October 23-November 14, 2010

Book by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney; Music by Dan Studney; Lyric by Kevin Murphy

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“A wild ride of refreshing recklessness. The Gallery Players’ Reefer Madness may have the answers to many of America’s woes: laughter, sarcasm and satire. When you attend a smokin’ show like this, you are guaranteed to have a blast.”
-Retrovision Media

“The Gallery Players have gone to pot — but you’re the one who’ll get high. This smoke-filled room is a laugh-a-minute affair. It’s a quick-moving performance with great sight gags that goes off without a hitch. The comically choreographed numbers use the space well, and there’s as many costume changes as a Lady Gaga concert as the fresh-faced ensemble easily transforms into flesh-rotting zombies, high heel, corset-sporting cherubs (men included), and wholesome, milkshake slurpin’ kids. A silly, kinky production.”
-The Brooklyn Paper

[An] incredibly funny and lively production. To miss this talented cast performing song and dance would be regretful. From the dance sequences to the strength in the lyrics to the overall movement, Reefer Madness deserves an Innovative Theatre Award. The cast seems to revel in the material with as much pleasure as the audience. This professional cast and production meet high standards of content and execution.
-Rugarberry.com

Producer – Heather Siobhan Curran/The Gallery Players
Director – Dev Bondarin
Musical Director – Brandon Sturiale
Choreographer – Joe Barros
Fight Choreographer – Dan Renkin
Set Designer – Lilia Trenkova
Lighting Designer – Dan Jobbins
Costume Designer – Soule Golden
Sound Designer – Kim Fuhr-Carbone
Props Designer – Jennifer Stimple
Production Stage Manager – Jodi Witherell

Associate Producer – Robert Earle Jones
Assistant Director – Rachel Dart
Assistant Choreographer – Jackie Covas
Assistant Stage Manager – Renee Marie Heffel
Assistant Costume Designer – Celina Ferencz
Follow Spot Operator – Josh Hummert

Originally directed by Andy Fickman and produced by Stephanie Steele for Dead Old Man Productions

Pictured (l to r): Michele Scully and Jason Edward Cook in The Gallery Players’ production of Reefer Madness. Photo by Bella Muccari.

The Cast

Jimmy Harper- Jason Edward Cook*
Lecturer- Greg Horton*
Mary Lane- Rebecca Dealy
Jack Stone- José Restrepo*
Mae- Jaygee Macapugay*
Ralph Wiley- Zak Risinger*
Sally- Michele Scully*
Ensemble- Natalia Barzilai, Laura Elizabeth Brandel, Robert Conte, Joshua M. Feder, Katharine Pettit*, Travis Slavin

*appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Assocation

Let’s be blunt…it’s a hit!

Inspired by the now-classic propaganda film of the mid 1930s, this raucous musical comedy tracks the mayhem that ensues when fresh-faced, clean-cut teenagers fall prey to society’s “Public Enemy No. 1: the dreaded menace and leafy green assassin: marijuana! ”It’s an uproarious downward spiral hazed with a heady mix of orgies, dismemberment, zombies, swing dancing and, of course, Jesus. This much fun shouldn’t be legal. At its core, this wild and sardonic romp is a timely piece of political commentary, questioning the truth and motives of prominent mouthpieces, ultimately proving that even the most all-American dreams can go up in smoke if you let your morals go to pot.

Pictured: Greg Horton and the cast of The Gallery Players’ production of Reefer Madness. Photo by Bella Muccari.

Reefer Madness premiered in Los Angeles in 1998, directed by Andy Fickman. The show won five Ovation Awards and seven L.A. Drama Critics Cricle Awards. A short-lived off-Broadway production starring Christian Campbell, Kristen Bell, Gregg Edelmann and Michelle Pawk opened on September 15, 2001 at the Variety Arts Theatre, garnering two Drama Desk nominations. A movie musical adaption premiered in 2005 on Showtime with Campbell and Bell reprising their roles, and co-starring Alan Cumming, Ana Gasteyer, Steven Weber, Neve Campbell and Amy Spanger. Original 1998 cast album and 2005 movie soundtrack are available on Ghostlight Records.

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“Reefer Madness broadly expands on the skeleton plot of the original film and turns it into a deliciously campy, wickedly funny romp… This show combines the main character from Godspell with the kinkiness of The Rocky Horror Show and the traditional musical theatre aesthetic of A Chorus Line…” Johnnie Walker, Strand (Toronto)

“Reefer Madness…is deliberately outlandish and silly. And that’s what makes it so good…[the show includes] a dozen or so over-the-top and hilarious production numbers.” Robert Dominguez, New York Daily News

“The funniest thing to come down the pike — or the pipe — in a while.” Eric Marchese, Backstage

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Pictured (l to r): Jason Edward Cook, Michele Scully, and Zak Risinger in The Gallery Players’ production of Reefer Madness. Photo by Bella Muccari.

Performance Schedule:
Saturday, October 23 at 8:00 PM – Opening night
Sunday, October 24 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, October 28 at 8:00 PM
Friday, October 29 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, October 30 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, October 31 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, November 4 at 8:00 PM
Friday, November 5 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, November 6 at 2:00 PM – matinee
Saturday, November 6 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, November 7 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, November 11 at 8:00 PM
Friday, November 12 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, November 13 at 2:00 PM – matinee
Saturday, November 13 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, November 14 at 3:00 PM – final performance

Check out “Reefer Madness: Your first time?” part 2!

