February 4th, and run through March 27th.

Brad Zimmerman

Brad Zimmerman has paid his dues.  He spent 29 years “temporarily” waiting tables in
New York, all the while chasing a career in acting and comedy.  He tells of his pursuit, along with stories about his childhood, family, and misbegotten love life with warmth, wit, self deprecating humor, and wicked charm, and combines his years of training as an actor with his innate comedic talent.

And of course Zimmerman also examines the trials and tribulations of waiting on tables – particularly for someone not exactly invested in that career, and with little tolerance for persnickety diners:

“I don’t want 60 questions, get to the point!” he said he would tell restaurant patrons when he sat down for a recent interview for The New York Times. He joked that if diners prefaced their orders by saying they were in a hurry he would say “So go!” He says he did enjoy some of the bantering he did with diners, and often tried out material on them, however there were also ‘the bossy customers who would snap their fingers to get his attention… and the health-food obsessives who elaborately customized their orders and button-holed him over ingredients.’  As he says in My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy, he was convinced his epitaph would read “I’ll be right with you.”

His perseverance and hard work eventually did pay off, and Zimmerman went on to act – he had a small part in “The Sopranos” playing Johnny Sack’s lawyer – and become the opening act for a number of well-known entertainers, including George Carlin, Brad Garrett, Dennis Miller, Julio Iglesias, and Joan Rivers who said “I’ve had three great opening acts in my lifetime:  Billy Crystal, Garry Shandling, and Brad Zimmerman.”

Brad Zimmerman

Zimmerman worked on the script for My Son the Waiter:  A Jewish Tragedy for 9 years and performed it in small venues all over the country, including a stint at Stage Door Theatre in Margate, where it came to the attention of producers Dana Matthow and Philip Roy (Respect: A Musical Journey of Women, Old Jews Telling Jokes, My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m in Therapy). Since then My Son the Waiter:  A Jewish Tragedy spent 2 years at Off-Broadway’s Stage 72 at the Triad Theatre in New York, and has toured the USA from coast to coast.

My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy will run from February 4th through March 27th at the Palm Beaches Theatre in Manalapan (formerly Florida Stage/Plaza Theatre).  Tickets are on sale now, and are available on line at MySonTheWaiter.com or by phone at 844-448-7469.  For group rates (12 +) call 888-264-1788.  Tickets for My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy range from $40 – $65.

For more information about My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy please visit MySonTheWaiter.com or contact Carol Kassie at 561-445-9244 / ckassie@gmail.com.

Photographs and graphics available on request.
~
My Son the Waiter:  A Jewish Tragedy
By Brad Zimmerman
February 4 – March 27, 2016
Tickets:  $40 – $65
Phone:  844-448-7469
  On Line: MySonTheWaiter.com
Group Rates (12 +):  888-264-1788
Showtimes:
Thursday 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm
Friday 7:30 pm
Saturday 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm
Sunday 2:00 pm
The Palm Beaches Theatre
250 South Ocean Blvd., 33462
Manalapan, FL
(East Ocean Ave. & A1A – Formerly Florida Stage/Plaza Theatre)
MySonTheWaiter.com
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Praise for My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy:

“Delicious! Distinctly original… powerfully poignant.” “Great Comedy!” ~ The New York Times

“A Must See. It’s Hysterical, Heartfelt, Timely and Poignant. I cried, I laughed, I forgot where I parked.” ~ Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond)

“Like Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays.” – Jewish Week

“This is easily the funniest show to hit an off-Broadway stage since ‘Old Jews Telling Jokes.’ What makes this SUPERIOR is that it isn’t just jokes. It’s a life.” ~ The Jewish Daily Forward

“HILARIOUS! The humor is universal!” ~ San Diego Union Tribune

“AN ABSOLUTE MUST-SEE! You’ll laugh and you’ll walk out of the theater with a lesson: If you can find something that you truly love, it gives your life meaning. ~ Palm Beach Arts Paper

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A JEW GROWS IN BROOKLYN Returns to the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center – January 24 – 26

05 Tuesday Jan 2016

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The Broadway Smash
Returns to The Aventura Arts & Cultural Center
Eblast 1 JEJanuary 24-26

“Charmingly infectious, touching and poignant…delightfully irresistible.
You’ll laugh your head off!” ~ New York Theater Scene

 January 6, 2016

AVENTURA, FL:  After a record-breaking success at the historic Lambs Theater in the heart of Broadway in 2006-2007, and a reprise in 2012, Jake Ehrenreich returns to South Florida and the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center for a limited run of just four encore performances of his hit show A Jew Grows in Brooklyn.  The show will run from January 24-26, 2016.

