Merriam-Webster Dictionary may define tour de force as “a feat or display of strength, skill or ingenuity,” but if you want to see a tour de force in the flesh, go on out to the Black River Playhouse in Chester where Gloria Lamoureaux stars as Shirley Valentine in the acclaimed Chester Theatre Group’s winter production of Willy Russell’s bittersweet comedy of the same name.

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Gloria Lamoureaux … becomes Shirley Valentine, making Willy Russell’s eponymous heroine jump from the page to the stage in a convincing and natural manner. As a force to be reckoned with, Lamoureaux’s performance is a true tour de force! Her character’s bravado, her bravery, earned her a well-deserved brava from the entire audience (along with a standing ovation) at the end of the play. Add your applause; you’ll be glad you did.

You can read the full review at the Recorder Newspapers site.

It’s here!

Our production of “Shirley Valentine”, a comedy by Willy Russell (Blood Brothers and Educating Rita) opens March 6 and runs until the 21st.

We’ve reconfigured our theatre for this production, so our seating capacity is diminished.  Please make sure you reserve your tickets early!

Public performances are on March 6, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, and 21. the shows on the 14th and the 21st are matinees.  Friday and Saturday shows start at 8 pm, Sunday matinees start at 2 pm.  Due to the nature of the piece and the layout of the theatre, latecomers may not be able to be seated.

The piece, directed by Cindy Alexander, features Gloria Lamoureux as Shirley Valentine.

Ticket are $18,  Students and seniors discounts on Friday and Sunday performances $16. The CTG’s Black River Playhouse is located at the corner of Grove and Maple Streets in the borough of Chester.  Call 908-879-7304 for reservations.

About the show:

Inside Mrs. Joe Bradshaw is the former Shirley Valentine longing to get out. Her self- confidence badly shattered by school, marriage and life, she is reduced to talking to the kitchen wall whilst preparing her husband’s evening meal – to be on the table as he opens the front door every night.  As she sips a glass of wine, she dreams of drinking in a country where the grape is grown.  Her feminist friend offers her a holiday in Greece and, with great trepidation and a lot of forward planning; Shirley seizes the opportunity.  In Greece she encounters a totally different lifestyle, breaking out of the mold cast for her by society.

Auditions will be held at the theater on Sunday, 2/7/2010 at 2:00 p.m. and on Tuesday, 2/9/2010 at 7:00 p.m.  The theater is located at the corners of Grove Street and Maple Avenue in Chester, New Jersey.

Performances of the show are scheduled for 4/30, 5/1, 5/7, 5/8, 5/14, 5/15, 5/16 (matinee), 5/21, 5/22 and close with a matinee on Sunday, 5/23.

Needed are 4 male and 3 female musical comedy performers. Please come with a resume and a musical theatre song (with sheet music in correct key). An accompanist will be provided.

About the Show:

Love can make a woman do strange things.  Like lie about her past.  Or give up her career for the man she loves.  Or throw off her princessly raiment and disguise herself as a young man in order to infiltrate the guarded “men-only” palace compound of an exiled prince she’s admired from afar, who is secretly plotting to murder her and usurp her throne.  Such is the state of things in this hilarious, tongue-in-cheek, anachronistic adaptation of the classic Marivaux comedy, “Triumph of Love.” 

Cast Breakdown:

• Agis – (age range 20 – 35) a student of reason, a young innocent who has been raised to reclaim his rightful throne, but discovers that his true desire is to find love.  Tenor (ability to sing and sustain a High A).
• Hesione – (age range 40 – 60) Agis’ Aunt. A stern philosopher who wants her nephew to take down the current ruler of Sparta to reclaim the throne that is rightfully his.  A Betty Buckley type.  Mezzo / Strong Belt (up to a high D).
• Harlequin – (age range 25 – 40) the Valet.  Servant to Hesione.  Tenor with strong comedic abilities.
• Dimas – (age range 25 – 45) the Gardner.  Servant to Hesione.  Baritone with strong comedic abilities.
• Hermocrates – (age range 40 – 60) Agis’s Uncle.  A philosopher.  The brother to Hesione, a powerful, forbidding intellectual tyrant.  Feared by those around him.  Baritone.
• Princess Leonide – (age range 20 – 35).  A beautiful young woman, and ruler of Sparta.  A driven woman who will do almost anything to find true love, and hopes to find that in Agis.  Disguises herself as a man for part of the musical.  A strong comedic actress, with the ability to portray the many different characters that Leonide uses to deceive those around her.  High Mezzo – Belt (up to a high D).
• Corrine – (age range 25 – 40).  Princess Leonide’s maid servant.  A little rough around the edges, but would do anything to help Princess Leonide reach her goal.  Strong comedic actress.  Mezzo with a VERY high Belt (up to an E) and the ability to sing the D above high C.

If you have any further questions about the play please contact the director via email at fiorelloje@yahoo.com

One last time, we had to shuffle the Shirley Valentine performance schedule a little bit, so may be a little off from what you’ve seen previously.

The show will open with a sold-out performance to benefit the Long Valley Women’s Club on March 5.  Public performances open up after that, with shows on March 6, 12, 13, 14*, 19, 20, and 21*. the shows on the 14th and the 21st are matinees.  Friday and Saturday shows start at 8 pm, Sunday matinees start at 2 pm.  Due to the nature of the piece and the layout of the theatre, latecomers may not be able to be seated.

The piece, directed by Cindy Alexander, features Gloria Lamoureux as Shirley Valentine.

