Tag Archives: Boca Raton Theatre

MNM Theatre Company’s Innovative Virtual Production of CLOSER THAN EVER Extended Through January 10th, 2021

22 Tuesday Dec 2020

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Theatre in the Time of COVID!

MNM Theatre Company Proudly Extends

Maltby & Shire’s
Closer Than EverThe Critically Acclaimed Production
Is Now Available for Streaming
On Demand
Through January 10th, 2021

Innovation is the key for MNM Theatre Company’s production of Closer Than Ever.

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

December 22, 2020

BOCA RATON, FL:  MNM Theatre Company’s cutting-edge production of Maltby and Shire’s Closer Than Ever will now be available for streaming on demand through January 10th, MNM Producing Artistic Director Marcie Gorman announced today.

Marcie Gorman

“We are so proud of this project,” Gorman explains, “and we want to make sure everyone who would like to see Closer Than Ever has the opportunity to do so.  Our director, Jonathan Van Dyke, came up with an incredibly creative and innovative way to make live theatre during the pandemic, using video, audio, and projections.  Our cast and crew stayed safe and healthy throughout the entire creative process, and their dedication to this project is another reason why we want to ensure their work remains available for a while longer. Plus, of course,” she adds, “The reviews by both audiences and critics alike have been nothing less than stellar, so it’s a popular demand extension, too!”

Closer Than Ever has received universal praise since it began streaming on November 27th, including glowing endorsements from both composer David Shire (“The performances were honest and great, the musical direction, staging, production design, choreography all first rate, and [your] direction and overall conception of how to present CTE and keep it “Covid-safe” was truly impressive.”) and lyricist Richard Maltby Jr. (“The performances were all on the money and very true, Surprisingly, that isn’t usually the case with this show. Your staging ideas and your filming ideas were very very clever. It was an actual film version of the show, which was daring to attempt. Clearly you approached the show with a great deal of love and a great deal of respect for the material. I heard every word, and the vocals were glorious.”)

Closer Than Ever features self-contained songs which deal with such diverse topics as security, aging, mid-life crisis, second marriages, working couples, and unrequited love. Maltby and Shire based many of the songs on real-life experiences of their friends, or stories told to them.

Closer Than Ever stars Aaron Bower, Johnbarry Green, and Carbonell Award-winners Shelley Keelor, and Elijah Word, each of whom have worked with MNM Theatre Company in the past.   The technical crew, almost all of whom are also MNM alumni, includes Eric Alsford as the production’s Musical Director, and Emily Tarallo as the show’s Choreographer.  Lighting Designer is Clifford Michael Spulock, Sound Designer is Mike Kelly, Scenic Artist is Cindi Taylor, and Scenic Designer is Jordon Armstrong.  Johnbarry Green serves as Technical Director, Cliff Burgess as Videographer, Michael Joseph as Assistant Videographer and Wig Design is by Justin Lore of Tease & Floof Custom Wig Boutique.  Amber Mandic and Andrea Guardo are the production’s co-Stage Managers and co-Props Mistresses.

Closer Than Ever will be available On Demand through January 10th, on Music Theatre International’s (MTI) streaming platform www.ShowTix4U.com via MNM Theatre Company’s website www.mnmtheatre.org.  Once tickets are purchased, patrons will receive a link to view the production.  The link will be active for 48 hours from the first click.  Tickets are $20.

MNM Theatre Company is an award-winning not-for-profit 501(c)(3) theatre company whose mission is to produce high quality professional live theatre that inspires audiences and enriches the cultural life of the community while creating Florida based jobs in the Arts.

For more information about Closer Than Ever and MNM Theatre Company please visit www.mnmtheatre.org/ .  To speak with Marcie Gorman or Jonathan Van Dyke, please contact Carol Kassie at Carol@CarolKassie.com / 561-445-9244.

~~

Closer Than Ever
Streaming On Demand
Through January 10th, 2021
Music by David Shire
Lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr.
Conceived by Steven Scott Smith
Directed by Jonathan Van Dyke
Tickets: $20
Tickets available at https://www.mnmtheatre.org/
Direct ticketing link:  https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/41307

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MNM Theatre Company to Stream Maltby & Shire’s CLOSER THAN EVER On Demand – November 27 – December 31

09 Monday Nov 2020

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Creating Theatre in the Time of COVID!
MNM Theatre Company’s Innovative Production of
Maltby & Shire’s Closer Than Ever
Will Be Available for Streaming on Demand
November 27 – December 31

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

MNM develops a cutting edge and creative way to move forward with
 Maltby & Shire’s Closer Than Ever.

November 9, 2020

BOCA RATON, FL:  Rehearsals and filming have been completed for MNM Theatre Company’s upcoming production of Closer Than Ever, David Shire and Richard Maltby Jr.’s fascinating song cycle that explores the everyday struggles of love in the modern world.  The production will begin streaming on November 27th and be available through December 31st.

Director Jonathan Van Dyke has developed an innovative theatrical hybrid that marries live performances with video, audio, and projections.  “The result,” says MNM Producing Artistic Director Marcie Gorman, “is an exciting and creative way to make live theatre during this horrendous pandemic.” 

Marcie Gorman

“We rehearsed at our warehouse in Boca Raton, and filmed there as well,” Gorman explains.  We followed extremely strict protocols throughout the process and were constantly mindful of the health and well-being of our cast and our crew.  COVID testing, masks, cleaning, and sanitizing – we did it all constantly.   But what’s so wonderful is that we are created and performed live theatre and we will be able to share it with a worldwide audience.

“And Jonathan’s concept, which involves integrating live performances with projections, is brand new.  It’s what will separate this production from just being a filmed play – it’s a hybrid with three components, not just two, and as far as we know, no one has ever done anything like it before.”

