Pageant/ Aida / On Golden Pond / Beauty and the Beast / The Boys Next Door / Gypsy / All Shook Up / Hollywood Exposed / Godspell / Cinderella /

Steel Magnolias / Broadway's Best '06 / GREETINGS

Suffolk County News   - March 20, 2008

Beauty is in the eye of the contestant          Back To Top

Airport Playhouse presents the humorous musical Pageant 

By EMILY PORTOGHESE 

BOHEMIA — If an opening night performance is any indication of how the rest of the shows will fare, Airport Playhouse’s production of the musical Pageant will continue to rouse audiences’ funny bones into April. 

Opening night last Friday ran smoothly; as smooth as a play can run with six men dressed up as beauty queens competing against each other for the annual “Glamouresse” beauty pageant title. 

Similar only in theory to the Miss America beauty pageant, Glamouresse’s pageant judges Miss Industrial Northeast, Miss Texas, Miss Bible Belt, Miss Great Plains, Miss West Coast, and Miss Deep South, in categories such as talent, gowns, bathing suit, and “spokes model.” 

Debbie D’Amore directed Pageant with the original book and lyrics written by Bill Russell and Frank Kelly and music by Albert Evans. This musical is unique in that members of the audience are chosen as judges who determine the winner of the pageant. Not only does that add an element of surprise for the actors, but it also adds to the excitement of the audience, as they are an interactive part of the show. 

The host of the pageant, Frankie Cavilier (played by Jon Rivera), was a perfect complement to the “beauty queens” who twirled on the stage around him at the beginning of the show. The somewhat sleazy character of Frankie was amusing and Rivera worked the audience into laughter on several occasions. 

“Natural Born Females” was the first number performed by the cast. In white dresses, the girls showed off their dance moves and surprisingly feminine bodies through the use of stuffing (in the appropriate places), wigs and make-up. 

Then host Frankie sang “Something Extra” as a way to express how he thinks all the contestants are special and have that certain something that makes them stand out. 

Miss Texas (played by Michael McAuliffe) literally kicked off the talent portion of the show with her “Texas Tap” dance. Clad in a cowboy hat and Texas garb, McAuliffe ambled onto the stage on a wooden horse, stood up and began tapping away. 

Miss Great Plains (played by Scott Interrante) performed a poem. Interrante’s character spoke about humans hurting the land, punctuating his words with exaggerated moves to add to the absurdity of his talent performance. 

Patrick Grossman, performing an interpretive dance as Miss West Coast, was also a riot; the contestant told the story of her life. Supplementing his character’s story with awkward dance steps and interaction with the audience, Grossman proved that Miss West Coast was more than a blonde bombshell; she was also witty and funny. 

Rob Buchwald played the dainty Miss Deep South wonderfully, using puppets for her talent performance, and cracked the audience up while also showing a talent for ventriloquism. 

The song “Bankin’ on Jesus” had Miss Bible Belt (played by Ronnie Green) living up to her title as she belted out the song with great power and conviction. Multi-talented and multi-lingual Miss Industrial Northeast (played by Michael Stegmeier) rolled onto the stage on rollerblades while playing the accordion. 

The title of Miss Glamouresse went to Miss Deep South, who was chosen by four judges in the audience. Conveying that she was upset to let go of the title, last year’s winner, Tawny Jo (played by Michael Stegmeier) hesitantly crowned the new Miss Glamouresse. All the beauty queens paraded off stage at the end of the show, dancing in the aisles as they made their way out of the auditorium. 

Pageant is slated for shows on Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, March 28 at 2:30 p.m.; Wednesday, April 2 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, April 6 at 2:30 p.m. 

Sunday matinees include complimentary coffee and bagels, the April 2, 2 p.m. show is a senior matinee, with tickets at $14 and complimentary coffee and cake. All tickets are $14 and $22. The Airport Playhouse is located at 218 Knickerbocker Avenue. Call 589-7588 for reservations and more information.         

Pageant is currently being performed at the Airport Playhouse in Bohemia. The cast includes Jon Rivera as Frankie Cavilier (tuxedo), Scott Interrante as Miss Great Plains, Michael McAuliffe as Miss Texas, Patrick Grossman as Miss West Coast, Ronnie Green as Miss Bible Belt, and Rob Buchwald as Miss Deep South.                                                                                    Back To Top

Suffolk County News - February 14, 2008

Love and death in ancient Egypt                          Back To Top

Airport Playhouse presents Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida

By EMILY PORTOGHESE 

BOHEMIA — The Airport Playhouse presented Aida to an enthralled audience this past weekend. The showing of this timeless love story about a forbidden affair between an enslaved princess and a soldier falls appropriately during the Valentine’s Day season. 

With music written by Elton John and lyrics created by Tim Rice, this show takes the audience on a musical and emotional journey that is bound to touch their hearts. 

Chakira Iliana’s powerful voice and unwavering stage presence is a perfect fit for the demanding role of Aida. Rich Harris Jr. plays the Egyptian solider, Captain Radames, who falls in love with the Nubian Aida, who has been enslaved by his people. 

