2017-2018 Mainstage Season Archives
The Curse of Frankenstein’s Castle
Written and directed by Joe Pauley
October 20 – November 4, 2017
What happens when you take the classic monster movie “Frankenstein” of the 1930’s and 1940’s and cross it with the comedy style of “Airplane,” Monty Python” and “The Three Stooges” and you get the brand new comedy “The Curse of Frankenstein’s Castle.” See the tortured Doctor Victor Frankenstein carry on his father’s dream of creating life from death, his fiancée the beautiful Elizabeth, the weird little hunchback, the famous monster hunter Van Helsing, the Police Chief Inspector Von Kraut, the mysterious gypsy Maleva, all of the strange and bizarre residents of the tiny German village of Frankenstein and of course the Monster in this brand new world, premiere of a new comedy “The Curse of Frankenstein’s Castle.”
Cast:
Miguel Rodriguez – Narrator
Trish Farber – Elizabeth’s Mother / Mother Focker / Lipp
Penni Willen – Helga
Joe Kirane – Ybor The Hunchback / Muckenfuss
Sasha Beers – Ball
Pam Yado – Maleva
Patrick Colliano – Burgermeister-Meisterburger / Driver’s Voice / Wanker’s Voice
Michael Juliano – Monster / Gustav
Will Chamblee – Peter
Brian McCreight – Doctor Van Helsing
Mary F. Jordan – Elizabeth
Dan Allmond – Victor Frankenstein / Dryer
Stephan Bielawski – Inspector Otto Von Kraut
Devany Green – Grizelda
Jessica Harrington – Pizza Delivery Person / Zombie
The Full Monty
Written by Terrence McNally
and Score by David Yazbek
Directed by Jim Russell
September 8 – October 1. 2017
Six unemployed steelworkers in Buffalo, New York are miserable. They have no cash and no prospects. Meanwhile, they catch their wives and other women going crazy over male strippers. The six men then set out to make some quick cash showing off their “real man” bodies by becoming a team of male strippers. As the guys work through their fears, self-consciousness and anxieties they find strength as a group and overcome their inner demons.
Cast:
Ryan Bintz as Jerry Lukowski
Seth Black-Diamond as Nathan Lukowski
Ronni Moses as Pam Lukowski
Rokki James as Teddy Slaughter/Ensemble
Thomas Pahl as Dave Bukatinsky
Dawn Clark Dougherty as Georgie Bukatinsky
Michael Schreiner as Harold Nichols
Catherine Lee Harp as Vicki Nichols
Drew Eberhard as Malcolm MacGregor
MaryBeth Wells as Molly MacGregor/Ensemble
James Dillard as Ethan Girard
Topher Warren as Noah “Horse” T. Simmons
Ann Lehman as Jeanette Burmeister
Hippie Griswold as Buddy “Keno” Walsh
David Fraga / Michael Jeffery as Reg Willoughby
Chris McDermott as Gary Bonasorte/Ensemble
Michael Cauger as Tony Giordano/Minister/Ensemble
Belle Austin as Estelle Genovese
Megan Dart as Susan Hershey
MaryKay Cyrus as Dolores/Ensemble
A Christmas Carol
November 25-December 23, 2017
Written by Charles Dickens and
Adapted and directed by Angel Borths
An adaptation of the story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey from an embittered, ungenerous creature into a giving, caring human being at the hands of three spirits, who, one Christmas Eve, show him what life means.