Jonathan Van Dyke

“This concept was developed to allow us to create theatre during the pandemic, but it can and will be implemented for a live production,” Director Jonathan Van Dyke explains.  “The integrated projections allow for intimate onstage moments; the actors were each green-screened separately and the results were edited for projection, so they appear to interact with one another.”

                      Shelley Keelor and Aaron Bower in Closer Than Ever
“They never held hands… they were just edited that way!”  Jonathan Van Dyke
Photo credit:  Jonathan Van Dyke

Closer Than Ever features self-contained songs which deal with such diverse topics as security, aging, mid-life crisis, second marriages, working couples, and unrequited love. Maltby and Shire based many of the songs on real-life experiences of their friends, or stories told to them.

Closer Than Ever stars Aaron Bower, Johnbarry Green, and Carbonell Award-winners Shelley Keelor, and Elijah Word, each of whom have worked with MNM Theatre Company in the past.   The technical crew, almost all of whom are also MNM alumni, includes Eric Alsford as the production’s Musical Director, and Emily Tarallo as the show’s Choreographer.  Lighting Designer is Clifford Michael Spulock, Sound Designer is Mike Kelly, Scenic Artist is Cindi Taylor, and Scenic Designer is Jordon Armstrong.  Johnbarry Green serves as Technical Director, Cliff Burgess as Videographer, Michael Joseph as Assistant Videographer and Wig Design is by Justin Lore of Tease & Floof Custom Wig Boutique.  Amber Mandic and Andrea Guardo are the production’s co-Stage Managers and co-Props Mistresses.

Closer Than Ever will begin streaming on November 27th and will be available On Demand through December 31st on Music Theatre International’s (MTI) streaming platform www.ShowTix4U.com via MNM Theatre Company’s website www.mnmtheatre.org or on the company’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/mnmtheatrecompany . Once tickets are purchased, patrons will receive a link to view the production.  The link will be active for 48 hours from the first click.  Tickets are $20.  

MNM Theatre Company is an award-winning not-for-profit 501(c)(3) theatre company whose mission is to produce high quality professional live theatre that inspires audiences and enriches the cultural life of the community while creating Florida based jobs in the Arts. 

For more information about MNM Theatre Company please visit www.mnmtheatre.org/   To speak with Marcie Gorman or Jonathan Van Dyke, please contact Carol Kassie at Carol@CarolKassie.com / 561-445-9244..

Please feel free to forward this article.  Thank you!

~~

Closer Than Ever
Streaming On Demand
November 27 – December 31
Music by David Shire
Lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr.
Conceived by Steven Scott Smith
Directed by Jonathan Van Dyke
Tickets: $20
Tickets available at https://www.mnmtheatre.org/ ,
www.facebook.com/mnmtheatrecompany or
Direct ticketing link:  https://www.showtix4u.com/events/closerthanever 

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MNM Theatre Company to present Maltby & Shire’s CLOSER THAN EVER on Demand!

13 Tuesday Oct 2020

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MNM Theatre Company will present

Maltby & Shire’s
Closer Than Ever
Correctly Socially Distanced!
Available for Streaming on Demand
November 27 – December 31

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

October 13, 2020

BOCA RATON, FL:  MNM Theatre Company, like almost every theatre company around the world, has been drastically affected by COVID-19. All scheduled productions have either been cancelled or postponed indefinitely, with no re-start date in sight.  However, the company’s Producing Artistic Director and CEO Marcie Gorman and Director Jonathan Van Dyke have come up with an innovative way to provide audiences with theatre, and the company’s first production Maltby and Shire’s Closer Than Ever will debut on November 27th and be available for On Demand streaming through December 31st.

“Since we haven’t been together for a long time, we knew it was time to be Closer Than Ever,” Gorman says. “Just the name of this show seemed to be a perfect fit for these times – so many of us are still so far apart and yet in many ways, Closer Than Ever. 

“And Jonathan has developed a safe and incredibly creative way to present it to audiences”, she continues.  “I’m excited about this on so many levels, not the least of which is to provide work for our actors and technical people, most of whom haven’t worked for months, and are so looking forward to once again ‘making theatre’”.  

Closer Than Ever will be filmed at MNM’s Boca Raton warehouse/studio, which will be cleaned and sanitized regularly. Maximum safety precautions will be observed from the start of rehearsals through the final performance: Individual show segments will be filmed separately; actors and tech crew have been asked to observe COVID protocols and remain as isolated as possible unless rehearsing or performing. They will be COVID tested frequently; their temperatures will be taken each time they enter the building; and they will be required to hand sanitize multiple times every day.  They will maintain at minimum a 6-foot social distance whether on stage or off; and masks will be worn at all times unless the actor is on stage or being filmed.  A very small invited audience will be present at one taping – but everyone will have his or her temperature taken, audience members will also be properly socially distanced, and each audience member must be part of the show’s participants’ ‘bubble’.

Closer Than Ever is a nonstop exploration of everyday struggles in the “modern world”. Topics ranging from unrequited adoration… to aging… to Muzak are tackled with resounding sincerity and precisely placed hilarity. Each song is a unique story told by a new character, taking audiences into the minds of the individuals facing these completely relatable challenges. Lyricists Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire based many of the songs on real-life experiences of their friends, or stories told to them.  The show won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical.

“Knowing what we are facing in live performance logistically and what would resonate artistically, for me the choice was Maltby & Shire’s Closer Than Ever,” says Jonathan Van Dyke who will direct and stage the production.   “The title alone says so much of where we are. While unable to be close physically, in our hearts and minds we are Closer Than Ever.

