The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Love Story

CHOICES: A Rock Opera to Support the Wounded Warrior Project in Three Performances through Veteran’s Day Weekend

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Editor’s Note: A not so best kept secret is that there is something sizzlingly hot happening this weekend at the Chappaqua Performance Arts Center!

I was invited to catch the cast of Choices: A Rock Opera rehearsing for three upcoming shows–and showed up to witness a mere portion of their first full dress rehearsal last night. After just a few songs, it was hard not to feel swept away by the passion and life struggles shared in this fascinating story, performed all in song, from beginning to end. In all its complexity, it’s also simply a love story to embrace! The best news is you can still grab tickets and at the same time support the Wounded Warrior Project, a perfect way to support our Veterans. More below with showtime and ticket info from the producers of the show and the Wounded Warrior Project.  — Grace Bennett

Cast of Choices: A Rock Opera during a rehearsal at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center. Inside Press Photo

Westchester, NY – November 4, 2022 – This Veterans Day weekend, November 11-13, 2022, a portion of ticket sales from the performances and all post-performance collections at Choices: A Rock Opera will be donated to support non-profit Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) programs and services for warriors, which include access to mental and physical health care, employment assistance, and education services.

Broadway’s MiG Ayesa (Burn the Floor, Rock of Ages) and Composer/Director John Krupa at Chappaqua Performing Arts Center plus cast and creatives for Choices: A Rock Opera hail from across Westchester and the surrounding tri-state area, including Chappaqua, Armonk, Yonkers, Mahopac, Peekskill, Yorktown, Scarsdale, Hawthorne, Pleasantville, Eastchester, Ossining, Dobbs Ferry, Rye, Greenwich and Long Island.

Since 2003, Wounded Warrior Project® has been meeting the growing needs of warriors, their families, and caregivers – helping them achieve their highest ambition.

Choices: A Rock Opera is an electrifying new musical with an original Rock score by John Krupa about a driven but naïve lead singer of a 1980’s spandex-wearing, hairspray rock band. With lyrical melodies uniquely juxtaposed against heavy metal guitars and screaming synthesizers, Choices: A Rock Opera follows our lead singer on a universal journey through monumental roadblocks, dilemmas, and moral ambiguities. A mysterious man promises super-stardom; while friends, fans, and a captivating woman show him a vast world beyond his passionate focus that has garnered the band’s success, yet which has stunted his own personal evolution. Torn between a life of domestic bliss and a life of fame, can he make the true choice? An introspective, authentic depiction of the pulsating and electrifying ‘80s rock era, the story is the music in this modern coming of age musical for all audiences.

John Krupa directs a cast of 15 which includes Krupa and Ayesa as well as Nick Celio, Layla DaVias (“American Idol,” “Star Search”), Ronnie DiMaria, Annemarie Josephson, Christina Labrador (Count Zero Records), Joe Leo, and Dave O’Briskie, with Holly Block, Lielle Burk, Elana Cantor, Moriah Ritchie, Katie Weinstein, and Mia Williams.

The music and lyrics for Choices: A Rock Opera were written by John Krupa. Orchestrations by Artie Dillon, Mike Rosenman, Tommy Vinton and Grammy Award-winning producer William “Bill” Wittman (Kinky Boots, Cyndi Lauper), who are also members of band, which is rounded out by Hank DeCora, Jonathan Flaks, and Felix Guiffra. Together, they are an ensemble of professional musicians with over 150 years of combined experience working with the music industry’s top talent.

“With six new songs and an enhanced storyline, we are excited to continue to explore the characters and music in this new full production,” says Krupa. “Our talented cast of Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theater performers continue to bring this important story to life.”

Performances at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center are Friday, November 11 and Saturday, November 12 at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, November 13 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $40, plus a $2.50 service fee. For tickets and additional information, visit: choicesarockopera.com.

The runtime for Choices is approximately two hours, plus one 15-minute intermission.

