ONE-WOMAN SHOW ABOUT MOTHERHOOD SET AT RVCC

One Funny Mother: I’m Not Crazy

The Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg will present Dena Blizzard in a presentation that is part of the Theatre’s Major Artists Series.

WHEN: Friday, February 12, at 8 p.m
WHERE: Raritan Valley Community College’s main campus is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ
TICKETS: $20 and $30. Special pricing is available for Moms’ Groups. For additional information and to purchase tickets, call the Box Office, 908-725-3420, or order online at www.rvccArts.org.

Dena Blizzard’s One Funny Mother is a one-woman comedy show about “losing it” after having kids. Most women want to hide their “crazy” from the world. This show encourages women to share their stories so all mothers can feel “normal” again. Through stories, videos and stand-up, audience members will laugh their way through the true story of Dena Blizzard’s journey from Miss America to motherhood.

Since launching her career more than 12 years ago, Blizzard has performed stand-up all over the country. She has been featured in The New York Times and has performed at Gotham Comedy Club, The Laugh Factory, and The Comedy Stop at the Trop in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Serving Somerset and Hunterdon County residents for close to 50 years, RVCC is an educational and cultural center that is nationally recognized for its innovative programming, service to the community and environmental leadership. The College offers more than 90 associate degrees and certificates, as well as career training, professional development and personal enrichment courses. The College also has a performing arts center and planetarium.

RVCC is committed to offering a quality and affordable education through effective teaching, liaisons with the community’s businesses and state-of-the-art technology. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu

CELEBRATE FALL WITH RVCC ARTS IN BRANCHBURG

Flashdance - The Musical WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 10 at 8PM WHERE: RVCC Theater, 118 Lamington Rd., Branchburg Columbia Artists Theatricals Flashdance - The Musical features a score that includes the biggest hit songs from the movie, including "Flashdance - What a Feeling," "Maniac," "Gloria," "Manhunt," and "I Love Rock & Roll."

Truth Values Gioia De Cari WHEN: Friday, Oct. 23 at 7PM In 2005, Lawrence Summers, then president of Harvard University, suggested that women are less represented than men in the sciences because of innate gender difference. Truth Values, is one woman's brilliant—and entertaining—response.

The Capitol Steps WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 24 at 8PM The Steps use musical political satire to poke fun at all sides of the issues. If you've ever wanted to see Barack Obama sing a show tune, Nancy Pelosi sing a rock song, or Governor Chris Christie do a classical ballet, this might just be the show for you!

10 Hairy Legs WHEN: Sunday, Nov. 8 at 3PM 10 Hairy Legs, founded by Randy James in 2012, is a dance company—comprised entirely of men—of James' work as well as existing and new works by significant choreographers.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Art of Time Ensemble WHEN: Sunday, Nov. 22 at 2:00PM A re-imagining of the groundbreaking album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The singers, and Art of Time's world class orchestra, collaborate for an incredible night of music—with a couple of surprises to round out this historic performance.

3 PLAYS IN 3 WEEKS COMING UP @ THE THEATER PROJECT IN MAPLEWOOD!

WHERE: The Burgdorff Center, 10 Durand Road, Maplewood

More information on our new web site: http://www.TheTheaterProject.org

ORDER TICKETS NOW!

ACCLAIMED COMIC/TEACHER BRINGS AWARD-WINNING ONE-WOMAN SHOW TO THE THEATER PROJECT THIS WEEKEND

PS 69—A TEACHER GROWS IN BROOKLYN
By Susan Jeremy

WHEN: October 16 –19, Friday & Saturday 8 PM, Sunday 2 PM
WHERE: Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Durand Rd, Maplewood, NJ
TICKETS: $30 adults; $15 students at the door
DISCOUNT FOR EDUCATORS: educators can receive a $7 discount on full price ($30) tickets by ordering on line at www.TheTheaterProject.org with code NJEA7469.
www.thetheaterproject.org
INFO: 908.809.8865

“It touches the soul even as it bops the funny-bone.” —Montreal Hour

Teacher and comic Susan Jeremy will perform her acclaimed one-woman show, P.S. 69—A Teacher Grows in Brooklyn at The Theater Project in Maplewood, NJ. She portrays her classroom experiences with an eye on the ironies and absurdities that teachers encounter daily.

