"NEXT TO NORMAL" OPENS MARCH 8

The cast of "Next to Normal," opening March 8 at theSharadin Bigler Theatre

*** I recently saw a rehearsal of "Next to Normal," the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical that's opening March 8 at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre. I'll be posting more information about the show and the cast -- and how FABULOUS and moving this show is going to be -- later today. Above are a couple of photos from the production.

*** Other regional premieres at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre this season include  "Xanadu," "The Who's Tommy" and a recent Tony-winning rock musical, the title of which we'll be able to announce soon. I wrote about the full season here on the blog back in November.

For information on the season, or to order tickets, visit the theater's website, or call (717) 733-7966.

*** "Beauty and the Beast Jr." was a big hit at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre earlier this month. Sell-outs every night! Kudos to director Irving Gonzalez and the whole cast! We have some very talented young people sharing their gifts on this Ephrata stage!

-- Mary Ellen "Merv" Wright

THE PAWS THAT REFRESHES!

Katelyn Mullen as Grizabella and Matt Rush as Old Deuteronomy

in the Sharadin Bigler Theatre's production of "Cats"

Jellicle Cats are Talented Cats

I’ve seen productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Cats” before, usually in large theaters, on a proscenium stage. Sure, the dancing was heavenly, but I was always, somehow, held at a remove from the action. I couldn’t quite connect with the stories of this varied group of cats vying for a chance to be reborn.

But the delightful production now prowling the Sharadin Bigler Theatre stage made a “Cats” believer out of me. Because this intimate theater space allows the cat characters to have more direct interaction with the audience, I was immediately drawn into their feline world. They brought the poetry of T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" – the source material for the show – to life at Wednesday night's preview performance.

You’ll see some fantastic dancing in the show – by turns mesmerizing, energetic, eye-popping and sexy. But it the acting and singing talent of this cast that made me see this show as so much more than a dance-based entertainment.

I heard some terrific singing coming out of those feline faces during Wednesday night’s preview performance. And the cat characters were clearly connecting with each other, and with all the audience members with whom they were making up-close-and-personal cat’s-eye contact all evening long.

With everyone in a feline costume, under that kitty makeup, it takes a special troupe of tomcats to make that kind of individual connection with the audience. And this SBT production is blessed with just such a special group of performers.

Kudos to them; this is truly an ensemble show, in which many of the feline characters get their own moment to shine in the spotlight. Their characterizations will surely amuse you, thrill you and move you.

Kudos to director/choreographer Kristin Pontz for a beautifully staged and choreographed production. Kudos to acting coach Rich Repkoe and musical director Derek Martin for helping this talented cast add depth to the production. The pit orchestra sounded great, as well!

A salute, too, to the designers, technical professionals, costume, makeup and props teams, who’ve enhanced the action of this show with an interesting set and great effects. Future audience members: Keep your eyes peeled while you’re watching this show. You never know when a cat will be prowling on a platform right above your head, ready to cozy up to the side of your theater seat.

My advice: Get your tickets to the Sharadin Bigler Theatre production of “Cats” now. Once the word spreads about the quality of this production, you don’t want to be left out in the cold this holiday season!

The show opens tonight (Dec. 8), and runs till Dec. 23.

Visit www.ephrataperformingartscenter.com, or call 733-7966, for tickets. And check out the Blue Ridge Communications preview video for the show!

-- Mary Ellen "Merv" Wright

2012 brings variety, mirth, music and drama at EPAC

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE AT EPAC IN 2012!

Wow. Just … wow!

The Ephrata Performing Arts Center’s marvelous 2011 season is still in full swing, and yet there’s already a whole new slate of fabulous shows to look forward to at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre in 2012!

You’ll be hearing a lot more about all these shows soon. But, for now, here’s the varied and exciting rundown:

Feb. 3-12, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast, Jr.”

The lovely and bookish Belle wants to escape her provincial life. The Beast wants to break a curse and return to his former self. Each has something to teach the other. All that … and the teapot and the candlesticks come to singing, dancing life for your entertainment. The whole family will love this heartwarming Family-Series musical at EPAC.

March 8-24, “Next to Normal”

I’ve heard wonderful things about this musical, which concerns how a family copes with a woman’s mental illness in the aftermath of tragedy. Friends who saw it on Broadway couldn’t stop talking about this show; they said it was amazing, intense, overwhelming … the effusive adjectives went on and on. I can’t wait to see what they’ve been talking about. This show won both the 2010 Pulitizer Prize for drama – only the eighth musical ever to get the honor – and Tony Awards including Best Score, so you know it’s firing on all cylinders!