Ehrenreich’s “rock ‘n roll true story, Holocaust family, Borscht Belt” autobiographical comedy sold out when it played at Aventura last season.

Jake001a_highWhen Jake Ehrenreich was growing up in Brooklyn in the 1960s and 70’s, he wanted nothing more than to be All American. But his Yiddish-speaking parents, who failed to understand the game of baseball or make sense of rock music, made it difficult for him to feel part of the mainstream culture. In his comedy musical memoir, A Jew Grows in Brooklyn, directed by Jon Huberth, Ehrenreich explores how his family history, dominated by the shadow of the Holocaust, shaped the man he turned out to be. A multimedia performance, complete with photos and video of his relatives, bar mitzvah, and wedding – and filled with laughter, tears, and music, Ehrenreich’s stories will resonate with audiences of all ages.

“I wanted to tell a very serious story – but make it accessible with as much joy and laughter and music as possible”. Ehrenreich said, noting that his show is mostly upbeat and optimistic.

Leather Jacket IIThe New York Times raved: A Jew Grows in Brooklyn is “funny… touching… beautiful… dazzling… you don’t have to be Jewish or Brooklynish…” and compared Ehrenreich to Billy Crystal and Bill Murray. The Philadelphia Inquirer called the show “An uplifting treasure with universal appeal – in the same elevated company as Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays, and Chaz Palminteri’s A Bronx Tale.”

Jake Ehrenreich, 58, an award winning actor, playwright, musician and author, has appeared on Broadway in Dancin’, Barnum and They’re Playing Our Song and toured internationally as Ringo in Beatlemania. He has performed and recorded with such diverse artists as Richie Havens, Greg Allman, Tito Puente, Cab Calloway, Jay Leno and the Smothers Brothers.

After over 2,000 performances, and a National Tour of more than 25 cities, the extraordinary success of the stage play has spawned many branches, including a full-length book, A Jew Grows in Brooklyn: The Curious Reflections of a First Generation American (Published by HCI), a PBS documentary in the works, A Jew Grows in Brooklyn Day proclaimed in New York City, and even a sandwich namesake at the famous Carnegie Deli.

While A Jew Grows in Brooklyn is widely known for its comedy, it successfully uses laughter to convey a broader message.  The Los Angeles Times said:

“Ehrenreich is an engaging and thoughtful raconteur who weaves philosophy into personal history. His insight into the legacy of the classic Borscht Belt entertainers is elegant in its simplicity. They made Jewish comedy synonymous with American comedy, but for Holocaust survivors and their offspring their contribution was even more special and profound: They taught us to laugh again.”

A Jew Grows in Brooklyn will run from January 24 to 26 at The Aventura Arts & Cultural Center.  Tickets for A Jew Grows in Brooklyn range from $45 – $75 and can be purchased by phone at 877-311-7469 or on line at www.aventuracenter.org. For information about group rates (10 or more) call 954-660-6307.

For more information about A Jew Grows in Brooklyn and/or Jake Ehrenreich, please visit www.jakeehrenreich.com or contact Carol Kassie (ckassie@gmail.com / 561-445-9244).