And then watch part 3!

September 11-26, 2010

by Joe Orton

“If you haven’t been to see anything at The Gallery Players, now is the time. What the Butler Saw is a great way to start what looks to be a very exciting season. The excellent production team, steadied by the very capable hand of director Zak Hoogendyk, guides us through [the play] nimbly. Hoogendyk’s sense of timing, as with that of his fine cast, is impeccable, as it has to be for such a complicated piece to work. I can assure you, none of it looked easy; in fact, it reminded me of synchronized swimming at the Olympics, only a lot more fun, and generally less wet.”
- J Jordan, nytheatre.com

Illustration by Michael C. Malbrough

Producer – Neal J. Freeman/The Gallery Players
Director – Zac Hoogendyk
Production Stage Manager – Katherine Schroeder
Set Designer – Starlet Jacobs
Costume Designer – Erica Evans
Lighting Designer – Austin R. Smith
Props Master – Dustin Cross
Sound Designer – Ann Warren
Associate Producer – Alanna Degner
Assistant Stage Manager – Evangeline Rera

Pictured: Emily Taplin Boyd and David Sedgwick in The Gallery Players’ production of What the Butler Saw. Photo by Bella Muccari.

The Cast

Dr. Prentice – David Sedgwick*
Mrs. Prentice – Nicole Fitzpatrick*
Geraldine Barclay – Emily Taplin Boyd
Nicholas Beckett – Kane Prestenback*
Dr. Rance – Tom Cleary*
Sergeant Match – Nat Cassidy*

*appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association

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Director Zac Hoogendyk and actors David Sedgwick and Emily Taplin Boyd discuss What the Butler Saw.

The Prentices are not an ordinary couple. Dr. Prentice is a psychiatrist with his own hospital who believes that the best way to interview a girl for a job is to seduce her. Geraldine Barclay does her best to comply, but nothing is going to work smoothly in this nut house that includes Mrs. Prentice, a nymphomaniac who is seduced by a bellhop in a hotel, or maybe it’s vice versa. Mrs. Prentice brings home her reluctant bellhop just as the state inspector decides to pay a visit to the hospital. What ensues is a wild melee of disappearances, disguises and discoveries as husband and wife try to hide their prizes from the inspector and from one another. The ending is one of those delights that Oscar Wilde might have dreamed up in a sequel to The Importance of Being Earnest.

Pictured (l to r): Tom Cleary and David Sedgwick in The Gallery Players’ production of What the Butler Saw. Photo by Bella Muccari.

What the Butler Saw premiered in London’s West End in 1969, two years after rising star playwright Orton was bludgeoned to death with a hammer by his male lover at the age of 34. The play has never had a Broadway production. 


“The goal of this production is nothing short of leaving the audience spasming with laughter,” said director Zac Hoogendyk. “The cast has taken up this goal as their own, and it has been very exciting to watch them sink their teeth into one of the funniest plays I have ever read.”

“Hilarious, outrageous… It dazzles!… Wonderfully verbal, toying with words as if they were firecrackers.” N.Y. Times.

“Brilliant, witty, the funniest show so far this season.” NBC TV.

“Madly antic humor.” AP.

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Performance Schedule:
Saturday, September 11 at 8:00 PM – Opening night
Sunday, September 12 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, September 16 at 8:00 PM
Friday, September 17 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, September 18 at 2:00 PM – matinee
Saturday, September 18 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, September 19 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, September 23 at 8:00 PM
Friday, September 24 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, September 25 at 2:00 PM – matinee
Saturday, September 25 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, September 26 at 3:00 PM – final performance

Pictured (l to r): Nat Cassidy, David Sedgwick, and Emily Taplin Boyd in The Gallery Players’ production of What the Butler Saw. Photo by Bella Muccari.

May 1-23, 2010

Music by Cy Coleman
Lyrics by David Zippel
Book by Larry Gelbart

Illustration by Michael C. Malbrough.

With multiple sets, a large cast, frequent costume changes, and the need for over-the-top performances that don’t go too far over the top, City of Angels is an ambitious choice for an Off-Off-Broadway theatre company. However, the folks at The Gallery Players are more than up to the challenge. The five-piece band is excellent, and the cast handles the humor, singing, and costume changes with aplomb. City of Angels [is] a delightful musical.
-Wendy Caster, Show Showdown

City of Angels is a light-hearted, entertaining send-up of all the clichés of the gumshoe genre filled with lively songs, great costumes and a capable cast. [Director Trey] Compton and the cast capture 1950s LA – the stylish femme fatales, desperate writers, even more desperate actors, sleazy movie executives and bottom-feeding criminals – in strong fashion. The success of City of Angels reinforces The Gallery Players’ reputation as a theater that reinvigorates well-worn hits.
-The Brooklyn Paper

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Producer – Becca Goland-Van Ryn/The Gallery Players
Director – Trey Compton
Music Director – Jeffrey Campos
Choreographer – Brian Swasey
Set Designer – Eli Kaplan-Wildmann
Lighting Designer – John P. Woodey
Costume Designer – Samantha Guinan
Sound Designer – Julianne Merrill
Props Designer – Dustin Cross
Production Stage Manager – Kyle Atkins*
Assistant Stage Managers – Liz Bachman & Katy Moore
Assistant Director – Mikey LoBalsamo

Pictured (l to r): John Weigand, Kathleen Watson, and Danny Rothman in The Gallery Players’ production of City of Angels. Photo by Bella Muccari.

