'Memoirs' celebrates comedy, drama in family life

"Brighton Beach Memoirs" runs now through June 29 at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.

There's a lot of drama, and a lot of comedy, in the life of young Eugene Morris Jerome of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.

He's a young teen who has started to notice girls, and think about them in a special way. He learns about adulthood from his barely-adult older brother, Stanley. He's kept hopping with family chores, assigned by his stressed-out parents, Kate and Jack, and contend with a crowded house. Because of his uncle's death, his Aunt Blanche and her two daughters Nora and Laurie -- Nora is quite appealing to the maturing Eugene -- are sharing the Jerome residence. 

Eugene dreams of playing for the New York Yankees, but also loves writing -- documenting the everyday dramas occurring in his household. Seen through Eugene's eyes -- as the narrator of the action -- the audience can appreciate how momentous a fight between siblings, a secret about having trouble at work, or even the loss of just $17 in a household on a shoestring budget, can be.

This is the world of Ephrata Performing Arts Center's "Brighton Beach Memoirs," which opened last night and runs through June 29 at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.

Though the play is set before World War II  -- as I watched the final rehearsal on Wednesday, I kept realizing that the older teen girl in the play is about the age my own mother would have been in 1937! -- many of the familial events it chronicles are universal, and are probably happening in many recession-recovering households today.

Director Michael Swanson has assembled a wonderful cast that brings Neil Simon's well-crafted play to life in a funny, touching, very HUMAN way. They'll have you laughing at their characters'  human foibles one minute, and crying the next as your heart breaks for them in their life struggles.

When "Brighton Beach Memoirs" premiered on Broadway 30 years ago, many critics commented that Simon's writing had turned a corner: He was no longer a writer of joke-after-joke plays; his work had gained a layered maturity and a depth that would carry him through the three plays of his "Eugene" trilogy, and result in his Pulitzer Prize for "Lost in Yonkers" (a recent hit at EPAC).

You won't want to miss this heartwarming play; you just might see a bit of your own family in it!

Call (717) 733-7966 for tickets, or visit the website for more information.

Life and laughter on 'Avenue Q'

You know how every problem that occurs on “Sesame Street” seems to be solved within five minutes? If a Muppet is going through some stuff, there’s a solution or advice waiting just around the corner from a fellow Muppet, a cast member or a visiting celebrity.

Life’s not so simple on “Avenue Q.” Princeton has a B.A. in English, but has not yet found his purpose in life. Kate Monster is a kindergarten teaching assistant who wants to open a school for monsters someday. Rod is a Republican banker who’s keeping a secret even he doesn’t really know. Trekkie Monster likes to spend time surfing the Internet … for porn. And Gary Coleman has long left acting behind and works as a building superintendent.

These and other characters – some of whom are portrayed by humans and some of which are puppets brought to life by their human friends – sing about their dreams and their struggles in the musical “Avenue Q.” The show deals with such issues as sexual identity, unemployment, racism and relationships, but does so in a warm and funny way.

The book, the songs and the puppetry come together to make this an absolutely original, hilarious musical. When I saw it a few years ago, I remember my stomach hurting from laughing so much. I watched part of one of the recent rehearsals of the Ephrata Performing Arts Center’s production of “Avenue Q,” and remembered why this show is so delightful, clever and funny. The cast is doing a fantastic job!

“Avenue Q” opened last night at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre. Be sure to treat yourself to this great (but ADULT) night of theater. Keep in mind that life is full of things that aren’t very pleasant … and that life contains sex. And KEEP THE KIDS AT HOME. This show is definitely about grown-up stuff.

But if you’re a grown-up (and don’t mind puppets having sex, briefly, on stage – it’s hilarious, believe me!), you will love this show!

You can read more about the show here, in today's Entertainment Lancaster section of the Intelligencer-Journal/New Era.

The show runs through May 18. Order tickets on the web site or by calling 733-7966.

                       -- merv wright

Summer theater camp, acting workshop to inspire creativity

Numerous studies have shown that participating in theater activities enhances everything from academic performance to reading comprehension to self-esteem in young people, according to the American Alliance for Theatre & Education.

This summer, the Ephrata Performing Arts Center will give students in the area the opportunity to get all of these benefits, and so much more, from participation in the arts.

The Center Stage Theater Camp, for students entering grades 1-7, will inspire campers’ creativity, stretch their imaginations and teach them new ways of telling stories – through theater.

Young people can attend one, two, three or four weeks of the camp (fees range from $150 for one week to $525 for all four weeks), which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday, July 8-Aug. 2. The camp experience culminates with a showcase performance of “Guys & Dolls Jr.,” at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3!

For older students, entering grades 8-12, EPAC’s Artistic Director Edward R. Fernandez will teach a two-week Intensive Acting Workshop from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, June 17-28.

