'Play it Again, Sam' at Somerset Valley Players

Woody Allen's "Play it Again, Sam" continues this weekend at Somerset Valley Players.

Directed by Todd Bennington and Laurie Wood, this kooky tale of swinging 1960s Manhattan finds a nerdy film critic gallantly trying to pick up goofy girls. Accompanied by his imaginary friend, Humphrey Bogart, who provides the bravado and macho romantic advice, he pursues his bedding and wedding.

The show features the talents of Karen Balich, Mike Johnson, Keri Krawski, Ingrid Kretschmann, Carolyn Levine, Kim Mackanic, Matt Meier, Danny Siegel and Nicky Singer.

The show runs through March 10, with performances at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets cost $18 for adults and $16 for seniors and students, and are available at www.svptheatre.org or by calling  (908) 369-7469.

Somerset Valley Players is located at 689 Amwell Road, Hillsborough,west of Route 206.

'Puss in Boots' at Edison Valley Playhouse

It's a story you don't have to be a marquis or a cat fancier to enjoy.

Adapted for the stage by Brad Howell, "Puss in Boots" is coming to Edison Valley Playhouse for two weekends in March.

"Puss in Boots" tells the story of an boy with the surprisingly good fortune of having a clever cat whose only goal is to improve his young master's lot in life. Along the way, the clever cat makes him a marquis, wins him a fortune, and outsmarts an ogre.

The show will have seven performances, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. March 9, at 11 a.m. March 10, and at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. March 16 and March 17. Tickets cost $16 for each adult-child pair, and $8 for each additional child.

Edison Valley Playhouse is located at 2196 Oak Tree Road, Edison. Call (908) 755-4654 for reservations.

'Drunken City' at Edison Valley Playhouse

Explore the nature of love and identity in "The Drunken City" at Edison Valley Playhouse.

The show follows three twentysomething brides-to-be on the bar crawl to end all crawls. Their lives go topsy-turvy when one of them begins to question her future after a chance encounter with a recently jilted handsome stranger.

"The Drunken City" runs from March 1-16, with shows at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and a 2 p.m. performance on March 10. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.

Directed by Michael Driscoll, "The Drunken City" features the talents of Debbie Campanali, David Duncan, Kelly Maizenaski, Jill Mesonas, Brian Remo and Rob Sullivan.
 
Edison Valley Playhouse is located at 2196 Oak Tree Road, Edison. Buy tickets online, or call (908) 755-4654 for reservations.

'Two Sides of Love' at Villagers Theater

624 Productions will present "Two Sides of Love" at Villagers Theater from March 22-23. Performance times are 8-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Navigating your way through love can be just as complicated as trying to figure out the city subway system. When Nicole left Wisconsin to move into her sister Karen's New York apartment she thought she would land herself a job, not a man. Henry wasn't looking for love or a new business venture but his roommate Jim seems to be persistent in pushing him into both with reckless abandon.

But love is rarely expected or convenient and, as Nicole and Henry soon find out, without its share of complications. Secrets emerge, difficult decisions must be made and a returning ex shows up with both apologies and revelations to share. Always along for the ride, Jim and Karen frequently offer not-always-wise words to steer the two young lovers to the real thing.

In the end, Tom Baldinger's characters each must discover their own level of tolerance in order to find what truly makes them happy. This sitcom-on-stage is a funny, contemplative show that will have you falling head over heels for fabulous, dysfunctional love.

The cast features Patrick Albanesius, Emily West, Debbie Glick and Maddie Patrick. Tickets cost $16 each. No group rates or discounts are available.

Casting Call: 'The Grapes of Wrath'

Playhouse 22 will be holding open auditions for "The Grapes of Wrath" at 7 p.m. March 18 and 19. Performances will be held June 7-23. All shows will be at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sundays.

Plot: A powerful and deeply affecting stage version of one of the masterpieces of American literature, a poor Midwest family is forced off of their land. They travel to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression. Holding to the simplicity and directness of the original novel, the play uses the sparest of technical means to convey its timeless message of the persistence and strength of the human spirit as it battles against the adversities of nature and an uncaring society.

