Jared Michael Delaney and Brittany Proia in ‘Mad Love’.
Photo credit: SuzAnne Barabas
Mad Love is a new comedy that opened last weekend at the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch, NJ. Playwright Marisa Smith has produced a contemporary, edgy, funny play about Brandon who is sort of dating Sloane, but neither will commit to a serious relationship. Mad Love was the first new play produced at the new Northern Stage/Barrette Center in White River Junction, Vermont where it was directed by Maggie Burrows. The play was an O’Neill Playwright’s Conference semi-finalist and won Best Play (2012) from NH in Portland Stages’ (Maine) Clauder Competition.
This production marks the return to the NJ Rep for Playwright Marisa Smith whose play Saving Kitty was produced by New Jersey Rep in 2013 and in the summer of 2015. Marisa is an associate artist at the Lark Play Development Center, an artist in residence at the Hermitage Artists Retreat on Manasota Key, Florida for 2015-17 and an artist at the Marble House Project in Dorset, Vermont for the fall of 2016. She has developed work at the Lark, the Theresa Rebeck Writer’s Colony, The University of Delaware Professional Repertory Company, at the Dorset Theater Festival, Dartmouth College and at the Williamstown Theater Festival. In 2017 Sex and Other Disturbances will be produced in Melbourne, Australia, directed by Nadia Tass.
Evan Bergman is the Director for Mad Love. He most recently directed the world premiere of A Better Place by Wendy Becket at the Duke Theater in New York. He also directed the world premiere of the long running New York and Los Angeles production of The Director starring John Shea. He has directed a number of productions for NJ Rep including Marisa Smith’s Saving Kitty, A View of the Mountains by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award nominee Lee Blessing, and The M Spot by Michael Tucker, starring Emmy Award winner Jill Ekinberry.
Press notes describe the play in the following manner:
Sloane Hudson, a wealthy, beautiful recent Ivy League graduate and product of the campus hook-up culture and frat basement pong tournaments, doesn’t believe in love or marriage. She does, however, believe in babies and wants one soon so her tummy can bounce back and she can still wear a bikini. The problem is she needs a sperm donor who passes muster. Enter Brandon, who has all the right stats, but the wrong attitude. Brandon, meantime, has enough on his plate living with his brother Doug, who just fell in love with Katerina, the hooker from the Ukraine. Cabbage soup, a rare baseball card and a lizard named Pogo all play a part in this romantic comedy for cynical times.
The cast includes the following:
Making his debut at the NJ Rep is Jared Michael Delaney who plays the role of Doug. Jared is the cofounder and Associate Artistic Director of Revolution Shakespeare. He has appeared in productions at 59E59 and at a number of regional theaters. He also is a playwright whose first full-length play, The Hand of Gaul, was produced in 2013 at Inis Nua Theatre.
Also making an NJ Rep debut is Brittany Proia in the role of Katerina. An actor and songwriter from Olney, MD, she has appeared in regional theater and performed in productions of A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (The Night Shift), Breadcrumbs (Urbanite Theatre), and the Taming of the Shrew (Nebraska Shakespeare) in addition to other work with theater companies.
Playing the role of Brandon is Graham Techlet who is an actor and writer from Boston but based in New York. His recent credits include: Song For A Future Generation and Jonah, A Musical Detour (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Gutenberg! The Musical! (Basement Arts), and Stupid F**king Bird (University Productions). His plays include Nantucket Sleighride (Beckwith Theatre, 2015), The Kid Cult Cosmology (Playfest), and Like Henry the Sixth But Cool.
Alex Trow plays the part of Sloane. She has appeared off-Broadway in London Wall (Mint Theater), Flamingo (Sanguine Theater Co.), Straight (u/s, Acorn Theater Off-Broadway), and Scarlett Fever (NY Fringe Fest). Regionally, she has appeared in Mad Love (Northern Stage, world premiere), Owners (Yale Rep), and Othello (Shakespeare Santa Cruz).
About the Show:
Playwright: Marisa Smith
Director: Evan Bergman
Production Team: Jessica Parks (Set Design), Brian Snyder (Technical Director,) Jill Nagle (Lighting Design), Merek Royce Press (Sound Design), Patricia E. Doherty (Costume Design), and Jennifer Tardibuono (Stage Manager).
Location: New Jersey Repertory Company, 179 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ
Performances: October 20 – November 20, 2016 on Thursdays and Fridays 8:00 pm; Saturdays 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm; Sundays at 2:00 pm.
Contact for Info and Tickets: The New Jersey Repertory Company website at www.njrep.org or by calling 732-229-3166.
Additional Information: Discounts available to groups of 10+