The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

play

Irvington Theater to Stream New Play from Brooklyn Playwright and Director Christina Franklin

by

IRVINGTON, NY – Christina Franklin has been training and working in New York’s theater scene since she was eight years old – starting out in the rehearsal studios of TADA! Youth Theater (whose notable alumni include Kerry Washington and Jordan Peele) and taking her gift for storytelling all the way to Broadway. Irvington Theater is thrilled to bring Franklin’s newest play, Cleanse, to virtual audiences from May 21-23.

Brooklyn-born playwright and director Christina Franklin brings her newest work, Cleanse, to Irvington Theater’s all virtual season. (Credit: Christina Franklin)

In Cleanse, Franklin’s main character Courtney loves the internet but hates what it’s doing to her. In order to reclaim control of her offline life, she must face her online past – the awkward chats, the software fads, the moments of immense discovery, and, of course, the trolls. Full of humor, humiliation, and heartbreak, Courtney’s journey to digital deactivation requires a whole lot more than the click of a mouse.

“Christina is such an energetic, current voice for the theater world,” says Irvington Theater Manager Greg Allen. “IT is lucky to premiere this new work that she has been writing throughout the pandemic. I can’t wait for folks to see it!”

Christina Franklin is a Brooklyn-based theater artist and educator. Her work has been produced and developed with National Black Theatre, Royal Family Productions, and Out of The Box Theatrics, where Franklin served as associate director on last month’s critically-acclaimed streaming production of The Last Five Years. Her other assistant and associate directing credits include Coal Country and White Noise at The Public Theater, Slave Play at New York Theatre Workshop, and the upcoming Broadway revival of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf. 

Franklin directs her self-described “semi-autobiographical” play, leading a vibrant, young cast that features Regan Sims, Subiya, Isabel Hilario, Nicole Johnson, and Will Callahan. 

Regan Sims leads the cast of Cleanse as Courtney, a millennial who loves the internet but hates what it’s doing to her. (Credit: Regan Sims)
The internet becomes her; Subiya plays one of the Bots in Christina Franklin’s new play, Cleanse. (Credit: Subiya)

Cleanse will be available to stream on demand from Friday, May 21 at 12:01am EST through Sunday, May 23 at 11:59pm EST. This play contains strong language that may be unsuitable for younger audiences. Purchase your $12 per-household ticket to receive the viewing link and password at irvingtontheater.com/cleanse.

Irvington Theater is home to a diverse range of innovative programming that entertains, enlightens, and inspires, establishing itself over its 118-year history as the cultural heart of the Rivertowns. The theater continues its tradition with unprecedented reach though its all-virtual season, #IrvingtonAnywhere.

“Play and Explore”

by

As crazy as June is with graduations, recitals and getting all my kids ready for camp, I absolutely love it. There is an aura of anticipation and excitement for all the summer adventures in store. Whether you plan on venturing abroad this summer or enjoying the beautiful beaches dotting our lovely county, I am pleased to offer our readers many articles in this issue that touch upon the theme of “Play and Explore.”

When you step out of your comfort zone, life is more enriching. I distinctly remember one of my first summer memories when I was six years old. That summer my family headed up to Monticello, a town in the Catskills to a bungalow colony. It was a hot summer and my mother was seven months pregnant with my little sister. As a young girl growing up on a two-way street in Queens, I didn’t have much freedom. My mother was always worried about the traffic and as a result I spent a lot of time in my fenced in backyard.

But ahhh, in the Catskills I was free to roam the grounds of the bungalow colony. I remember picking blueberries with friends and “hunting” for tadpoles with a plastic beach bucket. It was exhilarating and definitely out of my comfort zone.

What I wish for everyone is to be inspired by the articles in this issue and to get out of your comfort zone, play and explore- from Shauna Levy’s beach bopping article to Sabra Staudenmaier’s essay on a bunch of daredevil dads who have an annual hiking trip, there’s something in here for everyone.

And on the theme of exploration, Ronni Diamondstein’s cover story on the local award-winning documentary filmmakers the Kunhardts is not to be missed. Peter Kunhardt, along with his sons Teddy and George, always do a deep dive on their significant subjects from Senator McCain to Abraham Lincoln and in the process have made films about leaders who have shaped history.

So whether you plan on swimming along the shore, catching up with friends at a Sparkle for a Cause event or seeing a Westchester Collaborative Theater production, here’s hoping that you have a memorable summer.