During those two weeks, students will participate in college-level acting and scene-study classes, and will present scenes at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 30. The workshop costs $325 for two weeks.

Space is limited for both the camp and the acting workshop, so sign up today. Go to the online signup page, or call (717) 733-7966, ext. 3.

'Perestroika': The 'Angels' story continues at EPAC

Amy Carter and Adam Newborn in EPAC's "Angels in America." Part 2 of this two-part play opens tonight, March 28, at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.

THE STORY CONTINUES ...

The raves couldn’t have been louder for Ephrata Performing Arts Center’s “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches” earlier this month.

Media critics and audience members were generous with their praise for the production’s cast, crew and creative team. But the story isn’t over; that same team will continue Tony Kushner’s award-winning story with “Angels in America, Part 2: Perestroika,” which opens tonight, Thursday, March 28, at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre in Ephrata.

We are so fortunate, here in Lancaster County, to have a theater company like EPAC to bring us both parts of this groundbreaking play in the same month. This show truly matches EPAC’s mission of presenting “theater that matters.”

The cast, crew and creative team have worked hard to bring you these two full evenings of theater that tell one compelling, humorous and challenging story, set in the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

At the end of Part 1, The Angel crashed into Prior Walter’s life as he was dealing with his lover’s abandonment and his deteriorating health condition. Part 2 starts where Part 1 left off, and picks up the threads of its characters’ ongoing struggles and conflicts. The action continues in settings ranging from a park in Brooklyn to a hospital room, and from Heaven to a living diorama at a Mormon Visitor Center.

If you’re anxious to learn what happened to the characters from the first half of “Angels,” well, all our friends from Part 1 are back: Joe, Prior, Louis, Belize, Roy Cohn, Hannah, The Angel, Mrs. Pitt and others.

Joe’s mother will come to the rescue of the fragile Hannah. Conflict and reconciliation hover over the Prior-Louis-Joe triangle. Roy Cohn rages against the dying of the light. And the foreboding of Part 1 yields to the optimism and hope of Part 2.

Even if you missed Part 1, you DON’T want to miss part 2; it’s your last chance to experience Kushner’s stellar writing brought to life by a talented cast right here in Ephrata.

Visit the EPAC web site, or call (717) 733-7966 for tickets. The show runs through Saturday, April 6.

If you come to the show tonight (Thursday, March 28), bring your ticket for to the Olde Lincoln House, 1398 W. Main St., Ephrata, to celebrate with the cast and crew at the opening-night party.

Thanks, again to Alder Health Services for their sponsorship of both parts of “Angels in America.” There would, literally, have been no “Angels” without these angels!!

YOU'LL LAUGH TILL YOUR SIDES HURT!

Tickets are still available for Suzanne Westenhoefer’s hilarious comedy concert on Friday, April 12, at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.

Your $35 ticket includes the show, a wine-and-cheese reception and a meet-and-greet with Suzanne. This nationally known comic, who talks about the joys and disappointments of her life and relationships – including her life as an out-and-proud lesbian – will have you holding your sides; her previous appearances at EPAC have had audiences crying from laughing so hard.

Have a great time, and support EPAC, all in one fantastic evening.

Visit the web site to order tickets, or call (717) 733-7966.There will be more on Suzanne in the next blog post.

Thanks for supporting EPAC!

-- Merv Wright

'Angels in America' soars at EPAC

Kristie Ohlinger is The Angel, and Daniel Green portrays Prior Walter, in EPAC's production of  "Angels in America." Part 1 of this two-part play

 opens Thursday, March 7.

'ANGELS' TAKES WING THURSDAY

You’ve probably heard of “Angels in America.” But if you haven’t seen HBO’s TV miniseries, and if you haven’t had the opportunity to see the play, you may not know what it’s about.

What IS this important, provocative, adult play about? That’s both a simple and a complex question to answer. It’s a question I pondered as I watched part of a rehearsal of EPAC’s production of “Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches” at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre earlier this week.

The show, set in 1985, is about two New York couples struggling within their relationships. Connections arise between the two couples as the play progresses.

Mormons Joe and Harper Pitt have been sharing a somewhat-committed, yet passionless, marriage. Both are keeping important secrets.

Gay couple Louis Ironson and Prior Walter struggle with Prior’s advancing case of AIDS. The play takes place, after all, in the bad old days of the epidemic – when AZT was experimental and the drug cocktail that’s saved so many lives was unheard of.

Prior and Harper are guest stars in each other’s hallucinations; he’s sick, and she takes pills. 

Other characters interact with these four – including Roy Cohn (of McCarthyism fame), a doctor, a couple of nurses, a mom and a rabbi.

Director Ed Fernandez has assembled a great cast to bring all these characters to life at EPAC.

But the play is also about love, loss, sexuality, personal responsibility, politics, moral choices, self-realization, self-awareness and so much more. It’s heartbreaking at times, and hilarious at others.

This Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play features the fabulous writing of Tony Kushner, Oscar-nominated for the film “Lincoln.” When you watch EPAC’s production of “Angels in America,” you’ll know why Daniel Day-Lewis said he felt bereft of Kushner’s words when filming wrapped.

A great playwright takes you intimately into the lives of his characters while making you think deeply about the larger issues they face.

And Tony Kushner is a great playwright.

Be ready to be both entertained and challenged when you come to see “Angels in America,” which will be presented by EPAC in two parts during the next month. Part 1, “Millennium Approaches,” opens Thursday and runs through March 16; Part 2, “Perestroika,” runs from March 28-April 6.

Please note that the play contains strong language and adult themes; this is a play for grown-ups!

Remember: You can still buy a full subscription for the season through the end of the run of “Millennium Approaches.” If you buy tickets to both Parts 1 and 2, through the box office, at the same time, you’ll get a half-price discount on your ticket to Part 2.

Visit the website for information, or call (717) 733-7966 for information.

Thanks to our generous “Angels in America” sponsor, Alder Health Services. Thanks, also, to our season sponsor, Green Mountain Cyclery and the Farrington family, and our season media sponsor, Blue Ridge Communications.

Thanks, too, to Lily’s on Main for hosting the opening-night party on March 7 for “Millennium Approaches,” and to The Olde Lincoln House for the “Perestroika” opening-night party on March 28. Your ticket to an opening-night performance is also your ticket to the party.

SUZANNE WESTENHOEFER RETURNS!

Nationally known comedian SuzanneWestenhoefer, a native of Columbia, PA, returns to the Sharadin Bigler Theatre for another raucous night of comedy at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 12.

Her shows sell out fast, so be sure to order your $35 tickets now! Your ticket includes a wine-and-cheese reception with this comedy-club headliner after the show.

Westenhoefer’s show is for grown-ups, too! Boy, is it ever! But if you're a grown-up who doesn't mind "going there" with Suzanne ... your face will hurt from laughing.

Click here to order, or call the box office at (717) 733-7966.

-- M. Wright

Young talent on display in "Annie Jr."!

            “Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future,” President John F. Kennedy said.

            Come see the Ephrata Performing Arts Center’s Kids4Kids production of “Annie Jr.,” and you’ll experience the wisdom of those words, first hand.

            Kids are an incredibly valuable resource in the theater; they're the audience members and the performers of the future.

            This production of “Annie Jr.,” brimming with youthful energy and talent, gives these young performers the opportunity to create theater for other kids and for audiences of all ages.

            From Thursday night's preview performance, it's clear how very hard these young people (from little kids to teens) have worked to entertain you and bring "Annie's" story to life.

            You certainly don’t have to be a kid to love this show. “Annie Jr.” – a version of the Broadway musical “Annie” that’s been tailored to young performers – is a well-crafted show with a lot of heart and VERY memorable tunes. You’ll leave the theater humming a lot more than just the song “Tomorrow.” 

             Living in an orphanage, Annie yearns for her parents to come and rescue her from her heartless guardian, Miss Hannigan. Things start looking up when she finds herself a guest in the home of the childless billionaire, Oliver Warbucks.

            There are some great individual performances in EPAC’s production, and the ensemble produces a big, full sound, singing numbers like “Hooverville,” “NYC” and “A Hard-Knock Life.”

            It’s great to see kids not only playing the "child" roles, such as Annie (Alaina Fry and Marina Perrotti are sharing the part), but the adult roles as well, such as Daddy Warbucks (Laird Farrington – kudos for shaving his head for the part!) and his trusty secretary, Grace Farrell (Natalie Young).  Then there are the scamps – Miss Hannigan (Emileigh Augnst) and her scheming brother and his moll – Rooster and Lily St. Regis (Will Esposito and Karoline Sigafoos).

            And many, many others. 

            Harley the Dog, portraying Annie’s canine buddy, Sandy, by the way, is awwww-dorable!

            There are plenty of laughs and emotional moments in the show, and these talented kids bring them all to life in a big way. You’ll really enjoy yourself when you come out to the Sharadin Bigler Theatre to support these young performers.

            Kudos to Irving Gonzalez for directing and choreographing this huge cast, ably assisted by stage manager Evan Cooper and vocal director Paulla Lied.

            Thanks to Tish Smith and Jenn Farrington for costuming everyone; the clothes really bring these 1930s scenes to life! 

            Thanks to the technical crew, and to all the parents who drove their kids to auditions, callbacks and rehearsals.

            Special thanks to Blue Ridge Communications, EPAC’s season media sponsor, for a wonderful preview night for “Annie Jr.,” and to the folks at the Hill Top Inn for catering the preview-night reception. That baklava was off the hook!

