Tag Archives: comedy

The PGA Arts Center presents FUNNY OLD BROADS – July 6 – 30

13 Tuesday Jun 2017

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The PGA Arts Center
presents
Caryn Bark, Pam Peterson, and Jan Slavin
in
Funny Old Broads
July 6 – July 30

“… fast paced humor with musical comedy mixed in … delicious to watch …”
~ Angela Allyn, Chicago Stage Standard

June 13, 2017:

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL:  Audiences looking for laughter this summer will find it at the PGA Arts Center when comediennes Caryn Bark, Pam Peterson, and Jan Slavin take the stage in Funny Old Broads, which will open on July 6th, and run through July 30th.  The show is part of the PGA Arts Center’s Summer Series.

Funny Old Broads is a delightful mixture of song and stand-up comedy, and features well-observed domestic humor interspersed with touching personal memories.  The Broads’ reflections on the absurdities of middle age and beyond, living in the ‘burbs’, and growing up in the sixties, not to mention Bark’s description of ‘middle aged Jewish ladies floundering through the Byzantine rules of Mah Jong’, will resonate with all audiences, no matter how old they are.

Funny Old Broads was created, as the multi-faceted (writer, comedienne, humorist, essayist, novelist, and playwright) Bark explains: “When I came to the shocking realization that I am older than Aunt Bee!”  It was her belief that she needed to embrace aging with laughter “…as well as a good support bra and Spanx.” 

Bark enlisted Pam Peterson and Jan Slavin – both of whom are popular and critically acclaimed performers individually, and known together as The Boomer Babes – and built the show around the three of them.

Caryn Bark is the creator/performer of the critically acclaimed one woman show Diary of a Skokie Girl, which played to sold-out audiences in Chicago, Kansas City, Little Rock, Phoenix, and Canada’s Winnipeg Jewish Theater. She has appeared on Lifetime Channel’s “Girls’ Nite Out”, has opened for Joel Grey, and worked for HBO and Comedy Central. She has been heard on NPR’s “The Savvy Traveler”, has been a frequent guest commentator on Chicago Public Radio station WBEZ, and a regular on Marie Osmond’s radio show, “Marie and Friends”. She has performed at comedy clubs across the country, including Catch a Rising Star and The Improv. She is the author of the novel “Mittelschmerz”, a comic romance about Chicago’s Jewish community.

Pam Peterson is the recipient of Chicago’s prestigious After Dark Award for Outstanding Cabaret Artist.  She has performed with pops symphonies and big bands nationwide, as well as at numerous premiere Chicago venues, including Maxim’s, Park West, Davenports, Drury Lane, Bailiwick Theater, and The Peninsula.  A member of Actor’s Equity Association, Pam’s theater credits include Chicago’s Victory Garden’s Theater, and the St. Louis Muny, and has appeared in TV spots for many Fortune 500 companies, including Motorola, Walgreens, MacDonald’s, and Prudential.

Jan Slavin is a singer, writer and stand-up comic who has performed in clubs and theaters throughout Chicago. Comedy venues have included Laugh Factory, Zanies, Comedy Bowl and many others. Most recently, Jan performed stand-up at the Chicago Women’s Funny Festival and the Twin Cities Jewish Humor Festival. Jan performs regularly with Pam Peterson in their musical duo, The Boomer Babes which was created while sitting next to each other at a Passover Seder 13 years ago, during the gefilte fish course. Jan is a registered Music Together instructor, bringing the joy of music to young children. Her only regret is that she has never made homemade chicken soup but she is not about to start now.

Tickets for Funny Old Broads are on sale now, and can be purchased on line at www.pgaartscenter.com or by calling 1-855-448-7469.  For group sales (12+), call 888-264-1788. Ticket prices range from $45-$59.

The PGA Arts Center is located at 4076 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410.
Ample parking is available within close proximity to the theatre.

For more information about Funny Old Broads, Caryn Bark, Pam Peterson, Jan Slavin, and/or the PGA Arts Center please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com at 561-445-9244.

Funny Old Broads
Written & Performed by Caryn Bark, Pam Peterson, and Jan Slavin
July 6 – July 30
Tickets:  $45 – $59
Phone:  1-855-448-7469
For Group Sales (12+): 888-264-1788
To purchase tickets on line:  www.pgaartscenter.com
Showtimes:
Thursday 2 pm & 7:30 pm
Friday 7:30 pm
Saturday 2 pm & 7:30 pm
Sunday 2 pm
PGA Arts Center
4076 PGA Boulevard,
Palm Beach Gardens, FL  33410
www.pgaartscenter.com
Like Us on Facebook! 

Directions to the PGA Arts Center:
On PGA Blvd heading East, (& RCA Blvd) take first right at Shell Gas Station, and then take the 2nd right into the shopping center driveway. The theater is on the left. Formerly the Cinema 6 Movie Theater inside the former Loehmann’s Plaza. This is less than 1/4 mile off of the PGA Blvd. Exit of 95 North.

