'Moon Over Buffalo' at Playhouse 22

"Moon Over Buffalo," a comedy by Ken Ludwig, will open Feb. 21 at Playhouse 22.

Acting couple Charlotte and George Hay are on tour in Buffalo in 1953 with a repertory consisting of Cyrano de Bergerac "revised, one nostril version" and Noel Coward's Private Lives. Fate has given these thespians one more shot at starring roles in "The Scarlet Pimpernel," and director Frank Capra himself is en route to Buffalo to catch their matinee performance.

Will Charlotte appear or run off with their agent? Will George be sober enough to emote? Will Capra see Cyrano, "Private Lives" or a disturbing mixture of the two? Hilarious misunderstandings pile on madcap misadventures in this valentine to theater hams everywhere.

The cast features Joe Zedeny as George Hay, Mary Sullivan as Charlotte Hay, Deby Brandt as Ethel, Ashley Widmer as Rosalind, Eric Hackler as Howard, Ashley Kipness as Eileen, Fred Hadden as Paul, and Robert Goodwin as Richard.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and at 3 p.m. Sundays Feb. 21 to March 9. Tickets cost $22 per adult and $20 for each senior or student. Tickets are available online.

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

Casting Call: 'Falsettos'

Villagers Theatre will hold auditions late this month for its upcoming production of "Falsettos."

A seamless pairing of "March of the Falsettos" and "Falsettoland," acclaimed off-Broadway musicals written nearly a decade apart, "Falsettos" won 1992 Tony Awards for best book and musical score. It is the jaunty tale of Marvin, a man who leaves his wife and young son to live with another man. His ex-wife marries his psychiatrist, and Marvin ends up alone. Two years later, Marvin is reunited with his lover on the eve of his son's bar mitzvah, just as AIDS is beginning its insidious spread.

Auditions will take place from 7:30-10:30 p.m. Feb. 23 and 26. Callbacks will be held by invitation only.

Roles (ages are approximate only):

Marvin	35-45 years old	Bisexual man, Trina's ex-husband. Baritone.
Mendel	30 - 50 years old	Family psychiatrist. Male baritone.
Whizzer	20-40 years old	Marvin's lover. Male tenor.
Jason	9-14 years old	Marvin and Trina's son. Tenor.
Trina	30-45 years old	Marvin's ex-wife. Mezzosoprano.
Dr. Charlotte	30-55 years old	Lesbian neighbor, Marvin's friend. Mezzosoprano.
Cordelia	30-55 years old	Dr Charlotte's lesbian lover, Marvin's friend. Soprano.

Rehearsals will take place in March and April. Details are available at the Villagers web site. Performances will be held at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. Sundays May 9-18.

"Falsettos" will be directed by Darren Nye. Producer is Joe Buz. Musical director is Rory Chalcraft, and stage manager is David Learn.

'Ravenscroft' at Circle Players

On March 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, and 23 at 8 p.m. on Fri. and Sat. and 3 p.m. on Sun., Circle Players will be presenting "Ravenscroft" by Don Nigro. Tickets are $18 for adults and $17 for seniors and students. No credit cards will be accepted at the box office. For reservations and information, call 732-968-7555.

This psychological drama is a thinking person’s Gothic thriller, a dark comedy that is both funny and frightening. On a snowy night, Inspector Ruffing is called to a remote house to investigate the headlong plunge of Patrick Roarke down the main staircase. He becomes involved in the lives of five alluring and dangerous women.They lead him through a bewildering labyrinth of contradictory versions of Patrick’s demise and that of the late Mr. Ravenscroft. There are ghosts on the staircase, skeletons in the closet, and much more than the Inspector bargained for. His investigation leads into his own tortured soul and the nature of truth itself. You will not guess the ending, but you will be teased, seduced, bewildered, amused, frightened, and led to a dark encounter with truth … or something stranger. Kristin Bennet, Thom Boyer, Debbie Campanali, Cody Dalton, and Roxanne Guarino.

The show is directed by Alicia Harabin and produced by Ed Faver. The cast consists of

There will be a wine and cheese party after the opening night's performance.

Staged Readings at Villagers Theatre

On Feb. 17 from 8 - 10 p.m., Villagers Theatre will be beginning the New Playrights series, by holding staged readings of two new plays: "The Truth Tellers" and "One to the Head, One to the Heart" by Ken Jaworowski, and "Biff and Blanche" and "Cake Top Follies" by John Twomey.