Executive Producer: John Krupa; Managing Producer: Dawn Levy; Producers: Chris Grajewski, Layla DaVias, Tommy Vinton, Choices, A Rock Opera, LLC; Associate Producer: Mike Rosenman; Musical Director: Mike Rosenman; Choreographer: Holly Block; Lighting Designer: Zachary Dulny; Stage Manager and Assistant Director: Dani Masterson; Sound Designer: Chris Grajewski; Costume Designer: Dawn Levy; Hair Dresser: Karen Catalano; Assistant Stage Manager and Props Manager: Peggy Ringwood; Audio Engineer: Jessica Klee; Additional Publicity and Marketing: Jay Byrne and Annie Vinton; Press Representative: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.

Choices: A Rock Opera was presented as a workshop production in April 2022.

 

 

Origins of A Love Story in a New, Timely Novel on Ukraine

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A novel by Ben Frank

By Ben G. Frank

Many love affairs begin with a first glance.

Before the jet age, many romances began on a train or in a railroad station. 

Who does not recall the great Russian novel, Anna Karenina, or the classic film, Waterloo Bridge.

Rail stations were always a part of my family’s story. 

One hundred years ago, my mother, Sonya, of blessed memory, left Odessa, Ukraine, by train to Romania with her mother and sisters.  They were refugees. They wanted no part of the Russian Bolshevik Red Army, just as today’s Ukrainian refugees don’t want to live under a conquering Russian army. 

As a child growing up, I often heard the story of their escape, especially when the grownups got together. In whispers, my mother and her sisters talked about their brother, Mischa, who had disappeared. They believe he ran away to the army. He was never heard of again.

I dug deeper into the family story and after years of talking to relatives, I began to tell their story in what became my Klara Trilogy.

Klara’s Journey was the first of three historical fiction books, each independent of each other. This first novel is a gripping saga of Russia’s civil war–much of which takes place in today’s Ukraine, and involves the journey of the oldest sister, Klara who, leaves the family, and traves across Siberia to get to the U.S. to find her father.

Klara’s War, the second of the trilogy, finds Klara’s niece fleeing Ukraine when the Nazis invade Russia.  Her story ends during the turbulent post-war era of Israel’s Independence  in 1948.

And then I wrote the just-released, Klara’s Brother & The Woman He Loved,  the last of the Klara Trilogy. But I never believed that my new work of historical fiction, including much material about Ukraine which has been invaded by Russia, would be so timely. 

Indeed as I write this article, I watch on television Ukrainians fleeing their homeland. The newscaster reports that Odessa, this beautiful Black Sea port.  

In order to write this family story, I had to go to Odessa. I walked the city streets and admiring its buildings, designed in neo-classical architectural style, including the attractive, yellow-and-white, local mansions, many of which display a Mediterranean theme.

I visited Proharovskaya street where my family lived. I wonder if the building will still stand if the Russians reach it in this 2022 invasion.

I move along Primorsky Blvd. to Nikolaevsky Blvd. to inhale the “spicy aroma of the acacias” hanging over the city’s busy harbor and the famous 240 Odessa Steps

At the top of the steps stands the statue of the Duc de Richelieu clad in a Roman toga; he is known as Armand Emmanuel du Plessis, 5th Duke of Richelieu, a French émigré, who served as governor of Odessa from 1803 to 1814. Now the “stone duke” points at all those arriving to his beloved city, Putin’s Russians, excluded.

And here’s where railway stations come in, especially in Klara’s Brother & the Woman He Loved.” I head to the Odessa-Holovna railway station. It was built in the second half of the 19th century, damaged in 1944, and rebuilt in 1952. I decide to begin the novel’s love story here. The year is 1919. The Czar has been dethroned. The democratic government which succeeded it, has been deposed by the Revolutionary Russian Bolsheviks, commonly known as Reds.  Opposing them are the Whites, former Czarist army officers and Cossacks, Mischa, a Bolshevik starts out as member of the Communist Red Guard, becomes a Chekist secret police and is promoted to Commissar.

In the rail station, Mischa , trying to board a train is pushed to the ground by an unruly crowd trying to escape the city. He can’t get up. So, he sits up and raises his hands, hoping someone will take hold of them and lift him up. In seconds, his arms are grabbed and his body pulled upward by the strong, but soft hands of a young beautiful woman facing him. Both are pleased at what they see in each other.

