Whether the audience is comfortable being in such close quarters with McDonagh’s characters is another question. As the lights come up on the shabby and somewhat claustrophobic downstairs of a cottage in the rural village of Leenane, in Ireland, we may find ourselves instantly both intrigued and repelled by the characters we meet. This is not the shamrocks-and-leprechauns Ireland we might imagine.

Maureen Folan, a 40-year-old virgin, delights in the verbal torment of Mag, her 70-year-old mother. Any sympathy for Mag, however, rapidly dissipates when the old lady responds with vicious barbs. She is dependent on Maureen, whiny, demanding and manipulative. This is a dysfunctional relationship to the max.

Maureen has been essentially stuck with Mag’s care by two sisters who have escaped into marriage. Mag, who boasts about her “urine infection” as if it’s a badge of honor and empties her chamber pot into the kitchen sink, is determined to keep control of her daughter for as long as she needs her.
It’s important to know that Leenane (a real village in Connemara, County Galway) is a remote outpost from which most of the young people seek any opportunity to get away. A low-paying job, for example, cleaning offices in London—Maureen’s one unsuccessful attempt at escape—seems like a desirable option. Leenane might as well be a tomb, and that is how Maureen sees it.

Enter Pato Dooley. Maureen has met him at a party. He is also 40-ish and is home for a few days from his job doing manual labor in London. Maureen brings him home (one of the few times Mag is not sitting like a giant gargoyle in her rocking chair in the corner) and makes her sexual intentions clearly known to the not-unwilling Pato. He is the one who calls her the “beauty queen of Leenane” and then carries her up the stairs to spend the night.

This is a melodrama with some sharp comic overtones, as the dialogue between the two women, vicious though it is, cannot help but sparkle with McDonagh’s incisive wit. The plot twists as Pato, in a sad, sweet letter written to Maureen from London, seems to offer her the chance for escape. It is delivered by Pato’s younger brother, Ray, who is easily manipulated by Mag. Is she going to destroy her daughter’s last chance?

Melodrama laced with comedy turns very dark as the plot evolves. What seems like trivial jostling turns into a moment of stark horror (incidentally, beautifully pulled off by some clever stagecraft). What seems like an Irish soap opera turns into real tragedy. This is strong and intense stuff and, if you’re in the audience at the Black River Playhouse, you are right in the middle of it. You may be amused or repelled, but you will never be bored.

The cast of four performed superbly. Geraldine Baillod and Victoria Steele, as Mag and Maureen respectively, bring genuine passion to their roles. They really come alive. Matt Meier manages to make Pato the character who evokes the most sympathy. And Dale Monroe, as his hapless younger brother, is both funny and frustrating.

Stephen Catron’s crisp direction keeps the action moving evenly and consistently despite the radical mood swings the play takes. Catron took advantage of the violin-playing talents of his teenage son Zachary, who performs traditional Irish tunes during scene changes. This is not in the script and adds a nice bit of atmosphere without changing anything.

The only problem we had with this absorbing production is that the Irish dialects took some getting used to. It took a few minutes before we could easily understand every word. But this is not an uncommon problem when dialects are essential to a play. And for anyone who wonders, the product referred to as Complan, which Maureen insists Mag drink, is a nutritional supplement.

The play will run next weekend, Friday, May 18, Saturday, May 19, and Sunday, May 20, with 8 PM performances Friday and Saturday and a 2 PM matinee on Sunday. For reservations, call 908.879.7304.
njartsmaven.com

All rehearsals and performances will be at the Black River Playhouse in Chester, NJ. Performances will be weekends June 29 through July 8.

Performers are asked to bring music in the style of the show, in an appropriate key (accompanist will be provided). Each auditionee will sing first and may be asked to stay and read from the script. Callbacks (if needed) will be by appointment.

This hilarious, roller skating, musical adventure about following your dreams despite the limitations others set for you, rolls along to the original hit score composed by pop-rock legends Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, and includes “Magic”, “All Over the World”, “Suddenly”, “I’m Alive”, “Evil Women”, “Have You Never Been Mellow” and “Xanadu”, to name a few, and is based on the Universal Pictures’ cult classic movie of the same title, which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly.

It’s hilarity on wheels for adults, children and anyone who has ever wanted to feel inspired, as one of Broadway’s master storytellers, Douglas Carter Beane, weaves a moving, electrifying tale of endless fun that will keep you in stitches, while the original, legendary chart-topping tunes lift you out of your seat. You’ll want to keep the music in your head, and Xanadu in your heart forever.

The Chester Theatre Group production will be produced by Cindy Alexander directed by Jeffrey Fiorello with choreography by Megan Ferantinos and musical direction provided by Clifford Parrish. Questions? Email Cindy at cindy@rvccarts.org or call (908) 713-6207.

