Theater

Ridgefield Independent Film Festival returns October 18th-21. A must attend event of indie films, documentaries, panel discussions, parties and more!

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

riff_logo_bauhaus-with_type_blackWe are so fortunate to have a very special cinema event right here in our back yard.  Coming October 18-21st 2017, the Ridgefield Independent Film Festival returns!  The festival , that celebrates independent films from around the world that enlighten, entertain and inspire moviegoers through compelling visual storytelling.   We are so excited to be covering this fantastic event.

RIFF has  announced  its Special Event Screenings Line-up. Keynote events featuring films followed by filmmaker Q&As taking place at various Ridgefield, CT locations throughout the festival’s run include: SAY HER NAME: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland, follows an investigation into what happened to activist Sandra Bland, who died in police custody after a routine traffic stop, directed by Oscar nominated,Connecticut based directors Kate Davis and David Heilbroner;

DANSEUR explores the world of bullying and prejudice towards male ballet dancers directed by Scott Gormley;

this-is-home-a-refugee-story-movie-poster

 

THIS IS HOME: A Refugee Story about four Syrian families struggling to find their way to America directed by Peabody Award-winner Alexandra Shiva

 

VERMONT FANCY about an aging rural farmer who’s struggling with the consequences of his choice to live a life alone directed by Kathleen Dougherty Huxley.

The Closing Night film PURPLE DREAMS, directed by Joanne Hock and produced by Robin Grey, documents the transformation of at-risk, inner city youth attending a magnet charter school in Charlotte, NC that provides arts education. The teenage subjects have the potential to break the cycle of poverty, homelessness and gangrelated violence, when they are given an opportunity to stage the musical The Color Purple. After thescreening, Tony Award-winner and activist James Naughton hosts a talk with Robin Grey.

Vermont-Fancy-1

Scene from the documentary “Vermont Fancy”

 Tickets to the festival are on sale now at http://www.riffct.org. The 2018 Ridgefield Independent Film Festival runs  October 18-21, 2018.

In addition to all these films there will be special parties to help celebrate the festival.  Check the website for more details of parties hosted at Gallo’s, Aldrich Museum, The Ridgefield Playhouse and more.  Please stay tuned for more details about this exciting film festival bringing  social awareness and fine independent film you will not see anywhere else.   We will be rolling out more information about the festival as the date draws near.

Ridgefield Independent Film Festival

for more information and full film list please visit : https://www.riffct.org

like I on the Valley on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

instagram  i_on_the_valley

 

Phantom: the magic and music haunt the Westchester Broadway Theater

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

phantom 3

Every once in awhile a musical comes along that is brilliant for both the drama of its story and the quality of its musical score.  Phantom now at the Westchester Broadway Theater is such a show.  This amazing musical which first ran at WBT in 1992 was a smash hit with over 120,000 theater goers experiencing the magic of this performance.  This revival is just as good as that original production.  This show has been called the greatest Broadway musical  never that was never on Broadway.  I agree.

Phantom written by Tony Award winners,  Arthur Kopit and music/lyrics by Maury Yeston  is based on the 1911 book “Phantom of the Opera”  by Gaston LeRoux.   This musical which was first developed in the 1980s is not to be confused with  Andrew Lloyd Webber ‘s Phantom of the Opera.  This production is written in the classic Broadway musical style (words and songs) as opposed to Webber’s which has no speaking parts. The story is similar and draws inspiration from the novel, but they are not the same.  This production of Phantom has been applauded for being more a true Broadway musical and for the quality of the music and the way the characters have been more developed.

phantom 5

The story opens with a young woman , Christine selling her songs on the street of 19th century Paris.  Her charm and voice capture the attention of Count Phillippe De Chandon  who is a patron of the Paris Opera House.  He sends her there to learn voice lessons in the hope she will join the company.  Her dreams are derailed as new ownership of the opera house instead hires her to work in the costumes department.  The Opera House has long been rumored to be the location of a ghost, The Phantom of the Opera.  Though the new owners scoff at the idea, they are soon convinced when one of their staff is murdered.

phantom 4

Hearing Christine  sing, the Phantom finally reveals himself to her   (with his famous mask on) and offers to give her voice lessons.   She accepts and as her vocal talents grow, so does a relationship between Christine and the Phantom (Erik) deep under the Opera House.  But as Christine’s star rises in the Opera House so does jealousy and the owner Carlotta plots to ruin her budding career.  It will be the Phantom who comes to her side to save her, though we learn that this relationship is not to be.