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Evening Star Productions & Sol Children Theatre Announce Their 2017-2018 Season

09 Tuesday May 2017

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From Shakespeare to Cinderella:
Two popular Boca Raton theatre companies will offer audiences and actors of all ages an exciting mix of theatre

 

For Immediate Release
Contact: Rosalie Grant
info@eveningstarproductions.org / 561-447-8829
Contact:  Carol Kassie
carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244

May 10, 2017:
BOCA RATON, FL:  Although Evening Star Productions and Sol Children Theatre are not yet through their fourth and fifteenth seasons, both companies – under the direction of founder and Artistic Director Rosalie Grant – are deep into preparation for next year’s productions.

Evening Star Productions 2017-2018 season will begin with David Mamet’s Oleanna (September 21 – October 8, 2017), continue with Shakespeare’s Macbeth (October 26 – 28), and conclude with Peter Gordon’s Secondary Cause of Death (April 20 – May 6, 2018).

Sol Children Theatre will present Around the World in 80 Days (a musical, adapted from the Jules Verne classic by Chris Blackwood, with music by Piers Chater Robinson) (December 8 – 23, 2017), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (March 1 – 18, 2018), and a musical version of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach (August 24 – September 2, 2018).

Sol Theatre’s final production of the 2016-2017 season, Alice in Wonderland, adapted and directed by Seth Trucks, will run from August 10 through August 20.

Rosalie Grant

“Sol Theatre’s 2017-2018 Season needs to be a big party!” Rosalie Grant explains.  “All season long we’ll be celebrating Sol Children Theatre turning sweet sixteen!  With the exception of Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, which will feature all children and teen actors, we will be casting the Sol Children shows age appropriately, giving local actors more chances to get on stage, and our patrons the chance to enjoy professional actors in great children’s musicals!

Evening Star Productions’ recent production of Samuel Beckett’s existential masterpiece Waiting for Godot garnered rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, along with the honor of a Carbonell recommendation, and the young company’s 2017-18 season will once again offer audiences an eclectic – and exciting – menu to choose from.  “Following the extraordinary success of Godot we’re pleased to kick off Evening Star’s fourth season with the still-relevant Oleanna, by David Mamet, followed by Peter Gordon’s Secondary Cause of Death,” Grant reveals. “Secondary Cause of Death is the sequel to Murdered to Death – which proved to be wildly popular when we produced it in April 2016.  And we’re delighted to announce that Seth Trucks will be back as the inept Inspector Pratt, and Murphy Hayes will return as Colonel Craddock.

“We will be announcing additions to the Evening Star season through our newest endeavor, Sol After Dark, which will kick off in October with a one-act adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth,” Grant continues. “This lineup of productions will feature an all-inclusive evening in one ticket price:  a “bite” of theatre, refreshments and talk backs after the shows which will include Shakespeare, absurdism, science fiction etc… something a little off the beaten theatre path for those hungry for a different bite of theatre.  All of us at Sol are very excited for 2017 – 18.”

All Evening Star Productions and Sol Children Theatre performances will take place at Sol Theatre in Boca Raton.  Ticket prices for all 2017-2018 productions are listed below; group rates are available for all shows. Tickets to all Evening Star Productions and Sol Children Theatre 2017-2018 productions will be on sale soon; tickets for both companies’ remaining 2016-2017 productions are on sale now and can be purchased at the Sol Theatre box office at 561-447-8829 or on line at www.eveningstarproductions.org or www.solchildren.org  Sol Theatre is located at 3333 North Federal Highway in Boca Raton (33431).

For more information about Evening Star Productions and Sol Children Theatre, please contact Rosalie Grant at 561-447-8829 / info@eveningstarproductions.com or Carol Kassie at 561-445-9244 / carol@carolkassie.com .

EVENING STAR PRODUCTIONS
2018-2018 Season

Oleanna
September 21 – October 8, 2017
By David Mamet
Directed by Rosalie Grant
Featuring Todd Bruno and Sara Grant
Tickets:  $30 / $20 for students
A seething investigation of “political correctness” in a time when the nation’s morality has been tested by increased incidents of sexual harassment. “Oleanna is likely to provoke more arguments than any play this year.” —NY Times. “One of the ten best plays of 1992…reason enough to cheer for the future of the theatre.” —Time Magazine.

Macbeth
October 26 – 28, 2017
By William Shakespeare
Adapted and directed by Seth Trucks and Sara Grant
Tickets:  $20
Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, thought to have first been performed in 1606, “The Scottish Play” explores the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. Of all the plays Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James I, who was patron of Shakespeare’s acting company, Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwright’s relationship with his sovereign.
The premiere production of ‘Sol After Dark’.

Secondary Cause of Death
April 20 – May 6, 2018
By Peter Gordon
Directed by Rosalie Grant
Tickets:  $30 / $20 students
The hilarious sequel to the author’s hit comedy thriller Murdered to Death: It’s now 1939, and storm clouds are gathering over Europe. Having inherited Bagshot House, Colonel Charles Craddock has converted the property into a hotel for the discerning visitor. Soon Inspector Pratt arrives once again at Bagshot House, bearing grim news for Colonel Craddock. But that’s just the beginning—who is the strange Polish Count? Is Henrietta really an army captain? And where does the flamboyant thespian Cardew Longfellow fit into the picture? When Joan Maple’s sister Cynthia arrives to stage a murder mystery evening, it’s not long before Pratt’s visit turns into a chaotic nightmare as the bodies pile higher than ever!