Harris exquisitely conveys the strength his character must possess to both stand his ground, as the Egyptians and Nubians are at war, but also to fight for himself, for he is in love with Aida, whom he gives to his betrothed, Amneris, as a gift of a handmaiden. 

Christina D’Orta, who plays Amneris, lights up the stage in the number “My Strongest Suit,” which features her singing about her love of dresses and having only the finest of goods, with her handmaidens singing backup in colorful gowns. 

None of the Egyptians, including Radames, know that Aida is a Nubian princess, and Aida would like to keep it that way; she is nobility in her country and her goal is to defend her people no matter the personal cost. 

Although Amneris originally strikes the audience as a rather snobbish and materialistic character, it seems as time goes on that she gains an understanding of the less privileged. 

She and Aida even begin to develop a friendship. Amneris is shocked how Aida could identify with her feelings so well as she is unaware of Aida’s royal pedigree. 

As a solider, Radames has been away from his home for a long time and he is confused about his engagement to Amneris, especially as he begins to realize he has fallen for Aida. 

A very touching end to the first act was the song “Elaborate Lives,” sung by Radames and Aida in which they embraced and kissed as the lights faded on the stage. 

Radames’ father, Zoser, played by Edward Brennan, was captivating as an Egyptian leader and power-seeker who made it clear he would do anything to get Radames to marry Amneris so that he could take over for the Pharaoh, played wonderfully by John J. Steele, Jr. 

Zoser demands that one of the ministers put arsenic in the Pharaoh’s wine, though he did not want the Pharaoh dead, just sick so he would hurry the marriage process and relinquish his throne. 

The inevitable happens and the Queen of Nubia, Aida’s mother, is captured. Zoser discovers that Radames is in love with Aida and warns him of the implications his foolishness will cause. 

Aida demands that Radames go through with the wedding even though she wants to be with him. Radames promises her that there will be a ship waiting to take her and her mother back to Nubia as he takes his vows. Tearfully, they say goodbye. 

She is spotted as she boards the ship and Radames runs to her side, only to be condemned by the Egyptians with her. Instead of being outraged that one of her handmaidens stole her future husband, Amneris was quite understanding, and told her father, the Pharaoh, that although she knew they must be put to death, she requested they be allowed to die together. 

Grateful to be granted this, Aida and Radames hug as they die, and as they do, they tell each other that this is not the end, that they will see each other in the next world. And that they do; they are in a museum in present day and catch each other’s eye as the curtain goes down. 

The Airport Playhouse located at 218 Knickerbocker Avenue is slated to present Aida seven more times; on Friday, Feb. 15; Saturday, Feb. 16; Wednesday, Feb. 20; Friday, Feb. 22; and Saturday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. Also on Sunday, Feb. 17 and Sunday, Feb. 24 at 2:30 p.m., and on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $14 to $22. Call 589-7588 for more information. ■

Rich Harris Jr. plays Radames and Chakira Iliana is the title character in the Airport Playhouse’s presentation of Elton John and Time Rice’s Aida.    Back To Top

Suffolk County News - January 10, 2008

Love and family up in Maine                    Back To Top

Airport Playhouse presents On Golden Pond 

 By EMILY PORTOGHESE 

BOHEMIA — The audience at the Airport Playhouse was all laughs for the company’s presentation of On Golden Pond this past weekend due to the quirky humor of main character Norman Thayer, wonderfully played by Jack Howell. 

Set in the Thayer family’s summer home on Golden Pond in Maine, this play expresses the ordinary problems every family faces in a hilarious way. Norman Thayer, a retired professor, and his wife, Ethel Thayer, played by Sheila Sheffield, have spent the last 47 summers at the house, and Norman seems to believe that it will be his last summer—ever.

 Howell and Sheffield convey to the audience a loving and real husband-wife relationship. Howell delivers the scripts’ jokes with perfect timing while Sheffield first ignores his antics then shakes her head at her stage husband’s sarcastic sense of humor; a genuine display of how a real wife would react. 

Ethel gets frustrated with her husband’s doomsday attitude and tells him to focus on the bright things in life, namely their daughter, Chelsea, who just turned 42 and it seems has finally found the man she is meant to spend her life with. 

A colorful character, the Thayer’s mailman, is introduced towards the beginning of the play. Charlie Martin, played by Christopher Kenyon, who was also the show’s set designer and artist, does a wonderful portrayal of a slow mailman with a boisterous laugh. Norman clearly intimidates Charlie who frequently stops in for coffee at Ethel’s request while delivering the couples’ mail.

 Ethel Thayer is delighted to receive a letter from Chelsea stating that she will be visiting Golden Pond with her boyfriend, Bill Ray, for Norman’s 80th birthday. 

Norman, in true form, says that he does not want a bunch of strange people around for his “last birthday.” Ethel quiets his complaining by explaining to him that it is only going to be four of them together for his birthday and that no, it will not be his last. 

An important part of this play is the loons, the birds on the lake that sing a sweet song which always moves Ethel. In each scene the loons are discussed, they are a symbol of the summer and the family’s love for their house on Golden Pond. 