Photographs and graphics are available at:
http://www.jakeehrenreich.com/press-shots.html

A video featuring highlights from A Jew Grows in Brooklyn can be seen HERE.
~*~

A Jew Grows in Brooklyn
By Jake Ehrenreich
January 24 – 26, 2016
Tickets:  $45 – $75
Phone: 305-466-8002
Group Sales:  954-660-6307
To Order Tickets on Line: http://tinyurl.com/zv4j9g4
Performances:
January 24 at 3 pm & 7 pm
January 25 at 8 pm
January 26 at 8 pm
Aventura Arts & Cultural Center
3385 NE 188th Street
Aventura, FL 33180
www.jakeehrenreich.com
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Stage Door Theatre presents CARNIVAL January 22 – February 28, 2016

04 Monday Jan 2016

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Stage Door Theatre
PresentsCarnival logo - ckJanuary 22 – February 28, 2016

 “…shiny soap bubble of a musical…
Ben Brantley ~ NY Times

January 5, 2016

MARGATE, FL:  Acclaimed for its ‘magic’, ‘simplicity’, and ‘compassion’, Carnival blends music, comedy, and pathos into what has been referred to as ‘America’s Magical Musical’.  Carnival will open at Margate’s Stage Door Theatre on January 22nd and run through February 28th.

Adapted from the 1953 film Lili, which was in turn based on short story by Paul Gallico (‘The Man Who Hated People’), Carnival tells the tale of Lili, an orphan, who arrives at a small European carnival seeking a friend of her late father’s and, she hopes, an offer of a home. There she is pulled between two masculine forces in the company: magician Marco the Magnificent and Paul, a misanthropic puppeteer.   Michael Stewart (Hello Dolly) wrote the book, and Bob Merrill (lyricist for Funny Girl and numerous pop songs including ‘How Much is that Doggie in the Window’) wrote Carnival’s music and lyrics.  The original production was directed and choreographed by Gower Champion.

Carnival debuted in 1961 won several awards, including two Tonys, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award as Best Musical of 1962. The title song ‘Theme from Carnival (Love Makes the World Go ‘Round)’ has become a standard in the lexicon of American musical theatre.

Dan Kelley

Dan Kelley

Stage Door’s artistic director Dan Kelley will direct the production:
“I’m so excited about this show,” Kelley says.  “I love a challenge and this project provided many. Where do I the find puppets that play such an important part in the story? I knew Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut did a production of Carnival in 2010, so I gave them a call – and the next thing I knew I had rented the complete set that were designed and built by master puppeteer Robert Smythe.  And,” he continues, “The puppets were underwritten by a very generous donation from The Friends of the Cultural Arts!

“I had to find an ensemble that not only could sing and dance but also had to possess all sorts of crazy circus skills, so I put an ad in Playbill and was lucky to find ten very talented and flexible, performers – our audiences will see jugglers, acrobats, aerialists, and puppeteers.

“The show starts out in a field and the performers erect a circus tent in front of the audience-ugh- what?” he continues “I called set designer Michael McClain and he didn’t run screaming from the meeting – and his design for the show is as magical as it needs to be. So many specialty costumes needed to be built so I called Larry Bauman and he agreed and has done some beautiful sketches and is probably sewing, and cursing me, at this very moment! I needed an innovative choreographer who wasn’t daunted by this huge show and I remembered Ben Solmor and the fine work he did with last year’s production of Cabaret; I gave him a call and he agreed to join the team.  Rounding out my Carnival production staff is multiple Carbonell Award-winner and great friend, musical director David Nagy.”

Kelley’s Lili will be played by Anjane Girwarr:
“I have particularly enjoyed getting to know Michael Stewart’s Lili,” she says.  “She’s a beacon of optimistic light, and a portrayal of how no matter what the world throws at you, persistent positivity can transform even the most cynical.  Bob Merrill’s music beautifully helps promote these ideas in Lili’s nostalgic ‘Mira’, and ‘Love Makes the World Go ‘Round’, songs that I love to sing.”

Other cast members include Bruno Faria as Paul, Alexa Baray as Rosalie, Michael Santora as Marco, Jason Plourde as Schlegel, Sebastian Lombardo as Jaquot, and Sean Dorazio as Grobert and Dr. Glass.

Carnival will run from January 22 to February 28 at The Stage Door Theatre. Tickets for Carnival are $38 – $42; $16 student tickets are also available.  Tickets may be purchased at the Broward Stage Door Theatre box office at 954-344-7765 or on line at www.stagedoortheatre.com. Group and Subscriber Discounts are available for all Stage Door productions

For more information about Carnival and/or The Stage Door Theatre, please visit www.stagedoortheatre.com , or contact Derelle Bunn Executive Producer/Artistic Director, at DerelleBunn@yahoo.com / 954-344-7765 or Carol Kassie (ckassie@gmail.com / 561-445-9244).