Tom Joad (Mid-20s/Early 30s)	The central character, he is a recently released inmate imprisoned for murder who returns home to find that his family has lost their farm and is moving west to California. Tom is a plainspoken, forthright and direct man, yet he still retains some of his violent tendencies.
Ma Joad (50s)	The mother of Noah, Tom, Rose of Sharon, Al, Ruthie and Winfield, Ma Joad is a woman accustomed to hardship and deprivation. She is a forceful woman who is determined to keep her family together at nearly all costs.
Pa Joad (50s)	Although the head of the Joad household, he is not a forceful presence. Without the ability to provide for his family, he recedes into the background.
Uncle John (50s)	A morose man prone to depression and alcoholism, Uncle John believes himself to be the cause of the family's misfortune. He blames himself for the death of his wife several years ago, and has carried the guilt of that event with him.
Rose of Sharon (Late teens/ Early 20s)	Tom Joad's younger sister. Recently married to Connie Rivers and pregnant with his child, Rose of Sharon is the one adult who retains a sense of optimism in the future.
Connie Rivers (20s)	The shiftless husband of Rose of Sharon, Connie dreams of taking correspondence courses that will provide him with job opportunities and the possibility of a better life.
Noah Joad (Late 30s)	Tom's older brother.He suffers from mental disabilities that likely occurred during childbirth.
Al Joad (Late teens /Early 20s)	Tom's younger brother. At sixteen years old he is concerned with cars and girls, and remains combative and truculent toward the rest of the family.
Ruthie Joad (8 to 12)	One of the two small children in the Joad family, it is Ruthie who reveals that Tom is responsible for the murder at Hooper Ranch, forcing him to leave his family to escape capture by the police.
Winfield Joad (8 to 12)	The other small child in the Joad family, Winfield becomes severely ill during the course of the novel from deprivation, but survives his illness.
Grampa Joad (60 to 70)	An energetic, feisty old man, Grampa refuses to leave Oklahoma with the rest of his family, but is forcibly taken on the journey after he is drugged by the other family members. He dies before they cross the state line.
Granma Joad (60 to 70)	She becomes severely ill on the journey to California, and dies as they reach the state.
Reverend Jim Casy (Late 30s to 40s)	A fallen preacher who too often succumbed to temptation, Casy left the ministry when he realized that he did not believe in absolute ideas of sin. He espouses the idea that all that is holy comes from collective society, a belief that he places in practical context when, after time in jail, he becomes involved with labor activists.
Muley Graves (50s/60s)	Muley is an elderly man who reveals to Tom Joad the fate of his family.
Floyd Knowles (20s/30s)	He befriends Al Joad and tells the Joad family about work opportunities and the government camp at Weedpatch.
Wilkie Wallace (20s/30s)	A Weedpatch camp resident who takes Tom to find work when they arrive at the government camp.
Aggie Wainwright (Late teens/ Early 20s)	She is the young woman to whom Al Joad becomes engaged.

Other characters: Ages can range from mid-20s to 50s and include a car salesman, the camp proprietor, a salesman, the gas station attendant, narrators, agricultural officers, the man in the barn and his son. Some roles will be double cast.

In addition to the above, Playhouse 22 is also seeking musicians, who will be strolling and playing on stage during the show: Two guitarists, a fiddler and a harmonica player who can play and sing bluegrass style.


For more information, contact Playhouse 22 at grapes@playhouse22.org or by calling (732)254-3939.

Casting Call: 'Great American Trailer Park Musical'

Somerset Valley Players will hold auditions for "The Great American Trailer Park Musical"at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26.

The Great American Trailer Park Musical is about Armadillo Acres, "North Florida's most exclusive manufactured housing community." Agoraphobic housewife Jeanne and her toll-collecting husband, Norbert, find their lives turned upside down when stripper Pippi moves next door and her ex-boyfriend Duke tries to hunt her down.

Narrated by a trio of girls from the trailer park, the show takes audiences on a journey from the trailer park, to a strip club, to a mall in Oklahoma City.

Auditions will be held at Somerset Valley Players, 689 Amwell Road, Hillsborough. Callbacks will be held at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27. Performances will be at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays, April 12 through May.

Director Christian Carrara is seeking one man, 24-28 years old; and three women, from 30-55 years old. Be prepared to sing 16 bars of an audition piece. Some parts have been previously cast.