Enjoy,

Discover ‘Kitah Katan’ at Bet Torah Nursery School

by

Mount Kisco, NY– Registration is now open for Kitah Katan, Bet Torah Nursery School’s Toddler drop-off  separation program which begins September 6.  Children 18 months and older are eligible to attend.  Families enrolling by August 3 will also be able to attend a new musical Monday morning program from 9:30 to 10:10 in the fall at no charge for caregiver/parent and child.

Kitah Katan is a yearlong program that begins the gentle separation and learning through play on Tuesday  and Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 11:45 am.  Each morning is filled with music, art, movement, indoor and outdoor play. Library and literacy, science and animal programs, specials with our music educator and our movement educator round out each day. Healthy snacks are provided daily.  The program begins in September with family visits and shortened sessions until all students are comfortable and ready to separate, socialize and share by month’s end.

NEW THIS YEAR: Toddlers enrolled by August 3 in our fall Kitah Katan program on Tuesday and Thursday mornings may also attend our Monday Musical Mensch program on Mondays from 9:30-10:10  as our guest this fall through December 17 with our music educator, Pam Gittleman.

For information on registration for our toddler program and our musical Monday program or to inquire about registration for 2s, 3s, and 4s and to arrange a tour of Bet Torah Nursery School, please call 914 666-7595 ext. 110.  Space is limited.

Bet Torah (www.bettorah.org) serves as a leading center for Conservative Judaism in Northern Westchester.

Armonk Players to Present Six Performances of ‘Next to Normal’

by

Poster Design & Graphics: Janet and Rich Ferrante. Ferrante & Associates. Advertising / Design

Friday, June 1, 2018 at 8pm
Saturday, June 2, 2018 at 8pm
Sunday, June 3, 2018 at 4pm
Thursday, June 7, 2018 at 8pm
Friday, June 8, 2018 at 8pm
Saturday, June 9, 2018 at 8pm

The Armonk Players Presents
Next to Normal
Book and Lyrics by Bryan Yorkey
Music by Tom Kitt
Presented by special arrangement with Music Theatre International
Directed by Christine DiTota
Music directed by Ricky Romano
With Jess Bulzzachelli, Christine Gavin, Jesse Herman, John Anthony Lopez, Anthony Malchar and Adam Welsh
Adults: $20, Students (18 and under): $10

Next to Normal is an award-winning (see below) rock musical centering on a mother struggling with bipoloar disorder and the effects her illness has on her family. It has been called one of the best musicals of the 21st century.

Nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 2009, it won three (Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical) as well as the 2010 Pulizter Prize for Drama, becoming only the eighth musical in history to receive the honor.

Ticket Purchase Information

“Walk-ins” are always welcome (we have ample seating), but we recommend that you purchase your tickets in advance online—you choose the exact seats you want, there is less waiting in line and you may pay with a debit card or credit card. “Walk-ins” may only pay with cash or by check (made out to either Friends of the North Castle Public Library, Inc. or FNCPL, Inc.)—we don’t accept credit cards at the theater.

Purchase Tickets

We perform at Whippoorwill Theater (adjacent to the North Castle Public Library) at 19 Whippoorwill Road East, Armonk, NY 10504 (use the Kent Place entrance, please). You can get travel directions here.

For up-to-date information, visit our website. If you would like to make a tax-free donation to the Friends of the North Castle Public Library to support the Armonk Players, you can do so here.

Zany Fun at ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’… Just Look Up First!

by

 

(l-r) Harrison Unger, Jonathan Fielding, Clifton Duncan, Amelia McClain, Alex Mandell in the Olivier and Tony Award winning production of The Play That Goes Wrong, co-written by Mischief Theatre company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields, directed by Mark Bell. On Broadway at The Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street).Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

 Soon after the audience took its seats for the Tony Award winning and Broadway comedy mega hit The Play that Goes Wrong, a member of the ‘crew’ recommended we  ‘look up.’ “The light fixtures are ancient,” he deadpanned. “And if we were sitting under one of them we ‘might want to move’ (as if we even could)…fair warning to patrons that even ‘before the show,’ nothing would be sacred or safe, and if something could go wrong, it probably would! We giggled, if a tad nervously.

The actor’s matter of fact ‘warning’ set the tone as members of a 1920s era ‘Cornley University Drama Society’ struggle valiantly to perform their roles in The Play that Goes Wrong, a double murder mystery… over the course of getting to the bottom of whodunit, the actors are ‘challenged’ by a virtual onslaught of Mad Hat mishaps. Mind you, these consummate actors all the while are effortlessly employing classic devices of comic genius whether forgetting their own lines or reciting one another’s, or yelling at the audience (“‘You are a terrible audience!” one actor bellowed to our laughter) while navigating a precarious set in which everything either bops you in the nose or eventually collapses during the ensuing mayhem.

