Broward Stage Door Theatre presents Joe DiPietro’s THE LAST ROMANCE – October 10 – November 23

23 Tuesday Sep 2014

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Arthur Whitelaw, Broward Stage Door Theatre, comedy, Coral Springs Theatre, Ft. Lauderdale Theatre, Joe DiPietro, Larry Kent Bramble, Phyllis Spear, Sally Bondi, The Last Romance

October 10 – November 23
September 24, 2014

Playwright Joe DiPietro has become increasingly adept at illustrating the fascinating dynamics of love and family. From his first Off-Broadway success, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, through his Tony Award-winning hit Memphis, DiPietro has examined many aspects of the human connection. In the Broward Stage Door Theatre’s upcoming production of The Last Romance, DiPietro explores a relationship between a man and a woman who just happen to be over the age of 65, and the family ties that bind, and pull. The play is a gentle and tender comedy that mixes a lot of humor with a little bit of heartbreak… and opera!

Director Arthur Whitelaw and Stage Door’s Artistic Director Derelle Bunn have cast Larry Bramble, Phyllis Spear, Sally Bondi, and James Parks in the production, which will open on October 10^t^h, and run through November 23^rd.

“The Last Romance is a warm, funny and insightful play about love after 65,” says Whitelaw. “I hope our audiences will leave the theatre with a smile on their faces and a tear in their eyes. I know that after I read it, I did. Joe DiPietro is a talented young writer, who knows his characters and their territory.”

Larry Bramble agrees. “When I first read this play I knew I had to play the role of Ralph. It seemed like it was written for me. Stage Door has allowed that dream to come true. I just directed Over the River and Through the Woods for Stage Door, and I have become a big fan of Joe DiPietro’s plays. He has an innate sense of what touches our souls and what makes us human.”

Joe DiPietro wrote the book and lyrics to the musical comedy hit I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, (composer: Jimmy Roberts), the longest running musical revue in off-Broadway history, with productions staged in over 150 cities around the world. He is also the author of the plays Over The River And Through The Woods, The Kiss At City Hall, The Virgin Weeps, and the comic thriller The Art Of Murder (winner of the 2000 Edgar Award). He wrote the book to the “new” Gershwin musical Nice Work If You Can Get It (world premiere: Goodspeed Opera House, 2001), a new adaptation of Rodgers & Hart’s Babes In Arms (world premiere: Goodspeed Opera House, 2002) and a new adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Allegro (world premiere: Signature Theatre, 2004). In addition to his book and lyrics for the recent off-Broadway musical The Thing About Men (composer: Jimmy Roberts), DiPietro’s other projects include book and lyrics for the rock & roll musical Memphis (composer: David Bryan, premiered regionally in late 2003), and the book for All Shook Up, an original musical comedy featuring the songs of Elvis Presley which opened on Broadway in 2005. Joe is the recipient of the William Inge Theater Festival New Voices In American Theater Award, and has won the O’Neill National Playwright’s Conference MacArthur Award for comic writing.

Arthur Whitelaw

Arthur Whitelaw has been producing, directing, writing and acting for the past 61 years. His productions have won every major industry award including the Tony, Oscar, Emmy, Olivier, Evening Standard, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, etc. He has discovered many future stars starting with his first production, Best Foot Forward which introduced Liza Minnelli and Christopher Walken to the New York stage. Others include: Marvin Hamlich, Stephen Schwartz, Gary Burgoff, Blyth Danner, Paul Michael Glaser, Christen Chenowyth to name only a few. His productions have played all over the world in and in many languages. Some of his many television credits include: You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (NBC) Emmy Nom., Celebrating Gershwin (PBS/BBC) EMMY WIN and for HBO, Camelot, The Rainmaker, The Deadly Game, and Groucho. His film credits include: Butterflies Are Free, and Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn with Jodie Foster. A few Seasons ago Mr. Whitelaw acted in Full Circle (a play he wrote about his long career) and directed A Taffeta Wedding (a sequel to The Taffetas) both for the Stage Door Theatre in Coral Springs. He has also just finished his autobiography Working For Peanuts. Last year Mr. Whitelaw donated his vast theatre files to the Library of Congress.