"The Truth Tellers", directed by Zita Geoffrey-Heinz, tells the story of a man and a woman who meet in a club and due to miscommunication and misunderstanding they find their new romance falling apart.

ast:
Kristin Clapcich (Annie)
Eric Radell (Larry) - See more at: http://www.villagerstheatre.com/viewproductions/new-playwrights-series/#sthash.ZcmE7b5W.dpuf

ast:
Kristin Clapcich (Annie)
Eric Radell (Larry) - See more at: http://www.villagerstheatre.com/viewproductions/new-playwrights-series/#sthash.ZcmE7b5W.dpuf

ast:
Kristin Clapcich (Annie)
Eric Radell (Larry) - See more at: http://www.villagerstheatre.com/viewproductions/new-playwrights-series/#sthash.ZcmE7b5W.dpuf

"One to the Head, One to the Heart", also directed by Zita Geoffrey-Heinz, is a poignant story about a married couple coming to terms with their disabled child, and their relationship with eachother.

"Biff and Blanche" directed by Nick Thomas, is the story of two second-rate thespians who confront one another over an audition, their illusions about themselves and their careers, their attraction to one another, and a cab.

"Cake Top Follies", also directed by Nick Thomas, focuses on two bitter bridesmaids who are entrusted to save their sister's wedding cake top.

Admission is free.

For more information check out the Villagers website.

Casting Call: 'The Figaro Plays'

McCarter Theatre will be holding open auditions for "The Figaro Plays".

"The Figaro Plays" are two thrilling new translations of  the great farces that inspired Mozart’s operas: "The Marriage of Figaro" and "The Barber of Seville". The two plays will be performed in repertory with the same company of actors. Not all actors will appear in both plays.

 Auditions are by appointment only, for teens on Feb. 10 and adults on Feb. 11. at McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton, NJ.  To schedule an appointment please call Courtney Little at (609) 258-6505 or email casting@mccarter.org. 

 Local actors are wanted to play ensemble roles including peasants, jurors, tenants, etc. These are non- speaking roles. Wanted is a company with humor, style and incredible language skills. Actors should create comic characters who are real people with genuine need and commitment. Some actors will need to sing well, others to carry a tune but musicality will be important. All actors must be local hires.

These include teenage actors, male and female, of ages 13-16. Teenage actors may only be cast in one play. Male actors will play women for some scenes.

Male adult actors should be age 18-30. Ability to play guitar is a plus. Male actors will play women for some scenes.

Female adult actors should be age 18-30 or 40-60.

Please prepare two contrasting monologues and bring your resume and head shot to the audition.

"The Barber of Seville" will run from April 1 to May 4 and "The Marriage of Figaro" will run from April 9 to May 3.

The show will artistically directed by Emily Mann, written by Pierre de Beaumarchais, adapted and directed by Stephen Wadsworth, and non-equity casting will be done by Chelsea Adams and Courtney Little.


Please send any questions to casting@mccarter.org.

'A Man of No Importance' at Edison Valley Playhouse

Based on the 1994 movie of the same name, the musical "A Man of No Importance" is coming this March to Edison Valley Playhouse.

"A Man of No Importance" tells the story of Alfie Byrne, a middle-aged Dublin bus conductor who lives with his spinster sister and who reads poetry aloud to his enraptured regular passengers on the bus. Alfie has three great passions. One is poetry. Another is the theater, and his amateur troupe who rehearse and perform in the church basement of St. Imelda's Catholic church.

His third, secret, passion is for the driver of the bus, handsome young Robbie. But in 1964 Ireland, Alfie's is a love that dare not speak its name. An ardent fan of Oscar Wilde, Alfie is determined to stage a version of Salome with the St. Imelda's Players but runs afoul of church authorities for putting on a dirty play.

As he fights for the play, Alfie finds his longing for life finally outweighing his fears and repressions, and he takes his stand for art, poetry and love.

The show will run at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays from March 7-22 and at 2 p.m. March 16. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors.

For more information, visit Edison Valley Playhouse on Facebook. Edison Valley Playhouse is located at 2196 Oak Tree Rd, Edison.

Casting Call: "The Norman Conquests"

"The Norman Conquests" details the amorous exploits of Norman, assistant librarian, whose one aim is to make the women of his life happy—these women being, as it happens, three sisters, one of them his wife, who can’t wear contact lenses because “life with Norman is full of unexpected eye movements.”

Auditions will be held for the show, which is a collection of three plays titled "Living Together," "Round and Round the Garden," and "Table Manners," from 6-9 p.m. Feb. 18 and 19 and from 2-3 p.m. Feb. 22. Callbacks will be held from 3-5 p.m. Feb. 22. Actors must be proficient with a British accent.

The characters include Norman; Ruth, Norman's wife; Reg, Ruth's brother; Sarah, Reg's wife; Annie, Reg and Ruth's sister; and Tom, a local vet.

Performances will be at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays May 9-24. To view the sides that will be used, visit evplayhouse.com. For more information, visit evplayhouse.com or Edison Valley Playhouse's Facebook page. Edison Valley Playhouse is located at 2196 Oak Tree Road , Edison.