The Cast

Stine – Jared Troilo*
Stone – Danny Rothman*
Gabby/Bobbi – Abby Stevens*
Donna/Oolie – Blair Alexis Brown
Buddy Fidler/Irwin S. Irving – Greg Horton*
Carla/Alaura Kingsley – Kathleen Watson
Avril Raines/Mallory Kingsley – Lara Hayhurst
Pancho Vargas/Lt. Munoz – Tony Castellanos
Jimmy Powers/Peter Kingsley – James Ryan Sloan
Werner Krieger/Luther Kingsley/Gaines – John Weigand*
Angel City 4 – Amanda Danskin*, Caitlin Mesiano, Brian Mulay, J. Tyler Whitmer*
M1 – Mikey LoBalsamo
M2 – Matt Malloy
*Denotes member of AEA

Director Trey Compton and Music Director Jeffrey Campos discuss City of Angels.

City of Angels is two shows in one. It is the interweaving of two plots, one dealing with the writing of a screenplay in the legendary Hollywood of the ’40′s; the other, the enactment of that screenplay. This double feature quality leads to many other unique production values, the most notable being the fact that City of Angels is perhaps the only “color coded” show any theatre audience is likely to see. The movie scenes appear in shades of black and white, and the real life scenes are in technicolor. The show boasts two musical scores. One provides the cast with numbers to help reveal certain emotions or to celebrate particular moments in the way that only music can. The “other” score was written to emulate pure movie soundtrack music, 1940′s vintage. It is entirely appropriate, then, that the final curtain comes down on two happy endings.

Winner of 6 Tony Awards in 1989.

Pictured (l to r): Brian Mulay, Matt Malloy, Danny Rothman, Tony Castellanos and Mikey LoBalsamo in The Gallery Players’ production of City of Angels. Photo by Bella Muccari.

Performance Schedule
Saturday, May 1 at 8:00 PM – Opening night
Sunday, May 2 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, May 6 at 8:00 PM
Friday, May 7 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, May 8 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, May 9 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, May 13 at 8:00 PM
Friday, May 14 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, May 15 at 2:00 PM – matinee
Saturday, May 15 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, May 16 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, May 20 at 8:00 PM
Friday, May 21 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, May 22 at 2:00 PM – matinee
Saturday, May 22 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, May 23 at 3:00 PM – final performance

Pictured (l to r): Kathleen Watson and Danny Rothman in The Gallery Players’ production of City of Angels. Photo by Bella Muccari.

by William Shakespeare
July 22-August 1, 2010

“An excellent evening of theater. [Jeremy Bobb as Hamlet] is a true Shakespearean hero. It is refreshing to see people delivering these powerful lines the way they were intended to be delivered. It is rare to see classical theater done really well, so this is not a play to be missed. Absolutely go see Hamlet at The Gallery Players.” -Serena Pomerantz, TheaterOnline.com

“A clean and solid production. Jeremy Bobb [as Hamlet] gives a fresh, energetic and masterful performance. He is an excellent Shakespearean actor and he takes obvious delight in the role which translated directly to enjoyment on the audience’s part. Truly masterful stuff. If you’re smart, you will go out of the way to see his performance.” -Nancy Kelly, Theatre Is Easy

Producer – Dominic Cuskern/Gallery Players
Director – Taibi Magar
Production Stage Manager – Patricia L. Grabb*
Associate Producers – Oleg Ivanov & Hannah Mason
Dramaturg – Oleg Ivanov
Assistant Director – Rachel Wohlander
Lighting Designer – Stephen Sakowski
Set Designer – Tom George
Sound Designer – Toby Algya
Costume Designer – Allison Crutchfield
Fight Director – David Anzuelo
Choreographer – Josie Bray
Assistant Stage Manager – Mark Kassim

Pictured: Jeremy Bobb (reclined) and Stephen Pilkington in The Gallery Players production of Hamlet. Photo by Thomas George.

The Cast

Hamlet – Jeremy Bobb*
Horatio – Stephen Pilkington*
Polonius/Gravedigger – Oliver Conant*
Ophelia – Kimberly Gray*
Claudius – Brendan Averett*
Gertrude – Sidney Fortner*
Ghost – E.C. Kelly*
1st Player/Francisco – Aryeh Lappin
Rozencrantz/Player/Osric – Justin Gillman
Guildenstern – Vin Kridakorn
Barnardo/Fortinbras/Player King – Tim Eliot
Laertes – Dan Lawrence
Player Queen – Nedra Gallegos*
Player/Marcellus – Andy Hassell
Reynaldo/Lucianus/Player – Graciany Miranda

*denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association

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Read Clyde Fitch’s 5 Questions for Jeremy Bobb.

