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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

GSP OFFERS FUN & FRIVOLITY TO COMPLEMENT THE HILARIOUS HITCHCOCKIAN HIJINKS OF “THE 39 STEPS”

  • “Dress as Your Favorite Hitchcock Character”
  • Special Post-Show “Marnie-Tini” Party
  • “A Look Through the Rear Window” with Director Mark Shanhan on Hitchcock

Fans of the classic Hitchcock whodunit The 39 Steps may not realize that the stage version, opening next month at George Street Playhouse, is, unlike the movie, very, very funny. To complement the onstage antics, the New Brunswick theatre is offering a slate of off-stage events sure to up the ante on the fun scale.

The first event will be “A Look Through the Rear Window”—a behind-the-scenes chat with director Mark Shanahan, who will talk about the references to Hitchcock contained in the play, using clips from classic Hitchcock films. The chat will take place Saturday, May 5, beginning at 6 PM in the Playhouse’s cabaret space, and includes appetizers from Tumulty’s Pub and a cash bar. The cost for this event is $15 and includes the discussion and appetizers. Reservations are required and may be made through the GSP website (www.GSPonline.org ) or Box Office, 732.246.7717. George Street Playhouse subscribers may purchase tickets for the event for $12; subscribers must purchase their tickets directly through the Box Office.

Audience members are encouraged to dress up as their favorite Hitchcock character on Saturday, May 12. Starting at 7 PM, George Street Playhouse staffers will wind their way through the audiences and award prizes for the best and most original costumes. Potential participants are encouraged to pre-register for the event on the Playhouse website (www.GSPonline.org), or by calling the GSP Box Office, 732.246.7717.

Finally on Thursday, May 17 George Street Playhouse in partnership with Clydz restaurant will offer a post-show “Marnie-tini” party. For the price of $55, patrons will receive a ticket to the 8 PM show, plus admission to the post-show revelry, featuring specially-priced drink specials (the “Vertigo” and the “Hitchcocktail”) as well as complimentary bar snacks. Tickets can be purchased through the George Street Playhouse Box Office 732-246-7717, or via the Playhouse website—www.GSPonline.org—using the code MARNIE. Patrons already holding tickets to the May 17 performance may add on the party by contacting 732.846.2895 ext 134. George Street Playhouse is located at 9 Livingston Avenue in the heart of New Brunswick’s Dining and Entertainment district.

About the Play: Just what ARE The 39 Steps? When the beautiful and mysterious Annabella Schmidt turns up dead in his apartment, Richard Hannay (played by Howard McGillin) goes on the lam to prove his innocence. In the process he must find the man with the missing finger, romance the beautiful blonde—and solve a mystery of magnificent proportions. Based on the well-known Hitchcock film, The 39 Steps is sure to delight theatergoers who don’t know Rear Window from Vertigo, as well as those who know every frame of every film. The cast includes Broadway and Regional theatre veterans Michael Thomas Holmes, Stacie Morgain Lewis, Mark Price and two-time Tony Award nominee Howard McGillin.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Saint, George Street Playhouse has become a nationally recognized theatre, presenting an acclaimed mainstage season while providing an artistic home for established and emerging theatre artists. Noted Arts Administrator Norma Kaplan was appointed Managing Director in September 2011. Founded in 1974, the Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway—recent productions include the Outer Critics’ Circle Best Musical Award-winner The Toxic Avenger, the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League nominated production of The Spitfire Grill and the recent Broadway hit and Tony® and Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at GSP during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays. In addition to its mainstage season, GSP’s Touring Theatre features four issue-oriented productions that are seen by more than 40,000 students annually. George Street Playhouse programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by its lead season sponsor, Johnson & Johnson. The Star-Ledger is 2011-2012 Official Print Media Sponsor of George Street Playhouse.