Thus begins this tumultuous story.  From the moment Commissar Mischa Rasputnis embraces Basya Abramskaya, a Soviet spy, the couples’ fate is pitted against the Kremlin’s secret police who warn the couple never to communicate with each other again. Wrenched from the arms of his loved one, Mischa often dreams he sees Basya in the sunflower fields of Ukraine. Will their love endure years of separation?  

Finishing this article, I turn on the news. “It’s calm in Odessa now. But we’re waiting for the worst,” a Ukrainian official tells the BBC. Sounds like Mischa who in Klara’s Brother & The Woman He Loved, asked: “What’s end game.”

Ben G. Frank, a former resident of Chappaqua, is a journalist, lecturer and author of books on Russia and Ukraine, including the just published historical novel, Klara’s Brother & The Woman He Loved. He now resides in Palm Beach County, FL. Ben Frank’s books are available wherever books are sold.

 

What’s Love Got to Do with it? For the Shiners… Everything!

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Frank and Suzanne Shiner… with Baker! PHOTO BY Donna Mueller

Maybe you know Frank and Suzanne Shiner. Then again, you might not.

Ask Marlene Canapi, president of the Chappaqua Rotary Club, about the couple and she offers insight. “Frank and Suzanne are extraordinary community members,” she says. “They are always stepping up to the plate to help, but they keep their actions under the radar.” 

Canapi can reel off their many generous measures. “They’ve sponsored amazing benefit concerts, hosted fundraising and celebratory events at their home, and supported many local organizations including the Chappaqua Historical Society and the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center,” says Canapi. “They have given much and their actions continue. Their generosity and community spirit are ongoing.”   

True to their nature, the Shiners were modest, yet very honored, to learn that the Rotary Club of Chappaqua will present them with the Rotary Club of Chappaqua Community Service Award on May 4, 2022. This award is given to a person(s) who most exemplifies the Rotary motto, “Service Above Self.” The award comes with the opportunity for the honorees to make a Rotary sponsored donation to the non-profit of their choice.  

Canapi, who has known the Shiners for eight years, says it’s not only what they do but also how they do it that makes them so special. “They give from the heart,” she says.

The Shiners have had many challenges through the years, but their support of each other and their upbeat attitude along the way is exemplary. To hear Frank tell it, they just don’t get caught up or sidelined by unnecessary details. “When we purchased our home in Chappaqua some 18 years ago, the 9/11 tragedy was still top of mind,” he says. “Our realtor regretfully explained the only available date for the closing was September 11th. That suited us just fine. We are not superstitious.” They loved the 100-year-old home and were excited to move in and raise their three children there, Matthew (33), Jeremy (31) and Lindsay (22). That can-do attitude has always served them well.

Beginnings

The couple met in a New York City acting class when they were in their early 20s. Frank was an up-and-coming actor from Pennsylvania working a day job as a manual elevator operator. Suzanne was a dancer and aspiring actress who had just arrived from Arkansas to the big city. Frank admits he was smitten at once. “This woman (Suzanne) walks into class and I was never dazzled like that,” says Frank. “She was the last woman I ever looked at.” 

However, Suzanne, arriving fresh from a small town with 3,000 residents, enjoyed dating. “People dated back then,” she says. “I was having such fun being wined and dined.”

Frank was living at Leo House, a residence for men, and Suzanne was lodging at Katherine House for young women. Both houses had strict rules, and neither allowed guests. A lone pay phone in the hall was the only source of outside communication. With an enormous stack of quarters and nickels in his hand, Frank telephoned Suzanne. Every three minutes he’d feed the phone another coin. “We talked like that for hours,” he says. After that phone call, they were a couple.

They dated for a year and a half, spending most of their time talking, talking and talking. They’d move from coffee shop to coffee shop to split a cup of coffee, then stroll through Washington Square Park, or roam the streets of the city together. Meanwhile, Frank was getting work as an actor in soap operas and theatre. Suzanne says Frank excelled in Shakespearian roles. With what she calls sheer determination, and we suspect plenty of talent, Suzanne got soap, commercial, and theatrical roles. “It felt like a miracle,” the small-town girl in her says.