Chelsea and Norman have always had a complicated relationship. He gave her the impression as a child that she was never good enough and Chelsea has carried that into her adult life. 

Played by Annmarie Fabricatore, Chelsea is a woman desperately trying to connect with her father who does not respond to her attempts at warmth. Fabricatore does a wonderful job playing this character: a woman that still displays qualities of a child. 

Chelsea calls Ethel Mommy and her father, Norman; calling your father by his first name is something most would consider odd; it represents her feelings of disconnect. 

Bill Ray, Chelsea’s boyfriend, and his son, Billy Ray, are wonderful additions to this talented cast. Bill Ray, played by John J. Steele Jr., who is also the director, and Billy Ray, played by Zak Brennan, interact perfectly with Chelsea, Norman, and Ethel. 

When the three arrive at Golden Pond, Norman gives them all a hard time, but after many conversations, everybody seems to make peace. Billy even stays with Norman and Ethel while Chelsea and Bill go to Europe, where they end up getting married. 

Even Chelsea and Norman have a talk in which Norman finally seems to soften and opens up to his daughter, even hugs her after she shares that she has gotten married. 

The play ends on a heartwarming note, although it seems that Norman suffers a heart attack as they are about to leave the house at the end of the summer, he is fine. 

This brush with death startles the elderly couple. Then Norman, who is reading, asks his wife to return his book to the shelf. “I’ll read it next year,” he said, and Ethel smiles, realizing Norman’s obsession with death may have finally died itself. 

On Golden Pond runs until Sunday, Jan. 20. Tickets are $14 to $22 and can be purchased by calling 589-7588 or visiting www.airportplayhouse.com. The theater is located at 218 Knickerbocker Avenue in Bohemia.

Jack Howell is Norman Thayer and Sheila Sheffield is Ethel Thayer in the Airport Playhouse production of On Golden Pond.     Back To Top

Suffolk County News - September 20, 2007

“A tale as old as time”                                Back To Top

The Airport Playhouse opens its doors to Beauty and the Beast

By Ryan McGarry

BOHEMIA — Starting the fall season with the most expensive production in the two and a half years of Terry Brennan’s management of the Airport Playhouse, last Friday’s opening of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast proved to be a successful delight. With something for every child, including the one hidden in each of us, the Airport Playhouse’s production of the “tale as old as time” is a must see for any lover of theatre, Disney, or romantic fairy tales. With a superb cast, the musical version of the much-loved animated film is extremely comical, yet remains endearing and heartwarming.

      Continuously forcing laughter from the audience, the show was almost stolen by Brian McCready and Craig Boccia who made the roles of the vain Gaston and his sidekick, Lefou, their own.  Completely aware of the reaction he was drawing, McCready added a bit of ham to the evening. With perfectly timed facial expressions and physical humor, even the other actors—as talented as they are—showed difficulty containing their amusement.

      Offering their own dose of comic relief, George Ghossn as Lumiere, the charming candlestick, and Scott Hofer as Cogsworth, the anxious clock, proved the production is far more than a mere one-man show.

     However, for as much laughter as there was, women—and some men— in the audience could be seen wiping tears from their eyes from time to time (especially at Belle’s selfless act of taking her father’s place as the Beast’s prisoner) due to the talents of Edward Brennan and Jessica Carollo, who played the leads.

      Coming back after a year’s hiatus that followed his performance in Jekyll and Hyde, Brennan made a powerful beast and male-lead. Standing taller than 6’3”, Brennan offered a frightening screaming roar in times of anger that contradicted well with his emotional, empathy-evoking singing voice.  “The part is a dream come true for me,” said Brennan, who reports holding a desire to play Beast since seeing the show on Broadway.

      Though most of the musical’s performances showcased talent far surpassing the accepted standard for regional theatre, Carollo, as Belle, immediately stood apart from the others.  Aside from her natural, amiable interaction with the other characters, Carollo, standing in front of a plain red curtain during the reprise of “Belle,” was able to create a scene of open fields, hilltops, and a far-off stream using little more than her voice and a shimmering, distant look in her eye; her ability to create each scene around her continued throughout.  “She’s such a strong figure and representation of women … it wasn’t just about being pretty,” said Carollo, recalling her childhood love of Belle’s sense of adventure and quest to broaden the mind.

     The personal introduction and the intermission interaction offered by Terry Brennan coupled with the professional look and feel of the show, which included complex dance routines choreographed by Steve McCoy, made Beauty and the Beast a perfect evening out, while staying in and embracing the local community.

      The Airport Playhouse will continue its Beauty and the Beast production through Sept. 30, offering evening shows on Fridays and Saturdays, matinees on Saturdays and Sundays, and a special Senior Matinee and evening presentation on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Tickets are available at the box office on Knickerbocker Avenue or by phone, at 589-7588.

