Little Firehouse Theatre |
PRESS RELEASE
SHALL WE DANCE?
Cast of 35 Includes 19 Local Children |
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Oradell, NJ, August 16, 2007 The Bergen County Players (BCP), one of America’s longest-running community theaters, will open its 75th consecutive season with a true classic of the American musical theater, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I. A multiple Tony Award-winning musical and Academy Award-winning movie, The King and I tells the story of a young English widow named Anna, who travels with her young son to Siam to work as the governess for the many children and wives of the King. With music by Richard Rodgers, and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, this beloved gem of the stage will play at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell from September 9 through October 13. Tickets can be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, or by calling 201-261-4200, or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell. Directed by Steve Bell of Teaneck, with choreography by Sean Baldwin of Weehawken and musical direction by Karen Greenstein of Cranford, The King and I is based on Margaret Landon’s 1942 novel “Anna and the King of Siam.” Proper British teacher and widow, Anna Leonowens (Nancy Feldman of New City, NY), is hired to teach English in the royal court of King Mongkut of Siam (Christopher Pica of Tinton Falls). As the story unfolds, the King himself becomes quite intrigued by her lessons and Anna soon finds that the children are not her only students. While first at odds, the two form a bond of true friendship and admiration and without relaxing their respective traditions and values, they eventually come to respect one another. The award-winning score includes “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” “Hello, Young Lovers,” “Getting to Know You,” “Shall We Dance?” and “Something Wonderful.” In a decade of incredible musicals, The King and I remains unsurpassed in its use of music and dance, contributing to its enduring appeal and popularity. Director Steve Bell is a BCP Life member and past president who has been active with the Players for more than twenty years having directed productions of Urinetown, Deathtrap, Lucky Stiff, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Gypsy, Only Kidding, Jerry's Girls, Light Up the Sky, and Baby, among others. In addition, Bell served as musical director for productions including Sweeney Todd, The Most Happy Fella, The 1940s Radio Hour, Jerry's Girls, and Something's Afoot. As a performer, Bell most recently garnered a Perry Award nomination for Follies. Other performance credits include A Year With Frog and Toad, Anything Goes, City of Angels, The 1940s Radio Hour, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Pajama Game, Into the Woods, Noises Off, They're Playing Our Song, Pirates of Penzance, The Nerd, Closer Than Ever and Jacques Brel... Christopher Pica of Tinton Falls, who is appearing for the first time at the Little Firehouse Theatre, will play the title role of The King. His familiarity with the role of the King is solid having performed the same role for Marlboro Players to acclaim earlier this year. Other regional credits include Evita, Jekyll and Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Titanic, Cabaret, Deathtrap, Grease, Pajama Game and Sweet Charity, among others. Chris has also accumulated various Off Broadway credits to his name as well. Playing opposite Pica in the role of Anna is Nancy Feldman of New City, NY. Feldman’s credits at BCP include the musicals Follies, Lucky Stiff, 1776, Sweeney Todd, as well as the Second Stage production The Sweetest Sounds. Most importantly, The King and I is giving Feldman the chance to perform Anna alongside her two young sons, Adam and Zachary, two of the Royal children of Siam. Rounding out the cast are Emily Nelson of Hackensack as Tuptim; Laure Mantia of Montague as Lady Thiang; and Rich Ardito of Saddle Brook as Lun Tha. Other players include Steve Bunin of Fair Lawn as Louis; Daniel Seth Chelemer of Tenafly as Chululongkorn; Jason Lewis of Ridgewood as Captain Orton; Sheldon Stone of Totowa as The Kralahome; and Jenni Shovlin in the role of Eliza. Janica Rose Carpenter of Ridgewood; Marisa Dolkart of New Milford; Adena Meier of Jersey City; and Meg Renton of Ringwood will play the Royal Wives of Siam. Those who will be portraying Royal Wives and Dancers will be Jackie Schweighardt of Saddle Brook; Krysten Sears of Hasbrouck Heights; Vanessa Pellecchia of River Vale and Jennifer Wolak of Westwood, with Pellecchia serving as Assistant to the Choreographer and Wolak serving as Dance Captain respectively. Ken Douglass of Ramsey; Brandon Essig of River Vale; Christopher Nelson of Hackensack; and Joseph Tolentino of Fair Lawn comprise the Male Ensemble. Portraying the Royal Children of Siam are Adam and Zachary Feldman of New City, NY; Chiara Ferrari-Wong of Westwood; Olivia Grace of Clifton; Gabriele Green of Haworth; Colleen Kelly of Oradell; Arianna Lionetti of Westwood; Karoline Mila Petkovich of Hillsdale; Jake and Taylor Schwencke of Garfield; Michelle Strathman of Emerson; Faith Trinker of Wood Ridge; and Jordan Warner of Verona. Producing The King and I are Michele Roth of New Milford and Leslie Cohn of River Edge with Cohn serving as Production Stage Manager. Christine Hull of Hawthorne is Assistant to the Director. Jeff Pieper of Tenafly is designing the set with set décor by Pieper, Ellyn Essig of River Vale and Lauren Zenreich of Oradell. Alan Seward of Bardonia, NY will serve as lighting designer, and Phil Asuncion of Bergenfield and Mary Upham of Oradell will both oversee sound design and sound operation. Makeup design is by Iris Weinhouse of Hillsdale and Joanne Mischa of Montvale. Jillian Hendrickson of New Milford and John Warner of Verona will serve as stage crew. TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION
The Bergen County Players has grown tremendously from its roots as a small community theater when it was founded in 1932 by a small group of actors, including John Travolta’s mother, Helen Burke Travolta. Today, nearly 300 volunteer members, working on and off stage, make possible the seven main stage and two second stage productions presented each season. The company's professional alumni include Tony Award-nominated actress Beth Fowler (The Boy From Oz, Sweeney Todd), Tony Award-winning actor Robert Sean Leonard (FOX’s House, The Invention of Love), Tony Award-nominated director Robert Jess Roth (Beauty and the Beast, Lestat), and international best-selling suspense author Mary Higgins Clark, just to name a few. In May 2001, Tony Award-winning playwright and composer Rupert Holmes (Curtains, The Mystery of Edwin Drood) collaborated with the Bergen County Players to premier his new play at the Little Firehouse Theatre, a comic mystery called Thumbs.
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