It wasn’t long before they had to get married. “There was just nowhere for us to be alone together,” Suzanne laughs. Even the proposal smacked of what would become their way of dealing with the world–focus on what’s really important–namely their love. Frank planned a true New York proposal by arranging a horse and buggy ride through Central Park. Come the day, the weather was miserable, sleet blanketed the streets and wind screeched around every city corner. Instead, Frank whisked Suzanne into the Essex House restaurant. He discreetly told the staff his intentions, and they showed them to a romantic corner booth and treated them royally.

There were no regrets; no mulling over plans gone awry. It was perfect foreshadowing for a life well spent together.

Suzanne found a letter she wrote to her mother when she first met Frank. The wining and dining were low key. “He would pick me up on his bicycle,” she wrote. It was the man he was that won her heart. “He had a passion and a love for life, he was just fearless,” she says. He also loved his parents, wonderful, smart people who lived simple lives and put all their children through college. Suzanne gets teary when she recalls thinking that she knew he could love the family they would build the same way. “He’s a good man,” she says. “He has worked hard every day and has done everything he can do to make a better life for his family.”

Building Their Family

That included giving up his theatrical dreams. Frank was up for a lead in a Broadway musical when the songwriter, Garth Brooks, had to pull out and then so did the investors. With one baby and another on the way, Frank realized he needed a solid job to support his family. Frank admits it wasn’t easy at first. He took a job in sales and sailed forward. He eventually started his own firm. Suzanne provided encouragement and took on the role of office manager and marketer. “He is a brilliant at business,” says Suzanne, “He wound up creating a nationwide company.”

The couple is community minded, and on moving to Chappaqua, they took on the roles of active citizens. They joined the Church of Saint John and Saint Mary in town, got involved in the school system, volunteered at area organizations and enjoyed life in what Suzanne says is “a lovely town where neighbors help neighbors.”

Challenging Times

During this time, their third child was born and when she was in elementary school, Suzanne was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. It was a dire diagnosis but 10 years and 14 operations later Suzanne is cancer free. It was a grueling, painful decade, but true to form, the Shiners rallied. “So much love came from the community to help us,” says Suzanne. “Complete strangers were delivering food!”

On the way home from a chemotherapy treatment, the couple stopped at a local restaurant. It was open mic night and Suzanne put Frank’s name on the list. Frank says he demurred when he was asked to perform. Suzanne insisted, “Sing for me.” The appreciative crowd, the bandleader’s reaction and the joy of performing propelled Frank back onstage.

Moving Forward

For eight years, Frank was a low-profile singing CEO, and he loved it. After selling the company, Frank and Suzanne turned their attention to performing and giving back. “Everything we make through performances is given to charity,” says Frank. “We’ve come full circle. We don’t have to worry about where our next meal is coming from, but I will never forget how that feels.”

Frank, now an award-winning vocalist, has been delighted to appear in sold-out concerts beside Vanessa Williams to raise funds for the 100 percent scholarship driven San Miguel Academy of Newburgh, at the Sheen Center for Thought & Culture, and the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center. He’s also released two albums, appeared with Orchestra 914, and a performed at a wide variety of other professional venues.

For the empty nesters, music is healing. Suzanne says in this last third of their life they are delighted to be doing what they love–giving back as partners. “Frank’s my soldier, my warrior. He’s made a beautiful life for our family and I love seeing him happy.” Frank credits Suzanne for believing in him when he had nothing. “She’s my spark plug, my inspiration, the fire behind everything.”

Others see that devotion. Rotarian Marlene Canapi sums them up, “They are just lovely, incredible people.”

Catch Frank Shiner Live!

Attend Swingin’ into Spring on May 14, 2022 from 7-8:30 p.m. Frank Shiner is underwriting a fundraising concert at Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, Chappaqua, New York to benefit San Miguel Academy of Newburgh. Frank performs with the 22-piece Orchestra 914 Big Band Ensemble under the musical direction of Russell Ger. The evening includes a special performance by the San Miguel Choir. 100% of your ticket purchase goes to benefit San Miguel Program of Newburgh. Tickets are $50 or $75.

To purchase tickets: https://newburghsanmiguel.org/news-events/

To learn more about Frank Shiner Music visit https://frankshiner.com.