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Boca Stage’s DRY POWDER Opens April 25

31 Monday Mar 2025

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Boca Stage’s
Dry Powder
Opens April 25th
at The Delray Beach Playhouse

Take your forks and knives — and heck, your pitchforks, too — and dig in!”
 ~ Charles Isherwood – The New York Times.

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

March 31, 2025

DELRAY BEACH, FL: Boca Stage’s final production of the 2024/2025 season will be Dry Powder, a high finance comedy-drama by Sarah Burgess.  The production will run from April 25th through May 4th at the Delray Beach Playhouse.  

Dry Powder is principally concerned with the world of private equity, and a firm’s founding partners as they compete to confront the fallout from a public relations crisis: The same week his private equity firm forced massive layoffs at a national grocery chain, Rick Hannel threw himself an extravagant engagement party, setting off a publicity nightmare. Fortunately, Seth, one of Rick’s partners, has a dream of a deal to invest in an American-made luggage company for a song that will rescue his boss from the PR disaster. But Jenny, Rick’s other partner, has an entirely different plan: to maximize returns, no matter the consequences.

Playwright Burgess was drawn to the play’s topic after working as a tutor for students preparing to take graduate school admissions tests, many of whom worked at investment firms like Goldman Sachs. “I was fascinated by the culture of the place,” she said in an interview with The Washington Post, explaining that the juxtaposition of moral responsibility with bankers’ complex, abstract business transactions seemed fertile ground for a satirical production. 

“I am delighted to be directing Sarah Burgess’s clever, smart, witty play examining the intersection of modern finance and politics,” says the production’s director Genie Croft. “The script has biting insights into what truly constitutes the background of private equity. Dry Powder can refer to not only funds that are expendable, but people too. All four of the characters portrayed by this very talented cast, are tripped up by flaws they are unaware of and are unwilling to change, so as successful profiteers they very well know, it’s not about right and wrong or even business ventures – it’s all about the satisfaction – and the real price – of getting the deal done.”

Croft’s cast includes Autumn Kioti Horne as Jenny, Wayne LeGette as Rick, Michael Scott Ross as Seth, and Christopher Dreeson as Jeff.

The Stage Manager Dry Powder is Joseph Zettelmaier.  The production’s Technical Director is Christian Taylor, Set Design is by Claudia Smith, Lighting Design is by Stevie Bleich, Sound Design is by David Hart, and Costume Design is by Timothy Charles Bowman.

Tickets for Dry Powder are on sale now. Theyrange in price from $59 to $69 and are available online at delraybeachplayhouse.com or by calling 561-272-1281. Performances take place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm. There will be a Lunchbox matinee performance on Wednesday, April 30 at 12 pm. All performances will take place at the Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th Street, Delray Beach (33444)

The Delray Beach Playhouse is located at 950 NW 9th Street, in Delray Beach, 33444. (561-272-1281).  For more information about the Playhouse, visit delraybeachplayhouse.com.

For more information about Boca Stage, the Delray Beach Playhouse, and Genie Croft, or to arrange to see a performance, please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244. 

Dry Powder
April 25 – May 4
By Sarah Burgess
Tickets: $59/$69
For tickets & information:  
https://delraybeachplayhouse.csstix.com/event-details.php?e=1251
Or call 561-272-1281
Performances: 
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 pm
Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm
Wednesday, April 30 at 12 pm (Lunchbox Matinee)
Wednesday, January 22nd at 12 pm
All performances will take place at
The Delray Beach Playhouse
950 NW 9th Street
Delray Beach, FL  33444

Producion Photos by Amy Pasquantonio

(Click on each image to enlarge it, then right click on the enlarged image and ‘save image as’ or ‘copy image’ .)

Wayne LeGette, Autumn Kioti Horne, Christopher Dreeson, Michael Scott Ross
Autumn KIoti Horne
Michael Scott Ross, Autumn Kioti Horne
Autumn Kioti Horne
Autumn Kioti Horne, Wayne LeGette, Chirstopher Dreeson
Christopher Dreeson, Michael Scott Ross
Michael Scott Ross, Christopher Dreeson
Wayne LeGette
Wayne LeGette

Angie Radosh Stars in HELLO, DOLLY! at LPAC

18 Monday Mar 2024

Posted by in Arts Center Management, Clients, Lauderhill Performing Arts Center

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Award-Winning Actress
Angie Radosh to Star
in
Hello Dolly!
at LPAC
April 4 – 21

…a musical shot through with enchantment.”
Howard Taubman ~ The New York Times, January 17, 1964

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

March 18, 2024
LAUDERHILL, FL:  Hello Dolly! one of the most beloved musicals in Broadway history, will close out the 2024 Broadway at LPAC season.  The production, which will star three-time Carbonell Award-winning actress Angie Radosh as the irrepressible Dolly Gallagher Levi, will run from April 4th through April 21st at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center.

“I am absolutely thrilled and humbled at the idea of doing this role…it has been on my bucket list for a long time,” Radosh says.  “Every actor has their bucket list and as the years go by, the list gets shorter and roles pass us by….when I first read The Matchmaker so many years ago, I fell in love with the character of Dolly Levi and then, seeing Carol Channing in Hello Dolly! …well, that really made me appreciate the character even more….and here I am getting ready to finally bring this wonderful woman to life!!”

Hello, Dolly! is based on Thornton Wilder’s 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1954.   The musical, with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman, and book by Michael Stewart, follows the romantic and comic exploits of Dolly Gallagher Levi, turn-of-the century matchmaker and ‘woman who arranges things’, as she travels to Yonkers, New York to find a match for the ‘well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire’ Horace Vandergelder.