Continuing a Summer Shakespeare series that began with last season’s production of King Lear, called “insanely good” by The Brooklyn Paper, The Gallery Players presents Shakespeare’s seminal work, Hamlet starring Broadway’s Jeremy Bobb (Is He Dead?; Translations).

A ghost story; a tale of fratricide; a saga of moral, political and sexual corruption. Hamlet is an epic tale about a man catapulted into revenging his father’s murder. But Hamlet’s journey is complicated by his doubts concerning the afterlife, “the undiscovered country.” An eternity is at stake!

NOTE: This show is an addendum to the regular season and is not part of our subscription packages.

Pictured: Sidney Fortner in The Gallery Players production of Hamlet. Photo by Thomas George.

Performance Schedule
Thursday, July 22nd at 7:30 PM – Opening Night
Friday, July 23rd at 7:30 PM
Saturday, July 24th at 2 PM -matinee
Saturday, July 24th at 7:30 PM
Sunday, July 25th at 3 PM – matinee
Monday, July 26th at 7:30 PM (pay what you can)
Wednesday, July 28th at 7:30 PM
Thursday, July 29th at 7:30 PM
Friday, July 30th at 7:30 PM
Saturday, July 31st at 2 PM – matinee
Saturday, July 31st at 7:30 PM
Sunday, August 1st at 3 PM – final performance

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Pictured: Jeremy Bobb as the title character in The Gallery Players production of Hamlet. Photo by Thomas George.

Freestyle Repertory Theatre returns to The Gallery Players with their popular family show, TheatreSports! The completely improvised show is presented as a good-natured competition between two teams of quick-witted actors who challenge each other to create scenes on the spot. Individual scenes are based on audience suggestions, and often willing audience members actually come up on stage to help out.

Ticket are $10 for kids. Parents get in free! Tickets are available at the door (cash only). No reservations required.

2011-12 TheatreSports dates (all Sundays at noon):
September 25
October 23
November 13
December 18
January 29
February 19
March 18
April 29
May 20
June 17

“Kooks on the loose” The New York Times
“A favorite with young audiences” New York Post
“It’s great family entertainment.” New York Newsday
“An innovative approach to children’s theater” Big Apple Parents’ Paper

March 20th – April 4th, 2010

By Arthur Miller

“As performed by The Gallery Players, The Crucible is one of the finest examples of [local] theater in recent memory. The ample cast gives strong performances all around. Add in atmospheric lighting and the audience’s rapt attention, and you have a show well worth the ticket.”
-The Brooklyn Paper

“A triumphant success! It comes as no surprise that director Heather Siobhan Curran sought trained and experienced actors with considerable stamina for [The Crucible's] coveted roles. And she received them in scores. Every presence on the Park Slope stage deserved rounds of applause as the play did not contain a single weak link. The revered monologues of Miller were delivered with passion, poise and professionalism. [The Crucible is] an impeccably-written story, and the combination of Miller’s learned lines with admirable acting ability is a sure-fire formula.” -Olga Privman, Review Fix

“The Gallery Players brings to life one of the most exciting and well-written works in American theatre. A solid production that is worth the trip and price of admission. [Gil Brady's] John Proctor is explosive and heartfelt. With The Crucible, The Gallery Players continues to uphold its reputation for producing quality theatre.” -Le-Anne Garland, Theatre Is Easy

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Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $13 each (regular price $18). Click here for group tickets.

Listen to an interview with with Director Heather Siobhan Curran.

Producer – Graham Mills/The Gallery Players
Director – Heather Siobhan Curran
Associate Producer – Hannah Mason
Set Designer – Lilia Trenkova
Costume Designer – Megan Q. Dudley
Lighting Designer – David Roy
Sound Designer – Neal J. Freeman
Props Master – Virginia Monte
Dramaturg – Amanda White
Production Stage Manager – Michael Aaron Jones*
Assistant Stage Manager – Kristine Schlachter

Pictured (l to r): Genevieve Gearhart, Lindsay Mack, and Elisa Pupko in The Crucible. Photo by Bella Muccari.

The Cast

Judge Danforth – John Blaylock*
John Proctor – Gil Brady*
Reverend Hale – Daniel Damiano
Tituba – Lisa Darden*
Mercy Lewis – Genevieve Gearhart
Mary Warren – Emily Hagburg
Willard – Justin Herfel*
Reverend Parris – Frederic Heringes*
Thomas Putnam – John Isgro*
Giles Corey – Tom Lawson, Jr.*
Abigail Williams – Lindsay Mack
Francis Nurse – Russell Mahrt
Elizabeth Proctor – Rhyn McLemore*
Betty – Sofia Munn
Ann Putnam/Sarah Goode – Alison Ostergaard
Judge Hathorne – Bob Pritchard
Susanna – Elisa Pupko
Ezekiel Cheever – Joe Regan
Rebecca Nurse – Gina Stahlnecker*

*indicates members of Actors’ Equity Association

Pictured (l to r): Lindsay Mack and Gil Brady in The Crucible. Photo by Bella Muccari.