Jessica Carollo as Belle and Ed Brennan as the Beast in the Airport Playhouse production of

Beauty and the Beast

Suffolk County News - June 14, 2007                                                                                    Back To Top

Havoc in the house

Airport Playhouse presents The Boys Next Door

by CARY MAYA

BOHEMIA — Remember Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple? You ain’t seen nothing yet. The Airport Playhouse is presenting The Boys Next Door, a play about four unlikely roommates and the trials and tribulations they endure. “This play is about four adults with varied mental deficiencies who live in a group home,” director Jim Redding said. “There are probably a million morals to the story, but if I could choose one it would be we all have problems and it’s all about what we do to meet those problems. It’s a great little piece.”

Meet Jack (Marc J. Jackson), a nice enough young man with a heart of gold but a nightmare of a job because of it. He serves as burned-out social worker to four mentally disabled men, Arnold Wiggins (Steve McCoy), Lucien P. Smith (Odell Cureton), Norman Bularsky (Stephen Wangner), and Barry Klemper (Nick Attansio).

They live in a group home in New England and a stranger quartet of roommates you will never see. Lucien is obsessed with animals, the alphabet, and his new library card, Norman is obsessed with doughnuts, schizophrenic Barry, a self-proclaimed golf pro, is obsessed with the sport and, Arnold, well, poor neurotic Arnold is obsessive about ... everything!

Jack is in charge of their care but it is becoming too much for him and he is seeking employment elsewhere. Can you blame him? There was the time Lucien pulled the fire alarm at the apartment complex and there was no fire.

How about the time Arnold told poor Helen at the dance that she had a facial tic just because she commented that his pants were wet and Jack had to work it all out?

But the real reason Jack is frustrated is that he cannot stand to see these four guys suffer. Arnold is constantly being taken advantage of. His co-worker at the local cinema, big bully Melvin intimidates him and makes him shine his shoes, and the workers at the local supermarket goof on him relentlessly.

Norman has gained 17 pounds since he started working at the local doughnut store, the government is trying to take away Lucien’s Social Security benefits, and Barry is devastated when his father visits, even needing to be institutionalized once again upon his old man’s departure.

Jack cannot stand to see it all happen to these guys he has come to like and even comments, “I don’t know if this is the happiest place I have ever worked, or the saddest.”

McCoy portrayed Arnold, the bonethin nerdy nitpicker who complained about everything, to a tee. His constant movement and his reducing every little detail in his life to a frantic emergency had the audience almost as nervous as him, and Cureton displayed awesome ability as the googly-eyed child/man Lucien, especially in the scene which takes place in front of the Senate committee deciding his financial fate as he transforms into a lucid adult explaining to the audience that “without me you would never be afraid of what you might have become.”

Wangner elicited great sympathy as the pathetic Norman, as did Attansio’s Barry, who shows his more serious side during the touching monologue about a former fellow patient’s death, and Jackson was perfect as frustrated social worker Jack.

The Airport Playhouse, located at 218 Knickerbocker Avenue in Bohemia, will be presenting The Boys Next Door on June 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 8 p.m., June 20 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and June 17 and 24 at 2:30 p.m. For more information call 589-7588 or visit www.airportplayhouse.com.

Steve Wanger, Nick Attansio, Steve McCoy and Odell Cureton play four unlikely roommates in the Airport Playhouse production of The Boys Next Door.

Suffolk County News  May 10, 2007                                                                  Back To Top

As the stage star turns

Airport Playhouse presents Gypsy

By KATHERINE KLAHN

BOHEMIA — Modern-day stage mums cannot hold a candle to Mama Rose, who was the culmination of the phrase even before it entered into our modern-day vocabulary.

Gypsy, now being performed at the Airport Playhouse, is a play chronicling the story of Mama Rose’s life and the life she vicariously lived through her two daughters, Baby June and Louise.

The story was suggested by the memoirs of Mama Rose’s younger daughter, Louise (Kelsey Cheslock), who grows up to be a famous burlesque dancer. Her daughter June (Meagan Schmid), younger and cuter, was supposed to be the star but wound up getting hitched before her career came to fruition.

Ignored by her mother and men for most of her life, Louise sticks around after her sister leaves, with the hope of gaining more attention from her starstruck and preoccupied mother. So, mom cracks the whip on Louise instead. Dragging her to auditions in a blonde wig, Mama Rose is hell-bent on turning Louise into the star she always hoped that June would be.

Then, after one audition goes awry, Louise and the acting troop wind up as performers in a New York City burlesque studio. They were hired to “keep away the cops,” according to one attendant. But, Louise sees something more in the tantalizing profession.

After years in the trade, Louise eventually becomes a famous burlesque dancer, which is not quite a stripper yet not quite a ballet dancer, although it was never Mama Rose’s intention because she wanted her daughters to be stars of Vaudeville.

This colorful, musical, artsy drama, hilarious comedy and everything in between is well worth a ticket. The show begins on a blank stage with loud, jazz-type music playing on the side.

The music played in the beginning echoes throughout the entire play as a common thread. Then, we’re introduced to Mama Rose, played by Mary Ellin Kurtz, the robust mother with the relentless drive for stardom.

From the beginning, Mama Rose shows her true character. Whether with a mink stole or a housedress, her husky voice and brash strut display her gritty disposition without camouflage.