Roles include:

Jeanne Garstecki	35-45	Jeannie has lived in a trailer at Armadillo Acres for 20 years with her husband and high-school sweetheart, Norbert. A faded beauty, she was 17 when she married, 18 when her son was born and 23 when he got kidnapped. That, coupled with a really bad perm, has turned her into an agoraphobic. She hasn't left her trailer in all these years, and the man she loves is drifting further and further away, and she's determined to get him back, if she could manage to get out of the trailer.
Duke	24-28	Duke is Pippi's obsessive, possessive, and excessive Magic Marker-sniffing ex-boyfriend. Not the brightest guy south of the Mason-Dixon Line, Duke leaves a trailer of disaster in his wake wherever he goes. His road trip to Starke is no exception, and his arrival at the trailer park is full of surprises, even for a group of people who have had their share of excitement.
Betty	40-55	Betty has lived in Armadillo Acres longer than any other residents. She now runs the leasing office and makes it her business to know everything about everybody who passes through the trailer park. Though a self-proclaimed "bad-ass," Betty is really a mother hen to the denizens of the trailer park. Of all "The Girls," Betty is the most grounded, earthly and dry.
Lin	30's	Lin has a husband on death row at the Florida State Prison. His fate is an electric chair that doesn't work properly unless most of the town's electricity is turned off. So Lin watches everyone's lights and appliances very closely in hopes that she can keep the chair on the fritz. Sometimes self-absorbed and sometimes just a smartass, she hints at a wild, rock-'n-roll past, and is the fieriest of "The Girls."

Casting call: 'Next to Normal'

There will be open auditions for "Next to Normal" at Middlesex County College at noon Saturday, Feb. 23.

Auditions will be held at the Middlesex County College Performing Arts Center, 2600 Woodbridge Ave., Edison. Bring 16 bars of a song that shows your vocal abilities.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical, "Next to Normal" focuses intensely on the crippling tribulations of a suburban family.

Reading: 'Taconic Highway' at Villagers Theatre

Villagers Theatre will hold a dramatic reading of "Taconic Highway," a new play by Sudipta Bhawmik, on Feb. 18.

"Taconic Highway" tells the story of Manasij, a veteran Indian screen actor visiting the United States with a theater group, to stage some shows. During his first stop in New York, he is hosted by Deepak and Sharika at their multimillion dollar mansion in upstate New York.

The enthusiastic host, Deepak, expresses his desire to make a film with Manasij as the hero and their daughter Pom as the heroine. But Sharika objects to this proposal vehemently. She would never let Pom take part in this dream project of Deepak.

Manasij tries to mediate, but soon realizes that he is being pulled into a dark vortex of suspicion and animosity carefully camouflaged by the opulence and the veneer of apparent happiness of an affluent immigrant Indian family.

The reading, part of the Villagers "New Playwrights" series, will begin at 8 p.m. Directed by Noah Stanzione, it is free and open to the public. Next in the series will be "Edmonia," by Barry M. Putt Jr.

Villagers Theatre is located at 475 DeMott Lane in Somerset. For more information, visit the Villagers web site.

Casting call for Plays in the Park

Plays in the Park will hold open auditions this April for its summer lineup, featuring theater favorites such as "Les Misérables," "Spamalot," and "Xanadu."

Prospective performers should be prepared to sing an up-tempo song, and bring sheet music in the proper key. An accompanist will be provided. At callbacks auditionees will be taught a dance combination, so dress appropriately. They also will be asked to read from the script.

More information is pending.

The schedule for auditions and callbacks is as follows:

There will be open auditions for all roles in "Les Misérables," "Spamalot," and "Xanadu" at 7 p.m. April 12. Prepare 16 bars of an up-tempo show tune, and bring sheet music in the proper key. A pianist will be provided. Auditions will continue at noon April 13 and 14.

"Les Misérables" auditions for Gavroche, Young Eponine and Young Cosette will be held at 7 p.m. April 10. Boys auditioning for the role of Gavroche must be 7-11 years old, and good at acting and singing. Girls auditioning for the roles of Young Cosette and Young Eponine must be 7-10 years old, have fair skin and be a soprano. There will be no exceptions to these requirements.

Callbacks for Gavroche, Young Cosette and Young Eponine will be held at 5 p.m. April 14.

Callbacks for "Les Misérables" will be held at 7 p.m. April 15 and 16.

Callbacks for "Spamalot" will be held at 7 p.m. April 17 and 18.

Callbacks for "Xanadu" will be held at 7 p.m. April 19 and at 10 a.m. April 20.

All auditions will be held backstage at Plays-in-the-Park, 1 Pine Drive, Roosevelt Park, Edison. For more information, call  (732) 548-2884.

'The Dream of the Burning Boy' at Edison Valley Playhouse

"The Dream of the Burning Boy" is playing at Edison Valley Playhouse through Feb. 23.

Produced by Alliance Repertory Theater, "The Dream of the Burning Boy" chronicles the aftermath of a student's sudden death from an aneurysm at high school. The show is directed by David Christopher.