Available Roles:

Kira (Clio): The youngest of Zeus’s daughters and the muses. She falls in love with Sonny. Pretty. Adventurous. 20 – 35. Speaks with a fake Australian accent for much of the show. Vocally – Belter G3 – C6.

Sonny Malone A self-critical mortal, chalk artist who falls in love with Kira. Handsome. Very 80′s. 35 – 40. Vocally D3 – C5.

Danny Maguire: The hard-nosed businessman who owns the Xanadu theater. 50-60 years old. Vocally C3-D4.

Melpomene (Medusa): Kira’s oldest sister, who creates the plot for Kira’s downfall out of jealousy. 35 – 50 years old. Voically – Belter G3 – E5.

Calliope (Aphrodite): Kira’s jealous sister and fellow muse who plots against her. 40-60 years old. Vocally – B3 – D5.

 Erato (Siren / Andrews Sister / Eros / Hera): One of Kira’s older sisters and fellow muse. B3-C6.

Euterpe (Siren / Andrews Sister / Thetis): One of Kira’s older sisters and fellow muse. B3-C6.

Terpicore (Siren / Tubes Singer / Hermes / Centaur): one of Kira’s older “sisters” and fellow muse. To be played by a man. G3-C5.

Thalia (Siren / Young Danny / Tubes Singer / Cyclops): one of Kira’s older “sisters” and fellow muse. To be played by a man. G3-C5.

The performance dates were:  March 23 and 24 at 8pm and March 25th at 2pm.  Tickets were $20 at the door ($18  senior or a student)

The Black River Singers: Geraldine Baillod, Karen Cantor, Jill Cappuccino, Karen Catron, D’Angelique Dopson, Jeffrey Dopson, Fran Groves, Barbara Haag, Gayle Hendrix, Julie Jacoby, Bob Longstreet, Bob Mackasek, Jodi Maloy, Rich Maloy, Claire McDonald, Dave McDonald, Claudia Metz, Chris Mortensen, Alice Regan Moynahan, Martha Riley, Tom Rodgers, Roseann Ruggiero, Mary Saarmann, Clinton Scott, Robert Stone, Ericka Traugh, and Roxanna Wagner.    (March 28 update)

Photographer Rich Kowalski took some pictures of our production, and has generously allowed us to share them with you…

REVIEW: “BY JEEVES” @ CHESTER THEATRE GROUP

“None other than Alan Ayckbourn has written the book and lyrics while Andrew Lloyd Webber has composed the music. Kudos to the Chester Theatre Group for bringing a delightful and polished production to the intimate Black River Playhouse!”

‘Under the fluid, adept hand of director and star Jeff Jackson (ably assisted by co-director and producer Roseann Ruggiero), ten talented actors—aided by an ensemble of four who move props around, on and off the small in-the-round playing space—bring the wacky characters to life.”

“Jeff Jackson ( left)  is wonderful as the hapless Bertie Wooster, determined to uphold the Wooster code, which is a series of ridiculous “rules” too numerous to list here.  He sings, he dances, he mugs; he’s handsome, he’s adorable, he’s a fop!

His inanity is matched by Jeff Fiorello as his pal Augustus “Gussie” Fink-Nottle, who has trouble saying the words of a sentence in the correct (and comprehensible) order; Rich McNanna as the loopy doofus Bingo Little; Eric Harper as the unfortunate minister Harold “Stinker” Pinker, who always manages to break things; and Mike Patierno as the loud American jam magnate Cyrus Budge III, Jr. And rounding out the male characters is Mark Dacey as the villain of the piece, Sir Watkyn Bassett.”

“The distaff side of the cast doesn’t fare much better; they’re just as deliciously strange. Juliet Brines is hilarious as the well-built Honoria Glossop. As Madeline “Maddy” Bassett, the young woman beloved by Gussie and whose hare-brained scheme sets the mayhem in motion, Tina Kaye is scrumptious, with her little girl voice, blonde curls and wide blue eyes. Kathleen Campbell Jackson is equally terrific as Stephanie “Stiffy” Byng.”

“If all this seems too fey, it is Bob Longstreet (top photo, right) as the sober, practical, rather supercilious valet Jeeves whose ab-fab performance brings down the house every time he opens his mouth. His performance is a tour de force.”

“You’ve probably guessed that I adored By Jeeves at the Chester Theatre Group. It’s one more example of this troupe’s excellent work. … get on over to the Black River Playhouse to meet Bertie Wooster and Jeeves. But hurry up: By Jeeves runs only through March 18, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM.