Carnival
January 22 – February 28, 2016
Music and Lyrics by Bob Merrill
Book by Michael Stewart
Based on the story by Paul Gallico and the screenplay for Lili by Helen Deutsch
Tickets:  $38 – $42
Phone:  954-344-7765
Showtimes:
Wednesday, Saturday, &  Sunday at 2 pm,
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
Stage Door Theatre
8036 W Sample Rd
Margate, Fl 33065
www.stagedoortheatre.com
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KWP Productions presents MARY POPPINS – January 8th – January 17th, 2016

21 Monday Dec 2015

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KWP productions logo
presents
MP---Eblast
Mary Poppins
January 8th – January 17th, 2016

“Just as I thought: Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way.”
~ Mary Poppins

December 21, 2015
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL: KWP Productions has some ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ entertainment in store for audiences of all ages when their production of Mary Poppins opens at the William T. Dwyer High School Theatre in Palm Beach Gardens on January 8th. The show will run through January 17th.

Based on the books by P.L. Travers and the beloved Walt Disney film, Mary Poppins is an enchanting mixture of irresistible story, unforgettable songs, breathtaking dance numbers and astonishing stage craft.

KWP Productions’ Kimberly Rommel-Enright will direct the production, which will feature Victoria Devereaux as Mary, and Sean Gogan as Bert.

“Perhaps one of the most iconic and memorable movies of my childhood was Mary Poppins,” says Rommel-Enright. “I have always loved all things Disney, so as adult I am thrilled to be able to produce and direct Disney shows such as Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan and now Mary Poppins. It allows me an opportunity to relive my childhood and to share that with an audience.

The bar is set pretty high when you choose to bring stories, characters, and songs that audiences know and love to life – and this updated version definitely retains the magic – and the music – of the original.

“I am blessed with a very talented cast with whom I have entrusted these well known characters,” she continues.  “And this show is also an opportunity for many of our younger actors to be in a mainstage production and to work alongside professional actors learning and growing in their craft. Some of my favorite moments during rehearsal are when I can sit back and listen to songs being rehearsed or watch a dance being taught and practiced. I am often found grinning ear to ear and tapping my feet.  The music is infectious as is the energy and enthusiasm of the cast. That is one of the things that makes this company so special – the love and joy we have for each other and for the work, and that we get to share that with an audience.”

“The music is vibrant and uplifting,” Lindsay White, the show’s choreographer says. “It has inspiring lively dance numbers including “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and our big tap number, “Step in Time”. Choreographing Mary Poppins has reminded me to open my eyes to the magical things that happen all around me every day.”

Victoria Devereaux

Victoria Devereaux

“It is an absolutely amazing experience transforming into the iconic role of Mary Poppins,” says Victoria Devereaux. “I have been performing with KWP through many shows; I’ve played Ariel in The Little Mermaid and most recently Morticia in The Addams Family, but this is one of my favorite roles. I am delighted to be a part of this lovely and amazingly talented cast and I’m ecstatic to share this show with everyone.”

Sean Gogan

Sean Gogan

Sean Gogan, who plays Bert agrees. “It is very challenging to take on such a well known role as Bert in the musical Mary Poppins,” he explains. “But I am very excited about the opportunity to make the character my own in our KWP Production version of this classic tale, while staying true to the story everyone knows and loves. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn new and challenging things through my work with KWP from learning silks in Tarzan to tap dancing for Mary Poppins. This show in particular is full of energy, fun, and lessons like “anything can happen if you let it!” I can’t wait to share our practically perfect nanny with the South Florida Community!”

Mary Poppins will run fromJanuary 8 – January 17, 2016 at William T. Dwyer High School Theatre. Tickets for Mary Poppins range from $27 – $15. Tickets may be purchased at the on line at http://kwpproductions.com or by phone at 561-339-4687.

For more information about Mary Poppinsand/or KWP Productions, please visit http://kwpproductions.com , or Kimberly Rommel-Enright Managing Director at kenright@kwpproductions.com /561-339-4687/561-352-5671 or Carol Kassie (ckassie@gmail.com / 561-445-9244).