SOL CHILDREN THEATRE
2017-2018 Season

Around the World in 80 Days
December 8 – 23, 2017
Book and Lyrics by Chris Blackwood
Music by Piers Chater Robinson
Based on the book by Jules Verne
Directed by Rosalie Grant
Tickets:  $20 / $15 juniors (11 and under)
Based on Jules Verne’s classic novel, the musical recounts the journey of Phileas Fogg who has made a bet with the members of his gentlemen’s club that he can travel around the world in 80 days. Accompanied by his servant Passepartout the plot revolves around the adventures Fogg faces in his attempt.

Cinderella  
March 1 – 18, 2018
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Music by Richard Rodgers
Directed by Seth Trucks
Tickets:  $20 / $15 juniors (11 and under)
The timeless enchantment of a magical fairy tale is reborn with the Rodgers & Hammerstein hallmarks of originality, charm, and elegance. Adapted for the stage with great warmth and more than a touch of hilarity, the hearts of children and adults alike still soar when
the slipper fits!

James and the Giant Peach
August 24 – September 2, 2018
Book by Timothy Allen McDonald
Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Based on the book James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Directed by Rosalie Grant
Tickets:  $20 / $15 juniors (11 and under)
When James is sent by his conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion that results in a tremendous peach… and launches a journey of enormous proportions. Suddenly, James finds himself in the center of the gigantic peach, among human-sized insects with equally oversized personalities, but after it falls from the tree and rolls into the ocean, the group faces hunger, sharks and plenty of disagreements. Thanks to James’ quick wit and creative thinking, the residents learn to live and work together as a family.  Featuring a wickedly tuneful score and a curiously quirky book.

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Tommy Koenig’s BABY BOOMER BABY at the PGA Arts Center April 27 – May 28

06 Thursday Apr 2017

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Tommy Koenig
Returns to South Florida with his
Hit “Musicomedy”
Baby Boomer Baby
at the
PGA Arts Center
April 27 – May 28

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

April 6, 2017:
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL:  Comedy Central/National Lampoon star Tommy Koenig’s show Baby Boomer Baby’s well received and successful run at the Plaza Theatre in 2016 prompted PGA Arts Center producers Dana Matthow and Philip Roger Roy to approach the multi-talented actor/comedian about returning to South Florida for a limited engagement at their newly opened Palm Beach Gardens theatre.   Koenig’s one man ‘musicomedy’, which just completed a successful engagement at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix, Arizona, is a flashback through our times and the music that defined them”. Baby Boomer Baby will open at the PGA Arts Center on April 27th.

Baby Boomer Baby has been called well written, wildly entertaining, high energy, touching, and very, very funny. It is Koenig’s story, told from his distinctly Baby Boomer perspective. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1953, the year Rock and Roll was born, and was raised in Rockaway Beach, the son of a musician who played with Glenn Miller during World War II.  Koenig was greatly influenced by chance meetings with John F. Kennedy and later George Carlin, and mostly by what the Beatles brought – the influence of music on Boomers’ culture and personal choices.  In Baby Boomer Baby Koenig recounts the years he struggled to keep up with the changing times, just missing Woodstock by a few miles; the rites of passage of College, Travel, Sex, and Drugs; and the ever changing cultural and political landscape that music unleashed as it morphed from Disco to Punk to MTV to Rap and beyond.

During the show Koenig channels dozens of well-known – and original – characters in a one man tour de force spanning 7 decades. With original songs and parodies of everyone from The Beatles to Lady Gaga, and from Doo Wop to Hip Hop, Koenig’s impressions include Elton John, Billy Joel, Blondie, Willie Nelson, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, The Bee Gees, the Eagles, among others.

Tommy Koenig was voted ‘Best New Comic’ by the New York Daily News in 1980.  The multi-faceted comedian, actor, writer, and teacher cut his comedic teeth in such iconic venues as Dangerfield’s, The Copacabana, and The Playboy Club, where he opened for Jazz greats like Lionel Hampton and Damita Jo.  He also appeared frequently on stand-up comedy shows (A&E’s Comedy on the Road from London, Jamaica, New York and Los Angeles, as well as Evening at the Improv, MTV’s Half Hour Comedy Hour, and Showtime’s Comedy Club All Stars. Koenig was one of the rare comics to appear on Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert; he has opened for Warren Zevon, Alvin Lee, Bonnie Raitt, Dave Mason, Los Lobos, and Joan Jett.  He has also guest-starred on numerous television programs – from Miami Vice‘ to Boston Legal and from ‘Not Necessarily The News to The Onion News Network.   Koenig co-starred in the med-school spoof film Stitches, and was part of Mel Brooks’ ensemble casts of Robin Hood-Men in Tights and Dracula – Dead and Loving It.