The story has great characters, and is filled with both light moments and heavy drama.  Casting for the show is brilliant with Kayleen Seidl taking on the role of Christine (a role originated by Glory Crampton). She charms the audience as she moves effortlessly across the stage. When she sings, her amazing vocal performance soars through the theater capturing and lifting the audience.  On opening night we witnessed a future Broadway star on the Westchester stage.

Matthew Billman wonderfully plays the dramatic and tragic role of the Phantom and though we never see his face under the mask, we feel his anguish and pain.  His vocals too were impressive and commanding.  A  fantastic cast with Broadway, off Broadway and regional  credits include James Van Threuren (Gerard Carriere)  who gives a warm and touching performance, Sandy Rosenberg as Carlotta who brings not only her vocal talent but some lightness to this drama.  The rest of the cast is fantastic, but the evening belongs to Kayleen Seidl and Matthew Billman with their touching performances and their soulful renditions of this amazing musical score.

Maury Yeston’s music and lyrics are memorable.   Songs such as “Melodies de Paris” are light, flowing and are so catchy that they will stay with you for many years. That is very effective song crafting.   Christine and Phantom’s duet of “ Home” is the one of my favorites or the evening, and is exquisite in its delivery.  The  most dramatic numbers of the evening belong to “You are My Own“, and finally “You are Music” delivered by Ms. Seidl at the conclusion of the show which ranks as one of the most moving musical numbers and performances I  have heard in recent memory.   It truly is a brilliant score.

Phantom is a fantastic show with a talented cast.  Costume design was elaborate and perfectly captured 19th Century Paris.  The amazing set design is a large part of the spectacle on stage.  Complete with balconies, suspended cat walks, a chandelier that crashes to the stage, and of course the elevated stage that appears and disappears and serves as the underworld lair of the Phantom.  Throw in dramatic lighting, fog machines, an underground lagoon and a boat that moves across stage.  The audience was amazed.

The production of this special show runs through November 25th.  Then it will pause and resume December 27th to January 27th.  A three course dinner is included in your ticket price and you dine prior to the show.

See Yeston and Kopit’s Phantom now!

for tickets and information:

https://www.broadwaytheatre.com

Westchester Broadway Theater

One Broadway Plaza  Elmsford NY

like I On The Valley on facebook  http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

instagram i_on_the_valley

 

 

Grand Opening of the Bedford Playhouse with films,cocktails, live music, meet legends Paul Shaffer,Clive Davis and more!

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

bedford playhouse image

Looking for something to do this weekend?  Then look no further than the newly renovated Bedford Playhouse in Bedford Village.

The Playhouse is thrilled to announce the Grand Opening of its eagerly anticipated film, arts and cultural center, featuring state-of-the-art facilities and a vibrant and welcoming café.

Three days of celebration and exciting programming will kick off a new chapter for the beloved landmark after a $6m+ renovation and community effort to save the Playhouse that began back in 2015.  You must see the amazing transformation of the Playhouse into a theater and arts attraction for the region.

Opening weekend events will include parties, family films, “community choice” flicks, wine tastings, live entertainment and some very special guests. In recognition of the first historic Bedford Playhouse Grand Opening in 1947, entry-level tickets to a majority of the community festivities will be priced at $19.47 and include food, drinks and entertainment.