“Working with MNM and our integrated video concept, we hope to have found a way to navigate safety measures and still execute some intimate moments in an artistic way,” he continues.  “The humanity and honesty of the songs delivers such a layered theatrical experience. Maltby and Shire have created over a dozen Broadway shows, film and television scores, and are the recipients of Grammy, Tony and Academy Awards.  I’m so looking forward to working on this material with this team.”

Closer Than Ever will star Johnbarry Green, Aaron Bower, and Carbonell Award-winners Shelley Keelor, and Elijah Word, all of whom have worked with MNM Theatre Company in the past.   The technical crew, also all MNM alumni, includes Eric Alsford as the production’s Musical Director, and Emily Tarallo as the Choreographer, as well as Lighting Designer Clifford Michael Spulock, Sound Designer by Mike Kelly, Scenic Artist Cindi Taylor, and Scenic Designer Jordon Armstrong.  Johnbarry Green will serve as Technical Director, Cliff Burgess as Videographer, Michael Joseph as Assistant Videographer, wigs by Tease & Floof Custom Wig Boutique, and Amber Mandic and Andrea Guardo will be the production’s co-Stage Managers and co-Props Mistresses.

The award-winning duo, lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr. (Miss Saigon, Fosse, Ring of Fire) and composer David Shire (film scores include The Conversation, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, All The President’s Men, and parts of Saturday Night Fever), began working together as students at Yale University. Their first Broadway credit as a team was in 1968, when their song “The Girl of the Minute” was used in the revue New Faces of 1968. Their shared credits include Baby (1983), Big (1996) and Take Flight (2007).  Richard Maltby conceived and directed the only two musical revues to win the Tony Award for Best Musical:  Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1978) and Fosse (1999). David Shire won the Oscar for the theme song to Norma Rae “It Goes Like It Goes”; as a pianist Shire played for the original productions of both The Fantasticks and Funny Girl.

Closer Than Ever will begin streaming on November 27th and will be available On Demand through December 31st on Music Theatre International’s (MTI) streaming platform www.ShowTix4U.com via MNM Theatre Company’s website www.mnmtheatre.org or on the company’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/mnmtheatrecompany . Once tickets are purchased, patrons will receive a link to view the production.  The link will be active for 48 hours from the first click.  Tickets are $20.  

MNM Theatre Company is an award-winning not-for-profit 501(c)(3) theatre company whose mission is to produce high quality professional live theatre that inspires audiences and enriches the cultural life of the community while creating Florida based jobs in the Arts. 

For more information about MNM Theatre Company please visit www.mnmtheatre.org.  To speak with Marcie Gorman or Jonathan Van Dyke, please contact Carol Kassie at Carol@CarolKassie.com / 561-445-9244.

~

Closer Than Ever
November 27 – December 31
Music by David Shire
Lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr.
Conceived by Steven Scott Smith
Directed by Jonathan Van Dyke
Tickets: $20
Tickets available at https://www.mnmtheatre.org/  and/or  www.facebook.com/mnmtheatrecompany or
https://www.showtix4u.com/events/closerthanever  

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March & April at the Miznzer Park Cultural Center

09 Monday Mar 2020

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March & April at
Mizner Park Cultural Center:
Festival of Classics: A Night of Short Performances
& Artist Conversations – March 16
Tovah is Leona – March 28 & 29
Wiesenthal – April 3-5
Hank Williams and My Honky Tonk Heroes – April 8
Judy Carmichael: Swing Time!  A Celebration of the
Great American Song Book – April 17
Harrison Greenbaum:  What Just Happened?
A Comedy + Magic Show – April 25

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

March 9, 2020

BOCA RATON, FL:     Mizner Park Cultural Center will once again host a wide variety of entertainment and events over the coming weeks.  Comedy, music, magic, and live theatre are all on the popular venue’s schedule during March and April.

On March 16th, the award-winning actor Avi Hoffman will host Festival of Classics: A Night of Short Performances and Artist Conversations.  The show, presented by Joseph Papp Yiddish Theatre, Shakespeare Troupe of South Florida, Grace Arts, New City Players, and Thinking Cap Theatre with Emily Ricca Dance Collective, will showcase local South Florida companies performing the Classics.  Hoffman, who will be joined by special guest Susan Papp, will take on the persona of Joseph Papp, the American theatrical producer and founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival and the Public Theatre.

Tovah Feldshuh

Six-time Tony and Emmy nominated star Tovah Feldshuh returns to the theatre on March 28th and 29th for four encore performances of Tovah is Leona! a musical production featuring highlights from the new Broadway-bound musical Queen of Mean, based on Piers Ransdell’s New York Times best-selling biography of Leona Helmsley.  In the production, which sold out in January, Feldshuh, as the disgraced doyenne, comments and sings about anything and everything – from her meteoric rise from office temp to trophy wife, from wheeler-dealer to hotel magnate, to her relationship with real estate rival Donald Trump.

Tom Dugan as Simon Wiesenthal

Wiesenthal, the story of ‘an ordinary man who did extraordinary things’, will run for four performances only, from April 3rd – 5th.  Written by and starring Tom Dugan, Wiesenthal is the riveting true story of Simon Wiesenthal.  Nicknamed ‘The Jewish James Bond’, he devoted his life to bringing more than 1,100 Nazi war criminals to justice. Intelligent, funny, flawed, and noble, Wiesenthal was a universal hero.

Jason Petty will bring his acclaimed musical review, Hank Williams and my Honky Tonk Heroes, to the Cultural Center on April 8th.  Petty a masterful singer, actor, and historian, whose musicianship and songwriting abilities have won him numerous performances at The Grand Ole Opry, will recreate the magic that Williams and his ‘honky tonk heroes’ – the giants of country music – created.