Ms. Jeremy has toured the show in the United States, Canada and Europe. “New Jersey seemed like the next logical step,” she mused. Developed with director Mary Fulham, P.S. 69 recounts one teacher’s journey through the bureaucratic mazes and chaotic corridors of the New York City school system. In the show, Jeremy recreates the personalities of the administrators, teachers, parents and students she met on her way to becoming an educator—her parallel career to performance art.

Susan Jeremy will dialogue with the audience after each performance.

Winner of BEST COMEDY at the Montreal Fringe Festival, The Boston Globe acclaimed the show and Ms. Jeremy’s “bravura command of gesture and speech … skewers the lunacy of contemporary education.”

TalkinBroadway.com said “Amazing … with a waggle of her finger, a crane of her neck, or a slight turn of her head, Ms. Jeremy instantly changes her age, sex, and even her skin color … full of humor and insight.”

Montreal Hour commented on her characterizations: “Outlandish but true … she so clearly loves these people that she never betrays them…It touches the soul even as it bops the funny-bone.”

After September’s back-to-school frenzy subsides, come relax at The Theater Project!

REVIEW: "RED-HOT MAMA" COMES ALIVE IN BICKFORD ONE-WOMAN SHOW

By Sheila Abrams

There was nothing small about Sophie Tucker. From her waistline to her personality, The Last of the Red-Hot Mamas, as she was dubbed, was big enough to dominate a stage all by herself.

In a near-magical feat, Gwendolyn Jones uses her own dynamic personality and stage presence to bring that legendary performer to life on the stage of the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, now through Oct. 19.

Tucker’s career spanned the whole first half of the 20^th century and a little more, ending with her death in 1966 at the age of 79. Having begun as a child, singing for the customers in her parents’ Connecticut restaurant, she performed in vaudeville and burlesque, Broadway, radio and movies. In her later years, she even did some television, with appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show.

The show at the Bickford, written by Richard Hopkins, Kathy Halenda and Jack Fournier, is a one-woman show with a little help. The irrepressible Jones dominates the stage, but, as Tucker was throughout much of her career, she is accompanied by an on-stage pianist. Music director Nick DeGregorio plays the role of Ted Shapiro, Tucker’s longtime accompanist.

It’s hard to say whether the story or the music takes center stage. Tucker’s personal story is an American legend: the immigrant girl, not pretty in any conventional sense, almost the definition of chutzpah, with a talent that made her a virtual force of nature, overcoming the odds and becoming a star. It was a long road and on that road there were plenty of tears and a few laughs. Jones shares those moments with us.

There are 21 musical numbers, starting with such ancient chestnuts as The Darktown Strutters’ Ball and A Good Man Is Hard to Find, and including classics by Rodgers and Hart (The Lady Is A Tramp) and the Gershwins (The Man I Love).

For one hilarious number, Hula Lou, Jones as Sophie went down into the audience and enlisted two mildly reluctant men to dance a hula with her, dressed in grass skirts. It was interesting to watch how quickly the volunteers took to their moment in the spotlight.

Some of the songs were apparently written for Tucker and not necessarily familiar to the audience, but interesting for how they fit into Tucker’s story. But Jones’s rendition of one of Tucker’s most famous songs, Yiddishe Mama, brought cheers—and a few tears as well.

Jones, with apparently boundless energy and infectious good humor, brought the show to a conclusion on a very high note. She closed with Sophie Tucker’s signature song, Some of These Days.

It was a joy for me to meet Sophie Tucker. She was a gifted woman and a pioneer, and Gwendolyn Jones brought her back to life brilliantly.

Sophie Tucker: The Last of the Red Hot Mamas will be performed at the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, now through Oct. 19. For information and tickets, call the box office at 973.971.3706 or visit www.morrismuseum.org/bickford online.

CABARET WORKSHOP @ THE WOMEN’S THEATER COMPANY WILL TEACH AND ENTERTAIN YOU!