Michael Cerveris, Dana Ivey and Richard Masur.take part in ‘Selected Shorts’ on Nov. 16, 2019 at Kean University’s Enlow Recital Hall
NPR’s hit public radio series Selected Shorts is coming to Kean University’s Enlow Recital Hall on Saturday, November 16, 2019. The show is billed as an evening of festive stories filled with love, laughter and nostalgia. This production features stories read by noted actors Michael Cerveris, Dana Ivey, and Richard Masur.
Selected Shorts was conceived with a
simple premise: take great stories by well-known and emerging fiction writers
and have them performed by prominent actors of stage, screen and television who
bring these short stories to life. Each Selected Shorts is a unique
night of literature in performance.
New York’s
Symphony Space has presented Selected Shorts before a live audience since 1985.
It is broadcast on more than 150 radio stations across the country and
consistently ranks as one of the most popular podcasts on iTunes.
The Cast
Michael Cerveris is a two-time Tony Award winner for Fun Home and for his portrayal of John Wilkes Booth in Assassins. He starred on Broadway in Evita, Sweeney Todd, Titanic and Tommy. His Off-Broadway work includes Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Playbill called him, “arguably the most versatile leading man on Broadway.” His television credits include The Good Wife, Fringe, Gotham and Madam Secretary. He has appeared in the films Ant Man and the Wasp and The Mexican.
Dana Ivey was nominated for five Tony Awards, including twice in 1984 for Sunday in the Park with George and a revival of George Bernard Shaw’s Heartbreak House. Her other Broadway credits include Present Laughter, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and The Importance of Being Earnest. Ivey has been featured in many films including The Color Purple, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Postcards from the Edge and The Help. Her television credits include Boardwalk Empire, Sex and the City, Monk and Frasier.
Richard Masur’s acting credits date back to the 1970s. His film appearances include Risky Business and My Girl. He was a regular on the television shows One Day at a Time, Rhoda and Hot l Baltimore. He was most recently seen on Younger, Orange is the New Black, and Transparent. His Broadway credits include The Changing Room, Democracy and Lucky Guy. Mr. Masur is a former president of the Screen Actors Guild.
Additional Information about ‘Selected Shorts’
Location: Enlow Recital Hall, 215 North Ave., Hillside, on Kean University’s east campus.
Tickets: $35-$55 and can be purchased at the Kean Stage Box Office in Wilkins Theatre at Kean University, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ, by phone at 908-737-7469 or online at www.keanstage.com..
George Street Playhouse opens its new season and their new home venue with a new musical titled Last Days of Summer. This show is a total heart warmer and one that is sure to be an audience favorite. It is a well told story with appealing characters, some familiar moments in time and fabulous music that reflects the era. The story centers around the idea that the bonds which people lovingly develop between each other stay with them throughout their lifetime and even after death.
Last Days of Summer is based on a bestselling novel of the same name by Steve Kluger. Mr. Kluger also contributes his writing to the song lyrics which uses music by Grammy winner Jason Howland. Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun directs and provides musical staging. Set design is by award winning Beowulf Boritt.
A Touching Story
The story opens in modern day when young Chuck Margolis (Gilberto Moretti-Hamilton) innocently opens a box in the attic to find letters and memorabilia of his father’s days growing up. The question of why his father, sportswriter Joe Margolis (Danny Binstock), isn’t covering Charlie Banks Day leads him to a discovery inside the box that his father finds. Joe begins to reflect back to his days as a 12-year-old child. He recalls when he and his friend Craig (Parker Weathersbee) wrote letters to one of the Brooklyn NY Giants, Charlie Banks, in attempts to meet him.
At this point, the scene shifts back to 1940s Brooklyn and remains mainly in that time period as grown up Joe Margolis remains on the side of the stage and watches. There is a feeling that he is lamenting the past as the young Joey Margolis (Julian Emile Lerner) writes letter after letter to meet Charlie Banks (Bobby Conte Thornton). He comes up with lots of illnesses to try to work his way into Charlie’s heart. Charlie stands his ground and sees this as a crazy kid trying to get to meet him. It’s only after Joey contacts Charlie’s girlfriend, Hazel (Teal Wicks) that Charlie consents to meet him.
It turns out that Joey is dealing with a rejection from his own father. The father left the family and now he tells his son Joey that he will not be at his upcoming bar mitzvah. As Charlies eventually learns why Joey has been seeking him out, he softens and the two become attached. He becomes a father figure to the young boy. Joey learns that Charlie is holding back on a lot of sentimental attachments. He also finds out Charlie had a brother who died at an early age. The reasons for the death and the effect on Charlie become clearer towards the end of the play.
As the connection between the Joey and Charlie develops, signs of the start of World War II appear. Joey’s friend Craig leaves Brooklyn with his family to live out west and later turns up in an internment camp for Japanese Americans. The sadness of this moment brings the war closer to home for all.
Charlie and Hazel are married as he is sent off to the war. His friend Stuke (Will Burton) from the baseball team is in his platoon and their connection is solid. But Stuke is sent out on active fighting duty as Charlie is assigned to desk duties. Charlie performs heroic actions and he pays with his life.