Grammy-nominated pianist, vocalist, and songwriter Judy Carmichael will celebrate the music of swing piano greats with an evening of classics from the Great American Songbook in her show Swing Time!  A Celebration of the Great American Song Book on April 17th.  From the Gershwins to Cole Porter to Fats Waller and Peggy Lee, Carmichael’s mastery of the piano style popularized by Count Basie and James P. Johnson among others, has been lauded all over the world.

Harrison Greenbaum

Harrison Greenbaum will return to the Mizner Park Cultural Center with What Just Happened?  A Comedy + Magic Show on April 25th.   The award-winning magician and comedian, who has been featured on “America’s Got Talent”, NBC’s “Last Comic Standing”, and National Geographic’s “Brain Games”, has created a unique blend of comedy and magic, jaw-dropping cutting edge illusions, mind reading, and legerdemain, much of it invented specifically for this performance, and never seen before.

Tickets to each of these performances, as well as many other Mizner Park Cultural Center performances are on sale now and can be purchased online at http://miznerparkculturalcenter.com or by phone at 844-672-2849. Ticket details are below.

The Mizner Park Cultural Center is located at 201 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, FL 33432. Website: http://miznerparkculturalcenter.com/Like us on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MiznerParkCulturalCenter/

For more information about the Mizner Park Cultural Center, and any of these shows, please contact Carol Kassie at Carol@CarolKassie.com / 561-445-9244.
~
Ticket prices and performance times:

Festival of Classics: A Night of Short Performances and Artist Conversations
Monday, March 16, at 2:30 pm & 7:30 pm
Tickets:  $25-$50Direct link for tickets:  https://miznerparkculturalcenter.com/events/festival-of-classics/Tovah is Leona
Saturday, March 28 at 3 pm & 8 pm
Sunday, March 29 at 2 pm & 7 pm
Tickets: $49 – $59
Direct link for tickets:  https://miznerparkculturalcenter.com/events/tovah-leona-march/2020-03-28/Wiesenthal
Friday, April 3 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 4 at 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm
Sunday, April 5 at 2:00 pm
Tickets:  $45
Direct link for tickets:  https://miznerparkculturalcenter.com/events/wiesenthal-2/2020-04-03/Hank Williams and My Honky Tonk Heroes
Wednesday, April 8 at 7:30 pm
Tickets: $39 – $45
Direct link for tickets:  https://miznerparkculturalcenter.com/events/hank-williams/Judy Carmichael:  Swing Time!  A Celebration of the Great American Song Book
Friday, April 17 at 7:30 pm
Tickets:  $37 – $47
Direct link for tickets:  https://miznerparkculturalcenter.com/events/judy-carmichael/Harrison Greenbaum:  What Just Happened?  A Comedy + Magic Show
Saturday, April 25 at 7:30 pm
Tickets: $29 – $39Direct link for tickets:  https://miznerparkculturalcenter.com/events/harrison-greenbaum-3/For tickets to all shows at the Mizner Park Cultural Center, and for more information: https://miznerparkculturalcenter.com/   or call 844-672-2849.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Southeastern Premiere! The Award-Winning Play CHASING JACK at The Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park March 12 – 22

18 Tuesday Feb 2020

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Jolt Productions, Inc. In Association with
Midlife Crisis Productions
Presents
The Southeastern Premiere of
Chasing Jack
March 12 – 22, 2020

 “This riveting, insightful and roller coaster of a ride is not done
until the last card is drawn.”
~ Susana Bowling – Times Square Chronicles

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

February 18, 2020

BOCA RATON, FL:   Chasing Jack, the award-winning play by John S. Anastasi, will have its southeastern premiere at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park this March.  The production, to be directed by Peter J. Loewy, will begin previews on March 12th and open on March 14th.  The show will run through March 22nd.

Chasing Jack, which won the Best Play Award at the 2019 New York Theatre Festival Summerfest, is the story of Dr. Jack Chase, a surgeon with a serious gambling addiction.  Through the lens of a malpractice lawsuit that could end his career, Chasing Jack explores familial relationships, medical ethics, and the potentially crippling effects of addiction.   The stakes couldn’t be any higher as Jack looks back at pivotal moments in his life, his relationships, and his career.

John Anastasi, M.D.

“I had written several plays, three of which were produced Off Broadway,” playwright John Anastasi said recently, when he was asked how Chasing Jack came about.  “It was after a reading of my play I Forgive You Ronald Reagan, starring Lucie Arnaz and her husband Laurence Luckinbill, and we were all out for dinner.  Lucie asked me about her mother’s aortic dissection (I am a thoracic surgeon in ‘my other life’!) and we started talking about heart surgery.  She listened to all the stories and was mesmerized, and at the end of the evening she said, “You write well but the best stories are when you write and talk about what you do!”  My response was that I spend 14 hours a day doing heart surgery, the last thing I want to do is sit in front of a computer and write about it.

“So, two plays later I was at the opening night party of my play, Would You Still Love Me if, with Kathleen Turner,” Anastasi continued.  John Patrick Shanley came up to me and said almost the same thing: “Write about what you know…” There are two things I love, medicine and the law.  My daughter is a lawyer.  So, I started to think of how to connect them all and after an especially difficult operation, the germ of the story began.

“I don’t want anyone to get the idea that I’m Jack, because I’m not,” he says.  “Some of me is in him as I believe some of me is in all the characters I write, even the women.  The monologues Jack speaks regarding what it’s like to be a heart surgeon are very real.   The addiction concept is drawn from having the unfortunate experience of operating on drug addicts over the years, and watching them lie, betray, and systematically destroy every relationship, especially the people who love them the most.”