April 25-May 12, “Xanadu”

You know you’re hearing Olivia Newton-John sing “Xanadu” in your mind right now, amid visions of leg warmers, roller skates and disco glory. This big, beautiful, campy show, about a Mount Olympus muse who inspires an artist to create a roller disco – with the muse’s jealous sisters causing trouble along the way – is filled with happy music and disco delights. And, bonus!: Its book is by Pennsylvania native Douglas Carter Beane, who wrote that EPAC on the Edge sensation, “The Little Dog Laughed.”

June 7-23, “Blithe Spirit”

I saw this classic comedy play by Noel Coward years ago in my hometown, and was completely captivated by the story of a married novelist; the eccentric medium he hires to perform a séance, and the vexing ghost of the novelist’s annoying late first wife, who suddenly begins appearing only to him. Marital mayhem and general zaniness ensue in this ghostly romp. Once you’ve met the medium, Madame Arcati (played in the recent Broadway revival by Angela Lansbury), you’ll never forget her!

July 19-August 4, “The Who’s Tommy”

Rock out with EPAC as The Who’s famed fable of the traumatized Tommy and his “Pinball Wizard” arcade superstardom comes to life on the Sharadin Bigler stage. You’ve seen how well EPAC handles such rock fare as “Rent,” so you won’t want to miss the chance to see what the troupe does with “Tommy.” This show will take Boomers like me back to their youth, and grab a whole new generation of theatergoers – taking us all on a thrilling, theatrical ride.

Sept. 6-22, “The Night of the Iguana”

Tennessee Williams wrote masterful plays that demonstrate, in no uncertain terms, his deep understanding of all aspects of human nature. In this work, set in a seedy Mexican hotel, an agitated defrocked minister tries to function as a tour guide while dealing with the attentions of three very different women. Ed Fernandez has been longing to sink his directorial teeth into this drama for a long time; we can’t wait to see the results.

Oct. 25-Nov. 10, To Be Announced: A Tony Award-winning, contemporary pop/rock musical

The folks at EPAC can’t yet tell you the title of this show yet. But you’ll be thrilled when they ARE able to announce it. More on this show later!!

Dec. 6-22, “Anything Goes”

Cole Porter’s classic musical about the shipboard antics of a wide variety of characters – from stowaway Billy Crocker to heiress Hope Harcourt to nightclub singer Reno Sweeney – is as popular today as it ever was. It’s no accident that this musical has had so many recent revivals; it’s a real crowd-pleaser, filled with Porter standards (and meaty roles for the actors!).

For information about subscribing to the new season, visit the EPAC website. Current subscribers can renew here.

"Beauty and the Beast, Jr." auditions, for those ages 5-16, are Saturday, Nov. 12; see the website for details, and click here to register.

Auditions for the rest of the new season will be held Jan. 7-11. Check the website for details soon.

The annual party for subscribers will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28.

And, don’t forget … it’s still 2011, and there’s plenty of entertainment yet in store on the Sharadin Bigler stage! “Evil Dead: The Musical” runs through Nov. 6. If you missed EPAC’s fantastic production of “The Vagina Monologues” last year, you won’t want to miss your chance again. Sharon Mellinger is again directing this funny, heartwarming play, with new monologues and a new cast. It runs Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11 and 12.

And you can celebrate the holidays in style with those singing, dancing felines of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats,” running Dec. 8-23.

And, P.S., don't forget to check the website for information on EPAC's online auction. There are some great prizes to bid on, including a stay at a resort in Rehoboth Beach and golf and fitness packages.

-- Mary Ellen ("Merv") Wright

BE A "DEAD"-HEAD, AT EPAC!

The cast of "Evil Dead: The Musical" provides an evening of gory-good fun at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.

TRY TO DISMEMBER ...

The chainsaw, the blood and the laughs will be flying around the stage of the Sharadin Bigler Theatre beginning Thursday night, as the Ephrata Performing Arts Center presents “Evil Dead: The Musical” as its Halloween offering for the 2011 season.

The musical embraces – and winks at – the classic-horror tropes of those campy, gore-filled, Sam Raimi-directed “Evil Dead” movies of the 1980s.

Five teenagers travel to a cabin in the woods – if you’ve ever seen a slasher film in your life, you know THAT scenario isn’t going to end well – where most of them wind up being possessed by demons.

And, as everyone, no doubt, knows, the only way a housewares employee like Ash (played at EPAC by Brian Virea) can deal with flesh-possessing demons is to dismember his zombified friends.

If all that isn’t in-your-face enough, you might want to purchase special $30 tickets in the “Splatter Zone” – front-row, on-stage seating that's closest to the mock-macabre action! You’ll be given a plastic poncho – and you’ll need it, when the gore starts flying.