At the start of the play, the small family lives with or rather they live off of, Mama Rose’s father. Verbal arguments are common for Mama Rose and her father, because Mama Rose will not rid herself of the ultimate dream: stardom.

“If I die, it ain’t gonna be from sittin,’ it’s gonna be from fightin’,” Mama Rose says to her father in one early scene.

When the trio auditions for parts across the nation, they are referred to as “gypsies” because of their traveling nature. Later, when Louise becomes a burlesque dancer, she takes the name Gypsy Rose Louise. But, as always, the man introducing her forgets her name and she is called Gypsy Rose Lee.

Tragically, Louise is always left in the dust. During one scene she solitarily sings to stuffed animals in her room, and even more pitiful is that it is her birthday and everyone left her alone.

Then, she gains feelings for a boy after he sings to her and serenades her with dance. The boy, Tulsa (Matt Baguth), is a member of her acting troop, but her affections are quickly shot down because in the very next scene she finds a note detailing that her younger sister June ran off and married him.

But one man does give her attention, her surrogate father and agent, Herbie (Joe Mantello), who her mother loves but after more than a decade together, never marries. Eventually, Herbie gets fed up and leaves Mama Rose.

The story, though dramatic and teary at times, is also sweet and endearing, displaying the bond that Louise and her mother have through it all. To define a true star of the show is nearly impossible.

Mama begins and ends the show in appearance. It is her dedication that makes the show and her voice that carries the tune you will be humming for the rest of the evening. Louise is also the star of the play, as it is told from her memories, and is an unfortunate character that eventually succeeds. Louise is the one you cry for.

Identifying the true star is in the eyes and ears of each audience member. Performances at the playhouse located at 218 Knickerbocker Avenue, run through May 20. Tickets are $20 and $22. For more information, call 589-7588.

Kelsey Cheslock (left) as Louise and Mary Ellin Kurtz as Mama Rose, star in the Airport Playhouse production of Gypsy.

Suffolk County News  April 15, 2007                                                                                      Back To Top

Motorcycle man ratchets up trouble in sleepy town

Love and law clash as the Airport Playhouse presents All Shook Up

By CARY MAYA

BOHEMIA — Boring. That is a word most people use when describing their hometowns. Not much to do, not much going on, everyone knows everyone else. Yes, boring.

The Airport Playhouse in Bohemia is presenting the musical All Shook Up, a piece about one sleepy little town that is awakened out of its doldrums by a rock and rolling stranger who arrives to administer a life-injection into its sagging small town veins. 

The time—the mid 1950s. The place—any small town USA. Mechanic Natalie Haller (Kristen Digilio) works in her father Jim’s (Steve Wangner) auto body shop. 

Just a small town girl with one big dream. She is “waiting for a motorcycle man to take me away.” And wouldn’t you know it; a leather-jacketed, greasy-haired motorcycle man does enter into her world one day when bad-boy biker Chad (Jon Rivera) brings his ailing cycle into her dad’s shop for repairs.

But this Elvis-wannabe is not just in town for the tune up. He has come to deliver a wake-up call to the residents of this somnambulant little nowheresville. Natalie is thrilled.

She is just about the only one happy at the arrival of this visiting punk, though. Mayor Matilda Hyde (Debbie D’Amore) is most upset. She has just enacted the “Mamie Eisenhower Decency Act” which forbids such things as necking, dancing and, most importantly, rock and roll (in other words—all fun), which she enforces with a vengeance with the help of her ever-silent sheriff Earl (John J. Steele Jr.).

Local boy Dennis (Michael McAuliffe) is less than thrilled, too. He has had his eye on Natalie and even the fact that Chad has made the geek his sidekick does little to ease his frustration at seeing the girl of his dreams fall for this serenading stranger.

To Natalie’s frustration, Chad shows absolutely no interest in her. He is, however, quite interested in museum curator Miss Sandra (Tania Wilk), stuffy, sophisticated fish-out-of-water in this land of simple, backward people.

Miss Sandra wants nothing to do with this Neanderthal and Chad appeals to Dennis for help in wooing her. Dennis suggests delivering a poem to her and he takes the advice.

The poem is, however, delivered not by Chad, but by “Ed” who happens to be Natalie in drag. Out of her frustration at being spurned by Chad, Natalie has decided to masquerade as a man, being just one of the boys, hoping that the ruse will endear her to Chad who values male companionship.

Of course Sandra falls for “Ed” and what ensues is a cross between The Crying Game and The Music Man as Chad, the hipster who has come to “Dullsville” to awaken its residents, falls for “Ed,” much to his confusion, and the town is spun topsy-turvy with both its residents and the confident drifter Chad coming to question their identities and the meanings of their hitherto normal lives.

Rivera is indeed slick down to his hairdo and “Fonzi” touch as he taps a hand against the broken jukebox, which then returns to life. Digilio elicits sympathy as the tomboy mechanic, coveralls and all.

It is Golda Kelli Ryan’s Lorraine, however, the African-American bobby soxer, who steals the show, commanding attention with her superior vocal skills exhibiting a voice that is more gospel than rock and roll.