This exciting drama is both a gripping historical play and a timely parable. Based on historical people and real events, Miller’s classic play about the witch-hunts and trials in 17th century Salem, Massachusetts, is a searing portrait of a community engulfed by hysteria. The story focuses on John Proctor, a farmer, and Abigail Williams, the young servant-girl who maliciously accuses Proctor’s wife Elizabeth of witchcraft. Proctor brings Abigail to court to admit the lie—and it is here that a monstrous course of bigotry and deceit is terrifyingly depicted. Proctor, instead of saving his wife, finds himself also accused of witchcraft and ultimately condemned with a host of others. Written in 1953, The Crucible is a mirror that Miller uses to reflect the anti-Communist hysteria inspired by Senator Joseph McCarthy’s “witch-hunts” in the United States.

Winner of the 1953 Tony Award for Best Play.

“A powerful drama.” —NY Times.

“Strongly written.” —NY Daily News.

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Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $13 each (regular price $18). Click here for group tickets.

Pictured (l to r): Lindsay Mack, Daniel Damiano and the cast of The Crucible. Photo by Bella Muccari.

Performance Schedule
Saturday, March 20 at 8:00 PM – Opening night
Sunday, March 21 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, March 25 at 8:00 PM
Friday, March 26 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, March 27 at 2:00 PM – matinee
Saturday, March 27 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 28 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, April 1 at 8:00 PM
Friday, April 2 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, April 3 at 2:00 PM – matinee
Saturday, April 3 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, April 4 at 3:00 PM – final performance

Photos by Bella Muccari.

January 30 – February 21, 2010

Book and Lyrics by Tony Kushner
Music by Jeanine Tesori

“If you have any level of investment in New York Theater, established or independent, you need to go to The Gallery Players production of Caroline, or Change. Please go, you will be glad you did, and you will kick yourself if you miss it. It was an astonishing performance, reinvigorating and inspiring. Mr. Viveros (The Bus/The Dryer) is among the top five voices I’ve ever been in the same room with. I can’t over-hype him enough. The real miracle, though, is Teisha Duncan (Caroline). She has a piece of music that leads to the end of the play, and only minutes into it did I realize that I was sitting there, mouth agape, hands over my eyebrows, in the presence of greatness. If you think that there are no productions worth seeing for $18, this show will change your entire worldview.” -SeanRants.com

“Brilliant material, and a production that does the company proud. If you haven’t seen this musical, you should. Duncan is giving one of the best musical performances I have ever seen on an off-off-Broadway stage.”
-Dan Dinero, Theatre Is Easy

“The Gallery Players’ production of Caroline, or Change lives up to Kushner’s theatre, theatre that can engage us emotionally and then push us politically. Housed in the comfortable yet intimate home of The Gallery Players and with a cast that pounds the stage with vigor and vibrato, this production is explosive.”
-Dan Kitrosser, nytheatre.com

“Caroline, or Change is one of the most difficult but compelling musicals of the past decade. So the mere fact that The Gallery Players, one of Brooklyn’s strongest Off-Off-Broadway theater companies, agreed to stage its first New York City revival is pretty impressive. Jeremy Gold Kronenberg’s elegant, solidly acted revival captures the characters’ emotional insecurities in full detail. Teisha Duncan gives a ferocious, thoroughly physical performance of Caroline that manages to wipe out any lingering memories of Tonya Pinkins’ acclaimed performance in the original production.”
-Matt Windman, AMNY

Brooklyn’s Gallery Players have long held a reputation for producing some of the finest productions at any level of New York theater. And yet despite such a pedigree, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Players had bit off more than they could chew with their current choice of show, Caroline, or Change. Could the Gallery Players pull off a show this profound? The answer is a resounding yes. Every aspect of Jeremy Gold Kronenberg’s carefully nourished production is magnificent.
-Doug Strassler, offoffonline.com

Producer – Lanie Zipoy/The Gallery Players
Director – Jeremy Gold Kronenberg
Music Director – Nehemiah Luckett
Assistant Director – Allison Bressi
Choreographer – Micheal Rice
Set Designer – Edward T. Morris
Costume Designer – Soule Golden
Lighting Designer – Mike Billings
Sound Designer – Jillian Marie Walker
Production Stage Manager – Andrew Zachary Cohen*
Assistant Stage Manager – Marina Steinberg

Pictured (l to r): Daniel Henri Luttway and Teisha Duncan in The Gallery Players’ production of Caroline, or Change. Photo by Bella Muccari.

The Cast

Caroline Thibodeaux – Teisha Duncan
Noah Gellman – Daniel Henri Luttway
Rose Gellman – Eileen Tepper*
Stuart Gellman – Peter Gantenbein*
Emmie Thibodeaux – Elyse McKay Taylor*
Radio – Heather Davis, Markeisha Ensley*, & Nikki Stephenson*
Bus/Dryer – Frank Viveros*
Moon – Gisela Adisa*
Washing Machine – Marcie Henderson*
Dotty – Ellisha Marie Thomas
Grandma Gellman – Gael Schaefer*
Grandpa Gellman – John Weigand*
Mr. Stopnick – Bill Weeden*
Jackie Thibodeaux – Barrington Walters Jr.
Joe Thibodeaux – River Aguirre

*appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association

Pictured (l to r): Marcie Henderson and Teisha Duncan in The Gallery Players’ production of Caroline, or Change. Photo by Bella Muccari.