About the show:

Inside Mrs. Joe Bradshaw is the former Shirley Valentine longing to get out. Her self- confidence badly shattered by school, marriage and life, she is reduced to talking to the kitchen wall whilst preparing her husband’s evening meal – to be on the table as he opens the front door every night.  As she sips a glass of wine, she dreams of drinking in a country where the grape is grown.  Her feminist friend offers her a holiday in Greece and, with great trepidation and a lot of forward planning; Shirley seizes the opportunity.  In Greece she encounters a totally different lifestyle, breaking out of the mold cast for her by society.

“The Receptionist” by Adam Bock is one of those strange, convoluted stories that will keep you guessing right up to the final moments.

Staged with precision and tension at Black River Playhouse in Chester, the four-member cast keeps the energy at a heightened pitch as the puzzle becomes more dense, more obscure.

… the Chester Theatre Group has delivered a spellbinding tale, one that’s quirky and off-kilter, but contemporary enough to lead us down the path of recognition.

There are two more chances to see The Receptionist — Friday December 4 and Saturday, December 5.  Both shows are at 8:00pm.  Reservations are recommended and can be made by leaving a message at 908-879-7304

“Director Jeff Knapp has cast four superb actors to portray the characters in this three-scene, one act play. Carla Kendall’s spot-on comedic timing, expressive face and mellifluous voice are perfect for Beverly, office yenta/therapist-of-all-matters. She looks matronly enough for such a know-it-all as she bustles around the office, checking her computer screen, making coffee.

Rachel Dunwoody is a knockout as the beautiful Lorraine, although it’s difficult to believe that she’s lonely and despairs of finding the right man. She sashays around the office and flirts with Martin Dart with élan.

As the aforementioned Dart (great name for the character), Don Pflaster has just the right amount of malevolence to set your antennae humming. He keeps his own counsel, however, not revealing his motives at first and then grabbing your attention when he finally does.

And Stephen Catron is fine as Edward Raymond, especially in a seemingly unrelated scene in the very beginning when he directly addresses the audience about his love of fly-fishing and his decision to set free the fish he’s caught. This seemingly casual conversation resonates long after the play ends.

Jonathan Wentz’s set design is the quintessential anteroom of a busy office, complete with a coat rack, magazines, chairs and a spacious L-shaped desk from which Beverly rules.”

The Receptionist continues Fridays and Saturdays at 8 through December 5.  A matinee is scheduled for November 29 at 2 pm.  Due to the size of the house, reservations are recommended and may be made by calling the box office at 908.879.7304.

Lorraine and Mr. Raymond

Ms. Reiter’s popular comedy workshops have been presented in past years in connection with Hackettstown’s Centenary Stage Company and at Chester Theatre Group’s Black River Playhouse. The workshops provide a relaxed and judgment-free environment for regular folk to explore their funny bones! Students learn how to find their unique voice, find the funny in everyday life, and shape their experiences into laugh-riots!

Previous students have included retired school teachers, engineers, insurance agents, homemakers, mothers, fathers and loads of regular folk. Some have decided to go on to become comics but all have gone on to funnier and happier lives! Fred Holzapfel, a 47 year old engineer of Long Valley, NJ, says, “my wife enrolled me, thinking it would be a break from my stressful and tedious career, and worries caused by my recent heath complications. Whether or not I ever perform in public, the overall experience has had a profound impact on how I now view life.  The world is not a rational place; and if you look at it closely we’re surrounded by incongruity, confusion, and silliness which together provide a strong foundation for comedy

Is it really possible to teach comedy? According to Ms. Reiter, “You already know it! Don’t you laugh already? Don’t you say funny spontaneous things already? We all do! What you can learn – is how to recognize it, recall it, and recreate it!” She says students will learn the shape and structure of things that make us laugh so they can hone their stories into sure-fire laughs. Most importantly, “you will begin to see your life from a new perspective – finding the funny all around us – appreciating the absurd – and lightening up the load in your heart!”

Ms. Reiter is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and has written and performed comedy in the New York City area for several years. Most recently she appeared at the Morris County First Night festivities in her one-woman comedy show “From the 60’s to 60 at 60 mph.” She is an adjunct professor at Warren County Community College and frequently directs locally for the Centenary Stage Company and Chester Theatre Group.

Ms. Reiter is offering an introductory comedy workshop for Beginners and the “Comically Curious” for 6 weeks, Nov. 14 – Dec. 19. Sessions are Saturday mornings 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. Cost for the 6 week workshop is just $225. To register call 908-892-5458. New classes are forming all the time! Call now for more information: 908-892-5458 or check out her web site at www.KateLynReiter.com

Someone will be right with you…

Adam Bock’s office comedy, The Receptionist opens at the Black River Playhouse on Friday, November 20, 2009.

To let Samuel French summarize: “At the start of a typical day in the Northeast Office, Beverly deals effortlessly with ringing phones and her colleague’s romantic troubles. But the appearance of a charming rep from the Central Office disrupts the friendly routine. And as the true nature of the company’s business becomes apparent, The Receptionist raises disquieting, provocative questions about the consequences of complicity with evil.”

The show is directed by Jeff Knapp and features Carla Kendall as Beverly, The Receptionist; Rachel Dunwoody as Lorraine; Stephen Catron as Mr. Raymond and Don Pflaster as Mr. Dart.

The show runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm through December 5th with a Sunday matinee performance on November 29 at 2pm. Opening night, November 20, is sold out. Tickets are available for all other performances. The show runs approx 80 minutes and is presented without intermission.

Tickets are $18 at the door (cash or check only) and may be reserved by calling the box office at 908.879.7304.

About the play:

“A deceptively complex work that intends to reinvent the concept of the office comedy, The Receptionist plays with the idea of who knows how much and how good a thing that ultimately is.” – Tom Avila, Metro Weekly

“The genially mundane goings-on in this blandly average workplace are throw into macabre relief when … a single, jarring line of dialogue sets the calm surface of the play rippling with creepy currents.” – Charles Isherwood, New York Times