Friday, September 28th – Opening Night + Red Carpet Fun! The debut of two new theaters, The Clive and The Worby, beer & wine tastings, delicious food, film trivia events and a “community choice” screening of Dirty Dancing (…Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner!)

dirty dancing

Saturday, September 29th – Hors D’oeuvres, Cocktails, Live Music, Dancing & Conversation with Paul Shaffer & Clive Davis

Sunday, September 30th – Family Day! Mimosas, muffins and lots of fun: Screenings of Despicable Me, a Sound of Music Sing-A-Long, Storytelling, Sleight-of-Hand, some not-so-ordinary Puppets, Live Music, Special Guests … and Surprises!   See you there !

For Tickets Visit :  https://bedfordplayhouse.org

Like I on the Valley on facebook  http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

instagram  i_on_the_valley

Ridgefield Theater Barn opens its 53rd season with the musical comedy, Urinetown

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

urinetown

The Ridgefield Theater Barn has opened is 53rd season with Urinetown, The Musical.   Urinetown is a satirical musical comedy .  It satirizes the legal system, capitalism social irresponsibility, populism,  bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and municipal politics  The show also parodies past musicals, and the Broadway musical itself as an art form.

The play opened on Broadway in 2001 and ran for over 900 performances.  It was  the winner of the 2002 Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Original Score.   The music and lyrics were written  by Mark Hollmann,  and the book and lyrics  were penned by Greg Kotis.

This very funny musical now comes to the Ridgefield Theater Barn Stage with performances through September 28th 2018.    This production is directed by Deb Failla with Musical Direction by Lisa Riggs Hobbs. The show features Michael Valinoti, Elyse Jasensky, Chris Balestriere, Monica Harrington, James Hobayan, Bill Warncke, Joe Caputo,  Meaghan Elliot, Shawn Tyler Allen, Rachel Lotstein, Samantha Holomakoff, Rachel Lewis, Duane Lamham, Lesli Allen, Stephen Emerick, and Harry Brendan Garnett.

The Ridgefield Theater Barn is a wonderful intimate venue to enjoy live theater.  Seating is cabaret style at tables and theater goers are encouraged to bring their own food and wine to enjoy prior to the performance.

Don’t miss this hysterical show  before it sells out!  For tickets and more information:

http://ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org

Tickets are $38 and Seniors (62)/Students/Veterans $30

Ridgefield Theater Barn

37 Halpin Lane  •  Ridgefield, CT

 

 

The Understudy: a behind the scenes stage comedy now at Westport Country Playhouse

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

understudy

A very funny play set backstage at a Broadway theater has opened  at the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport Ct.  “The Understudy” written by award winning playwright Theresa Rebeck  is  a clever and very funny comedy that brought laughter and much applause from the opening night audience.  It recently ran off Broadway.

The play opens with a bang as Harry (Eric Bryant) runs down the aisle of the theater and leaps on stage and reminds the audience to silence their cell phones.  We learn quickly he is not a member of the theater but rather an actor and the show has abruptly started even though the stage curtain is still closed.  An effective way of getting the full attention of the audience.

This comedy takes place during practice on a Broadway stage for a serious play based on the works of German novelist Franz Kafka.  As the actors practice their lines, the audience is treated to a play within a play, with the seriousness of the Kafka story contrasting with the comedy of the main play itself.  The Understudy employs three actors, Harry who is the journeyman understudy looking for his big break, Jake (Brett Dalton) who is a movie actor and mid level action film star, and Roxanne (Andrea Sglowski) , a former actress now stage manager whose job during the play is to run this practice.  She has the task of  keeping Jake and Harry from fighting (as Harry dislikes a B  movie actor taking on serious Broadway roles).  Jake has no love for Harry as he sees him unfit to understudy for a “star” like himself.    Jake too is obsessed as to why he is not receiving big dollar contracts for movies and not the $2 million a film he currently  is paid.