Anastasi and Director Loewy have cast a combination of local and out of town actors in the production.  Galen Murphy Hoffman will play Dr. Jack Chase, and two-time Tony Award nominee Crista Moore will portray the attorney Ockerman – the first time a woman has played this role.  Other cast members include India H. Jarvis as Taylor, Elana Valastro as Rebecca, David Sadaka as The Judge, Rick Malone as Robert, Ben Prayz as Dr. Fox, and Francis Allen as Dr. Noel.

Chasing Jack will run from March 12th – 22nd at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park.  Tickets are $30; group rates (6 or more tickets purchased in one transaction) are $25.  Tickets can be purchased online at sugarsandpark.org/chasing-jack  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 Chasing Jack please visit www.chasingjacktheplay.com/.  To arrange for interviews, or for photos, or to arrange to see the production, please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.

This is a story about a world-class gambling obsession
that starts off at 100 miles-per-hour and builds from there.
It’s not a courtroom drama.
It’s a courtroom bombshell.

~*~

Chasing Jack
March 14 – 22, 2020
Preview performances March 12 & 13.
By John S. Anastasi
Directed by Peter J. Loewy
Tickets: $30 / $25 for groups of 6 or more
For tickets:  561-347-3948 or https://sugarsandpark.org/chasing-jack
Showtimes:
Thursday, March 12 at 7pm
Friday, March 13 at 8pm
Saturday, March 14 at 2pm
Saturday, March 14 at 8pm
Sunday, March 15 at 2pm
Thursday, March 19 at 7pm
Friday, March 20 at 8pm
Saturday, March 21 at 2pm
Saturday, March 21 at 8pm
Sunday, March 22 at 2pm
All performances will take place in
The Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park
300 South Military Trail,
Boca Raton, FL 33486

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THE SECRET COMEDY OF WOMEN’S Barbara Gehring’s Film ‘The Social Dilemma’ Debuts to Rave Reviews at The Sundance Film Festival

06 Thursday Feb 2020

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THE SECRET COMEDY OF WOMEN’S
Barbara Gehring’s Film
‘The Social Dilemma’
Debuts to Rave Reviews at
The Sundance Film Festival

The Secret Comedy of Women runs through February 23rd
at the Mizner Park Cultural Center.

“Forget Victoria’s Secret; it’s Linda Klein and Barbara Gehring who know the real secrets, at least to making ladies laugh!” ~  Ilana Rothman – Ilana in Theatre Land

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

February 6, 2020

BOCA RATON, FL:  Barbara Gehring one of the co-creators and stars of The Secret Comedy of Women just returned from “…a whirlwind of a weekend at the Sundance Film Festival.   Our movie’s premier got a standing ovation,” she reports, “And a great review in The Hollywood Reporter!!” ‘“The Social Dilemma’, the film she was at Sundance to promote (and which Variety called a ‘lively and entertaining documentary, whose accessibility is heightened by some narrative play acting’) examines the pervasive influence of social media on society.

Gehring, and her partner Linda Klein have been performing in The Secret Comedy of Women at the Mizner Park Cultural Center since January 15th; the show will run through February 23rd.  The Secret Comedy of Women was inspired by the earnest and absurd writings in Gehring and Klein’s girlhood diaries, which were written well before the term social media was even coined – when secrets were shared with a few best friends, rather than the entire world.  It celebrates the joys of the journey from girlhood to womanhood and explores the universal female experience through a rollicking spectacle of sweetly-sharp comedy, songs, dances, stories, improvisation, and spontaneous moments of discovery that all women share.

Barbara Gehring and Linda Klein both began writing and performing comedy at an early age.  While young Barbara directed elaborate puppet shows in her secret fort thousands of miles away in Winnipeg, Canada, little Linda was producing extravagant backyard circuses in a tiny Colorado mountain town.  Neither could have foreseen how well these skills would blend together decades later when they wrote The Secret Comedy of Women.  Had they known each other all those years ago, The Secret Comedy of Women is exactly the type of show they would have created together and now as adults, it is exactly the kind of show in which they’ve always wanted to perform. Gehring and Klein have successful careers in the entertainment industry beyond comedy, and have rich expertise in the areas of training, writing, creative thinking, logistics, administration, marketing, and public relations.

The Secret Comedy of Women will run through February 23 at the Mizner Park Cultural Center.  Tickets range from $45 to $65; group rates are also available.  Tickets can be purchased online at playhouseinfo.com/miznerpark or by phone at 844-672-2849. (For group sales call 888-264-1788).           

For more information about The Secret Comedy of Women please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244 or visit www.SecretComedyOfWomen.com

The Secret Comedy of Women®
By Barbara Gehring & Linda Klein
January 15 – February 23, 2020
Tickets:  $45 – $65
For Tickets:  844-672-2849 / playhouseinfo.com/miznerpark / or
miznerparkculturalcenter.com/
Group Sales: 1-888-264-1788
Performances:
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2:30 pm
All performances will take place at
Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center
201 Plaza Real (2nd Floor)
Boca Raton, FL 33432
www.girlsonlycomedy.com/
Like Us on Facebook!

Reviews for ‘The Social Dilemma can be found online at:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/social-dilemma-review-1273606
https://www.indiewire.com/2020/01/the-social-dilemma-review-sundance-1202207034/
https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/the-social-dilemma-review-1203487761/

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Faye Sholiton’s THE INTERVIEW at Congregation B’nai Torah – February 26th

03 Monday Feb 2020

Posted by in Clients, Shari Upbin

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Powerful Memories… Powerful Theatre…

The Interview
by Faye Sholiton

“We awakened a lot of memories,” the interviewer tells her subject.
“They were never asleep,” the survivor replies.

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

February 4, 2020

BOCA RATON, FL: The B’nai Torah Cultural Arts Series 2020 theatrical presentation, The Interview will be presented for one performance only on February 26th at 7:30 pm in the Eleanor and Paul Weiner Cultural Center at B’nai Torah Congregation.