As the scene shifts back to present day, Joe Margolis as a grown up learns to make peace with his feelings of loss when a letter written by Charlie is found in the box. As he reads the contents, he is comforted when he realized the bond he and Charlie formed years ago still exists.
Songs Enhance the Show
Last Days of Summer is beautifully enhanced by the songs and musical numbers. The melodies are absolutely delicious in this show as they take on the sounds and feel of jazz and the big band era. Listen closely to the lyrics as they bring out important pieces of the emotions being portrayed.
There are several songs where dancing takes center stage and they are a joy to watch. One of the standouts of the show is in the second act where “You’ve Got To Be Real” is performed by Stuke and Joey and back up dancers. It is here where Stuke, who never has a girlfriend but instead relies on pinup girls to suffice, gives evidence that he is gay. But in keeping with that 1940’s time period, that point is made in this subtle way. “You’ll Never Have to Say Good-bye” is introduced in the first act by Charlie and then brought back as a reprise to close the show featuring Charlie and Joe with the entire ensemble. Teal Wicks is a standout in fine voice as she plays a singer. She sings several songs that knock your socks off especially her solo in “Don’t Believe in Romance.”
A Show that has Good Appeal
At times you find a show that appeals to you for a number reasons. This is one of those shows. It is a new production and with that comes things that still need changing. They are few and far between because the basic story is solid and very appealing. The music is catchy. You won’t be sitting still; you’ll want to get up at times and do a little ballroom style dancing.
The characters are people you would want to meet. And the actors do a phenomenal job. Can’t close without mentioning the amazing performances of young Julian Emile Lerner as Joey or Bobby Conte Thornton as Charlie Banks and all that they bring to the appeal of this show. All of the young actors are just superb in their roles. This is a big cast, but one that plays their parts so well.
This show is bound to have a future after it leaves George Street Playhouse. It will have a life either on regional stages or dare to say it, Broadway? In any case, don’t miss it while it is still conveniently at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, 11 Livingston Avenue. Last Days of Summer runs a little over 2 hours with one intermission and it plays through Nov. 10, 2019.
Photo of New Brunswick Performing Arts Center courtesy of their Facebook Page.
George Street Playhouse opened their 2019 – 2020 season on Friday, Oct. 25th. This was more than the normal start with the excitement of a new season. After a two year residency in a theater on College Farm Road, George Street Playhouse is now in their new home in the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. Located at 11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, George Street is one of four major arts groups to take residence in the new facility. The new building is a triumph in planning, design, and completion. In addition to toasting the new location, it was also a night to celebrate the premiere of a new musical, Last Days of Summer.
For me, the evening started by finding good parking in the new NBPAC parking garage at 60 Bayard Street. By using the elevator closest to the buildings, I was able to walk down an inside corridor to another door that opened right onto Livingston Avenue. This is a very short walk from the front door of the New Brunswick Performing Arts building. Upon entering, a large lobby area served as the gathering place for theater goers to chat and renew acquaintances. A nicely set up bar area was available for refreshments including Signature Cocktails. Some seating was available at small tables throughout the lobby.
Photo comes from George Street Playhouse’s account on Instagram and shows the Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater on Opening Night of Last Days of Summer
When it was time to get seated, theater goers entered the Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater, one of two major theaters in the complex. It has 463 seats and is designed to accommodate musical theater, dance, opera, and dramatic theater. An orchestra pit seats the musicians. State of the art theatrical systems are available and the sound in the theater is fantastic. The blue seating is comfortable and well spaced to allow good legroom. Many people remarked that it doesn’t look like there is a bad seat in the house.
Friday night’s Opening Night show was sold out and the crowd was enthusiastic as George Street Playhouse’s Artistic Director, David Saint, took the stage to provide opening remarks. His heartfelt speech demonstrated the depths of gratitude he has for the successful completion of this project. He praised the development of the new PAC. He also praised regional theater on the whole saying that it is very much needed in order to keep new works coming. He continued by saying “You build a great new home, you need to fill it with artists.” And thus the commitment of George Street Playhouse to the arts was reinforced as they begin this new chapter in their history.
As he concluded his remarks, Mr. Saint said something that made a deep impression on me: “The birth of a new theater is something you’ll never forget. . . Relish it.” And with that, the show began.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meNZ8cGjlwE
At the conclusion of the evening’s performance, the audience was treated to champagne, coffee, and marvelous desserts. The lobby was again filled with people enjoying the event and discussing the show they had just seen.
I grew up in Middlesex County and continued to live there for a number of years. Although I now reside in North Jersey, Middlesex still feels like home. I was very proud to be able to attend this event. Seeing the support for the arts makes me happy to be a small part of what it does for people and the culture it develops. I will be doing a separate article on Last Days of Summer. But for now, I wanted to share the excitement and joy of the evening I spent at Opening Night. It is one I will always relish.
Be sure to see the keyboard and musical clef painted on Livingston Ave.just outside of the NBPAC. Photo by K. Nowosad