With songs like “I’m Not a Killer,” “It Won’t Let Us Leave” and “What the F@#% Was That?”, “Evil Dead” will fill your evening with crazy, over-the-top Halloween fun.

Edward R. Fernandez directs. Here’s the rest of the cast list for the show.

NOTE: THIS SHOW IS BEST ENJOYED BY THOSE AGES 17 AND UP; it contains ADULT language and situations.

The show runs through Saturday, Nov. 5., with a midnight show on Saturday, Oct. 29, and a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Nov. 5. Other showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Prices for the midnight show only are $35 for regular seating and $40 for the “Splatter Zone.” Those tickets include light refreshments and adult beverages before the show.

Visit the EPAC website to order tickets online, or call 733-7966, Ext. 1, for the box office.

We’d like to salute Bob and Doreen Hershey and all the scaremasters at Jason’s Woods, that granddaddy of Lancaster County haunted attractions, for consulting on the special effects and for helping EPAC promote the show.

EPAC board vice president Jim Ruth and I recently braved the dark halls, trails and hayride of Jason’s Woods, and had a marvelous time having frightening creatures jump out at us in the dark. One of those creatures, it turned out, was Jim’s nephew!

After you check out “Evil Dead: The Musical,” go check out Jason’s Woods. It, too, is for grownups who like a good scare!

From Blood to Beer

Your ticket to opening night of “Evil Dead: The Musical” entitles you to attend the opening-night party at the Olde Lincoln House, 1398 W. Main St., Ephrata. The EPAC family would like to thank the proprietors there, along with party sponsor Green Mountain Cyclery, for giving the cast and patrons a place to chillax after a bloody-good evening at the theater.

Be our guest … and audition!

Calling all kids and teens, ages 5-16, who’d like to be involved in the theater!

Come out and audition for “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” from 1-3 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12. Click here to fill out an audition form.

Callbacks are at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14. Performances are Feb. 2-12, with a school-day performance on Feb. 9.

-- Mary Ellen "Merv" Wright

OCT. 8 BUS TRIP TO SEE JONATHAN GROFF IN NYC

ON OCT. 8, SEE AN NYC PLAY

ABOUT THEATER

WITH FELLOW THEATER BUFFS!

(... and EPAC veteran Jonathan Groff is the star!)

(... and those going on the bus trip get a talk-back with Groff and the cast after the show!!)

According to Associated Press Drama Writer Mark Kennedy, “… MCC Theater's ‘The Submission’ is a raw, unsentimental play about race and gender that exposes the quiet prejudice and intolerance among even our most progressive thinkers. It is both uncomfortable and impossible to not watch. Discussions are certain to be sparked after the curtain has fallen, on the way out of the theater. …”

One of the stars of that play is Ephrata Performing Arts Center alumnus Jonathan Groff, of “Spring Awakening” and “Glee” fame. And, for a great price, you can go see Jonathan, along with “True Blood” star Rutina Wesley, in “The Submission” at New York’s Lucille Lortel Theater – on Christopher Street in the West Village! – on Saturday, Oct. 8.

For just $95, you’ll get motorcoach transportation to and from New York and your ticket to the show, AND you’ll be helping support EPAC with a $20 donation (included in that price). You’ll be going to see a play about theater, with a bunch of real theater fans; the bus ride to and from NYC will, no doubt, be a wonderful trip.

AND A SPECIAL BONUS ... those going on the trip will get to participate in a talk-back with Jonathan Groff and the cast after the show!!

The bus will leave the parking lot of the Sharadin Bigler Theatre at 7 a.m. and return around 10 p.m. That means you’ll have a bit of time in New York before the show starts (did I mention you’ll be in the WEST VILLAGE?!); see the 2 p.m. matinee of “The Submission,” and have a chance to grab a bite to eat before you get back on the bus for the trip home!

Call the box office of the Sharadin Bigler Theatre, (717) 733-7966, Ext. 1, for tickets or more information. You can also order online here.

In closing, here’s a bit more from the AP’s Mark Kennedy:

“… (Jonathan) Groff (‘Spring Awakening, ‘Glee’), does well in a complex role, one in which he is both likable and later despicable, a lefty who assumes he is politically evolved but still has a way to go. He plays Danny with an earnest guilelessness, unaware of the damage his words can make. Emilie is wonderfully realized by (Rutina) Wesley (‘True Blood’); she veers from sex kitten in one scene to savagely screaming invectives a few moments later. …”

Click here for the full review.

-- Mary Ellen (“Merv”) Wright

AMISH GRACE ON THE EPAC STAGE

"The Amish Project" ... this weekend only!

