PATRICIA DURANTE & “HER”BOYS” WOW CHESTER AUDIENCE WITH PATSY CLINE TRIBUTE LAST SUNDAY NIGHT

Posted by Rick Busciglio of www.njfootlights.net
Sunday, September 25, 2016

​Last year, in our selections for the 2015 Footlights Awards we wrote this about Patricia Durante: "The musical 'Always…Patsy Cline' starring Patricia Durante as Patsy with Barbara Babbitt as her fan and friend Louise Segar. These two ladies are a "dynamic duo." First, Patricia Durante, one of our most talented actresses, demonstrates her fine vocal ability in singing 27 songs, including Patsy's biggest hits “Crazy,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “Sweet Dreams” and “Walking After Midnight.”

For the better part of 90 minutes she IS Patsy Cline....the costumes, the brunette wig, the movements and, of course the voice. This is the same Patricia Durante that four years ago on this very same stage starred in "Enchanted April." In our review, we wrote "Ms. Durante, who bears a striking resemblance to Deborah Kerr including the red hair, is in one word "enchanting." Well, she enchants us again in "Always...Patsy Cline." (RB)

Now jump forward to last night, Patricia with Tim Metz and Regan Ryzuk presented an equally terrific one hour salute to Patsy Cline at our Community Clubhouse in Chester Township. The audience showed their appreciation with a well-deserved standing ovation.
 

The 'Boys" are:
Tim Metz has long been a first call bassist in the New York metro area. He is fluent on upright bass, electric bass and tuba and in any style. He has been featured at dozens of major jazz festivals from coast to coast and has been fortunate enough to play with some great musicians including; Bob Crosby’s Bobcats, Bobby McFerrin, Aaron Neville, Maxine Sullivan, Tony Orlando, Dick Hyman, Bucky Pizzarelli, Sarah Partridge, Grover Kemble and many others. He has appeared at two Presidential Inaugural Balls in Washington D.C., played Carnegie Hall with Connie Francis and was the original bassist for the ‘American Musical Theatre Ensemble’ at Manhattan School of Music

Regan Ryzuk is a composer, orchestrator, arranger and pianist – with formal training at Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard. He has composed music for more than 500 television programs and films with such credits as Kissing Jessica Stein, Chasing Papi, The Night Listener, 60 Minutes and American Idol. He has recorded for The Wu Tang Clan, Russell Simmons and Quincy Jones, to name a few.

Patricia Durante and "her boys" would be a marvelous crowd-pleaser at your next club or community center event.

HOLOCAUST COUNCIL OF GREATER METROWEST NJ TO SCREEN “THE QUARREL” THIS THURSDAY IN WHIPPANY

Please join us this Thursday evening at 7:00pm for our monthly Real 2 Reel.  Rabbi Ron Kaplan will lead the discussion.

RSVP: holocaustcouncil@jfedgmw.org or 973.929.3194

DON’T MISS BONNIE MONTE @ THE MORRISTOWN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS!

presents Andrea E. Mays, author of The Millionaire and the Bard: Henry Folger’s Obsessive Hunt for Shakespeare’s First Folio, in conversation with The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Artistic Director, Bonnie J. Monte.   "Riveting...Engaging...An American love story." — Stephen Greenblatt, The New York Times Book Review WHERE: Saturday, October 1st, 2:30 - 3:30 PM WHERE: Morristown & Morris Township Library & Pulitzer Prize-winner Stacy Schiff, best-selling author of Cleopatra and The Witches: Salem, 1692 WHEN: Saturday, October 1st , 3:45 – 4:45 PM WHERE: Church of the Redeemer   "This is a superb book." — Historian David McCullough These are just two of the 20 free Festival sessions with award-winning authors! Click here for the full Festival schedule It's all happening, rain or shine, on South Street in Morristown near the Vail Mansion Lawn. www.morristownbooks.org

NOTED PROFESSOR TO SPEAK MONDAY NIGHT @ LIVINGSTON TEMPLE

Prof. David Myers:
Jewish History and Jewish Memory

The success of Jewish life depends on the delicate balance between our collective history and our collective memory...which are not always the same.

No one is better equipped to explore this tension with us than David Myers, Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of History at UCLA and a frequent visitor to Temple B'nai Abraham.

WHEN: Monday, September 26, 7 PM sharp (to 8:30 PM)
WHERE: Temple B’nai Abraham, 300 East Northfield Road (entrance on East Cedar Street), Livingston
ADMISSION: free

OLDWICK COMMUNITY PLAYERS SEEKS ACTORS FOR STAGED READING

AUDITION NOTICE

BELLES: A STAGED READING
by Mark Dun

Oldwick Community Players is casting a staged reading of the play Belles by Mark Dunn. Told in two acts and forty-five phone calls, Belles visits six southern sisters, who, over the course of an autumn weekend, seek to bridge the physical and emotional distance between them via the telephone, and in the process come to terms with their shattered family history.

The production, which is a reprise of OCP’s successful reading of Belles last spring, is in need of three actors age 18 to 35, one male and two female. Staged reading requires no memorization of script.