Koenig has written for the National Lampoon, and starred in two of their rock and roll comedy stage shows: If We’re Late Start Without Us and Class of ’86 (which was filmed for Showtime). He also teaches Stand Up Comedy at the Comics Studio in New York.  One of his students, Brad Zimmerman, has just completed a successful run at the PGA Arts Center in My Son the Waiter:  A Jewish Tragedy.

Baby Boomer Baby was first conceived and performed in 2011 at The Santa Barbara Theatre in Puerto Vallarta. It made its US debut in 2013 as a benefit for victims of Hurricane Sandy, and its Off Broadway debut at Stage 72. It returned to Puerto Vallarta at The Boutique Theatre in 2014. The show also played at The Downstairs Cabaret Theatre in Rochester and Shea’s Smith Theatre in Buffalo, New York, The Stateside Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas, Sparta Avenue Stage, in Sparta, New Jersey, and The Tiawaga Theatre in Oswego, New York.

Tickets for Baby Boomer Baby are on sale now, and can be purchased on line at www.pgaartscenter.com or by calling 1-855-448-7469.  For group sales (12+), call 888-264-1788. Tickets for all shows are $45.

The PGA Arts Center is located at 4076 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410. Ample parking is available within close proximity to the theatre.

For more information about Baby Boomer Baby, Tommy Koenig, and/or the PGA Arts Center please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com at 561-445-9244.

Baby Boomer Baby
Written & Performed byTommy Koenig
April 27 – May 28 
Tickets:  $45 
Phone:  1-855-448-7469
For Group Sales (12+): 888-264-1788
To purchase tickets on line:  www.pgaartscenter.com
Showtimes: 
Thursday 2 pm & 7:30 pm
Friday 7:30 pm
Saturday 2 pm & 7:30 pm
Sunday 2 pm

PGA Arts Center
4076 PGA Boulevard,
Palm Beach Gardens, FL  33410
www.pgaartscenter.com
Like Us on Facebook!

Directions to the PGA Arts Center:
On PGA Blvd heading East, (& RCA Blvd) take first right at Shell Gas Station, and then take the 2nd right into the shopping center driveway. The theater is on the left. Formerly the Cinema 6 Movie Theater inside the former Loehmann’s Plaza. This is less than 1/4 mile off of the PGA Blvd. Exit of 95 North.

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The PGA Arts Center Announces a Laughter Filled Summer Season!

17 Friday Mar 2017

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The PGA Arts Center
Announces a Laughter Filled Summer Season!

The popular new Palm Beach Gardens theatre will host
Boomers, Broads, and Cheerleaders with hilarious tales to tell …

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

March 17, 2017

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL:  Dana Matthow and Philip Roger Roy, managing directors of the Presley Theatre Productions Corporation (a 501(c)3, not for profit corporation), opened the PGA Arts Center in January.   The long-time theatrical producing partners quickly demonstrated they have a pretty good idea of what South Florida audiences are looking for when they visit the newly renovated Palm Beach Gardens theatre.   The company’s recent offerings – Brad Zimmerman’s My Son the Waiter:  A Jewish Tragedy and WaistWatchers The Musical! elicited enthusiastic audience response and excellent ticket sales during their recent runs at the PGA Boulevard venue, formerly known as PGA Cinemas.

Matthow and Roy’s summer line-up will ‘amp up the laughter factor’ with three shows sure to please:  Comedy Central and National Lampoon star Tommy Koenig will start the summer season off in April with Baby Boomer Baby; comedienne Caryn Bark will be joined by funny women Pam Peterson and Jan Slavin in Funny Old Broads in July; and in August audiences will be treated to Sandy Gelfound’s The Kosher Cheerleader (A Truish Jewish Love Story).

Baby Boomer Baby is Tommy Koenig’s hilarious, touching and wildly entertaining flashback through our times and the music that defined it. The show’s well received and successful run at the Plaza Theatre last May prompted Matthow and Roy to invite the popular comedian back to the area for an encore run.  As one patron put it, “It connects the dots between the generations. It’s historical and it’s hysterical!”  Koenig displays his comedic talent and versatility throughout the show, portraying numerous genres, characters, and impressions ranging from Doo Wop to Hip Hop, with original songs and parodies of everyone from The Beatles to Lady Gaga, Elton John, Billy Joel, Blondie, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, The Bee Gees, The Eagles, and more.

Writer, comedienne, humorist, essayist, novelist, and playwright Caryn Bark has performed throughout the United States and in Canada. Her newest production – Funny Old Broads – a mixture of song and standup comedy (“We’re too old to dance!”) featuring her well-observed domestic comedy interspersed with touching personal memories, will resonate with audiences, no matter how old they are. She will be joined on stage by comediennes Pam Peterson and Jan Slavin – both of whom are popular and critically acclaimed performers individually, and known together as ‘The Boomer Babes’.
Celebrated standup comedian Sandy Gelfound will star in The Kosher Cheerleader (A Truish Jewish Love Story). Gelfound, who has performed alongside Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno, spins an hilarious, and at times heartbreaking, true story of her journey from NFL Cheerleader to Orthodox Jew. Born with a literal hole in her heart, Gelfound’s quest to fill that void takes her, and audiences, on a journey where she expertly embodies the outrageous characters of her life in this singing, dancing, cartwheeling comedy.
Tickets for Baby Boomer Baby, Funny Old Broads, and The Kosher Cheerleader are on sale now, and can be purchased on line at www.pgaartscenter.com or by calling 1-855-448-7469 or 561-508-8819.  For group sales (12+), call 888-264-1788. Tickets for all shows are $45.  Show days and times are listed below.