Faye Sholiton’s deeply moving memory play about the legacy of human suffering, courage and humanity, mothers and daughters, and forgiving and being forgiven, The Interview is at once a powerful documentation of a horrific historical event and one artist’s deeply felt response to it. Written with clarity and feeling, it resonates on all levels.  The Interview will be directed by Shari Upbin.

Fifty years after her liberation from the Nazi death camps, Bracha Weissman still suffers the aftermath of her old trauma.  When she allows Ann Meshenberg, the child of other survivors, into her suburban Cleveland home to take testimony for an archival videotaping project, Bracha reviews the legacy she has left her own daughter. The Interview is a story about mothers, daughters and memory. It is about forgiving and being forgiven.

Shari Upbin

“I chose this play for B’nai Torah Cultural Arts Series especially for this commemorative 75th year of the liberation of Auschwitz,” Upbin explains. “This story must be told and seen by all audiences. In keeping with the theme of mothers and daughters and forgiveness – a theme running through most of the plays I have presented for the past four years – this one perhaps is the most poignant,” she continues. It is told with pathos, pain, and humor, which is our Jewish heritage. The theme of The Interview will resonate with all of us who must remember and honor our past, as we look to forward to the future of our next generation.”

Fern Katz will play Bracha Weissman, who has transformed herself into an emotional recluse – her identity defined by the loss of her family in the Nazi death camps she miraculously survived.

Peggy Linker will take on the role of Ann Meshenberg, who arrives one day to record Bracha’s testimony for a video archive.  Ann, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, has her own agenda: the need to ask a stranger what she could not ask her parents.

Nancy Turetsky will play Bracha’s estranged daughter Rifka, and Jason Pierre will take on the role of videographer Chris MacDonald.

Playwright Faye Sholiton developed her work in the Cleveland Play House Playwrights’ Unit from 1996-2011 and is a charter member of Dobama Theatre’s Playwrights’ Gym. Her full-length works have been read or produced in more than four dozen venues worldwide and have won more than 20 national honors. She is a four-time winner of Individual Excellence Awards from the Ohio Arts Council. Her work has been published by Applause, ArtAge, Meriwether, Smith & Kraus, Speert Publishing and the International Centre for Women Playwrights (ICWP). Prior to writing plays, she was an award-winning journalist for local, regional and national publications. She teaches writers of every description, including high school and college students, community groups and cruise ship guests. Professional affiliations include the Dramatists Guild, which she served as Regional Representative for Northern Ohio 2009-2016; the Alliance for Jewish Theatre; and ICWP. She is Founding Artistic Director of Interplay Jewish Theatre, a company that produces staged readings of Jewish themed works. Most recently, she has written a screenplay based on the life of Howard Mechanic, the last prisoner of the Vietnam War.

The Interview will be performed on February 26th at 7:30 pm. Tickets  are on sale now, and can be purchased on line at www.btcboca.org or by phone at 561-392-8566. Tickets $36 ($25 for B’nai Torah congregants).  B’nai Torah Congregation is located at 6261 SW 18th Street, in Boca Raton (33433).

~

The Interview
By Faye Sholiton
Directed by Shari Upbin
February 26, 2020 at 7:30 pm
Tickets: $36 ($25 for B’nai Torah Congregants)
For tickets:  561-392-8566 / www.btcboca.org
The performance will take place at
B’nai Torah Congregation
6261 SW 18th Street
Boca Raton, FL  33433

Tovah Feldshuh Returns to the Mizner Park Cultural Center in TOVAH IS LEONA March 28th & 29th

20 Monday Jan 2020

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Back by Popular Demand!

Tovah Feldshuh
Returns to the Mizner Park Cultural Center
in
Tovah is LEONA!
Saturday & Sunday,  March 28th & 29th

“Dead 12 years, and I can still nail a middle C!”
Tovah Feldshuh as Leona Helmsley

“This Is A Do-Not-Miss!! Tovah Embodies This New York Name With Every Fiber Of Her Being”
—Times Square Chronicles

 

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

January 20, 2020

BOCA RATON, FL:  Six-time Tony and Emmy nominee Tovah Feldshuh will return to the Mizner Park Cultural Center on March 28th and 29th for a limited engagement with her Broadway-bound musical Tovah is LEONA! The show, in which Feldshuh assumes the persona of real estate mogul and hotelier Leona Helmsley, played to sold-out houses in early January.

As Helmsley, the disgraced doyenne comments and sings about anything and everything – from her meteoric rise from office temp to trophy wife, from wheeler-dealer to hotel magnate, to her real estate rival Donald Trump.

Created by Feldshuh with Director Jeff Harnar and Musical Director James Bassi (and based on the New York Times best-seller by Ransdell Pierson) Leona Helmsley is given one hour up from Purgatory to “set the record straight!!” …..and sing a few show tunes. She fulfills her dream to star in her own cabaret show as she sings for her innocence in a long awaited RE-trial with the audience as her jury.

Tovah is LEONA! features original music by Ron Passaro, lyrics by David Lee, and a book by Alex Lippard and David Lee.  The show is directed by Jeff Harner, and Musical Director James Bassi provided the musical arrangements and additional lyrics.

Tovah Feldshuh

Tovah Feldshuh is a six-time Emmy & Tony nominee and has been awarded three honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters. Additionally, for her theatre work, she has won four Drama Desks, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, three Dramalogues, the Obie, the Theatre World, and the Helen Hayes and Lucille Lortel Awards for Best Actress.