The Last Romance will run from October 10^th – November 23^rd at The Broward Stage Door Theatre in Coral Springs. The theatre is located at 8036 Sample Road, in Coral Springs.

Tickets for The Last Romance 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.

The Last Romance
By Joe DiPietro
Directed by Arthur Whitelaw
Dates: October 10 – November 23
Tickets: $38 – $42 (Students $16)
For Tickets: 954-344-7765 / www.stagedoortheatre.com
Showtimes:
Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2:00 pm,
Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm
Sunday at 7:00 pm
The Broward Stage Door Theatre
8036 W Sample Rd
Coral Springs, Fl 3306

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The Broward Stage Door Theatre presents OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS April 4th – May 11th

27 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by Carol Kassie in Clients

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Broward Stage Door Theatre, comedy, Coral Springs Theatre, heartwarming, Joe DiPietro, Larry Kent Bramble, Miki Edleman, Over the River and Through The Woods

“Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go. The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white and drifted snow.” Lydia Marie Child, c.1844

Family, faith, and food’ are ‘the three F’s’ governing Joe DiPietro’s heartwarming comedy Over The River and Through The Woods, which will run from April 4th through May 11th at the Broward Stage Door Theatre. The play, which takes place in Hoboken, New Jersey focuses on the relationship between young up-and-coming marketing executive Nick Cristano, and his four loving and very involved grandparents. When Nick is offered a career advancing opportunity across the country, he is faced with making some tough and life-altering decisions.

Speaking about the characters in Over the River and Through the Woods, playwright Joe DiPietro, who recently won two Tony Awards for his work on the hit Broadway musical Memphis (Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, with David Bryan) said, “The biggest difference between these generations is their concept of family and home. Our grandparents believed that the family was central, and work is something you do just to provide for them. For our generation, it’s a lot more complicated.”

Larry Kent Bramble will direct a cast that includes Miki Edleman, Steven Kaiser, Vicki Klein, Abby Perkins, Kevin Reilley, and Jerry Weinberg. Dan Kelley has signed on as costume designer, and Ardean Lanhuis will design the lighting for the production.

Although this is Bramble’s first directorial assignment for Broward Stage door, he has numerous directing credits to his name, including Charles Busch’s The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Terrance McNally’s A Perfect Ganesh, Adam Bock’s The Receptionist, and Horton Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful. Bramble is also the founder and artistic director of Vermont’s Thespis Theatre Company. As an actor, he has appeared in a number of Broward Stage Door Theatre productions including The Last Night of Ballyhoo, The Twilight of the Golds, Beau Jest, and Damn Yankees. Bramble recently played the part of Avram in Rags at the Plaza Theatre in Manalapan.

“When I first read Over the River and Through the Woods, I fell in love with the play,” Bramble says. “I was immediately taken back to my love for my own grandparents and the unique sense of family that grandparents engender. What a joy it has been to direct this heartwarming play with an exceptional cast. Regardless of your mood at the time, this is a play that will make you laugh, cry, and generally feel good about life.”

Miki Edelman agrees: “As a first generation American I can relate to the family dynamics being played out in this show,” she says, “And I think our audience will relate to it as well. My generation wanted to pull away from the “old fashioned” ideas of our parents, and our children continued the process and tried to get further away. But at a certain point, family loyalties and love re-emerge as elements that can never be erased. As a character says “what’s important is family”!”

Over the River and Through the Woods will run from April 4th through May 11th at The Broward Stage Door Theatre in Coral Springs. The theatre is located at 8036 Sample Road, in Coral Springs.

Tickets for Over the River and Through the Woods are $38; $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.

Over the River and Through the Woods
By Joe DiPietro
April 4th – May 11th
Tickets: $38 (Students $16)
Phone: 954-344-7765
Showtimes:
Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2:00 pm,
Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm
The Broward Stage Door Theatre
8036 W Sample Rd
Coral Springs, Fl 33065
www.stagedoortheatre.com

Carol Kassie

~ Theatrical Marketing & Public Relations

Tag Archives: Larry Kent Bramble

Broward Stage Door Theatre presents Joe DiPietro’s THE LAST ROMANCE – October 10 – November 23

The Broward Stage Door Theatre presents OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS April 4th – May 11th