            Thanks to Lily’s on Main for hosting Friday's opening-night party with the cast and crew of “Annie Jr.,” and to Green Mountain Cyclery for being a season sponsor.

            "Annie Jr." runs the rest of this weekend and throughout next weekend, with evening shows and matinees available. Some of the shows are sold out or close to it, so get your tickets soon! Call the EPAC box office at (717) 733-7966, or visit the website for tickets or information.

-- M. Wright

'ANYTHING GOES' IS 'THE TOP' AT EPAC

In 1934, supremely talented composer Cole Porter opened another musical on Broadway, filled with gangsters and lovers, sailors and society folk. I wonder whether Mr. Porter had any idea how well his lively creation, “Anything Goes,” would stand the test of time. Seventy-eight years on, this show is still tapping its way into audience’s hearts.

Let it fill your holidays with singing, dancing and zany fun as the Ephrata Performing Arts Center opens “Anything Goes” tonight at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre. 

I saw a bit of a rehearsal for the show last weekend – I was fortunate enough to catch the cast completely filling the stage with exuberant singing and tap-dancing! I can’t wait to see the show in full flower on opening night!

“Anything Goes” has had two major revivals on Broadway, has been turned into feature films and has been performed in high schools and community theaters across the country for decades. It's clear why: The show is filled with fun characters, snappy dialogue, plenty of dancing and classic show tunes that beautifully display Porter’s gift for a turn of phrase.

Just look at the title tune: “In olden days a glimpse of stocking / was looked on as something shocking / but now, God knows / Anything goes …” and “Good authors, too, who once knew better words / Now only use four-letter words writing prose / Anything goes. …” Brilliant!

“Anything Goes” is the story of Billy Crocker, a stock broker who stows away on the S.S. American as it sails from New York to London. Crocker has fallen for Hope Harcourt, fiancée of Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. On the ship, Crocker will meet up with – and conspire with – such characters as evangelist-turned-singer Reno Sweeney and Public Enemy #13 Moonface Martin and his gal-pal Erma.

As audience members are taken on this journey of love, mistaken identity and other shenanigans, they’ll be treated to such classic songs as “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “All Through the Night,” “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” and “You’re the Top.”

And the cast, crew, directing team, creative team and volunteers of EPAC are “The Top,” too. You’ll surely want to check out their handiwork, now through Dec. 22 at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre. Call (717) 733-7966 for tickets, or visit the EPAC website. 

If you see the show tonight (Thursday, Dec. 6), the opening night of the musical, your ticket has an added bonus; it’s also your ticket to the after-party at the Hilltop Inn, 415 E. Main St., Ephrata.

We’d like to thank the sponsors of that party, the law offices of Russell, Krafft and Gruber, LLP. We’d also like to extend our gratitude to the show’s main sponsor, RE/MAX Associates of Lancaster, and our other sponsor, The Douple Agency of Ephrata. Single-performance sponsors C.E. Pontz & Sons and an anonymous EPAC angel are also much appreciated!

And, as always, EPAC would be lost without its season sponsors, Green Mountain Cyclery and Blue Ridge Communications.

A huge thanks, too, to the Sharadin Bigler Foundation for its huge yearly gift toward paying off the theater's renovations and mortgage.

Thank you to all of these companies, organizations and individuals for their support; EPAC couldn’t continue to fulfill its mission of presenting “theater that matters” without you.

A HUGE, MASSIVE, GINORMOUS THANK YOU!!

Thank you, again, to all those wonderful angels -- both known and anonymous -- for making 128 donations, totaling a whopping $11,400 (!!), to EPAC through the countywide charity event, The Extraordinary Give, on Nov. 30. You have shown how much you love this theater, and how important you consider its work. The EPAC board and staff are grateful and humbled by your generosity.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITES

Have you voted yet for your EPAC favorites in BroadwayWorld’s 2012 Central PA theater awards? If not, please go to the website and vote. There are EPAC nominees in nearly every category … let’s get those numbers up for all these talented members of EPAC's acting, directing and performing teams, who gave us the gift of such great theater throughout this season!

CALLING ALL PERFORMERS!

Reminder: Auditions for "Angels in America," parts 1 (“Millennium Approaches”) and 2 (“Perestroika”), will be held at 1 p.m. this coming Sunday (Dec. 9) at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre, home of EPAC. To register for that audition, sign up online here, or call Edward Fernandez at (717) 733-7966, extension 2.
Also, audition dates for casting the shows for the REST of the 2013 season have been announced. Ed Fernandez said you can start checking on the EPAC website NEXT WEEK for audition information and for an online signup form through which you can schedule an appointment (it's not online yet) for the January auditions.
Here are the dates:
Thursday, Jan. 17, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 18, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 19, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 20, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Shows to be cast in January are: “Avenue Q,” “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “Guys and Dolls,” “The Glass Menagerie,” “Assassins” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”


-- Merv Wright