The PGA Arts Center is located at 4076 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410. Ample parking is available within close proximity to the theatre.

For more information about the PGA Arts Center, Philip Roger Roy and/or Dana Matthew, please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com at 561-445-9244.

~

Baby Boomer Baby
“A Master of Caricature. He’s A Major Talent!” – New York Times
“Hilarious. Hysterical. A Steady Stream of Fun!” – LA Weekly
Opening April 27
Thursday 2 pm & 7:30 pm
Friday 7:30 pm
Saturday 2 pm & 7:30 pm
Sunday 2 pm
~
Funny Old Broads
“Fast Paced Humor with Musical Comedy mixed in… Delicious to Watch!” – Chicago Stage Standard
“Always Hilarious!” – LeBon Travel & Culture
July 6 – 30
Thursday 2pm & 7:30 pm
Friday 7:30 pm
Saturday 2 pm & 7:30 pm
Sunday 2 pm
~
The Kosher Cheerleader (a Truish Jewish Love Story)
“Compelling… Engaging…. Beguiling!” – Miami Herald
“Hilarious…. Remarkable Story” – KABC Talk Radio
August 3 – 27
Thursday 2pm & 7:30 pm
Friday 7:30 pm
Saturday 2 pm & 7:30 pm
Sunday 2 pm
~
PGA Arts Center
4076 PGA Boulevard,
Palm Beach Gardens, FL  33410
www.pgaartscenter.com

Directions to the PGA Arts Center:
On PGA Blvd heading East, (& RCA Blvd) take first right at Shell Gas Station, and then take the 2nd right into the shopping center driveway. The theater is on the left. Formerly the Cinema 6 Movie Theater inside the former Loehmann’s Plaza. This is less than 1/4 mile off of the PGA Blvd. Exit of 95 North.

 

The Concert and Theatre Arts Series at B’nai Torah & present James Sherman’s BEAU JEST – February 22

09 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by in Shari Upbin

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The Concert and Theatre Arts Series at B’nai Torah
&
Shari Upbin
present
beau-jest-red-1ckJames Sherman’s
Beau Jest
February 22 at 7:30 pm


“Hilarious and quite moving …blending farce and genuine insight.” ~ Chicago Sun Times

“Very funny…The well-crafted play has a lot to say about nuclear families of any ethnic persuasion.” ~The Wall Street Journal


February 9, 2017

BOCA RATON, FL: The Concert and Theatre Arts Series at B’nai Torah and Producer/Director Shari Upbin will bring James Sherman’s ‘comedy with romance’, Beau Jest, to the B’nai Torah Stage for one performance only, on February 22nd at 7:30 pm.

Sarah Goldman is a nice Jewish girl with a problem:  her parents want her married – to a nice Jewish boy, of course. They’ve never met Sarah’s boyfriend, who happens to have the unfortunate name of Chris Kringle, and who doesn’t exactly fit that description, so to make them happy she invents Dr. David Steinberg – the man of their dreams.  When they insist upon meeting Dr. Steinberg, Sarah contacts an escort service to provide her with a Jewish date – but instead they send her Bob Schroeder, an out of work actor who agrees to perform the impersonation.  Sarah’s mother – armed with challah and lokshen kugel sets out to snare this Beau for her daughter with hilarious mix ups and consequences!

Now in its 21st season, The Concert Series at B’nai Torah has proven to be a popular program for congregational members and non-members alike.  The Theatre Series, spearheaded by Cantor Udi Spielman and Producer/Director Shari Upbin, was added three years ago.

shari-upbin-by-michael-thomas

Shari Upbin

“When Cantor Udi Spielman asked me to bring a comedy to B’nai Torah, I immediately thought of the wonderful Beau Jest by James Sherman, the author of the highly successful Door To Door – which I also directed for our Theatre Series,” Director Upbin says. “This well-crafted play has a lot to say about families of any ethnic persuasion. Coming from a family devoted to comedy – my dad was a writer for Jack Benny – it was a wonderful experience blending farce with a genuine insight into this family I knew so well.

“Jewish mothers are a tribute to society,” she continues. “I miss my own Jewish, mother but now that I have grown children of my own, I get the opportunity – over and over again – to pass down the very statements my own mother used to say to me. “So… that’s what you are wearing?” is now an anthem filled with love and familiarity. I believe our audiences will enjoy seeing the Goldman family on stage!”