The Airport Playhouse, located at 218 Knickerbocker Avenue in

Bohemia is scheduled to present All Shook Up now through April 15. For ticket information call 589-7588 or visit www.airportplayhouse.com.

Jon Rivera as Chad, the rock and rolling drifter who comes to wake up the sleepy little town, in the Airport Playhouse’s production of All Shook Up being performed now through April 15.

Suffolk County News  February 15, 2007                                                                          Back To Top

Making fun of the flicks 

Airport Playhouse presents Hollywood Exposed a movies spoof 

By CARY MAYA 

BOHEMIA — People love movies. For most of us there is nothing more pleasant than sitting on a sticky leather seat staring up at a sky-high screen, munching on a barrel of extra extra-buttered popcorn, steroid-size soda cup in hand (diet of course), chowing down a brick box of Raisnettes and watching our favorite actors. 

The Airport Playhouse in Bohemia is presenting a musical about such experiences called Hollywood Exposed, a spoof on the movie business. But this piece, written by Long Islander Michael Tester, is no ordinary celebration of the movie going experience. 

This piece is a spoof of Hollywood movies,” said Airport Playhouse co owner Ed Brennan. “It’s gone through several incarnations over the years and our version is the first time it is being performed with these new modifications.” 

As people were led to their seats, a loud usherette named Bijou Bette (Susan Jeffares, who also directed the piece) walked through crowd, not only issuing announcements, but also spending most of her time asking the assembling audience movie trivia questions and telling off-color jokes. 

In come the actors. The ensemble of Jeffares, Christina D’Orta, William A. Lardi, Brian Buckley, Matthew Senese, Erica Giglio, Katie Mussler and Steven Prendergast, led the audience of movie buffs through a surreal, non-stop (except a for short intermission so attendees could catch their breaths) romp down celluloid memory lane. 

By combining classic movie references with modern themes in pieces such as “The Phantom of the Discothèque,” which has the half masked madman dressing as John Travolta, white suit and all, the gifted troupe displayed awesome energy and impeccable timing in what is a challenging piece. 

The piece included dancing silly sequences, while a gaudily clad disco dancer shimmies ditzy dances atop a platform to strobe lights and blasting drum beats, and “A Very Brady Exorcist” with Cindy Brady (played brilliantly by Jeffares, Chucky doll in hand) possessed by the devil, exorcized by none other than Alice the maid, who turns out, when disrobed, to be none other than the governor of California himself, that perennial action star—Arnold Schwarzenegger, 

Giglio shone most notably in her portrayal of Barbara Streisand experiencing a bad hair day as she sang about being snubbed by the Oscars, slung digs at her rival Better Midler, and uttered the line “I like the way I make me feel.” Giglio’s portrayal of the “known to the difficult star” was impeccable, enough to make any Fire Island “Ms.” Streisand turn green (or pink) with envy. 

Lardi shared his superior comic skills as Arnold the Terminator, the tutued ballet-dancing gangster during the piece “Don’s Lake.” Patrons cannot forget the hilarious “Mahatma Gumby” who auditions during “Central (MIS) Casting” where Lardi is dressed in green Gumby regalia and says in a perfect Hindu accent, “There’s a nude sheriff in town.” 

But, Jeffares stole the show. She portrayed her Bijou Bette, the wisecracking usherette, with great sensitivity and an abundance of humor, at times berating the audience like a pre-Prozac Don Rickles. 

And at other times displaying her sensitive side, as in the piece “Hollywoodland” where the ultimate movie buff is serenaded by Dorothy, from The Wizard of Oz, and Humphrey Bogart during a dream sequence in which she stares off into space thinking about her younger days when she aspired be a star. 

The Airport Playhouse, located a 218 Knickerbocker Avenue in Bohemia, will be presenting Hollywood Exposed now through Sunday, March 4. For information call 589-7588 or visit www.airportplayhouse.com.

William A. Lardi, Steven Prendegast, Christina D’Orta, Susan Jeffares, Matt Senese and Erica Giglio star in Hollywood Exposed, a spoof of movies being performed at the airport Playhouse in Bohemia.

Suffolk County News  January 11, 2007                                                              Back To Top

Old story turned urban drama

The Airport Playhouse presents its reworking of Godspell 

 By CARY MAYA 

BOHEMIA — The Bible, a best seller written thousands of years ago, is the ultimate self-help book, but most of us view it as a tome telling tales of long ago. One can lose sight of the fact that it spoke of people just like us trying to come to terms with this mystery we call life. 

The Airport Playhouse is presenting the musical Godspell, which tells the story of a group of modern day truth seekers who befriend and then follow Jesus Christ. 

The performance provides a unique twist to the 1971 Stephen Schwartz creation by setting the scene in a gritty urban environment. “The Broadway production of the show was very hippie, flower child-like, but with this show we kind of abandoned that a bit,” said director Nick Attanasio. “We took characters in New York City, people you’d see walking through the streets who are covering their own agendas, and they all meet and realize they’re all searching for something. They see Jesus and start to follow him.” 

