'Tribute' at Westfield Community Players

"Tribute" will open at Westfield Community Players in a few weeks.

Scottie Templeton's a charming, irresponsible fellow. A sometime Broadway press agent and former scriptwriter, he's everyone's friend, nobody's hero and a great womanizer who's managed to live over fifty years without taking anything seriously, including love, marriage and fatherhood. Life's been one continuous gag. But at fifty one, he finds the script's been rewritten as a tragedy: he is fatally ill. His son Jud, alienated by years of neglect, comes to visit. Scottie's one concern is to make friends with his son, and after a bitter, revealing confrontation, father and son are reconciled. And it is Jud who gets Scottie to agree to be rehospitalized for treatment and then organizes a giant tribute to his father in a theater.

The cast features Russ Ortiz as Scottie Templeton, Bobby Marusiefski as Jud Templeton, Dickson Lane as Leo Daniels, Marguerite Wurtz as Dr. Gladys Petrelli, Katie Engel as Sally Haines, Debbie Badal as Maggie Stratton, and Kathryn Risi as Hilary. It is directed by Steve Lemenille.

The show will run at 8 p.m. March 5, 12, 18 and 19 and at 2 p.m. March 13. Tickets cost $20 per adult and $10 per student or active military personnel.

There are two ways to purchase tickets. Purchasers can either call (908)232-1221 and leave a message stating their name, phone number or email, date of performance and number of tickets; or they can fill out the form here. The Westfield Community Players are located at 1000 North Avenue West, Westfield.

'Blood Brothers' at Villagers Theatre

Is it Mother Nature or Mother Nurture who makes us who we are? Audiences will have the chance to decide for themselves next week when Villagers Theatre presents "Blood Brothers."

A hit musical that ran for 24 years in London’s West End, "Blood Brothers" tells a provocative story filled with humor and heartbreak. Mrs. Johnstone is expecting twins, but knows she can’t afford to raise them both. The affluent woman for whom she cleans house, devises a plan to raise one of the twins as her own. In despair, and hoping to give at least one child a better life, Mrs. Johnstone agrees. Despite attempts to keep them apart, the boys, Mickey and Edward, meet and become close friends. Their lives become increasingly intertwined as the drama unfolds toward the inevitable day that they discover the truth about their heritage with explosive results.

Directed by Marie Fiorello, "Blood Brothers" features the talents of Hunter Chadeayne as Mickey Johnstone and Christopher Neuman as Edward Lyons, his twin brother who gets adopted. Other performers include Denise Jobes as Mrs. Johnstone; Christopher Pica as Joe the Milkman, who serves as a narrator; Kristen Umansky as Mrs. Lyons and Thom Boyer as Mr. Lyons; Jillian Wagner as Linda; Justin Luckenbaugh as Sammy; Lisa Sudfield as Donna Marie; and ensemble members Christopher Russoniello, Dwight Merritt and Katie Hilosky.

A musical with book, lyrics and music by Willy Russell, "Blood Brothers" is a winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical. It ran for more than 24 years in the West End, with more than 10,000 performances. It is the third longest-running musical production in West End history. It also has enjoyed successes on tour and on Broadway.

Tickets for the Villagers Theatre production of "Blood Brothers" cost $20, or $18 for students and seniors. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. Sundays, Feb. 5-21. Tickets are available online, or by calling the box office at (732) 873-2710.

Villagers Theatre is located at 475 DeMott Lane, Somerset.

'Eye of God' at Circle Players

In a small, dying Oklahoma town, a young woman finally meets her beau: a just-released convict with whom she’s corresponded for three years. We watch her story weave in and out of the memories of a weary detective investigating a grisly case in a nearby lake, and a broken, mute boy who may hold the key to the mystery. Playwright Tim Blake Nelson conjures a ghost town filled with damaged, desperate people and dark secrets in this haunting drama, "Eye of God", which will open at Circle Players in a few weeks.

The show features James Houston as Sam Rogers, John Thompson as Jack, Arielle Beth as Ainsley, Heather Denges as Dorothy, James Jones as Tom, Lewis Decker as Willard Sprague, Michael Stratton as Les, David Bronovicki as Glen, Elizabeth Stamat as Janice, Frank Lankey Jr. as Del and John W. Kennedy as Lee. It is directed by Christie Leigh Carter.

Performances will occur at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays February 19-March 5, with a closing performance at 3 p.m. March 6. Tickets cost $18 per adult and $17 per student or senior.

To purchase tickets, click here. For more information, contact circleplayersnj@gmail.com. Circle Players is located at 416 Victoria Avenue, Piscataway.

Villagers Theatre seeks props master

Villagers Theatre is seeking a props master, also known as a properties coordinator, for its upcoming production of "Picnic."

The props master supervises the acquisition or building of hand props. She or he also will manage props backstage during rehearsals and performances, setting props on the props table, and tracking their positions on and backstage during the show. The prop master will be expected to work closely with set designer Bree Guell. There is no stipend available for the position.

Rehearsals are scheduled for Monday through Thursday nights in February and March. Props should be prepared by tech week, which will run March 20-30. Performances will begin at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays, April 1-17. The props master is not expected to attend each rehearsal, although she will be expected to be present for tech week and performances.

Interested volunteers should contact Producer Darren Nye, at darren@villagerstheatre.com or at (732) 429-8258.

Villagers Theatre is located at 475 DeMott Lane, Somerset.