Emily Freeman, who recently placed first in the National Society of Arts and Letters Musical Theatre competition will play Sarah Goldman.  Roy Lynam, Christopher Mitchell, Larry Bramble, Chris Anthony Ferrer, and Phyllis Spear round out Upbin’s talented cast.
b-j-actor-stripJames Sherman is the author of numerous plays, including The God of Isaac, Mr. 80%, The Escape Artist, Romance in D, From Door to Door, The Old Man’s Friend, Affluenza, and Jacob and Jack. He began his professional career as a writer and performer with The Second City in Chicago and received an M.F.A. degree from Brandeis University. Since 1985, he has had thirteen plays premiered at the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, and he was a founding member of the Victory Gardens Playwrights Ensemble. His plays have been published and are regularly produced by theatres throughout the United States and have also been seen in Canada, Mexico, Australia, South America, England, Germany, Austria, Turkey, South Africa, Australia, China, and Korea.

Beau Jest will play for one performance, only – on Wednesday, February 22nd, at 7:30 pm at Congregation B’nai Torah in Boca Raton.  Tickets are $45 ($36 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 Beau Jest or Shari Upbin, please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.

Beau Jest
February 22, 2017
7:30 pm
By James Sherman
Tickets:  $45 ($36 for congregational members)
Click HERE to purchase tickets on line.
Phone: 561-392-8566
B’nai Torah Congregation
6261 SW 18th Street
Boca Raton, FL 33433
www.bnai-torah.org

Shari 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 Beau Jest, some of Shari’s Florida directing credits include Bridge & Tunnel, Women’s Minyan, 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.   She is producing the 2017 National Classical Ballet Competition at Florida Atlantic University in June.

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Stage Door Theatre presents THE BRIS, THE BAR MITZVAH, & BEYOND – February 10 – March 26

06 Monday Feb 2017

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Stage Door Theatre
presents
David Jay Bernstein’s
bris-strokedFebruary 10 – March 26

“Funnier than The Producers!”  David Jay Bernstein’s Mother

 

February 6, 2017

MARGATE, FL:  Stage Door Theatre will present David Jay Bernstein’s delightful comedy,The Bris, The Bar Mitzvah, & Beyond, beginning February 10th.  The production will run through March 26th in the popular Margate venue’s Theatre 2.

“And, verily, The Lord said unto Abraham: “Cut the off the foreskin of thy organ as a covenant of obedience.”  And Abraham did replieth: “You’re kidding, right?” Playwright David Jay Bernstein has long wondered what the ‘guest of honor’ at a Bris ceremony would be thinking if he knew what was going on.

“And on the eighth day after his birth, little Max Shapiro begins a life-long conversation with his dad, Gary, by asking the age-old question: “What do you think you’re doing with that knife?”  The Bris sets the stage for the Shapiro’s lifetime together,” Bernstein explains, “As we stop to visit with them at some of the rites of passage that define the relationships between Jewish fathers and sons.”

“The Bris, The Bar Mitzvah, & Beyond is, I feel, actually a drama with some very funny moments in it,” says the show’s director, Randy Brenner. “In fact, I’ve been referring to it as a ‘dramedy’. It’s about relationships – and from a director’s point of view, it’s always a challenge to do a play with three characters and bring those three characters’ lives to life on stage. At the same time, you try to stay true to the author’s vision.”

Brenner has cast Jonathan Brett as Max, Ben Prayz as Gary, and Emily Freeman as Lori.  Emily recently placed first in the National Society of Arts and Letters Musical Theatre Competition.

The Bris, The Bar Mitzvah, & Beyond will run from February 10 – March 26 at Stage Door Theatre. The theatre is located at 8036 Sample Road, in Margate.

Tickets for The Bris, The Bar Mitzvah, & Beyond 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.stagedoorfl.org

For more information about The Bris, The Bar Mitzvah, & Beyond and/or Stage Door Theatre, please visit www.stagedoorfl.org, or contact Derelle Bunn Executive Producer/Artistic Director, at DerelleBunn@yahoo.com / 954-344-7765 or Carol Kassie (carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244).

Photographs and graphics available on request.

The Bris, The Bar Mitzvah, & Beyond
February 10 – March 26, 2017
By David Jay Bernstein
Tickets:  $38 – $42
Phone:  954-344-7765
Showtimes:
Wednesday, Saturday, & Sunday at 2 pm,
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
The Stage Door Theatre
8036 W Sample Rd
Margate, Fl 33065
www.stagedoorfl.com
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MY SON THE WAITER: A JEWISH TRAGEDY at the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center December 15 – January 29

18 Friday Nov 2016

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waiter_banner_490x468-9December 15 – January 29

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. 

 

November 18, 2016

BOCA RATON, FL:  Brad Zimmerman will return to South Florida this season in his highly praised autobiographical comedy, My Son the Waiter:  A Jewish Tragedy.  The show will run from December 15th through January 29th at the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center in Boca Raton.

My Son the Waiter:  A Jewish Tragedy is the story of Zimmerman’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 has garnered rave reviews wherever it has played, including sold out runs at the Northshore Theatre in Skokie, Illinois, and the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey, this past summer.