The action takes place in a city lot littered with garbage and debris. The voice of Jesus Christ (Frankie Gabriel) resounds from speakers and begins proselytizing from above. 

Enter the rest of the cast, which includes a waitress, a high school student, a runaway, a businessman, a homeless person, a mother, and a police officer: a mishmash of society. 

They band together and follow this simple man who enters into their lives and teaches them lessons through parables until one of them, Judas (Craig Michael Boccia), eventually sells him out and sets him up to be crucified and sent into martyrdom forever. 

From the frantic opening song “Tower of Babble”, where the disparate disciples (Jeremy Hudson, Diana Buchwald, Jennifer Roller, Boccia, Christine Iannone- Schuller, Chris Prisco, Michael McAuliffe, Kristen DiGilio and TracyLynn Connor) emerge on stage one by one and sing their differing philosophies in a cacophony of lyrical confusion, to the piece’s emotional finale, which sees the betrayed Jesus hanging from a street sign dying, the cast of Godspell held the audience spellbound, captivated, and amused. 

Attanasio infused quite a bit of comedy into this tragic tale of the doomed prophet of peace by incorporating references to game shows, television situation comedies, even one from the film Godfather II when one of the disciples uses the line “I knew it was you Fredo and you broke my heart” while giving the kiss of death to his brother in the “if your brother sins against you” lesson. 

Gabriel played his part of the humble messenger with- the-profound-message with sensitivity and assurance. From sitting in the background enjoying his followers’ antics to exploding at them for giving into their corporeal natures, to his questioning God for choosing him to carry the message, Gabriel imbued his wise, tormented Jesus with all the qualities of a stern teacher while at the same time portraying the Manhattanite-by-way-of-Galilee as a struggling everyman, questioning, doubting, and, at times, resisting his fate, akin to typical people. 

The Airport Playhouse, located at 218 Knickerbocker Avenue in Bohemia will be performing Godspell on Jan. 12 (singles evening with tickets going for $14 with complimentary wine and cheese), and 13, 17, 19, 20, 26, and 27 at 8 p.m. 

Performances will also be on Jan. 14, 21, and 28 at 2:30 p.m. (with bagels and coffee), and Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. (senior matinee with complimentary coffee and cake), and 8 p.m. For ticket information call 589-7588 or visit www.airportplayhouse.com.

Frankie Gabriel (Superman T-shirt) plays Jesus Christ in the Airport Playhouse presentation of Godspell. Gabriel is flanked from bottom left by Jeremy Hudson, Diana Buchwald, Jennifer Roller, Craig Michael Boccia, Christine Iannone-Schuller, Chris Prisco, Michael McAuliffe, Kristen DiGillio and TracyLynn Connor.   

Suffolk County News  November 30, 2006                                                                         Back To Top

If the shoe fits...

Bohemia's Airport Playhouse performs the classis story of Cinderella

By CARY MAYA 

BOHEMIA — Wishes. We all have wishes. Some of us want to win the lottery, some want the vacation of a lifetime, some wish ill on their old gym teachers. But perhaps the most common wish is to find that special Prince or Princess Charming we can join with to live out a fairytale life.  Simple, but true is it not. The Airport Playhouse is performing the play Cinderella, a story about one young lady’s wish for the perfect life and the journey she undertakes to make it come true. 

Cinderella (Brittany Leslie) has been forced to live with her mean stepmother (Jeannine Gallmeyer) and her two evil stepsisters, Portia (Erica Gigilio) and Joy (Brenda Festo). She washes their clothes, prepares their meals, and is excluded from all social activities. She is a virtual prisoner in their home, an indentured servant. 

The King and Queen (Michael DePersio and Renee Santos-Stewart) are throwing a ball for their son, the Prince (Patrick Grossman), who will be turning 21 and is still single. Their hope is that he will find a suitable girl at the affair to marry. Well of course Cinderella cannot go. It is out of the question. That is until her Fairy Godmother (Mary Ellin Kurtz) shows up and magically turns a pumpkin into a chariot that will transport her to the ball and drapes Cinderella in an elegant dress to wear. Cinderella attends the ball and the Prince falls head over heels in love. But there is one catch. Just as they are getting to know one another, Cinderella must go. 

She has a curfew and if she is not home by the stroke of midnight, she will return to being the plain girl she was. She scurries home but not before leaving behind her silver slipper, the only evidence that she was there at all. 

The Prince appeals to his parents to employ all their resources to find the owner of the slipper and the palace staff travels to every dwelling in the kingdom. They come to Cinderella’s house where her stepsisters and stepmother try to fit into the slipper but to no avail. 

The Fairy Godmother tells the Prince’s representatives that they must find Cinderella and have her try on the slipper. This happens in the palace garden and when the Prince puts the slipper on the girl, lo and behold it fits. 

The piece closes with the wedding of Cinderella and the Prince to the joy of all, except of course her jealous, evil stepsisters, Portia and Joy. Giglio and Festo provided comical madness as the perennially sour-pussed stepsisters, constantly competing for their cold mother’s attention.  Stomping and sulking in their solo number “Stepsister’s Lament,” the actresses showed great physical ability, bending and gyrating around, displaying a remarkable flexibility that one would find more in cartoon characters than in flesh and blood thespians. 