Remaining performances start at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, with additional performances at 2 p.m. Feb. 17 and at 8 p.m. Feb. 21.

For more information, call (908) 755-4654.

'The Uninvited' opens Friday at Playhouse 22

Sometimes old houses make noises in the dark of night. Sometimes it isn't the house.

"The Uninvited" opens at 8 p.m. Friday at Playhouse 22. The play tells the story of Pam Fitzgerald and her brother Roddy, an aspiring playwright. Seeking to escape the demands of life in London, they discover a charming house in the west of England, overlooking the Irish Sea. The house long has been empty, and they are able to purchase it at a low price from crusty Commander Brooke, the village curmudgeon.

The reason is soon apparent: The house has an unsavory reputation. Fifteen years earlier a murder may or may not have occurred by the gnarled tree that can be viewed from the parlor window. Slowly the Fitzgeralds begin to sense the evil spirit that still inhabits the house, announcing its presence with a sudden, bone-chilling cold.

Directed by Robert Gargiullo, the cast features Rachel Elise Green, Amy Brandt, Joe Zedeny, Gregory Newton, Stephanie Long, Deby Brandt, Bess Allison, Michael Pilato, Rupert Ravens and Nancy Drumright.

Playhouse 22 is located at 721 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.

The show runs at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sunday matinees Feb. 15-March 2. For more information, call (732)254-3939 or visit www.Playhouse22.org.

Casting Call: 'Quilt'

Monach Productions will hold auditions for its May production of "Quilt: A Musical Celebration" at Villagers Theatre, at 7 p.m. Feb. 10 and 12.

To audition, prepare 32 bars of a song that best represents you as a person, either pop rock or musical theater. You may be asked to read from the script. Callbacks, if needed, will be held Feb. 13.

Performances will be held at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays May 10-18, at 2 p.m. May 12, and at 8 p.m. May 16. Due to the subject matter, all auditionees must be 16 or older.

"Quilt" is a collection of stories and songs representing panels in the AIDS quilt. Based on actual stories of the friends and family members of people lost to AIDS, the show is tied together by the story of Wes, a gay man who is HIV-positive and whose partner already has died of AIDS.

The show is being produced in conjunction with Villagers Theater's Independent Producer Series. For more information, email Quilt.Musical@gmail.com, or visit www.villagerstheatre.com/quiltauditions.

'Next To Normal' at Villagers Theater

A Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical that explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness, "Next to Normal" opens Feb. 8 at Villagers Theatre.

"Next to Normal" focuses intensely on the crippling tribulations of a suburban family. This portrait of Diana Goodman, a manic-depressive housewife, and the people whom she both deeply loves and deeply wounds, invites us to consider the liberating effect of confronting the origins of our pain.

An emotional powerhouse, "Next to Normal" slices through to the staggering revelation of the cause of Diana's illness, and the impact it has had on her family: her husband, Dan, and her children, Natalie and Gabe. The momentum of the score mirrors the characters' confusion, disconnection and self-imprisonment.

Directed by Corey Rubel, the play features Bre Cade, Michael Ferentinos, Jared Picone, Shannon Kronstadt, Chris Cantalupo and Marc Mills.

Performances will be held at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays Feb. 8 -24. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $18 for seniors and students.

Tickets also are available online.

Casting Call: 'A Behanding in Spokane'

Circle Players will hold auditions for “A Behanding in Spokane,” a 2010 dark comedy written by award-winning playwright Martin McDonagh, at 7:30 p.m. March 3 and 4. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the performance script. Callbacks, if needed, will be held on March 5.

Performances will be at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays April 19-May 4, with a 3 p.m. matinee on May 5.

Carmichael has been searching for his missing left hand for over a quarter of a century. Enter two bickering lovebirds with a hand to sell, and a hotel clerk with an aversion to gunfire, and what follows is a hilarious rollercoaster of love, hate, desperation and hope.

Toby (male, late 20s, African-American)	A likeable small-time pot dealer. Ideal actor will be of slim build, physically fit, and must be comfortable uttering foul language.
Marilyn (female, 22)	Also a small-time pot dealer, and a con artist.
Carmichael (male, mid- to late 40s, Caucasian)	A tough guy. Actor must be able to do a forward roll into a standing position.
Mervyn (male, late 20s to early 30s)	A paunchy, not very bright hotel clerk.

 A stage manager is also needed.

For more information, email director Gordon Wiener at circleplayersnj@gmail.com.