Mary Poppins
January 8 – 17, 2016
Original Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Book by Julian Fellowes
New Songs and Additional Music and Lyrics by George Stiles
and Anthony Drewe
Co-Created by Cameron Mackintosh
Tickets:
$27 – Adults – Front Orchestra
$25 – Adults – Back Orchestra
$25 – Students W/ID – Front Orchestra
$23 – Students W/ID – Back Orchestra
$18 – Seniors (55+)/Children (2-10) Front Orchestra
$15 – Seniors (55+)/Children (2-10) Back Orchestra
Phone:  561-339-4687
To purchase tickets on line:  http://kwpproductions.com
Showtimes:
Friday & Saturday at 7 pm
Saturday & Sunday at 2 pm
All performances will take place at
William T. Dwyer High School Theatre
13601 North Military Trail
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 3341
http://kwpproductions.com
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About KWP Productions:

KWP Productions is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of performers and theatre goers. “We love working with professional actors and young people to create shows for young and old alike. Through our productions we strive to teach our young actors about the craft of acting as well as the process it takes to create a full scale production. Our auditions are open to the public.For those who come to see our shows we hope to instill a lifelong love of theatre. We endeavor to create a magical experience they will remember for years to come.”

KWP Productions also provides a full range of theatrical classes in Jupiter for children, teens and adults.For more information call 561-339-4687

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THE JAZZ SINGER at the Willow Theatre – January 8 – 24, 2016

21 Monday Dec 2015

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Black Box Booking & Hy Juter
present
JAZZ LOGO

January 8 – 24, 2016

December 21, 2015
BOCA RATON, FL: A talented son’s passion for music versus his deep commitment to his father and his heritage is the heart and soul of the classic story of The Jazz Singer. A musical version of The Jazz Singer, based upon the 1925 play by Samson Raphaelson will run from January 8th through January 24th at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park.

275px-Samson_Raphaelson

Samson Raphaelson

Raphaelson’s play was based upon his own short story ‘The Day of Atonement’, written after he attended the musical Robinson Crusoe, Jr. in Chicago in 1917 starring a 37 year-old singer named Al Jolson. To Raphaelson, Jolson’s performance, particularly “his velocity, the amazing fluidity with which he shifted from tremendous absorption in his audience to a tremendous absorption in his song,” felt shockingly familiar. “When he finished I turned to the girl beside me, dazed with memories of my childhood on the East Side (of New York), and thought, ‘My God, this isn’t a jazz singer. This is a cantor!’”

This adaptation of Raphaelson’s play is a dynamic musical that explores the internal coming of age struggle of a talented son’s passion for music interfering with his cantor father’s plans for him to follow in his footsteps. The musical features songs by various iconic artists and composers including Irving Berlin and George Gershwin. Numbers include “You Made Me Love You”, “Baby Face”, “Mammy”, “I’m Sittin’ on Top of the World”, “I’m Just Wild About Harry”, and “April Showers”.

Kevin Black will direct the production, which will feature Larry Buzzeo as The Jazz Singer.   Also cast are Katie Angell Thomas, Larry Kent Bramble, Elissa D. Solomon, Floyd Nash, and Bob Levitt.

kevin_black

Kevin Black

“When I reread the play, the first thing I did was remove the image of Al Jolson from my mind,” Black explains. “The Jazz Singer has been recreated numerous times, and it’s a story that’s been loved by many people for many years. Yet it still resonates today. It addresses father-son relationships, inter-religious issues, and the never-ending internal struggle between passion and practicality. This version of The Jazz Singer is based on the original play that was eventually made into the first successful ‘talkie’ starring Al Jolson. But even though our production is very nostalgic, in no way is it a tribute to Jolson.”

The Jazz Singer will run from January 8 through January 24th at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park. Tickets are $35; group rates (6 or more tickets purchased in one transaction) are $22. Tickets can be purchased on line at www.willowtheatre.org/the-jazz-singer-the-musical or by phone at 561-347-3948.

For more information about The Jazz Singer and/or Black Box Booking please visit www.blackboxbooking.com or contact Carol Kassie (ckassie@gmail.com / 561-445-9244).