Set in 1963 in sleepy Lake Charles, Louisiana, Caroline, or Change centers its action on the Gellman family and their African-American maid, Caroline. “Nothing ever happen underground in Louisiana / ‘Cause there ain’t no underground in Louisiana / There is only underwater.” Caroline informs the audience at the beginning of the show, and Caroline herself is underwater, drifting through her life, nearly paralyzed by her circumstances – a single mother of four working in a service job to a white family. Caroline spends her days in the basement laundry room, with the Washing Machine (a sultry Caribbean blues singer), Dryer (a fiery R&B singer), and radio (a Supremes-like trio), with an afternoon visit from the young Gellman son, Noah, who is just as isolated upstairs in his home as Caroline is downstairs. A fragile, yet beautiful friendship has developed between Noah and Caroline since his mother’s death. Noah’s new stepmother Rose, unable to give Caroline a raise, tells Caroline that she may keep the money Noah leaves in his pockets. Caroline balks, and refuses to take money from a child – but her own children desperately need food, clothing and shoes…Does she or doesn’t she?

Performance Schedule
SOLD OUT Saturday, January 30 at 8:00 PM – Opening night
Sunday, January 31 at 3:00 PM – matinee
SOLD OUT Thursday, February 4 at 8:00 PM
SOLD OUT Friday, February 5 at 8:00 PM – Alumni Night
SOLD OUT Saturday, February 6 at 8:00 PM
SOLD OUT Sunday, February 7 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, February 11 at 8:00 PM
Friday, February 12 at 8:00 PM
SOLD OUT Saturday, February 13 at 2:00 PM – matinee
SOLD OUT Saturday, February 13 at 8:00 PM
SOLD OUT Sunday, February 14 at 3:00 PM – matinee
SOLD OUT Thursday, February 18 at 8:00 PM
SOLD OUT Friday, February 19 at 8:00 PM
SOLD OUT Saturday, February 20 at 2:00 PM – matinee
SOLD OUT Saturday, February 20 at 8:00 PM
SOLD OUT Sunday, February 21 at 3:00 PM – final performance

Pictured (l to r): Nikki Stephenson, Heather Davis, Teisha Duncan, and Markeisha Ensley in The Gallery Players’ production of Caroline, or Change. Photo by Bella Muccari.

December 5-20th, 2009
NYC Premiere!

By Christopher Durang
Original Music by Michael Friedman

Illustration by Michael C. Malbrough

“Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge has all the Durangian insanity you’ve come to expect. The main attraction is Joanna Parson’s very funny rendering of Mrs. Cratchit.”
-Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times

“Modern, funny, refreshing, and filled with spirit. I’d be hard-pressed to pick a favorite, funniest moment of the show, and that’s a good thing. Just when you think it can’t get any funnier or more bizarre, it does. Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge is definitely the antidote for those suffering from the syrupy schmaltz so often associated with holidays. If you see one holiday show this season, I recommend this one!”
-J Jordan, nytheatre.com

“Any version of Dickens’ classic in which Scrooge buys the Cratchit family McDonalds’ happy meals for their holiday feast is okay by me. For Durang fans, a trip to Brooklyn would seem to be in the Christmas cards.”
-Erik Haagensen, Backstage

“Christopher Durang presents a masterful mix of merriment and mirth in his absolutely delightful Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge, a hilarious send-up of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol,” now being given its New York premiere by The Gallery Players. The play is a hoot from start to finish, injecting a breath of fresh air (and numerous topical references) into a beloved holiday tale. Fun for the entire family, it’s a nice yuletide treat for all.”
-Judd Hollander, The Epoch Times

Producer: Robin Mishik-Jett/The Gallery Players
Director: Trey Compton
Music Director: Jason Burrow
Associate Producer: Craig Anthony Bannister
Set Designer: Lilia Trenkova
Costume Designer: Steven Manuel
Lighting & Sound Designer: David Roy
Props Master: Virginia Monte
PSM: Kyle Atkins*
ASM: Emily Louick
Assistant Director: Mikey LoBalsamo

Pictured (l to r): Joanna Parson, Doug Plaut, Angela Dirksen, and Adam Segaller in The Gallery Players’ production of Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge. Photo by Bella Muccari.

The Cast

Scrooge – Douglas Rees*
Ghost – Safiya Fredericks*
Mrs. Bob Cratchit – Joanna Parson*
Bob Cratchit – Adam Segaller*
Tiny Tim – Doug Plaut
Boy – Sloan Grenz*
Girl – Carly Vernon
Female 1 – Angela Dirksen
Female 2 – Sarah Amandes
Male 1 – E.C. Kelly*
Male 2 – Greg Kalafatas
Male 3 – Kyle Metzger*

*appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association

Pictured: Douglas Rees in The Gallery Players’ production of Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge. Photo by Bella Muccari.