Every mother dreams her children will grow up to be happy, healthy, and successful.  Every Jewish mother secretly – and often not so secretly –  adds specifics to her wish:  A doctor, a lawyer, a dentist, or these days, a Silicon Valley tycoon would make her very happy.  Brad Zimmerman’s mother has finally adapted to her ‘actor-waiter’ son’s career choice and financial situation: “If all goes well, I think Brad is going to buy a bookcase,” she boasts to her friends.
brad_zimmermanBrad 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 to 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.”

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, including a very successful run at The Palm Beaches Theatre in Manalapan last season.

My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy will run from December 15th – January 29th at the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center in Boca Raton.  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 / carol@carolkassie.com.

Photographs and graphics available on request.
This press release can be viewed on line at:

~

My Son the Waiter:  A Jewish Tragedy
By Brad Zimmerman
December 15 – January 29
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
Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center
201 Plaza Real, 2nd Floor
Boca Raton, FL 33432
(Opposite Lord & Taylor)
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)

“Zimmerman is a funny man with funny material.” ~ Thomas Burns Scully (On Stage)

“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

 “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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KWP Productions presents IT HAD TO BE YOU – August 19 – September 4

12 Friday Aug 2016

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KWP Productions
presents
Renee Taylor & Joseph Bologna’s
IHTBY (1)August 19 – September 4

“A cartoon comedy of great dexterity and loving warmth.” – The New York Post

August 12, 2016
WEST PALM BEACH, FL:  KWP Productions will start off their expanded season in their new location with a delightful comedy sure to please audiences of all ages.  It Had To Be You will open at the Bhetty Waldron Theater at Actor’s Rep on August 19th and run through September 4th.

Written by Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna, It Had To Be You is an absurd, fast-paced comedy about Theda Blau, a zany, eccentric, ex-Hollywood B movie actress and ‘wannabe’ playwright seeking love and/or a writing partner in New York City.  She meets Vito Pignoli, a hugely successful TV commercial director. By holding him hostage in her apartment on a snowy Christmas Eve, she somehow manages to convince him to be her partner both on the page and off.

Joseph Bologna and Renee Taylor

Joseph Bologna and Renee Taylor

Married in 1965 Taylor and Bologna have enjoyed successful careers separately and as a team.  Their first collaboration, Lovers and Other Strangers (in which Bologna made his professional acting debut) was produced on Broadway in 1968.  The film version, which they co-wrote, was released in 1970, and garnered them an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.   Since then the couple have continued writing, and both have starred in numerous films, television programs, and on stage.

“[It Had To Be You] was the hardest and most rewarding thing we’ve ever written,” Bologna has said. “It’s a two-character play that takes place in real time. At first we set the play over six months, then one month and then one week. But it never worked until we made it happen in one night. That’s because it made the feelings more intense.”

Helen Buttery will direct KWP’s production, which will star Deborah Lynskey-Lake as Theda Blau, and Lenny Marine as Vito Pignoli.

All performances will take place at the Bhetty Waldron Theater at Actor’s Rep, located at 1009 North Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, Florida, 33401.

Tickets are available for purchase on line at: http://kwpproductions.com or by calling 561-339-4687.

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

It Had to Be You
August 19 – September 4, 2016
By Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna
Directed by Helen Buttery
Tickets: $21
For tickets and information:  561-339-4687 / http://kwpproductions.com
Performance Schedule:
Friday, August 19 – 8 pm
Saturday, August 20 – 2 pm
Saturday, August 20 – 8 pm
Sunday, August 21 – 2 pm
Saturday, August 27 – 2 pm
Saturday August 27 – 8 pm
Sunday, August 28 – 2 pm
Friday, September 2 – 8 pm
Saturday, September 3 – 8 pm
Sunday, September 4 – 2 pm
All Performances to take place at
The Bhetty Waldron Theater at Actor’s Rep,
1009 North Dixie Highway,
West Palm Beach, Florida, 33401
http://kwpproductions.com
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Stage Door Theatre presents Neil Simon’s BROADWAY BOUND July 8 – August 14

23 Thursday Jun 2016

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Stage Door Theatre
presents
Neil Simon’s
BB - logo 1July 8 – August 14

“A lovely play; warm, perceptive, and gently humorous.” ~ Newsday
“Expectedly funny and unexpectedly moving.”  ~ New York Daily News

June 23, 2016
MARGATE, FL:  Stage Door Theatre’s production of Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound will open on July 8th and run through August 14th.

Michael Leeds

Michael Leeds

“Broadway Bound is the third in Neil Simon’s ”BB” trilogy, which includes Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues,” explains the show’s Carbonell Award-winning director, Michael Leeds. “Stage Door’s production of Brighton Beach Memoirs was such a success that this seemed like the logical next step.  And I’m lucky to have some of those original cast members back to reprise their roles.  Since Broadway Bound takes place ten years later, it’s especially interesting for those actors to see how their characters have changed.

“In Broadway Bound Eugene has returned to his family after the war and is teetering on the verge of becoming the famous comic genius we will come to know as Neil Simon,” Leeds continues.  “He is still recording his life in his journal, and he is still struggling to understand the dynamics of sex and of family relationships.