Remember how shocking the news of the Nickel Mines shootings of Amish children was five years ago – Oct. 2, 2006? And, afterward, remember the amazing stories of how the Amish both forgave the gunman and offered condolences to his family?

A fictional exploration of the aftermath of the shootings, “The Amish Project,” will be presented this weekend ONLY at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre. Friday night’s performance is a benefit, with a reception preceding.

Sharon “Sharona” Mellinger, who has lit up the Ephrata Performing Arts Center stage for years as a director and actor, is directing this profound piece of theater Friday, Sept. 30, through Sunday, Oct. 2.

Sharona recently described the play to EPAC board Vice President Jim Ruth: “This is not a re-enactment. It focuses mainly on the aftermath of the horrible crime. There is nothing graphic, but there are some uncomfortable ideas expressed. All of the characters are fictional, although representative of both the Amish and the English communities.”

While playwright Jessica Dickey’s “The Amish Project” was originally performed as a one-woman show in New York, EPAC’s production assigns an actor to each role.

Kayla Hall and Lauren Elledge will portray Anna and Velda, two of the young Amish victims.

Matt Good appears as Eddie Stuckey, the gunman, and Matt’s real-life wife, Kathy Robb, is Carol Stuckey, the gunman’s widow.

Paola Gonzalez will play America, a young Hispanic grocery clerk; Robyn Payne appears as Sherry, a non-Amish neighbor, and Larry Gessler will play Bill North, a scholar on Amish culture.

Friday night’s 7:30 p.m. performance is a benefit for the Children’s Miracle Network. Tickets for that performance are $24 per person, and include a wine-and-cheese reception from 6-7 p.m. Thanks to Hershey Medical Center for sponsoring the evening!

Tickets for the other two performances – 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, and 2 p.m. Oct. 2 – are $15 for adults and $8 for students with a current ID.

For tickets and information, visit the website or call the box office at (717) 733-7966, Ext. 1.

-- Mary Ellen "Merv" Wright

'EQUUS': EPAC'S MANE EVENT!

Photo by Andy Babin, for the Sharadin Bigler Theatre

EPAC's 'EQUUS' OPENS THURSDAY

Alan Strang, a 17-year-old boy in Britain, keeps a picture of a horse in his room. He likes horses so much that he has taken a job mucking out stalls at a local stable.

And, for reasons unknown, this boy who likes horses has blinded six of the animals with a metal spike.

A magistrate who has been dealing with Alan’s case sends him to a psychiatric hospital, where Dr. Martin Dysart must try to find out the reasons behind the boy’s heinous act – and try to help him heal. Alan’s condition sets Dysart on a voyage of self-discovery, as well.

So begins “Equus,” Peter Shaffer’s marvelous, challenging play, which the creative team at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center is unbridling and allowing to gallop upon the Sharadin Bigler Theatre stage beginning Thursday night.

OK. The horse puns stop right here. This play is too deep, too layered, too thought-provoking for that.

This is definitely a play for grownups, and not just because of the famous nude scene involving two of its characters. The late New York Times theater critic Walter Kerr said it well when he called the play “… a psychiatric detective story of infinite skill.” I’d definitely recommend this play for mature audiences only; it is psychologically complex (though eminently accessible); has full male and female nudity in one scene, and employs some curse words throughout.

I saw one of the final rehearsals of EPAC’s production, directed by Elizabethtown College theater professor Michael Swanson, and found it fascinating and moving. I saw the play years ago in Lancaster, but had forgotten so much about how beautifully Shaffer makes his plot unfold. With each piece of information, we tread farther into the psyches of Dysart, played by EPAC artistic director Ed Fernandez, and Alan, portrayed by Jeremy Ebert.

The play is about so many things: self-awareness, religion, parenting, pathology, envy, the things that influence a child’s psychological development, the Big-Question thoughts that can plague people at mid-life, and so much more.

Who is the patient here, and who is the counselor? Is Dysart practicing the healing, or harming, arts?

And then, there are those cool horses! They’ll come to life, right before your eyes, with headpieces and hooves -- and equine movement choreographed by Cody Smith.

The interesting, multi-functional set is by E-town College’s Richard Wolf-Spencer, and the lovely, effective lighting is by New York designer Josh Starr (who happens to be the nephew of EPAC regular Bob Checchia). More on the creative team in future posts.

You can see the rest of the cast listed here.

If you love to open your mind to Tony Award-winning, challenging and interesting material, “Equus” will be a great night at the theater for you. It opens this Thursday (Sept. 8) and ends Saturday, Sept. 17.

Call the EPAC box office, 733-7966, Ext. 1, or visit the Website to order tickets.

Stay tuned in the next few days for more blog posts about all the great fall events at EPAC.

-- by Mary Ellen ("Merv") Wright