The Jazz Singer
Based on the play by Samson Raphaelson
January 8 – January 24, 2016
Tickets: $35
Group rates: $22 (6 or more tickets purchased in one transaction)
Phone: 561-347-3948
   Showtimes:
Thursday, Friday, & Saturday at 8:00 pm,
Saturday & Sunday at 2:00 pm
The Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park
300 S. Military Trail
Boca Raton, FL 33486
http://www.willowtheatre.org

 

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BOTH SIDES OF A FAMOUS LOVE AFFAIR – THE JACKIE MASON MUSICAL – At Empire Stage – January 7 – 24, 2016

08 Tuesday Dec 2015

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Triton Talent
presents
LOGO DaveBoth Sides of a Famous Love Affair –
The Jackie Mason Musical
January 7 – 24, 2016

“….an astonishing show that was touching, yet hilarious. I would recommend
it to anyone who wants a good laugh, terrific musical numbers,
and an entertaining show!  Rating: 5 Stars”
Daniel Yusum – The Examiner

December 9, 2015
LAUDERDALE, FL: In 1988 in Florida’s Dade County, Ginger Reiter sued comedian Jackie Mason for paternity, claiming he was the father of her daughter Sheba. She won. Reiter went on to become a high school English teacher in South Florida, and raised her daughter on her own (Mason did pay child support until Sheba turned 18). But she also had a story to tell, and a unique one at that.   Both Sides of a Famous Love Affair – The Jackie Mason Musical is Reiter’s light-hearted, laughter-filled musical recounting of her relationship with Mason, starring the result of that much contested union – her daughter Sheba Mason.

Both Sides of a Famous Love Affair: The Jackie Mason Musical will run at Empire Stage in Ft. Lauderdale from January 7th through January 24th. The production had an extremely successful three year run Off Broadway.

Reiter’s tale begins at The Rascal House Deli on Miami’s Collins Avenue in 1977, where Mason – a renowned 46 year old comedian (David R. Gordon), spots a pretty young college girl, Ginger (Sheba Mason). Along for the ride is her overbearing mother, Mrs. Olivier (Meredith Cariski), who engineers the entire affair – even down to a black negligee. Romance does bloom, and Mason woos Ginger each time he visits South Florida. The problem is that Jackie is pursuing several other women at the same time, including a ravishing young Latina waitress Trixie (Cristina Blanco) and Rosa (Vicki Klein), a senior citizen waitress with attitude. Ginger becomes pregnant, Jackie denies his paternity, and a complicated relationship ensues.

The musical’s original score, written by Ginger Reiter, the woman in the eye of this comedic storm includes “Ode to the Early Bird Special” and “I Never Met This Yenta. The seven member cast also includes New York actor Charles Baran as Wooley the Schlepalong, Joseph Long as Nelson Zee ‘the Enraged Fan’, and Elaine Budnick as Sophie. Musical direction will be by Kelley Olson, and Reiter, who also wrote the script, will direct the production.

Sheba Mason

Sheba Mason

Sheba Mason’s first stage role at the age of two was as a prop in one of her mother’s plays. Raised in Boca Raton, she is a stand-up comic. Her home base is in the New York comedy clubs, including The Broadway Comedy Club, The New York Comedy Club, and The Comic Strip; she also appears throughout the country, including Las Vegas and California. Sheba is often a guest on the Artie Lang Show, and recently starred in a Rearview Films web series debuting in March 2016 called “Non-Disclosure”. Sheba has been performing as her mother Ginger in the Off Broadway version of The Jackie Mason Musical since 2013.

Ginger Reiter

Ginger Reiter

Ginger Reiter is a former Wellington High School English teacher who quit teaching to focus full-time on managing the musicals and comedies she writes. Other plays include 700 Wives The Musical – Solomon’s Saga (Off Off Broadway), and Mel Schwartz Sleeps with Mae West, which will open in New York in 2016. She performs a one-woman show “Schtick with The Matriarchs” throughout the Florida Condo Circuit and is married to Manny Silver – the world’s only Cantor/Celebrity-Impressionist.  She claims that Jackie Mason was more than a love – he was “an experience and an education” – and riotously funny off stage.