Reviewed by Ruth Ross (March 3, 2012)

Click here to read the complete review

Please join us on  Tuesday March 6th @ 7pm as we hold our second audition session (3/4)  for our next show, Martin McDonough’s black comedy The Beauty Queen of Leenane, directed by Stephen Catron.

The production will open on May 4 and run through May 20th (May 4-6, 11-12, 18-20 / 2012)

All Roles Open:

4 characters

• MAUREEN FOLAN – 40s.
• MAG FOLAN – her mother, 60s.
• PATO DOOLEY – 40s.
• RAY DOOLEY – Pato’s brother, 20s

The play is a blend of black comedy, melodrama, and bleak tragedy. Set in the Irish village of Leenane in the early 1990s.

Centering on the life of Maureen Folan, a 40-ish-year-old spinster who takes care of her selfish and manipulative 60-ish-year-old mother Mag. Maureen’s sisters have escaped into marriage and family life, but Maureen, with a history of mental illness, is trapped in a seriously dysfunctional relationship with her mother.

The Folan cottage is visited by Pato Dooley and his younger brother Ray. Pato is a 40-ish construction worker fed up with having to live and work in England, disappointed by the limitations and loneliness of his life. The day-to-day sameness is tedious also for Ray 20-ish, a non-threatening “bad boy”.

The glimmer of a last-chance romance between Maureen and Pato sparks up in the first act, and continues in the second one with a notable monologue of Pato. The plot, full of deceptions, secrets and betrayals interspersed with turnabouts, keeps surprising the audience.

For further information, contact the director, Stephen Catron, at leenane@chestertheatregroup.org

One of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s least-known— yet most delightful— musicals is this hilarious, English farce based on the beloved Jeeves stories by P.G. Wodehouse. By Jeeves follows the misadventures of clueless society fop Bertie Wooster and his equally dimwitted friends, as his manservant, Jeeves, quietly rescues them from their endless scrapes with disaster. With Webber’s infectious melodies and Alan Ayckbourn’s razor wit, two giants of the theater have joined forces to create what the press called, “an enchantingly batty evening.”

Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm, Sunday performances are at 2pm. Note: the March 4th matinee is sold-out (Lioness Benefit).

The Black River Playhouse is located at the corner of Grove and Maple Streets in Chester NJ .

By Jeeves will be directed by Jeff Jackson with Roseann Ruggiero..  Music Director: Thomas Rodgers. Choreographer: Bernadatte Baron. The cast includes: Bob Longstreet as Jeeves, Jeff Jackson as Bertie Wooster with Mark Dacey, Rich McNanna, Jeffrey Fiorello, Eric Harper, Juliet Brines, Kathleen Campbell Jackson,Tina Kaye and Mike Patierno. The ensemble: Diane Butler, Barb Haag, Steven Nitka, and Bob Sackstein.

Tickets are $24 ($22 for Seniors/Students). For reservations call 908-879-7304 or Reserve Online.

“Tucked away in a quieter corner of town at the crossroads of Maple and Grove Streets in Chester Borough, the Chester Theatre Group has been offering an array of musical and non-musical plays since 1958.

When pressed to categorize the theater group’s slate, board member Jeffrey Jackson described it as “off the beaten path.”

“While we don’t want to be completely fringe and obscure, we do like to lure people away from the completely tried and true,” Jackson said.

“Our goal is to entertain, but our ultimate goal is to enlighten and challenge our audiences and to broaden the experience of the talented local performers and artists who volunteer at our theatre both onstage and off,” said Roseann Ruggiero, board secretary, who has been involved with the organization for 40 years.”   READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE

ALL THE CAST  NOW SET FOR “BY JEEVES”    Thank you to everyone who participated in the auditions.

Chester Theatre Group of the Black River Playhouse, Chester, NJ (Corner of Maple and Grove)

Directors: Jeffrey Jackson (also playing “Wooster”) with Roseann Ruggiero

Performances (9): March 2–18, 2012, Fri. & Sat. eves., Sun. matinees

Auditions were held: Sunday, Jan 8th (afternoon) and Tuesday, Jan. 10th (evening), 2012

Orchestra: 6 (piano, woodwinds, keyboard, bass, drums, guitar)

Cast: 10 leads, 3 ensemble

JEEVES:     Bob Longstreet

BERTIE:     Jeff Jackson (Director)

BASSETT:   Bob Mackasek

BINGO:        Rich McNanna

GUSSIE:      Jeffrey Fiorello

HAROLD:    Eric Harper

HONORIA:   Juliet Brines

STIFFY:         Kathleen Campbell Jackson

MADDY:       Tina Kaye

BUDGE:         Mike Patierno

ENSEMBLE:   Diane Butler, Barb Haag, Steven Nitka, Bob Sackstein

For more information: http://www.curioproductions.com/byjeeves/