Grab some tickets too to enjoy these hilarious and classic British ‘slapstick’ performances complete with dead bodies rising (and reappearing), staircases falling, doors slamming, a kooky affair, a nutty brawl for the lead female role, and so much more! Co-written by Mischief Theatre company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, The Play That Goes Wrong manages to induce a feeling of hopefulness about life. Despite the potential for everything to go magnificently wrong at every possible moment, you can still feel happy! And, laugh your head off! Yes, it’s true! Simply give in and lose yourself to the nonsensical, and you too may happily spring up with everyone else in a standing ovation to honor this clever, well choreographed production and in appreciation of a thoroughly entertaining eve out on Broadway in the beautiful Lyceum Theater.  More mini reviews and tickets info from the producers, below.— Grace Bennett

 

Reviews and Info from The Play that Goes Wrong:

“Year’s best! This plucky British import, against all odds (and more than a few pundits), outlasted every play that opened last season by cleaving wholly to a pure vision of comedy.” – Forbes

“One of the best Broadway debuts of the year. The Play That Goes Wrong was all about precision in its humor and each of the ensemble players delivered. Nothing was funnier or as well-executed onstage in 2017.” – Entertainment Tonight

The Tony Award winning hit comedy The Play That Goes Wrong continues to go right into the New Year! The producers of the longest running play currently on Broadway have announced that a new block of tickets is now on sale through July 1, 2018 following its best week ever and highest gross yet of $707,315. for the week ending December 31, 2017.

The Broadway cast of The Play That Goes Wrong stars Ashley Bryant (Emotional Creature) as “Annie,” Clifton Duncan (City Center Encores! Assassins) as “Robert,” Mark Evans (Paper Mill Playhouse’s Mary Poppins) as “Chris,” Jonathan Fielding (Noises Off) as “Jonathan,” Alex Mandell (Hand to God) as Max, Amelia McClain (Noises Off) as “Sandra,” Harrison Unger (Broadway debut) as “Dennis” and Akron Watson (The Color Purple) as “Trevor.” The company also features Preston Truman Boyd (Sunset Boulevard), Ned Noyes (You Can’t Take It With You), Ashley Reyes (Broadway debut) and Katie Sexton (Broadway debut).

The Play That Goes Wrong began performances March 9 and officially opened on Broadway on April 2 at The Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street).

The Broadway production of The Play That Goes Wrong received the 2017 Tony Award for Best Set Design, a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Best Play and the Theater Fans Award Choice Award for Best Play.

Awarded 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, 2014 WhatsOnStage Best New Comedy and 2015 UK BroadwayWorld Best New Play Awards, The Play That Goes Wrong is now in its fourth year in the West End, is currently on a 30 week UK tour and currently playing on six continents. The producers have avoided Antarctica for fear of a frosty reception. 

It is a remarkable rags-to-riches story for a play which started its life at a London fringe venue with only four paying members of the public at the first performance, and has gone on to play to an audience of over 1.5 million people around the world.

Mischief Theatre, led by Artistic Director Henry Lewis and Company Director Jonathan Sayer, was founded in 2008 by a group of graduates of The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and began as an improvised comedy group. Mischief Theatre performs across the UK and internationally with improvised and original scripted work.

In addition to the current hit London production of The Play That Goes Wrong at The Duchess Theatre, Mischief Theatre’s The Comedy About A Bank Robbery plays The Criterion Theatre and in January 2017 their production of Peter Pan Goes Wrong completed a limited holiday run at The Apollo Theatre to rave reviews, making Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields the youngest ever writers to have three shows playing simultaneously in the West End. Their specially filmed studio version of Peter Pan Goes Wrong was broadcast by the BBC on New Year’s Eve 2016 and this year they were commissioned to write A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong which broadcast on BBC One over Christmas. Both shows were seen by over six million people in the UK. 

The Play That Goes Wrong is directed by Mark Bell, featuring set design by Tony Award Winner Nigel Hook, lighting design by Ric Mountjoy, sound design by Andy Johnson and costume design by Roberto Surace.

The Play That Goes Wrong is produced on Broadway by Kevin McCollum, J.J. Abrams, Kenny Wax, Stage Presence Ltd., Catherine Schreiber, Ken Davenport, Double Gemini Productions / deRoy-Brunish, Damian Arnold / TC Beech, Greenleaf Productions / Bard-Roth, Martian Entertainment / Jack Lane / John Yonover and Lucas McMahon.

Tickets for the Broadway production are available by calling Telecharge at 800-447-7400, online at www.telecharge.com or in person at the The Lyceum Theatre box office (149 West 45th Street).