The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Gotta Have Arts

L.O.V.E.R. Baring it All! Runs June 8th – June 25th at the Schoolhouse Theater and Arts Center

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The Schoolhouse Theater and Arts Center in North Salem presents Lois Robbins’ new play: L.O.V.E.R. (Baring it All!) The play will run weekends beginning Thursday, June 8th through Sunday June 25th. Shows run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday Matinees at 3 p.m. at the Schoolhouse Theater & Arts Center in Croton Falls. Tickets are $ 38 Individuals and $ 35 Seniors.

L.O.V.E.R. (Baring it All!) is the world premier of a new theater work written and performed by Lois Robbins. It’s a comic and poignant riff she describes to us as: A TALE OF LOVE AND LUST FROM A #GROWN-UP WOMAN’S P.O.V. It is fast-paced, sophisticated and very funny-one woman’s journey from childhood to adulthood.

Lois Robbins is a native New Yorker and an accomplished actress. She is best known for her roles on daytime television including One Life to Live, Loving, Ryan’s Hope and All My Children. She was most recently seen in Blowtorch, opposite Billy Baldwin, Kathy Najimy and Armand Assante. Earlier this year, she wrapped production on two independent films; Juvie, alongside Eric Roberts, and Ithaca, directed by Meg Ryan and produced by Playtone (Tom Hanks’ production company.) In Ithaca, she plays the role of Mrs. Beaufrere and co-stars with Sam Shepherd, Melanie Griffith and Meg Ryan. This fall, Ms. Robbins will shoot the independent film The Aspern Papers, in Venice, Italy alongside Vanessa Redgrave, Jolie Richardson and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

For tickets please go online to www.schoolhousetheater.org. Contact: Lynne D. Darlington, Managing Director Schoolhouse Theater and Arts Center, PO Box 300, Croton Falls, NY 10519 Cell – (914) 420-3884 Office – (914) 277-8477

A Hilarious Hudson Stage Production: ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’

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Through May 13th at the Whippoorwill Hall Theater within the North Castle Public Library

By Matt Smith

(L-R): Denis Lambert, Joe Delafield and Matt Ban PHOTO BY: Rana Faure

“The time is upon us sooner than I expected. The theatre of deathly intent begins, and we have front row seats!” So exclaims Sherlock Holmes at the climax of The Hound of the Baskervilles, the most recent production of Hudson Stage Company www.hudsonstage.com, having ultimately solved his case. And of course, he’s here referencing the insanity about to ensue, as he and his bumbling sidekick Dr. Watson attempt to expose their perpetrator for who he or she really is. But there’s no question he could easily be speaking of the very show in which he appears. Indeed, this laugh-a-minute comedic masterpiece, based on the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle, now playing at the Whippoorwill Hall Theater through May 13, is, simply put, a delightful romp.

The plot follows the renowned detective and his ragtag group of friends and colleagues through their journey to unveil the killer of Sir Charles Baskerville, and determine the true identity of the hound who lay beside him. Mistaken identities, rapid-fire quick changes, farcical asides, and an array of expertly executed accents are all part of the fun, as Holmes uncovers new surprises — to both the audience and to himself — at every corner.

 But while the story is indeed entertaining, the real enjoyment is in watching the talented cast of three winning men display their impeccable comedic skill. Matt Ban effortlessly exhibits his mastery of physical comedy, indulging in the play’s (intentionally) overacted and exaggerated instances, rolling around the floor in one minute and bounding about the stage in the next. (Of note, he does a particularly clever bit with a bush, eliciting a ROFL response from Denis Lambert’s Holmes).

Joe Delafield, meanwhile, has a firm grasp on the zany one-liners and multiple costume changes, and Lambert’s knack for accents (especially when dressed as Latina bombshell, Cecile), is, in a word, unmatched.

It’s really exciting when the skills of these three masterminds collide and blend into each other, each one taking a piece from the other two. No better is this exemplified than at the top of the second act, when, irked by a faux tweet sent by an anonymous audience member, Lambert demands they repeat the first act in its entirety. Any who might think this to be an arduous, lengthy or unnecessary task will definitely think again once they see the guns-blazing, lightning-speed, lickety-split result. It all helps to prove that the show’s a team effort and no one cast member can survive (pun definitely involved) without the other three. Director Mark Shanahan has smartly utilized each of his actors, all of which, it should be noted, come with their share of Broadway experience, and their teamwork is not to be missed.