Cast:
Scrooge……………………….David Collins
Belle/Martha………………..Katie Homan
Bob Crachit…………………John Austin
Christmas Past…………..Emma Bintz
Christmas Present……..Christa Jerome
Colin/ Carouthers………..Lason Byrd
Dilbur/Mrs Fezziwig……..Trish Farber
Fan………………………………Mara Blander
Fred……………………………..Matt Melenas
Linda……………………………Mari Jo Giamporearo
Marley…………………………..Jeff Smith
Mr. Chumsworthy…………Abi Bais
Mrs Crachit…………………..Kelly Farnan
Mrs Upton…………………….Jeri Pawick
Old Joe/Mr Fezziwig…….. Brian McCreight
Peter/ Young Scrooge….Asher Austin
Sarah/Elizabeth……………Kyleigh Giamporearo
Tiny Tim……………………….Sophie Farnan
Urchin/Turkey Boy………..Caitlin Russo
The Miracle Worker
Written by William Gibson
Directed by Ann Lehman
January 12-February 3, 2018
The Miracle Worker is based on the stories told by Helen Keller about her life. When she was one and a half years old, Keller suffered an illness that left her without the ability to hear or see. The sudden change in her physical state created many problems at home. None of her family knew how to deal with her. She became very accustomed to having her own way at an early age. In desperation, her parents finally hire Anne Sullivan to teach her. Adding to the uniqueness of the situation, Sullivan is also blind. It is through Sullivan that Keller learns to function in a more socially accepted manner. It takes many years to reach that point.
Cast:
Kenneth C. Grace as Captain Keller
Tynan C Pruett as Kate Keller
Maverick Gagliano as James Keller
Kaedin Cammareri as Helen Keller
Patricia Coyle as Aunt Ev
Autumn Pandolfo as Annie Sullivan
Brenda Adams as Viney
Ron Pandolfo as The Doctor
Jai Love Garriga as Martha
Jekyll and Hyde
Written by Frank Wildhorn and Steve Cuden
Music by Wildhorn, Book by Leslie Bricusse
Lyrics by Wildhorn, Bricusse and Cuden
February 28 – March 17, 2018
Directed by Derek Baxter
Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic thriller, Jekyll & Hyde is the gripping tale of a brilliant mind gone horrifically awry, set to a powerful pop-rock score by Frank Wildhorn with book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. In an attempt to cure his ailing father’s mental illness by separating “good” from “evil” in the human personality, talented physician Dr. Jekyll inadvertently creates an alternate personality of pure evil, dubbed Mr. Hyde, who wreaks murderous havoc on the city of London. As his fiancée Emma grows increasingly fearful for her betrothed, a prostitute, Lucy, finds herself dangerously involved with both the doctor and his alter ego. Struggling to control Hyde before he takes over for good, Jekyll must race to find a cure for the demon he has created in his own mind.
Cast:
Henry Jekyll/ Edward Hyde – Erich Krzyzak
Emma Carew – Danea Barrett
Lucy Harris – Karli Gundersen
Gabriel John Utterson – Craig Ruska
Sir Danvers Carew – David Fraga
Simon Stride – Drew Eberhard
Lady Beaconsfield – Alicia Spiegel
Bishop of Basingstoke/ Spider – Israel Rivera
Lord Savage – Catherine Harp
General Lord Glossop – Chris McDermott
Sir Archibald Proops – Patrick Colliano
Nellie – Crystal Marie
Poole – Brian McCreight
Bisset – MaryBeth Wells
Ensemble – Elizabeth Crawley, Aleah Hoggatt, Arielle Imhoff, Bethani Imhoff, Georgia Kosloski, Kimberly Schwartz
The Foreigner
Written by Larry Shue
April 13-May 5, 2018
Directed by Miguel E. Rodriguez
The Foreigner is a fun, two-act comedy by American playwright Larry Shue. The story takes place in a fishing lodge in rural Tilghman County, Georgia where two Englishmen, Froggy and Charlie, arrive as guests. The shy Charlie agreed to accompany Froggy on the trip after his sick wife begged him to go. When people at the lodge try to talk to Charlie, however, he remains silent: he is terribly shy, depressed about his wife’s illness, and cannot find the words to reply. Froggy claims that Charlie cannot talk because he is a “foreigner” from an exotic country, and does not understand English. Taking the explanation that he’s a non-English speaker as fact, the lodge’s guests quickly begin revealing their secrets, and Charlie soon discovers scandals amongst some of the residents of the lodge.