The performance will take place on November 5 at 2:00 PM at the Warren Township Branch of the Somerset County Library, 42 Mountain Blvd., Warren 07059 .

Two rehearsals will be held at Flemington DIY at 90 Main Street, Flemington 08822 on Sunday, October 23 and 30, from 2:00 to 5:00 P.M.

To schedule an audition, please call director Merry LaRue at (908)399-3586 as soon as possible. For more information, visit www.oldwickplayers.org , find OCP - Oldwick Community Players on Facebook, or email questions to merrylarue@aol.com or ganidjar@comcast.net.

EXPERIENCE LONDON THEATER WITH OCEAN COUNTY COLLEGE IN JANUARY!

Experience The British Theatre With Ocean County College

Experience the British theater on Ocean County College’s 38th Annual Theatre in London Seminar/Trip: January 4-15, 2017.  Members of the community are welcome to participate on a non-credit basis.  Students will be enrolled for three college credits.  A number of scholarships are available for OCC students.  Registration Deadline: October 4.

Seminar/Trip: See 10 plays at the Royal National Theatre, West End, Fringe, and other venues! Take a backstage tour at the Royal National Theater. Enjoy talk-back sessions with actors, directors, or technical staff.  Visit Shakespeare's Globe Theater. Plenty of free time for sightseeing, museums, shopping, and dining.

Tour Package: round trip airfare on United Airlines, 10 nights accommodations at the conveniently located Radisson Blu Edwardian Grafton Hotel (four star hotel), theatre tickets, day trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon, full English breakfast daily, round trip airport transfers, most tips, taxes, OCC instruction, tuition, and fees.

Not Included: lunch and dinner, personal expenses, trip cancellation insurance, and any items not specifically listed.

Cost: $3,975 per person, double occupancy.
Single room supplement: $840. Out-of-county fee: $69. Out-of-state fee: $339. 

NOTE: The program cost is based on the exchange rate and the prevailing price in effect at the time of printing. Should airfare, land costs, and the dollar/pound exchange rate become less favorable, participants may be billed accordingly.

For more information or to register for the trip, contact Gary Shaffer, Assistant Professor of Humanities, at gshaffer@ocean.edu or 732-255-0400, ext. 2296.

THE THEATER PROJECT OPENS “CROWNS”—A PLAY WITH HAT-ITUDE THIS THURSDAY IN MAPLEWOOD

CROWNS
the gospel musical by Regina Taylor
based on the book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marbury
directed by Mark Spina

WHEN: September 29 – October 23, 2016, Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 2 PM.
WHERE: The Theater Project at the Burgdorff Center for the Arts, 10 Durand Rd, Maplewood, NJ
TICKETS: $40 - $20; discounts available for groups and advance sale.
Discounts also available for students, seniors, and NJEA members.
www.thetheaterproject.org, 908 809-8865

The Theater Project had previously produced CROWNS in 2010, so “In 2016, we expect to raise the roof at each and every performance in Maplewood,” says artistic director Mark Spina. “The music in CROWNS makes you want to join right in – and people do!”

In Regina Taylor’s CROWNS, the hats worn by African American church women become a springboard for exploration of black history and identity through story and song. “Sometimes under those hats, there’s a lot of joy and a lot of sorrow.” The show uses gospel music to describe the journey of Yolanda, a young woman who travels down South to stay with family after her brother is killed in Brooklyn. As she deals with her loss, she finds strength by learning about her roots from her grandmother’s community of church women. Gospel music, rap and dance underscore her story as she discovers the history and significance of cultural traditions in a colorful, energetic depiction of African-American life.

The production’s musical director is Gail Lou, an accomplished recording artist, actress, songwriter, and arranger. She performed off-Broadway as Lena Horne in MAMA I WANT TO SING and has received critical acclaim from the Grammy Committee for her recordings. Choreographer Colleen Hawks’ Broadway performance credits include SHREK, THE BOY FROM OZ, and SMOKEY JOE’S CAFÉ.

About The Theater Project (TTP): Founded in 1994, The Theater Project presents its main stage season and children’s classes at the Burgdorff Cultural Center, 10 Durand Road, Maplewood, New Jersey. TTP also maintains a strong presence in Cranford and Union, offering readings and events in several locations. For more information, visit www.thetheaterproject.org

Photos (top to bottom): Daaimah Talley, Gail Lou and Andre DeSandies.