Also enjoyable for the diehard theatre fan is the fact that the play is rife with self-referential jokes and banter. In the style of Monty Python and the Marx Brothers in which this show is based, the players cleverly (and consistently!) break the fourth wall, letting us in on the fact that they know they’re actors in a show (Particularly notable is Holmes tipping over a plate of sausages, noting, “They’re stuck to the plate,” after Watson asks for a bite, or when Watson asks to question Mrs. Barrymore, his male equivalent quips, wheeling a set piece into the wings, quips, “Very well, sir, as soon as I’ve finished parking the bed”).

Again, it’s this kind of dry wit and silly humor, coupled with the threesome’s ability to execute it so darn well, that allows for such an enjoyable evening. So, sit back, let go, laugh at yourself (and others, of course) and just indulge. I mean, what’s stopping you? It’s close, it’s affordable, and it’s HILARIOUS! You’re sure to have a howling good time!

Whippoorwill Hall Theater is located within North Castle Public Library at 19 Whippoorwill Road East in Armonk. The Hound of the Baskervilles plays at the venue through May 13th. Also, visit HudsonStage.com for ticket info and to learn about upcoming productions.

  Matt Smith is a writer and contributor to The Inside Press. For further information or inquiry, please visit www.matttheater.com

A Community Delights in Frank Shiner & in the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center

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By Grace Bennett

Frank Shiner tells his audiences that “Love,” in all its permutations (the agony and the ecstasy), serves as the theme for his musical selections. By every indication last night: love and a palpable excitement permeated the air as the audience rose for a standing ovation for Shiner–cheering for the exuberant and talented singer but also for the future of the all new Chappaqua Performing Arts Center. 

Frank Shiner   PHOTO BY Carolyn Simpson, Doublevision Photographers

It was just emotion taking him over at first when Shiner took the stage, looking out into the packed room, and a little choked up, he said, “Thank you, Chappaqua.”

And then he proceeded to engage a hometown audience with a thoughtful selection of blues/soul songs including stirring titles from Amy Winehouse (“Love is a Losing Game”): and The Young Rascals (“How Can I be Sure?”), backed up by a group of mega talented musicians who have worked with celebrity performers. They were:

 

Jon Cobert, keyboard – Lennon, Springstein

 

Sherrod Barnes, guitar- Whitney, Roberta Flack, Earth Wind Fire

 

Jay Rodriguez sax,flute- Prince, Patty Labelle, Elvis Cost Miles Davis                    

 

Chris Anderson Bass, toured with A Great Big Wold and Rachel Platten and has a band with his wife. 

 

Dan Weiner drummer – Amer. Got talent house, Woo Tang Clan

 

(L-R) Joining Frank Shiner on stage with stellar performances of their own too: (L-R) Jon Cobert, Sherrod Barnes, Dan Weiner, Chris Anderson and Jay Rodriguez PHOTO BY Carolyn Simpson, Doublevision Photographers
Frank Shiner with cast members from Greeley’s production of Grease. PHOTO BY Grace Bennett, Inside Press

 

Shiner and his daughter Lindsay  PHOTO BY Carolyn Simpson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                    Frank also announced the debut of his daughter Lindsay Shiner, a Greeley senior who was just accepted to the BFA Program at Baldwin Wallace University, singing as backup and in a duet with her father (“When Something is Wrong with my Baby” with the lyrics changed slightly to reflect a father/daughter relationship!).  Toward the end of the show,  members of Greeley’s cast of Grease, the senior musical, joined Frank on stage as well to perform “We Go Together.”

David Restivo, executive director of the Chappaqua Orchestra and on the Town’s Arts and Culture committee, volunteered with sound, together with John Flanagan, who ran the lights too. Area restaurants including Le Jardin du roi and Quaker Hill Tavern in Chappaqua offered donations before and after the show with tie ins on their menus. Shiner himself donated $5K in proceeds from the show to the newly formed Friends of the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center. Shiner’s upcoming album, Lonely Town, Lonely Street will be available May 19th on RED/SONY with his single On a Rainy Night in Georgia.