In this departure from Dickens, young Scrooge’s exclamations of “Bah, humbug!” are an undiagnosed “kind of seasonal Tourette’s Syndrome,” and The Ghost of Christmas Past is played by a sassy African-American woman with enough attitude to portray all three spirits (which she does). She tries to show Scrooge his past, present and future in order to change him, but her magic keeps malfunctioning in Durang’s version of the beloved holiday classic, and they consistently find themselves transported to the wrong time and place. She tries to take Scrooge back to see his old employers, the Fezziwigs—”always an audience favorite”—but instead she and Scrooge keep appearing in the present at the Cratchit’s pathetic home. Mrs. Bob Cratchit, a minor character in the Dickens, takes center stage here. No longer loving and long suffering, Mrs. Bob is in a rage: She’s sick of Tiny Tim (the goody-goody crippled child), she hates her twenty other children (most of them confined to the root cellar), including oversized Little Nell, and she wants to get drunk and jump off London Bridge. As the Ghost loses more control, the plot morphs into parodies of Oliver Twist, “The Gift of the Magi” and It’s a Wonderful Life. And to make matters worse, Scrooge and Mrs. Bob seem to be kindred souls falling in love. With a dénouement that is two parts Touched by an Angel and one part The Queen of Mean, Scrooge’s tale of redemption and gentle grace is placed squarely on its head.

Pictured (l to r): Joanna Parson and Adam Segaller in The Gallery Players’ production of Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge. Photo by Bella Muccari.

Performance Schedule
Saturday, December 5 at 8:00 PM – Opening night
Sunday, December 6 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, December 10 at 8:00 PM
Friday, December 11 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, December 12 at 2:00 PM – matinee
Saturday, December 12 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, December 13 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, December 17 at 8:00 PM
Friday, December 18 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, December 19 at 2:00 PM – matinee
Saturday, December 19 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, December 20 at 3:00 PM – final performance

October 24 – November 15th, 2009 – Extended by popular demand!

Music by Jeffrey Lodin
Book and Lyrics by William Squier

Illustration by Michael C. Malbrough

Producer: Heather Siobhan Curran/The Gallery Players
Director: Neal J. Freeman
Music Director: Lilli Wosk
Choreographer: Katharine Pettit
Set Designer: Ann Bartek
Associate Set Designer/Props Master: Elyse Handelman
Costume Designer: Megan Q. Dudley
Assistant Costume Designer: Tracy Klein
Lighting Designer: Tsubasa Kamei
Video Designer/Supervisor: Nicholas Meyer
Production Stage Manager: Caitlin Orr
Assistant Stage Manager: Janice Acevedo
Assistant Director: Allison Bressi

Pictured (l to r): Kenny Wade Marshall and David Perlman in The Gallery Players’ production of Top of the Heap. Photo by Jen Maufrais Kelly.

The Cast

Ronny Mauro – Kenny Wade Marshall*
Gil Webster – David Perlman*
Elsa Orwell – Anette Michelle Sanders*
Meryl Dean – Hollis Scarborough*
Coochie Kovack – Lorinne Lampert*
Edgar Callahan – James Andrew Walsh*
Harmon Laybourne – Greg Horton*
Sidney – Ray Bendana*
Joey/Ensemble – Roy Flores
Phyllis/Ensemble – Tina Marie Casamento*
Ensemble – Josh Bates, Ronn Burton, John Cardenas, Kristin Farrell*, Carolyn Hartvigsen, Natasha Soto-Albors*
*appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association

It’s New York City, 1955. The Brooklyn Dodgers are about to square off with the Yankees in a World Series that will net “dem bums” their first title in fifty-five years. So, T.V.’s most popular variety program, ‘Top of the Heap,’ is headed to Brooklyn for a live, remote broadcast tied into the Series. A struggling pair of nightclub comics see this as a chance to bluff their way out of the dives where they perform and into television. But, they soon discover just how high a price they’ll have to pay. Top of the Heap features a timeless jazz-inflected score with music by Jeffrey Lodin and book and lyrics by William Squier. The Stamford Advocate called Top of the Heap, “A gritty musical that takes a look at the darker side of showbiz.”

Listen to the Broadway Bullet podcast featuring lyricist/bookwriter William Squier, composer Jeffrey Lodin, and director Neal J. Freeman, including performances of three songs from the show.

Pictured: Kenny Wade Marshall and the cast of The Gallery Players’ production of Top of the Heap. Photo by Jen Maufrais Kelly.

Top of the Heap is directed by The Gallery Players’ Executive Director, Neal J. Freeman (Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Gallery Players; Ensemble Studio Theatre; Sonnet Rep): “Directing Top of the Heap at The Gallery Players is a special privilege for me. As a Brooklyn-based artist, it is easy for me to identify with the struggle of the two leads against the odds to make something special happen for themselves in their home borough. As I walk to rehearsal every day, I imagine the characters working and living on a street just like ours some 50 years ago, and it is both humbling and exhilarating to step into the theater and help to bring the story to life on our stage. I read the piece before listening to it and was immediately captured by the elegance of the story telling. Hearing the wonderfully unique and jazzy score sealed the deal. I knew this was a piece I wanted to direct.”

“Not for nothing is William Squier and Jeffey Lodin’s musical comedy titled “Top of the Heap.” -Rockford Register Star

“A gritty musical that takes a look at the darker side of showbiz.”- The Stamford Advocate

Pictured (l to r): Kenny Wade Marshall and Anette Michelle Sanders in The Gallery Players’ production of Top of the Heap. Photo by Jen Maufrais Kelly.