AUDITIONS THIS TUESDAY IN HOBOKEN FOR MOSCOW BALLET’S “GREAT RUSSIAN NUTCRACKER”

An exciting opportunity for dancers of all ages... The Moscow Ballet's  Great Russian Nutcracker AUDITION NOTICE MOSCOW BALLET NUTCRACKER AUDITIONS NEXT TUESDAY! Garden Street School of the Performing Arts in partnership with The Moscow Ballet is proud to announce an exciting opportunity for dancers of all ages! The Moscow Ballet will hold auditions and rehearsals at Garden Street on Tuesday, September 27th for their December 8th performance of The Nutcracker in Wayne, NJ. Auditions will take place on September 27th with primary rehearsals led by The Moscow Ballet September 27th-30th. If selected students will rehearse at Garden Street School of the Performing Arts for several weeks to prepare for the show under the direction of The Moscow Ballet and our Ballet Mistress Ju Yuen Lee. Rehearsals will take place on Sundays from October 2nd-December 4th. AVAILABLE ROLES: 12 Party Children (max. 14) | Ages 8-11 | 6 girls and 6 boys (or girls dressed as boys) 10 Mice |Ages 10-12 12 Little Snowflakes (max 14) | Ages 7-9 |Must have 1 year ballet training 12 Snow Maidens (max 14) |Older girls from 10 to 14 4 Snow Sprites |Older Girls from 10-14 |Can be on pointe if technique is good. Decision will be made by audition director ACT II VARIATIONS 4 Spanish: 2 dancers ages 8-10 |2 dancers ages 12-16, pointe optional 4 Chinese: 2 dancers ages 8-10 |2 older dancers ages 12-16, pointe optional 4 Russian: 2 dancers ages 8-10 |2 dancers ages 11-16 2 French: 2 dancers ages 7- 8 Beginner to pre-professional dancers are all encouraged to audition starting at age 7 through 18. To register please email us at dance@gardenstreetmusic.com . We look forward to seeing you at the audition. Please note you must pre-register as we will have a cut off if it gets too full. WHERE: Garden Street School of the Performing Arts, 1018 Washington St, Hoboken 201-683-9100 www.gardenstreetmusic.com dance@gardenstreetmusic.com

“MA RAINEY” @ TWO RIVER THEATER IN RED BANK IS “EXTRAORDINARY”

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS (link on graphic will not work)

WHERE: Two River Theater | 21 Bridge Avenue | Red Bank, NJ 07701 | 732.345.1400 | tworivertheater.org | info@trtc.org

SUBSCRIBE TO LONJ’S SEASON & SAVE 15% PER TICKET!

Become a Season Subscriber and Save 15% per ticket!

WHEN: Deadline October 3rd. HOW TO: Print and return THIS FORM to become a subscriber!  Learn more about group rates Here. Join us for our season opening productions of  Gian Carlo Menotti's The Telephone (L'Amour à Trois) and The Old Maid and the Thief directed by Joanna Hoty Russell and Jamie Baer Peterson WHEN: November 4 & 5, 8 PM WHERE: St Mark's Episcopal Church, 140 S. Finley Ave., Basking Ridge Learn more about the shows here

KALEIDOSCOPE THEATRE FOR YOUTH SEEKS STRONG ACTORS FOR NEW PRODUCTION OF “OLIVER JR.”

AUDITION NOTICE: Seeking strong singers and actors to originate leading, featured, and ensemble roles in this exciting new production! Consider yourself at home with Lionel Bart's classic musical based on Charles Dickens' novel, Oliver Twist. The Tony and Olivier Award-winning show is one of the few musicals to win an Academy Award for Best Picture and is widely hailed as a true theatrical masterpiece by actors and audience members alike. The streets of Victorian England come to life as Oliver, a malnourished orphan in a workhouse, becomes the neglected apprentice of an undertaker. Oliver escapes to London and finds acceptance amongst a group of petty thieves and pickpockets led by the elderly Fagin. When Oliver is captured for a theft he did not commit, the benevolent victim, Mr. Brownlow takes him in. Fearing the safety of his hideout, Fagin employs the sinister Bill Sikes and the sympathetic Nancy to kidnap him back, threatening Oliver's chances of discovering the true love of a family. We are looking for performers ages 6-18 to help us workshop this updated script and score over a brief 3-week rehearsal process culminating in a full production running December 14-18   Audition Information Auditions will be held via video submission for performers ages 6-18. Performers will be asked to submit a video of a 16-32 bar cut in the style of the show. An in-person callback will be held on Sunday, October 9 at The Summit Playhouse for those being considered for roles. To submit an audition, CLICK HERE All submissions are due by Saturday, October 1 Rehearsal Schedule Due to the intense nature of this process, very few conflicts will be accepted. Rehearsal times will be determined based on cast availability. Not all cast members will be called for the entirety of each rehearsal.  Rehearsals will run Saturday, November 26-Friday, December 9 Tech/Dress rehearsals will run Saturday, December 10-Tuesday, December 13 Performances will run Wednesday, December 14-Sunday, December 18. Weekday rehearsals will  be scheduled between the hours of 4:00-9:00. Weekend rehearsals will be scheduled between the hours of 10:00-9:00. We do not expect to rehearse for the full amount of time each day and there will likely be a few days off, especially during the first week. Questions? Email Us!

GSP OFFERS A FREE SNEAK PEEK INTO THEIR GROUNDBREAKING SEASON

REGISTER NOW OR CALL 732-246-7717 WHERE: George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Ave., New Brunwick ADMISSION: Free