Most of all, it was a warm and enthusiastic community gathering signifying the continuing aspirations for the evolving venue. Prior to Frank taking the stage, the audience heard Town Councilwoman Lisa Katz, who conceived the Center working with the town’s Arts and Culture committee, describe an array of plans by the Town of New Castle–including a town theater camp for kids this summer and a special art show in September–to ultimately position the site of the old Readers Digest Wallace Auditorium as a key cultural destination in Northern Westchester, and for the county, as well.

John Fanelli, director of the Lighthouse Youth Theater in Armonk, with a years-long track record of directing shows in the county, has been brought in as theater manager to help produce an array of musicals and shows to the venue.  He expressed his enthusiasm about the venue and told the audience that he is open to receiving ideas for productions from the community, too.

Chappaqua’s Michele Gregson and Tracy Stein are heading the new Friends of the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center and have plans to raise an initial $50,000 for program development at the Center.

A website is under construction and a calendar of events is being created soon too. 

Next up: an all new Storybook Family Concert by the Chappaqua Orchestra on April 29th directed by Maestro Michael Shapiro. Shiner graciously encouraged everyone attending to purchase tickets for the show which he described as a high caliber event and “not just for kids.” Visit www.chappaquaorchestra.org for tickets and more information.

No doubt about it… Chappaqua’s Got Arts.

Grace Bennett, Publisher and Editor of the Inside Press, is excited about the future of the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center.

The Small Town Theater Company Presents: Steel Magnolias

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Dates/Locations: May 12 • 13 • 8PM

The Hergenhan Center • Armonk, NY

Reservations

Directions

 

Synopsis

Steel Magnolias met with immediate critical and popular acceptance in its premier New York production. The play is alternately hilarious and touching and, in the end, deeply revealing of the strength and purposefulness which underlies the antic banter of its characters.

The action is set in Truvy’s beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle, the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the town’s rich curmudgeon, Ouiser; an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee; and the local social leader, M’Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby, is about to marry a “good ole boy.”

Laura Donaldson
Shelby

Laura was last seen in our production of Talley’s Folley as well as Dangerous Liaisons. She has performed both professionally and locally for over 20 years. Favorite roles include Fantine in Les Miserables, Doralee in 9 to 5, Florence in Chess, Ellen in Miss Saigon, Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy, Cathy in The Last 5 Years, Julie Jordan in Carousel, The Witch in Into the Woods and the title role in Violet.

Colleen Fay
Truvy

Colleen was last seen in The Small Town Theater Company’s production of How I Learned to Drive. She has also been seen in The Vagina Monalogues at the Sandbox Theater.

Irene Howard
Ouiser

Irene has been entertaining audiences for nearly four decades portraying every Broadway belter from Mama Rose to Reno Sweeney to Miss Hannigan on every stage from the “Church Circuit” to the Westchester Broadway Theatre to Lincoln Center. She met husband Jay while starring opposite him in Annie Get Your Gun more than 30 years ago and they are still waging the “Battle of the Sexes” in New Fairfield, CT.

Liz Harrington
Annelle

Liz Harrington is proud to be making her Small Town Theatre Company debut in a favorite role. Recent roles include: Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Mandy in Time Stands Stills, Esther in Meet Me in St. Louis, and Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof. She first had the privilege of playing Annelle in 2010 with the Harrison Players.

Nellie O’Brien
M’Lynn

Nellie has performed in many national and local venues including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, The Westchester Broadway Theatre, Tarrytown Music Hall, The Emelin Theatre, Salt City Center and The Performing Arts Foundation. She has TV, radio, voiceovers, comedy improv and cabaret to her credit and was a recipient of the Irene Ryan Award for Excellence in Acting.