Tickets for Both Sides Of A Famous Love Affair – The Jackie Mason Musical are $39.99 and are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased on line at www.thejackiemasonmusical.com or by phone at 866-811-4111.

For more information about Both Sides Of A Famous Love Affair – The Jackie Mason Musical visit www.thejackiemasonmusical.com; to arrange to speak with anyone involved in the production or for further information, contact Carol Kassie at ckasssie@gmail.com/561-445-9244.
Photographs and graphics available on request.

Both Sides Of A Famous Love Affair – The Jackie Mason Musical
By Ginger Reiter
January 7 – 24, 2016
Tickets: $39.99 (Use discount code EBLAST to purchase tickets at $24.50)
Performances:
Thursday, Friday, & Saturday at 8 pm
Sunday at 5 pm
For tickets:  866-811-4111
To purchase tickets on line: http://tinyurl.com/q3slnxk
All performances will take place at
Empire Stage
1140 N. Flagler Drive
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304

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Stage Door Theatre presents POMPADOUR – December 26, 2015 – January 31, 2016

07 Monday Dec 2015

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Stage-Door-Logo---960x260presents
Pomp LogoDecember 26, 2015 – January 31, 2016
It’s the music you remember made famous by the singers and groups you’ll never forget. So put your comb in your pocket, your brush in your bag, and get ready to raise the roof!

December 8, 2015

MARGATE, FL:  What do the Everly Brothers, Bobby Darrin, B.B. King, Frank and Elvis have in common?  Great music… and great hair!  Pompadour, a new musical review by Michael Leeds and Kevin Black features a quintet of ‘pompadoured’ guys singing and dancing through five decades of unforgettable music.  The production will run from December 26th, 2015 through January 31st, 2016.

Michael Leeds

Michael Leeds

“A few years ago I was out browsing through CDs and it was surprising to see the number of current male artists – like Justin Beiber and Bruno Mars – who sported the classic pompadour,” says Leeds.  “And I started thinking about the many singers through the years who’ve worn that style. After some research I discovered that the Pompadour originated as a symbol of both beauty and rebellion, and its lineage includes some of our greatest artists and groups spanning decades of music. And that was the genesis for a new musical revue called Pompadour!

“I divided the show into seven segments, the same way I had done with Swinging On A Star, but instead of a journey through time, it’s a journey through the different musical styles,” Leeds continues. “Our guides are five amazingly talented guys who all sing, dance, act, and play musical instruments!  We travel from Pop standards to Latin to Country to R&B, using the music made famous by solo artists (all pompadoured!) like Sinatra, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Jose Feliciano; duos like the Righteous Brothers and the Everly Brothers, and great groups like the Temptations, the Beach Boys, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.  When you’ve got a show that goes everywhere from Good Golly Miss Molly to La Bamba, from Midnight Train To Georgia to Witchcraft, it’s, – to quote a song we use – Unforgettable!”

Kevin Black

Kevin Black

“From the very first conceptual meeting, over two years ago now, I knew Michael had something special with his concept for Pompadour,” says Kevin Black, who will act as the show’s co-director and choreographer. “We had never worked together before, but 15 minutes into the conversation, I knew this collaboration would be a great one!

“First and foremost, we needed a must-talented cast. After over a year of auditioning, we found our five guys who not only have incredible voices, but are also very talented dancers, tappers and play piano, sax and acoustic guitar,” Black says. “As for set design, we knew we wanted a large LED screen, allowing us limitless possibilities in our seven thematic segments. Bringing in Michael McClain and Manny Schwartzman has taken our original vision to an even more creative place. We are all looking forward to seeing our vision come to life over the next few weeks.”

Leeds and Black’s five Pompadoured guys are Anthony Massaraotto, Stephen Millet, Preston Grover, Brandon Godfrey, and Jay Wilkinson.

Pompadour will run from December 26, 2015 – January 31, 2016 at The Stage Door Theatre.

Tickets for Pompadour are $38 – $42; $16 student tickets are also available. Tickets may be purchased at the Broward Stage Door Theatre box office at 954-344-7765 or on line at www.stagedoortheatre.com. Group and Subscriber Discounts are available for all Stage Door productions

For more information about Pompadour and/or The Stage Door Theatre, please visit www.stagedoortheatre.com , or contact Derelle Bunn Executive Producer/Artistic Director, at DerelleBunn@yahoo.com / 954-344-7765 or Carol Kassie (ckassie@gmail.com / 561-445-9244).