“The play is replete with the humor Simon is known for, but for me there’s a depth in these characters Simon hadn’t shown before.  Perhaps it’s because unlike the other two plays in the trilogy, Broadway Bound is really about Kate, Eugene’s mother, the rock upon which this family stands.  There’s an indelible scene that I’m eager to stage, when Kate reminisces to Eugene about the night she and her girlfriend went to the Primrose Ballroom and George Raft asked her to dance.  The scene comes to life as Eugene asks his mother to dance. Both poignant and funny, this is just one of the many stories that unfold as Eugene finally becomes the man he was destined to be.

“I’ve got a terrific cast,” Leeds says.  “Some will be new faces to our Stage Door audience but they’ll hopefully join the tight knit family of talent that makes Stage Door such a great place to work and, of course, a great place to see great shows.”

The cast of Broadway Bound includes Pam Roza as Kate, Kristian Bikic as Eugene, Alex Salup as Stan, Michael Small as Ben, Peter Librach as Jack, and Donna Warfield as Blanche.

Broadway Bound will run from July 8 – August 14 at Stage Door Theatre in Margate. The theatre is located at 8036 Sample Road, in Margate.

Tickets for Broadway Bound 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.

For more information about Broadway Bound and/or 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).

Broadway Bound  
July 8 – August 14
By Neil Simon
Tickets:  $38 – $42
Phone:  954-344-7765
On line:  www.stagedoortheatre.com
Showtimes:
Wednesday, Saturday, & Sunday at 2 pm,
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
The Stage Door Theatre
8036 W Sample Rd
Margate, Fl 33065
www.stagedoortheatre.com 
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The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)[revised] June 17 – 26 at Sol Theatre

01 Wednesday Jun 2016

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Evening Star Productions
presents
Completeworks_LOGOJune 17 – 26

“If you like Shakespeare, you’ll love this show. if you hate Shakespeare you’ll love this show!”  ~The Today Show

June 1, 2016

BOCA RATON, FL:  Evening Star Productions will warp from one classic musical to 37 classical plays when they present The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)[revised] from June 17th through June 26th at Sol Theatre in Boca Raton.  (The company’s production of The Rocky Horror Show completed a sold out run at The Abyss Stage on May 28th).

An irreverent, fast paced comedic condensation of all the Bard’s plays, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) was written in 1987 by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield (aka Reduced Shakespeare Company), and was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  It eventually ran for nine years in London’s West End.  Featured are all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays, meant to be performed in 97 minutes, by three actors.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Singer and Winfield thoroughly revised the show to bring it up to date for 21st century audiences, incorporating some of the funniest material culled from numerous productions that have been performed around the world, as well as references to various contemporary cultural touchstones. Renamed The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)[revised] the show is notable for – among other things – holding the world record for the shortest ever performance of Hamlet, clocking in at 43 seconds, as well as the fastest performance of Hamlet backwards, at 42 seconds.

Evening Star’s artistic director Rosalie Grant has enlisted Savannah Rootes to direct the production:

“I’m so excited to be directing my first play and the fact that it’s Complete Works makes it extra special,” Rootes says. “As the first show I stage-managed, Complete Works holds a special place in my heart. It was the beginning of a wonderful journey of learning the ropes and what it really takes to be the brains of the operation. The best part was working beside Rosalie Grant. By the end of my first show with her we were on the same brainwave. I really grew up while expanding my skills in stage management and direction. I’m psyched that I’m re-entering the world of Complete Works. It is funny, witty, and the perfect combination of physical and intellectual comedy. The cast is incredible and the staff at Sol Theatre provides awesome support. It will be a show you won’t want to miss.”

Taking on over 1000 roles in the production are Alex Weiss, Edward Scott, and Seth Trucks – all of whom are well versed in the works of the Bard. Alex Weiss’ numerous stage credits include the roles of Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, and Caliban in The Tempest.  Edward Scott has played The Grave Digger in Hamlet, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice. Seth Trucks studied classical theatre at the British American Drama Academy and The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and has performed with the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)[revised] will run from June 17 – 26 at Sol Theatre in Boca Raton. Tickets are $15 and $10 for students. Group rates are also available. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased  by calling 561-447-8829 or on line at www.eveningstarproductions.org.

For more information about Evening Star Productions visit www.eveningstarproductions.org  or contact Rosalie Grant at 561-447-8829 /info@eveningstarproductions.com; For more information about this production, contact Carol Kassie at 561-445-9244 /ckassie@gmail.com.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised]
June 17 – 26
By Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield
Tickets:  $15/$10 for Students
For Tickets:  561-447-8829 / www.eveningstarproductions.org
Performances:  Friday & Saturday at 8 pm / Sunday at 2 pm
Sol Theatre
3333 North Federal Highway
Boca Raton, FL 33431

Bill---gifWarning! This show is a high-speed roller-coaster type condensation of all of Shakespeare’s plays, and is not recommended for people with heart ailments, bladder problems, inner-ear disorders, outer-ear disorders, Shakespearean scholars, degrees in Elizabethan history and/or people inclined to motion sickness. Evening Star Productions cannot be held responsible for expectant mothers!

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