On Broadway: Yentl, Cyrano, Rodgers & Hart, Dreyfus in Rehearsal, Sarava!, Lend Me a Tenor, Golda’s Balcony Irena’s Vow, and the show stopping trapeze-swinging Berthe in Pippin. Off-Broadway and around the country: Dozens of productions playing everything from three queens of Henry VIII and Tallulah Bankhead to Yussel “The Muscle” Jacobs, nine Jews from birth to death in Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! and most recently Holocaust Denier Brenda Goodsen opposite Ed Asner in The Soap Myth. This summer she starred in the world premiere of Wade Dooley’s The Prompter directed by Scott Schwartz, where she played Irene Young, a legendary diva making her Broadway comeback after a 40-year absence. Immediately on the heels of The Prompter, she filmed Clifford for Paramount Pictures, went to the Sing-Sing in New Guinea, and flew from there to Los Angeles to star as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the LA Premiere of Jonathan Shapiro’s Sisters-In-Law. She has just completed filming Edith Hagigi’s BLEECKER with Ben Stiller.

On TV: Deanna Monroe on “The Walking Dead”, Danielle Melnick on “Law & Order”, POTUS Pauline Mackenzie on “Salvation”, and Naomi Bunch, on “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” where Feldshuh can be seen singing the dignified showstopper: “Where’s the Bathroom!” Films include: Kissing Jessica Stein, (Golden Satellite Award), A Walk on the Moon, Brewster’s Millions, Just My Luck, Daniel, The Idolmaker, and most recently, Ms. Feldshuh’s award-winning performance as Prime Minister Golda Meir in Golda’s Balcony has been made into a film entitled Golda’s Balcony The Film which has won 20 out of 20 Audience Choice Awards. Her one-woman show “Tovah is LEONA!” enjoyed sold-out engagements at 54 Below in New York and at Feinstein’s at the Nikko in San Francisco.  Feldshuh is thrilled to bring the infamous Leona Helmsley direct from Purgatory to sunny Florida where Leona was once a resident in Palm Beach. Follow Tovah’s travels around the world on Instagram @tovahfeld. www.tovahfeldshuh.com/

Tickets for Tovah is LEONA! are on sale now and range in price from $39 – $59. Tickets can be purchased online at http://miznerparkculturalcenter.com or by phone at 844-672-2849.  Group rates are available.  The Mizner Park Cultural Center is located at 201 Plaza Real in Boca Raton (33432).

For more information about Tovah is LEONA! to arrange for tickets, or to speak with someone involved in the production, please contact Carol Kassie at Carol@CarolKassie.com / 561-445-9244.

“Tovah Is a Life Force!” Theater Pizazz

“Fast, funny and vastly entertaining.” Cabaret Scenes

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Tovah is LEONA!
Saturday, March 28 at 3 pm & 8 pm
Sunday, March 29 at 2 pm & 7 pm
Created by: Tovah Feldshuh, James Bassi, & Jeff Harner
Directed by Jeff Harner
Musical Director:  James Bassi
Music by Ron Passaro
Lyrics by David Lee & Alex Lippard
Tickets: $39 – $59
Group rates:  $10 off for groups of 12 or more.
For tickets:  http://miznerparkculturalcenter.com/  844-672-2849
All performances take place at
The Mizner Park Cultural Center
201 Plaza Real, 2nd Floor
Boca Raton, FL 33432
Like us on Facebook!

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THE SECRET COMEDY OF WOMEN Opening January 15th at The Mizner Park Cultural Center

30 Monday Dec 2019

Posted by in Clients, Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center, Playhouse Productions

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THE SECRET COMEDY OF WOMEN®

Opens January 15th for a Limited Engagement at
Mizner Park Cultural Center

“If there is a mystique that defines the feminine and a gap that obstructs understanding between the sexes, Gehring and Klein have probed it with intelligence and sensitivity and loads of good-natured laughs.”
~ Herbert Paine, BroadwayWorld.com

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

December 30, 2019

BOCA RATON, FL: – Ladies! Gather your girlfriends and your fun-loving men! The Secret Comedy of Women® will open the Mizner Park Cultural Center on January 15th and run through February 23rd.

The Secret Comedy of Women celebrates the joys of the journey from girlhood to womanhood. An immersive theatrical experience that rejoices in the challenges of being a woman – from boys to bras and pantyhose to menopause – this two-woman show explores the universal female experience through a rollicking spectacle of sweetly-sharp comedy, songs, dances, stories, and spontaneous moments of discovery that all women share.

Inspired by authors Barbara Gehring and Linda Klein’s earnest and amusingly absurd writings in their girlhood diaries, The Secret Comedy of Women is a mix of sketch, improvisation, audience participation, witty songs and clever videos. The show reminds audiences of the very funny and very charming similarities between all women. “It’s really like a girlhood reunion,” says Klein. “Our show is something highly universal, made personal. It’s for women of all ages – and for the men who love them,” adds Gehring.

The Secret Comedy of Women actively engages its audience with its high spirited, good-natured style of humor. With reviewers calling the show “…truly brilliant.” (Denver Post) and “Laugh out loud comedy!” (Broadway World) it is no wonder that this “two hour celebration of bras, purses, showers, breastfeeding and menopause” (Pittsburgh Tribune) ran continuously for nearly two years at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and has played to over a quarter of a million women across North America.

Barbara Gehring and Linda Klein both began writing and performing comedy at an early age.  While young Barbara directed elaborate puppet shows in her secret fort thousands of miles away in Winnipeg, Canada, little Linda was producing extravagant backyard circuses in a tiny Colorado mountain town.  Neither could have foreseen how well these skills would blend together decades later when they wrote The Secret Comedy of Women.  Had they known each other all those years ago, The Secret Comedy of Women is exactly the type of show they would have created together and now as adults, it is exactly the kind of show in which they’ve always wanted to perform. Gehring and Klein have successful careers in the entertainment industry beyond comedy, and have rich expertise in the areas of training, writing, creative thinking, logistics, administration, marketing, and public relations. .