Pompadour
December 26, 2015 – January 31, 2016
Conceived by Michael Leeds & Kevin Black
Tickets: $38 – $42
Phone:  954-344-7765
Showtimes:
Wednesday, Saturday, & Sunday at 2 pm
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
Stage Door Theatre
8036 W. Sample Road<
Margate, FL  33065
www.stagedoortheatre.com
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Stage Door Theatre presents GYPSY November 20 – January 3

16 Monday Nov 2015

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Stage Door Theatre
presents
Gypsy (mailer)November 20 – January 3

Louise: You really would have been something, Mother.
Mama Rose: Think so?
Louise: If you had had someone to push you like I had.
Mama Rose: If I could’ve been, I would’ve been. And that’s show business.
~ Gypsy

November 16, 2015
MARGATE, FL:   Gypsy has been called “the greatest of all American musicals” (Ben Brantley, The New York Times), “arguably, in thematic terms, the quintessential American musical,” (The Hollywood Reporter), and “Broadway’s own brassy, unlikely answer to King Lear”. (Frank Rich, The New York Times). Stage Door Theatre’s production of Gypsy, directed by the company’s newly appointed artistic director Dan Kelley, and starring 2014 Carbonell Award-winner (Best Actress/Musical) Ann Marie Olson, will open on November 20th, and run through January 3rd.

Loosely based on the 1957 memoir of strip tease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, Gypsy focuses on the hopes, dreams, and gargantuan efforts of Mama Rose (“one of the few truly complex characters in the American musical….” Clive Barnes, New York Times), whose efforts to get her two daughters into show business makes her the archetypal picture of a ‘stage mother’ – a woman who will stop at nothing to make sure she gets what she wants – entirely disregarding the needs of everyone around her – including those very daughters whose lives she tries to direct and control.

Gypsy features songs that have become standards of musical theatre canon, including “Some People,” “Let Me Entertain You,” “Rose’s Turn,” and the show-stopping, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”. Famous for helping launch lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s career, Gypsy’s book by Arthur Laurents is widely considered to be one of the classic examples of a traditional “book musical.”

“Rose is such a coveted, iconic role and I couldn’t be more honored to play her,” says Olson, who arrives at Stage Door directly from her critically acclaimed performance as Sandra Bloom in Slow Burn Theatre Company’s Big Fish.

Dan Kelley 3

Dan Kelley

“I’m so excited to be directing one of my favorite musicals of all time,” says Kelley, “Because of my great affection for this show I took special care in finding the perfect cast to bring Gypsy to life.” Kelley has cast Matthew Korinko as Herbie, and real life sisters Lola and Zoe McClure to play Baby June and Louise.

Ann Marie Olson

Ann Marie Olson

“Dan Kelley is such a delightful director and knows this famous “book musical” oh so well,” says Olson. “And after doing several shows with Matthew Korinko over the past few years, it will be fun to finally play opposite of him as a couple!”

Gypsy will run from November 20 – January 3 at The Stage Door Theatre.
Tickets for Gypsy are $38 – $42; $16 student tickets are also available. Tickets may be purchased at the Broward Stage Door Theatre box office at 954-344-7765 or on line at www.stagedoortheatre.com. Group and Subscriber Discounts are available for all Stage Door productions

For more information about Gypsy and/or The Stage Door Theatre, please visit www.stagedoortheatre.com , or contact Derelle Bunn Executive Producer/Artistic Director, at DerelleBunn@yahoo.com / 954-344-7765 or Carol Kassie (ckassie@gmail.com / 561-445-9244).

Gypsy
November 20, 2015 – January 3, 2016
Music by Jule Styne
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Arthur Laurents
Tickets: $38 – $2
Phone:  954-344-7765
Showtimes:
Wednesday, Saturday, & Sunday at 2 pm
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
Stage Door Theatre
8036 W. Sample Road
Margate, FL  33065
www.stagedoortheatre.com
Like us on Facebook!

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