Performance Schedule
Saturday, October 24 at 8:00 PM – Opening night
Sunday, October 25 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, October 29 at 8:00 PM
Friday, October 30 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, October 31 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, November 1 at 3:00 PM – matinee
Thursday, November 5 at 8:00 PM
Friday, November 6 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, November 7 at 2:00 PM – matinee, TALKBACK WITH AUTHORS
Saturday, November 7 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, November 8 at 3:00 PM – matinee

Added performances:
Thursday, November 12 at 8:00 PM
Friday, November 13 at 8:00 PM – ALUMNI NIGHT
Saturday, November 14 at 2:00 PM – matinee
Saturday, November 14 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, November 15 at 3:00 PM – final performance

Jeffrey Lodin’s (Music) scores include: Young Abe Lincoln (Theatreworks USA, book/lyrics: John Allen-Promenade Theatre and U.S. Tour in 1994-1995, Disney’s Doug Live! (Walt Disney World, lyrics: W. Squier), About Face (BMI, Dramatist’s Guild, NAMT 08, book/lyrics: David Arthur), 100 Years into the Heart (Village Theater 07 Festival of New Musicals, Spirit of Broadway, NYMF 04, book: Richard Vetere, Lyrics: W. Squier), Rebels 1775 (Starlight Theatre, Spirit of Broadway, book: J. Allen, Mana Allen, W. Squier, lyrics: W. Squier, J. Allen), Nice People (book/lyrics: Tony Tanner), Naughty Girl (CAP21, book/lyrics: Scott Hayes, co-music: Christopher Seppe). Currently working on Blindsided By A Diaper (book: Dana Hilmer & W. Squier, lyrics: W. Squier). His songs appear on television: P.B.&J. Otter; film: Doug’s First Movie; the International Children’s Festival (lyrics: W. Squier); cd: A Celebration of Life (lyrics: D. Arthur; vocals: Randy Graff & Judy Kuhn). Recent Music Direction credits include the world premieres of Glimmerglass (Cohen/Drachman/Bolt), Love, Inc. (Marc Castle) and Liberty, the Musical (Goldstein/Goldstein). He has conducted for Chita Rivera and the late great Greg Burge, and played piano for Andy Gibb and Mongo Santamaria, amongst others. He was awarded a 2004 Meet the Composer Grant by the New England Foundation for the Arts. Jeff is a proud member of the Dramatist’s Guild.

William Squier (Book & Lyrics) is an Emmy Award winner (WKYC-TV’s Unusual Phenomenon) whose plays and musicals have appeared Off-Bway: The Treatment of Doctor Love (Playhouse 91); Off-Off Bway: G-Man (Nat Horne Theatre), Babalu (Sanford Meisner, music/co-lyrics: J. Goldstein); Walt Disney World: Disney’s Doug Live! (music: J. Lodin); regionally: Boywonder (Contemporary Arts, Depot Theatre), 100 Years into the Heart (Village Theater 07 Festival of New Musicals, Spirit of Broadway Theatre, NYMF 04, book: R. Vetere, music: J. Lodin), The Klemperers’ New Clothes (Actors’ Playhouse, LA Festival of New American Musicals, music: N. Weiss), Rebels 1775 (Starlight Theatre, Spirit of Broadway, co-book: J. Allen, M. Allen, music: J. Lodin), Route 66 (Kansas City Crossroads Festival 06, Village Theater 09 Festival of New Musicals, co-book: J. Goldstein, music: F. Stark), The 3 Scrooges (Curtain Call, Ingersoll Theatre, licensed by Miracle of 2 Productions, music/co-book: J. Goldstein) and most recently Blindsided By A Diaper (book: Dana Hilmer, music: J. Lodin); television: It’s the Weekend (ABC, music: J. Goldstein), P.B.&J. Otter (Disney Channel, music: J. Lodin); film: Doug’s First Movie (music: J. Lodin); in workshop: ASCAP/Disney Musical Theater Workshop (CA, FL & NY) among others. He received a 2003 Connecticut Artist Fellowship, grants from the Puffin Foundation and the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust, the Coleman A. Jennings Award, Jackie White Memorial Award and 11th Annual National Children’s Festival’s new script award. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and BMI.

Production History/Acknowledgements

Jeffrey Lodin and William Squier began writing Top of the Heap in the Tony-Honored BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. The musical was further developed via readings at the Broadway Theater Institute, Collaborative Arts Project 21, the Dramatist’s Guild Musical Theatre Workshop, New American Theater’s New Voices in the Heartland Festival (Rockford, IL), Theater Building Chicago and York Theater Company. It was first fully staged at Curtain Call, Inc., (Stamford, CT) in 2004. Top of the Heap was one of the winners of the 2006 Global Search for New Musicals and presented at the Cardiff International Festival of Musical Theater. It spent five weeks in 2007 at the Spirit of Broadway Theater (Norwich, CT). While the musical was in performance at SBT, it was also given the National Music Theater Network’s ‘Director’s Choice’ Award and performed at the New York Musical Theater Festival.