Casting Call: 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Auditions for "A Midsummer Dream" at Kelsey Theatre will conclude January 28.

In one of the most famous of literary love quadrangles, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" tells the tale of Hermia, Demetrius, Lysander and Helena, four misguided lovers whose journey into the woods lands them in even more trouble as members of the fairy kingdom decide to use them as veritable pawns in their own love games. This production sets the story in India during the 1920s, adding dance into the mix.

Auditionees should prepare a monologue up to two minutes in length from one of Shakespeare's comedies, prepare a list of all conflicts between February 1 and April 16, and wear clothing comfortable for dancing in. Although they are not required, appointments are encouraged; walk-ins will be seen on a time-available basis. The auditions will go from 7-9:30 p.m.

Actors are sought between ages 18 and 65, as well as a boy aged 5-12.

Lysander	A young man of Athens, in love with Hermia.
Hermia	Egeus’s daughter, a young woman of Athens. In love with Lysander.
Helena	A young woman of Athens, in love with Demetrius.
Demetrius	A young man of Athens. Initially in love with Hermia.
Egeus	Hermia’s father, who wishes her to marry Demetrius.
Oberon	The king of the fairies.
Titania	The beautiful queen of the fairies.
Theseus	The heroic duke of Athens, engaged to Hippolyta.
Hippolyta	The legendary queen of the Amazons, engaged to Theseus.
Puck/Robin Goodfellow	Oberon’s mischievous servant.
Nick Bottom	A member of the terrible acting troupe the Rude Mechanicals; plays Pyramus in their play. His head is turned into that of a donkey's by the fairies.
Peter Quince	A carpenter and the nominal leader of the Rude Mechanicals.
Francis Flute	The bellows-mender chosen to play Thisbe in the Mechanicals' play.
Robin Starveling	The tailor, chosen to play the moon.
Tom Snout	The tinker, chosen to play the wall.
Snug	The joiner, chosen to play the lion.
Philostrate	Theseus’s Master of the Revels.
Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth and Mustardseed	Fairy servants to Titania.
Dancing ensemble	Various courtiers and fairies.

Rehearsals will run from 7 p.m. to about 11 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from February 1. There will be more scheduled in the two weeks before opening. Performances will be at at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays April 1-10.

To schedule an audition, add your name to the sign-up list here. Auditions will be held in room CM122 of the CM building adjacent to Kelsey Theatre. For more information, contact gazenbej@mccc.edu. Both the theater and the CM building are located on the Mercer County Community College campus at 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor.

Casting Call: 'Lost in Yonkers'

Playhouse 22 will hold open auditions for the Neil Simon play "Lost in Yonkers."

This Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play is a coming-of-age story of 15-year-old Jay, who lives with his younger brother Arty, their mentally-challenged Aunt Bella, small-time hoodlum Uncle Louie, and their cold and tough grandmother Grandma Kurnitz. Their father travels, desperately trying to scrape enough money together to pay off his debts to a loan shark, and their mother has died of cancer.

Auditionees should prepare a short monologue. Auditions will be held at 7:30 p.m. February 8 and 9, with callbacks at the same time February 10.

Jay Kurnitz (15)	Forced to be more mature than he is prepared to be when he and his brother are left with their grandmother.
Arty Kurnitz (13)	Jay’s younger brother. More of an observer than the rest of his family and often goes with the flow of things. Can be a little childish.
Bella Kurnitz (35)	Jay’s aunt. She is sometimes a bit “off-center” and is mentally challenged, but despite this she is also loving and protective of her nephews. Much of the second half of the play is focuses on her attempts at independence from her stern mother.
Louie Kurnitz (30s-40s)	Jay’s flamboyant, jovial uncle. Comes to live with his family to hide from the local mob. Considered by Grandma Kurnitz to be the “survivor” of the family. He is a strong, volatile, temperamental type with a dark side who works as a “bag-man” for the mob.
Grandma Kurnitz	Jay’s grandmother, a very old and stern woman. Owing to her harsh childhood, she has always been very intolerant of what in others she calls “weaknesses.” She is blunt, sometimes even in a funny way, and always knows what is going on with the people around her.
Eddie Kurnitz (30s-40s)	Jay’s middle-aged father. After the death of his wife, he is forced to send his two sons to live with their grandmother while he repays his considerable financial debts. A nervous wreck around his mother.
Gert Kurnitz (30s-40s)	Jay’s aunt, a very interesting addition to the family. When she breathes she has a tendency to suck air in while still speaking, the result of childhood trauma.

Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays between April 1 and 17.

For more information, contact yonkers@playhouse22.org or call (732)254-3939. Playhouse 22 is located at 721 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.

'25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' at Playhouse 22

An eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home life, the tweens spell their way through a series of [potentially made-up] words hoping to never hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves! At least the losers get juice boxes.

Playhouse 22's production of "The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" opens February 5, and will run at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 21. Tickets cost $22 per adult and $20 per student or senior.

The show features Katy Widmer as Olive, Julie Stein as Logainne, Jenny Weiner as Rona, Maria Aromando as Marcy, Anthony Competello as Barfee, Stephen Belfatti as Mitch, Brett Hennessey Jones as Chip, Jack Tomy as Leaf and Patrick Andrae as Panch. It is directed by Mark Kalet.

To purchase tickets, click here. Playhouse 22 is located at 721 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.