Hello, Dolly! premiered on Broadway on January 16, 1964, at the St. James Theatre. Opening with Carol Channing in the title role, the show ultimately ran for 2,844 performances, making it – at the time – the longest-running Broadway musical in history.  Among its many awards, Dolly garnered 10 1964 Tonys (including Best Musical, Author, and Composer/Lyricist) and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical.

Michael Ursua will do double duty as the show’s Director and Music Director, and Alex Jorth will serve as the production’s choreographer.  Hello Dolly! is produced by Kevin Barrett and Arts Center Management.

“Hello Dolly! happens to be one of my all-time favorite musicals and its composer and lyricist, Jerry Herman, remains my favorite composer,” Ursua says. It is an absolute classic in musical theatre. The characters are loveable, and the audience can identify with their desire for romance and adventure. They bravely choose to step out of their comfort zones for love and yes, for money (which is really just a way to live generously of course). And Dolly helps each of them find their way and find each other. In the end it is community that is the prize. I am encouraged by these characters … encouraged to be brave, to love more, to be more generous and to dance whenever, however, with whomever I can.”

Ursua has assembled a stellar cast to populate Dolly’s 1898 New York setting – along with Radosh, Christopher Dreeson  will star as Horace Vandergelder, with Sam Joseph as Cornelius Hackl, Ally Rosenblum (Star of LPAC’s 2023 production of Always…Patsy Cline) as Irene Molloy, Kristi Rose Mills as Minnie Fay, Joel Hunt as Barnaby Tucker, Erica Kaylee as Ermengarde, Dru Loman as Ambrose Kemper, Britte Steele as Ernestina, and Lovell Rose as Rudolph.

Ensemble members are Bryce Bayer, Nia Bourne, Kalista Curbelo, Eytan Deray, Alexandra Dow, Desir Dumerjuste, Stephen Eisenwasser, Eli Flynn, Santiago Garza, Amanda Lopez, Michael Materdomini, Izaiah Scott, Caroline Slagle, Larry Toyter, Alexandra Van Hasselt, and Herbert Welch.

Tickets for Hello Dolly! are on sale now and can be purchased online at https://www.lpacfl.com, or by calling the LPAC box office at 954-777-2055.Tickets range in price from $45 to $65. 

The Lauderhill Performing Arts Center is located at 3800 NW 11th Place (33311), in the Central Broward Regional Park on the Northeast corner of Sunrise Boulevard and State Road 7.  For more information about LPAC visit https://www.lpacfl.com. 

For more information about Hello Dolly!, to speak with anyone involved in the production, or to arrange to see a performance, please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.
~ 
Hello Dolly!
April 4 – 21
Music & Lyrics by Jerry Herman
Book by Michael Stewart
Based on the play The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder
Tickets:  $45-$65
For tickets:  https://www.lpacfl.com or
Call 954-777-2055
Performances:
Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 pm
Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm
All performances will take place at
The Lauderhill Performing Arts Center (LPAC)
3800 NW 11th Place
Lauderhill, FL  33311

Hello, Dolly! photos by Morgan Sophia

Angie Radosh
Michael Ursua

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

20 Thursday Oct 2022

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

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

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

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

October 20, 2022

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

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

Norman Shabel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Empire Stage Presents CLEMENZA & TESSIO ARE DEAD – August 15 – September 8

12 Monday Aug 2019

Posted by in Shari Upbin

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Direct from The New York City Fringe Festival
Empire Stage Theater Presents the South Florida Premiere of
Clemenza & Tessio Are Dead
August 15 – September 8

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

August 12, 2019

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL:  Empire Stage will present a limited 13 performance run of Clemenza & Tessio Are Dead by Gregg Greenberg from August 15 – September 8. The play – a clever and humorous parody of the classic 1972 movie “The Godfather” (based on the novel by Mario Puzo), was originally produced as part of the 2009 New York City Fringe Festival.

Shari Upbin

Shari Upbin will direct the production, which will star Troy Stanley, Christopher Dreeson, and Aaron Bravo.

Clemenza & Tessio Are Dead takes a look at two little-noticed cogs in the Mafia machine and shows how those wise guys who are often overlooked can actually have the most fascinating stories of all.

Peter Clemenza and Salvatore Tessio are two longtime foot soldiers of the Corleone crime family, but after more than 40 years of service, upper management changes in the organization, and a perceived lack of respect from the incoming generation leads them to wonder if they’re being put out to pasture (or under it). But with the handwriting already on the wall, is it possible to change what fate has already decreed? Well, yes – but only if someone is cunning enough to radically change the script.

Clemenza & Tessio Are Dead will run at Empire Stage Theater form August 15 – September 8. Empire Stage Theater is located at 1140 North Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $35 ($20 for Aug 15 preview performance). Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased on line at www.empirestage.com or by calling 954-678-1496.

For more information about this production, please contact Carol Kassie at Carol@CarolKassie.com / 561-445-9244.

~

Clemenza & Tessio are Dead
August 15 – September 8
By Gregg Greenberg
Based on the movie The Godfather (1972), screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel by Mario Puzo
Tickets: $35 ($20 for August 15 preview)
Performances:
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
Sunday at 5 pm
To purchase tickets:
www.empirestage.com or 954-678-1496
All performances will take place at
Empire Stage
1140 North Flagler Drive
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304