We also find that Roxanne and Harry were once engaged and she has no idea he has been cast as the understudy as he has adopted a new name.  That tension and Harry’s constant absurd comments about changing the lines further send the practice into disarray.  Throw into the mix Laura, the stage board operator (unseen during the show) who is stoned and keeps screwing up the sound, lighting and the sets.  This only adds to the calamity on stage.   The play gives the audience a look into the world backstage at a Broadway production and all the issues that arrive that give angst to those in the production, but comedy for the viewer.

Interesting is the playwrights commentary on the current state of American theater.  Instead of staging plays and musicals of integrity, the public and the theater industry itself is obsessed with celebrity and profits , with many plum roles in the theater going to big name movie stars instead of seasoned actors.  This commentary is worthy and timely considering some of the shows making it to the stage today.  A very funny play with great acting, a thoughtful clever script and excellent direction by David Kennedy.

The play runs  one and a half hours and is fast paced and has no intermission.  The play runs through September 1, 2018.

for tickets and information

https://www.westportplayhouse.org

Westport Country Playhouse

25 Powers Court   Westport Ct.

follow I on the Valley on facebook  http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

instagram i_on_the_valley

Hallelujah! Sister Act now at the Westchester Broadway Theater

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

Nuns1

Sister Act the musical has arrived at the Westchester Broadway Theater stage. The musical which is based on the 1992 film of the same name and starred Whoopi Goldberg, has been staged as a musical in London’s West End and on Broadway in 2011.  The musical score was written by Tony and Oscar winning composer Alan Menken. This production features direction and choreography by Donna Drake who has been involved in numerous Broadway shows including A Chorus Line, Woman of the Year and  many others.

The story opens in the late 1970s in Philadelphia where we meat Deloris Van Cartier (Zuri Washington) who is an aspiring disco singer who is looking for an opportunity to be discovered.  Unfortunately she is the witness to a murder by a local gangster and is forced into hiding for her own protection.  The police want to keep her nearby as they prepare their case, so they hide her in a local Catholic convent run by Monsignor O’Hara (Ken Jennings) and Mother Superior (Mary Jo McConnell).  Mother Superior has no tolerance for the flamboyant Deloris and Deloris finds the restrictive life in the convent too hard to bear.

Deloris however begins to bond with some of the sisters, and soon joins their chorus which she discovers is in dire need of  her musical talent.  With an injection of funk, fun and lots of soul, the nuns find the declining attendance at church has been turned around by their choir.   The pews begin to fill to listen to their music, and with their celebrity brings media attention.  It is this attention is how the gangster finds where Deloris is hiding. I won’t give up the rest, but leave it you to enjoy at the theater.

Cast1

Sister Act is a fun filled and fast moving evening of music and dance.   There are wonderful performances from the large cast and I would be remiss if I did not mention the charming performance of Lani Corson as Sister Mary Robert, the youngest of the nuns.  Despite her petite size she takes over the stage and lifts the audience with her tremendous vocal range.

Sister Act is a night of musical delight as it blends the uplifting revival of a church choir with the funky, soul sounds of the 1970s.  The mainstage production runs through July 1, 2018.  Dinner is included in your ticket price and is served prior to the show.

For more information and tickets

Westchester Broadway Theater

1 Broadway Plaza  Elmsford New York

tel. 914.592.2222 

web   http://www.broadwaytheater.com

like I on the Valley on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

instagram for great photos and more !   @i_on_the_valley

 

Fences: Tony award winning drama now at Ridgefield Theater Barn

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

fences

A very interesting and thought provoking play, “Fences” is now on stage at the Ridgefield Theater Barn in Ridgefield Ct.  This  Pulitizer, Drama Desk and Tony Award winning play by August Wilson ran on Broadway back in 1987-1988.  Among its awards was the Tony Award for Best Play, and Best Actor (James Earl Jones).   It will run at the Theater Barn through February 24th.