DePersio and Stewart mixed well as the unlikely King and Queen couple, constantly at odds and ends, but succeeding at showing solidarity in the sweet song “Boys And Girls Like You And Me” and Gallemeyer was as mean a stepmother as Joan Crawford with a hangover. 

Grossman and Leslie imbued their characters of Prince and future Princess with great compassion. Leslie never let her abused Cinderella show any bitterness about her unfortunate circumstances, and Grossman forbade his fortunate son Prince from displaying the slightest conceit. 

The Airport Playhouse will be presenting Cinderella now through Dec. 22. For ticket information call 589-7588 or visit www.AirportPlayhouse.com.

September 21, 2006                                                                                              Back To Top

Love and loss in Chinquapin County

Airport Playhouse in Bohemia presents Steel Magnolias

Suffolk County News

By JENNIFER ACOSTA

BOHEMIA - Usually, just the mention of the movie's title brings to n the phrase "chick flick" for many, but plenty of husbands accompanied their wives to the Airport Playhouse this past weekend to see the wonderfully dramatic and life contemplating production of Steel Magnolias.

The set design was phenomenal. The audience was immediately immersed into a Southern eighties-car-port renovated beauty parlor with a fly-on-the wall view of six women who are all very different yet bond in a special way. Truvy and Annelle are the first characters to draw the audience in with their Southern drawls.

      Truvy, played by Susan Jeffares, is the owner of the beauty shop and Annelle, played by the young Tania Wilk, is new to the town and looking for a job. After practicing on Truvy's hair she is hired as the other women stroll in. First to join the group is Joan Cole playing the role of Clairee, the widow of a politician with way too much money and time on her hands.

Cole is one of the best actresses in the play. Her appearance and demeanor work splendidly as Chairee, giving the audience a genuine feel for her character. Clairee comes in for her hairdo but is asked to wait because Shelby is on her way in with her mother, M'Lynn, and it is a special day.  It is Shelby's wedding day and Truvy has the honor of doing her hair in an up-do with plenty of baby's breath, much to her mother's dismay. The story unfolds and the relationship between mother and daughter is explored in unique but familiar, thought provoking ways. The two disagree on almost everything. When Shelby, a diabetic, suddenly begins to fall unconscious, a hilarious, and at the same time terrifying, scene erupts as the women try to force Shelby to drink orange juice and eat candy "for her own good" as she tries to fight them off. M'Lynn, is played by Sheila Sheffield, a very strong and inspiring actress, with a wonderful portrayal of a mother's undying love.

      While the ladies enjoy their time together gossiping and joking, gunshots are heard in the distance. Apparently Shelby's father, Drum, is trying to scare the birds out of the trees so they won't ruin her backyard, Southern style wedding.

Meanwhile Quise, played by Victoria Grazioli, storms into the salon spewing hate towards Drum for searing he poor elderly dog with the commotion.  Grazioli wonderfully portrays Quise who admits, "I'm not crazy I've just been in a bad mood for 40 years."

As the story unfolds, surprises an, laughs are woven together with tears, and it can't help but tug on the heartstrings of the audience. Sniffles heard throughout the small theater verified the audience was swept away.

      "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion," Truvy said after a emotional scene where the women hug, laugh and cry their way through heartbreaking loss.

With lines like "Time marches on ... right on over my face, the show has laughs for everyone but is not recommended for children under 11. Topics discussed although lightly and humorously included homosexuality and some quick-witted jokes would probably be difficult for a younger child to enjoy.

Steel Magnolias is a fabulous opportunity to scrunch up that hair into one favorite eighties-style, slap on some stretchy pants and enjoy a fun night out with the girls in the lovely little Louisiana Parish of Chinquapin County.

The cast of Steel Magnolias, which is being performed at the Airport Playhouse in Bohemia.

August 3, 2006                                                                                                           Back To Top

A sizzling sensation of fundraising

The Airport Playhouse holds its

Broadway's Best '06 Benefit for Breast Cancer

By CARY MAYA Suffolk County News

BOHEMIA ~ Benefits by artists are nothing new.  There were the Live Aid concerts for Africa, The Rain Forest series for the environment and the Farm Aid benefits for the American farmers.

      Something about the artists’ sensitivity makes it conducive to helping relieve the suffering of others.  The Airport Playhouse, located on Knickerbocker Avenue in Bohemia, displayed its artists’ empathy by presenting a special two‑evening performance last week.

A talented group of young singers, dancers and musicians presented an eclectic show of selections from various Broadway productions on Wednesday and Thursday to benefit the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, an organization committed to battling breast cancer by supporting both new and established research.

“Ms. Baldwin was at Wednesday evening’s performance,” said Terry Brennan, owner and operator of the playhouse. “She had a private meeting with the cast before the show and when we introduced her from the stage there was a standing ovation. It was so important to the cast that she came.”

      This event marked the second annual Broadway's Best benefit. Last year’s event, held to help fight the devastating disease of