Misti Tindiglia
Clairee

An award winning actress, Misti works in independent films (three have gone to the Cannes Film Festival), commercials, animated films, voice overs, industrials and appears on stage in theaters throughout the New York area. Favorite role is Katharine Gerad in Mothers and Sons. SAG-AFTRA

Tom Kramer
Director

Tom has acted and directed at The Small Town Theatre Company. Acting roles include Charlotte von Mahlsdorf in I Am My Own Wife, Ben Franklin in 1776, Oscar Wilde in Gross Indecency, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, and The Steward in Into The Woods. Pays Tom directed include Follies, Gypsy, The Grapes of Wrath, Master Class, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Little Night Music, Evita, and Fiddler on the Roof.

Multi Faceted Katonah Arts Center “A Creative Force” in Westchester

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An upcoming show, Arbor Vitae: Tree of Life, the tree paintings of Susan Stillman, are on exhibit at the Anderson Chase Gallery from January 9 – February 3, 2017. The opening reception to meet the artist is scheduled for January 14, 2017 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Open House and Free Arts Day:  Sunday, January 15th, 1-3 p.m.

Goldens Bridge, NY— The Katonah Art Center has been a creative force in Northern Westchester for over 2o years. During that period, KAC has grown from a small painting and drawing studio to a large multi-arts center. 2016 was an especially transformative year, with a move to our dream space–a 1912 schoolhouse which once home to the Northern Westchester Center for the Arts. Our new building far surpasses any of our former locations in size, lighting and character. The well-lit, high ceilinged classrooms upstairs became our drawing and painting studios, computer art and 3D printing lab as well as our office space. The lower floor now houses our spacious pottery and sculpture studios, children’s studio and new specialty studio equipped for metal-smithing, fused glass and printmaking.

With the new space came a new gallery. The Anderson Chase Gallery is intended to serve as a source of inspiration and opportunity for not only our immediate KAC family, but also the wider Northern Westchester and NYC communities. So far, the gallery has greatly exceeded our expectations. Our upcoming show, Arbor Vitae: Tree of Life, the tree paintings of Susan Stillman, will be on exhibit at the Anderson Chase Gallery from January 9 – February 3, 2017. The opening reception to meet the artist is scheduled for January 14, 2017 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

KAC course offerings cater to all ages and diverse disciplines including painting, drawing, pottery, photography, fused glass, and metal-smithing, among others. Our staff are all professional artists. Our newest instructor, Christopher Zacharow,  has been a long-time instructor at The Cooper Union, Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute. Other instructors include well known artists such as Wende Caporale, master portraitist, and Rae Smith, master pastel artist. Both have been featured in numerous magazines and have won many awards.

Also on staff is Tracy Burtz, a local artist whose works have been displayed in group and solo exhibitions throughout New York. Jock MacRae, one of our most popular teachers, has taught at KAC since it opened its doors. Jock’s paintings are part of many private and corporate collections throughout the US. KAC also hosts visiting artist workshops, most recently with re-known painter Mary Beth MacKenzie, whose works are in several museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. This spring we are thrilled to welcome Charles Reid, one of the nation’s foremost watercolorists, who will be teaching a three-day watercolor workshop.

KAC has extensive teen class offerings, including drawing and painting, metal-smithing, pottery, and more. Our very popular portfolio development program has gained our students entrance into all of the top art colleges in the U.S. For students needing more of a guiding hand we also offer the service of Donna Ferreiro, our portfolio coach. Children who love art are thrilled to find a place filled with like-minded kids and staff.

KAC’s  expressive arts program for young children is completely process driven, encouraging creativity and imagination while developing hand eye coordination. Fine art training begins at age 6 and is focused on teaching a wide range of mediums and techniques while making sure children retain their own creative vision. Birthday parties are a long-time favorite at KAC. We have many party options for children teens and adults; each party is custom designed with our party coordinator.

We want to take this opportunity to thank our loyal customers for their continued support and for their participation in the vibrant community that is KAC. Our move, six minutes north of Katonah, did not deter our long-time students. You can check out KAC’s offerings at katonahartcenter.com. We invite you to come see our beautiful new home and meet some of our instructors at our Open House and Free Arts Day Sunday, January 15th, 1-3 p.m.

This information was made possible via a release from the Katonah Arts Center