Cast:
Allan T. Anderson as Ellard Simms
Michael C. De Baca as Owen Musser
Constantine Kyriakou as Froggy LeSeur
Ann K. Lehman as Betty Meeks
Elsie Michelle Mendez as Catherine Simms
Joey Simonelli as Charlie Baker
Bo Smith as David Lee
Nice Work if You Can Get It
Book by Joe DiPietro. The worldwide copyrights in the music of George and Ira Gershwin for this presentation are licensed by the Gershwin Family.
Directed by Aaron Washington
June 1-23, 2018
Set in the 1920s, Nice Work If You Can Get It is the story of charming and wealthy playboy Jimmy Winter, who meets rough female bootlegger Billie Bendix the weekend of his wedding. Jimmy, who has been married three (or is it four?) times before, is preparing to marry Eileen Evergreen, a self-obsessed modern dancer. Thinking Jimmy and Eileen will be out of town, Billie and her gang hide cases of alcohol the basement of Jimmy’s Long Island mansion. But when Jimmy, his wife-to-be and her prohibitionist family show up at the mansion for the wedding, Billie and her cohorts pose as servants, causing hijinks galore.
Cast:
Jimmy Winter as Benjamin Richter
Billie Bendix as Kelly Coply Maynard
Cookie McGee as Ryan Farnworth
Eileen Evergreen as Sarah Joyce
Duke Mahoney as Trevor Salmon
Senator Max Evergreen as Darrell Herndon
Dutchess Estonia Dulworth as Susan Baxter Gibson
Jeannie Muldoon as Rosemary Luycx
Chief Berry as Rick Stutzel
Millicent Winter as Mary Trzcinski
The Chorus Girls
Flo as Crystal Marie
Olive as Emily Cockerill
Midge as Nikki Monson
Rosie as Rylie Nelson
The Vice Squad
Slim as Tyreek James Minor
Vic as Pablo Ferrer
Edgar as Neil Bleiweiss
Fletcher as Chris McDermott
Floyd as Alan Williams
Ripcord
Jul6-21, 2018
Written by David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by Victor Carr
A sunny room on an upper floor is prime real estate in the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility, so when the cantankerous Abby is forced to share her quarters with new-arrival Marilyn, she has no choice but to get rid of the infuriatingly chipper woman by any means necessary. A seemingly harmless bet between the old women quickly escalates into a dangerous game of one-upmanship that reveals not just the tenacity of these worthy opponents, but also deeper truths that each would rather remain hidden.
Cast:
Lynn Cammareri as Abby
Pamela Slagg as Marilyn
Matthew Melenas as Scotty
Jim Moss as Benjamin, Lewis, and Clown
Tiora Olafemi-Service as Colleen and Woman in White
Devonte Dunbar as Derek, Zombie Butler, and Masked Man
Arnie and the Itch
August 3-11, 2018
Written and directed by Marc S. Sanders
Thanksgiving has become demanding on the Solan family. Not only is there the traditional holiday to prepare for, but there’s also a Bar Mitzvah for young Arnie coming up. With all this on the mind of his over bearing Grandmother Edith, Arnie will somehow have to endure a tortuous 3 piece suit, court his first crush, and help his older brother avoid the wrath of Grandma when a precious high school graduation ring goes missing in a very unusual way. This coming of age story was loosely inspired by the experiences of its playwright, Marc S. Sanders, to depict the love, conflict and craziness of a caring Jewish family, living in Fair Lawn, NJ, 1985.
Cast:
Arnie: Sawyer Spiegel
Edith: Joie Marsh
Jack: Thomas Pahl
Todd: Charles Davidson
Evelyn: Arlene Babcock
Robert: Blake Smallen
Missy: Temia Innamorato
Granny Fran: Judi Turner