Chester Theatre Group

Ruth Ross over at nj arts maven had some very very nice things to say about our current production of Grey Gardens:

Once again, Chester Theatre Group has tackled a challenging play, pulled out all the stops and given us a Broadway-quality musical—all without one single Actors Equity performer in the cast! … That the actors are superb raises the performance and production level way above what one might expect from community theater, but it is in line with what the  Chester Theatre Group usually gives us. Although neither Bouvier Beale woman achieved a successful career as a singer/actress, Barbara Haag who gets to play both the matriarch Edith and her daughter Edie, is certainly a class act. In the first act, Haag is imperious and manipulative as Big Edith, planning her daughter’s party to the last detail while planning to hijack the festivities for her own ends. In the second act, she’s Little Edie, giving weird pronouncements about fashion, complaining about having to come home to care for her mother, and just being an all-around drama queen. She takes hold of the audience by the throats in both acts and knocks ‘em down with an absolutely marvelous performance as both women. If she doesn’t win an award from NJACT, I don’t know what will.

Tickets are still available, but going fast, so reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the box office at 908.879.7304

CTG’s Summer Musical was GREY GARDENS (Book by Doug Wright, Music by Scott Frankel and Lyrics by Michael Korie)  opened Friday, July 1st and runs until July 24. (2011) Friday & Saturday evenings at 8pm (July 1,2, 8, 9, 15, 16,22, 23) and  Sunday matinees at 2 pm (July 17 & 24).  Tickets $24 general admission, seniors and students are $22.

This CTG production was co-directed by Jeffrey Fiorello and Mark Happel, with musical direction by Clifford Parish. Ericka Traugh was the stage manager.

Our Cast

• Edith Bouvier Beale: Barbi McGuire
• “Little Edie” Edie Beale/Edith Bouvier Beale: Barb Haag
• Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr/ Jerry: Tom Cioppettini
• Young “Little Edie” Edie Beale: Sandy Taylor
• Lee Bouvier: Julianne Grillo
• Brooks Jr./ Brooks Sr.: Alistar Williams
• J.V. “Major” Bouvier/ Norman Vincent Peale: Rich Maloy
• Jacqueline “Jackie” Bouvier: Hannah Curtis
• George Could Strong: Bob Jacobson

About The Show

GREY GARDENS is based (in part) on the Albert & David Maysels documentary concerning the relationship between Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ eccentric aunt and cousin. The touching and heart felt musical explores the unconventional mother-daughter relationship between former socialite Edith Bouvier Beal and her adult daughter Little Edie “body beautiful” Beal.

GREY GARDENS tells an entertaining and poignant story of two unconquerable women, once known as two of the brightest stars in the social register, who later become East Hampton’s most infamous “reclusive inhabitants”, sharing a rundown 28 room mansion with 52 stray cats and rabid racoons. From the glittering high society of 1940′s New York to the tabloid headlines that rocked the Kennedy clan in the 1970′s, GREY GARDENS hurls you into American royalty and leaves you to ponder the questions: “when do private lives become public fascinations?; How much is too much?; and Where does it stop?”

Kate Lyn Reiter and Humor in the Midst Comedy Workshops are presenting a comedy night to benefit the Chester Theatre Group on June 4 at 8:00 PM at the Black River Playhouse.

The evening will feature the comedic stylings and wry observation of Katherine Brower, Dan Hoffman, Fred Holzapfel, Julie McCormick,Karen Muha, Peggy Robinson, and Phil Sweet.

The suggested donation is $15.

Call the theatre at 908.879.7304 for reservations.

The Chester Theatre Group is proud to present MAURITIUS by Theresa Rebeck. Theproduction will have performances on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. beginning May 6, 2011 thru May 21, 2011, with one Sunday matinee performance at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday May 15, 2011. Performances are held at the Black River Playhouse located at the corners of Grove Street and Maple Avenue in Chester, NJ.

Can a play about stamp collecting be called a comedic drama? Yes, especially when the taut script is MAURITIUS by Theresa Rebeck. Mix Ms. Rebeck’s gripping tale with the talents of veteran director, Jay Mills and a cast of five stellar performers and what you get is an evening of intrigue, drama and a few laughs. Stamp collecting may be thought of as the quiet pursuit of dedicated older and younger enthusiasts but when the stamps in question wield the power to create epic sibling rivalry and can drive grown men to the brink of moral bankruptcy, well it isn’t as genteel as one might imagine. Stir in some questionable characters on the con and the plot thickens.

Bringing this film-noir like story to life are returning CTG stage veterans, Jill Bormann of Morristown (previously seen in PROOF) as Jackie, Carol Holland of Long Valley (most recently seen in FICTION) as Mary and Steven Nitka of Long Valley (hysterical in CTGs April 16th special event THE 10 COMMANDMENTS) as Phillip. Rounding out the cast and making their debut performances with CTG are David Romankow of Gillette as Dennis and George LaVigne of Hackettstown as Sterling.

Tickets are $18.00 with a Senior (65+)/Student (with School ID) discount ticket of $16.00 at all performances. Reservations can be made by calling the box office at 908-879-7304.

There are only 7 performances so make your reservations now for this show which the press called “well-made”, “engrossing” and “emotionally fraught”.

CTG is proud to present (again), for one night only (again), a reading of The Ten Commandments, a comedy by Gary Hill and Perry Kroeger, based loosely (again) on the Cecil B. DeMille movie of the same name.

In the cast (again playing over 40 parts among them) are Barbara Haag, Steve Graham, Maggie Graham, Lori Lawrence, Stephen L. Fredericks, Danny Campos, Mark Happel, Steve Nitka, Perry Kroeger and Bob Jacobson as Moses.

The fun starts at 8:00 on April 16, 2011, and reservations are recommended by calling 908.879.7304.

The play was originally done in New York at LaMama in 1995.