The Secret Comedy of Women will run from January 15 through February 23 at the Mizner Park Cultural Center.  Tickets range from $45 to $65; group rates are also available.  Tickets can be purchased online at http://playhouseinfo.com/miznerpark or http://miznerparkculturalcenter.com, or by phone at 844-672-2849. (For group sales call 888-264-1788).           

For more information about The Secret Comedy of Women please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244 or visit www.SecretComedyOfWomen.com

In the attached photos:
Barbara Gehring & Linda Klein in The Secret Comedy of Women.
Photo credit:  Tony Shapiro

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The Secret Comedy of Women – Girls Only
By Barbara Gehring & Linda Klein
January 15 – February 23, 2020
Tickets:  $45 – $65
For Tickets:  844-672-2849 / http://playhouseinfo.com/miznerpark or
http://miznerparkculturalcenter.com/ 
Group Sales: 1-888-264-1788
Performances:
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2:30 pm
All performances will take place at
Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center
201 Plaza Real (2nd Floor)
Boca Raton, FL 33432
MiznerParkCulturalCenter.com
www.girlsonlycomedy.com
Like Us on Facebook!

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Opening January 10: TO LIFE 2: MORE STORIES & MUSIC CELEBRATING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF JEWISH COMPOSERS TO THE GOLDEN AGE OF BROADWAY

23 Monday Dec 2019

Posted by in Clients, Shari Upbin, Uncategorized

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Hy Juter
PresentsTo Life 2:  More Stories & Music Celebrating the Contributions of Jewish Composers to The Golden Age of Broadway
At the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park
January 10 – February 2, 2020

“My whole thing is not just to play music for people, but to make them part of the evening.”~ Marvin Hamlisch

“I guess I think of a musical as something in which the music is sort of like the engine of the piece – whether it is in the theatre or in film.” ~ John Kander

“A song must move the story ahead. A song must take the place of dialogue. If a song halts the show, pushes it back, stalls it, the audience won’t buy it; they’ll be unhappy.” ~ Dorothy Fields

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

December 23, 2019

BOCA RATON, FL:  A sold-out run in January 2019, and consistent “when will you do this again?” questions have led to the creation of To Life 2: More Stories & Music Celebrating the Contributions of Jewish Composers to the Golden Age of Broadway.  This second iteration of last year’s audience favorite will pick up where the previous show left off, with more songs, anecdotes, and stories, and will highlight the works of Marvin Hamlisch, Kander & Ebb, Dorothy Fields, George & Ira Gershwin, Jerry Herman, and many more. To Life 2 will run in the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park from January 10th through February 2nd.

Hy Juter (Jupiter Theater Company, LLC) will produce the show: “This is the first Willow Theatre production I have taken on myself since my partner Jerry Seltzer suddenly passed away this summer,” Juter says.  “We produced three wonderfully successful shows together (The Jazz Singer, Danny Kaye and Sylvia, and To Life) and we were working on To Life 2 literally until the day he died.   Jerry was a friend, a mensch, and one of the most decent people I have ever worked with, and we are dedicating this production to him.”

To Life 2: More Stories & Music Celebrating the Contributions of Jewish Composers to The Golden Age of Broadway will be performed by five of South Florida’s award-winning musical theatre artists:  Jeffrey Bruce, Wayne LeGette, Michael McKenzie, Amy Miller Brennan, and Mallory Newbrough.

Shari Upbin will once again helm the production, and Paul Reekie will be music director and pianist.

 

Shari Upbin

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to direct Part 2 of To Life,” Upbin says. “These Jewish composers and stars of Broadway have shaped the form of Musical Theatre from the outset. Our audiences will be thrilled to hear South Florida’s best performing some of Broadway’s most popular songs live on stage.

“Jewish contribution to the Broadway musical has been phenomenal,” Upbin continues. “In fact, Jewish composers and lyricists created the Broadway musical. Children of immigrants, called outsiders – people who struggled for acceptance in mainstream society – created the greatest American shows in history. Show Boat, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy… and scores (pun intended!) more!”

To Life 2: More Stories & Music Celebrating the Contributions of Jewish Composers to The Golden Age of Broadway was once again created and written by Scott Siegel.  Siegel is a well-known pop culture critic who covers film, theatre, and cabaret with his wife, Barbara, writing “The Siegel Column” for TheatreMania.com, and “The Two of Clubs” column for Talkin’Broadway.com. He has created more than 400 major concerts that have been performed worldwide, written/produced/directed concerts for Michael Feinstein, and has created scores of nightclub acts that have played at major clubs around the globe. He is well known for being the creator/writer/director/host of New York City’s Town Hall Theatre’s signature series, Broadway by the Year® and Broadway Unplugged.

To Life 2 will run from January 10 through February 2 at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park.  Tickets are $40; group rates (6 or more tickets purchased in one transaction) are $35.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.sugarsandpark.org/life-2  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 2: More Stories & Music Celebrating the Contributions of Jewish Composers to The Golden Age of Broadway please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.

~

Hy Juter (Jupiter Theater Company, LLC) presents
To Life 2:  More Stories & Music Celebrating the
Contributions of Jewish Composers to The Golden Age of Broadway
January 10 – February 2, 2020
Created and Written by Scott Siegel
Directed by Shari Upbin
Tickets: $40 / $35 for groups of 6 or more
For tickets:  561-347-3948 or https://sugarsandpark.org/life-2
Showtimes:
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
Wednesday, 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
https://sugarsandpark.org/life-2

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.

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