The drama follows an African American family and is set in the late 1950s.  We meet Troy Maxon (Foster Evans Reese), a hard working man of little education who works as a garbage man.  His life is filled with regret about the fact his talents as a baseball player were never acknowledged due to the racial barrier in major league baseball. He lives a respectable life with his own little home he shares with his wife Rose (Tracey McAllister) and his son Cory (Shelby Davis).   Conflicts arise early in the play as Troy attempts to break the color barrier to become the first African American garbage truck driver for his firm.   Though Troy feels he will be fired for complaining to the union, he instead is promoted.  This promotion however comes at a price as he no longer works with his best friend Bono(Kevin Knight) and we see eventually they will drift apart.

fences2

Other important characters are Gabe (Dan Fedrick) who plays Troy’s brother who suffered a brain injury in the War and is looked after by Troy, even though Gabe elected to move out of the house.  Troy has two sons, Lyons (Steffon Sampson) who Troy is in conflict with as he sees Lyons as a person with no direction who comes around just to borrow money.  His other son Cory (Shelby Davis) is also in struggles with Troy as he wants to elevate himself in life through sport, but Troy attempts to keep him down and steer him into a career of manual labor.

Rose, the loving wife and mother does her best to keep the peace.  Through the play she wants an ideal  yet simple life and for Troy to finish the white picket fence that surrounds the house.  It takes the entire play for the fence to be finished.  The fence for Rose represents keeping together her family and her dreams.  For Troy it represents a barrier, and for Cory  the fence is a way for his father to fence his ambitions to play sports and go on the college.   We see too the themes of death seep into the story and for Troy the fence is a way for keeping the grim reaper away.

The sold out theater was riveted to the actors on stage during the two hour plus play. Though all the actors gave solid  performances (including Dania Fedrick, who appears late in Act Two), the night belongs to Foster Evans Reese who commands the stage with his powerful and moving interpretation of Troy.

Due to adult themes and language, the play is best suited for mature audiences.

The Ridgefield Theater Barn is a real local treasure.  Doors open on hour before the show and you sit cabaret style at tables.  Guests bring their own food and drink to enjoy prior to the show.  The Barn now has a bar  in the lobby with snacks, a featured cocktail, wine and beer.

Tickets are $35 and $28 for Students, veterans and seniors)

Ridgefield Theater Barn

37 Halpin Lane  Ridgefield Ct             http://ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org/

like I on the Valley on Facebook   http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

instagram @i_on_the_valley

Sex with Strangers: a romantic drama in the digital era at Westport Country Playhouse

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

6_WCP_SexWithStrangers_JLove_CGhaffari_byPChenot

Laura Eason writer/producer on the television series House Of Cards (Netflix) is the author of this interesting and thoughtful play now on stage at the Westport Country Playhouse.  Sex with Strangers is part drama, part comedy that focuses on the modern digital age of dating, relationships, and how we learn about the people we meet.

The play has only two characters, Ethan (Chris Ghaffari) and  Olivia (Jessica Love).   Olivia is a professor and talented but unsuccessful author in her late 30s.  She is staying in a woodsy bed and breakfast in the Michigan woods.  She is all alone and is there to clear her mind, disconnect from the world and perhaps finish a long overdue novel.

Her tranquility is soon broken by the unexpected arrival of  Ethan, another guest  during a snowstorm.  Ethan is a late 20s blogger and author who interrupts the quiet of the cabin with his demands for food, and general disgust when he discovers there is no wi-fi at the remote cabin.  The audience discovers that Ethan is also a writer and internet sensation and has produced two books based on his weekly sexual exploits with strangers he picks up in bars.  The titles of the books is where the name of the play is derived.   Olivia is not only a English professor but had published a book years earlier that was the subject of mixed and some harsh reviews.  The experience of rejection of her novel despite her talent has had such a lasting effect on her that she is unable to finish her second novel despite her talent and ambition.  The two are true opposites.

sex with strangers

The conversation in the first act between Ethan and Olivia is in short, rapid exchanges that reminded me more of text messages than true conversation.  However as  the characters learn more of each other, the conversation evolves and becomes more warm and complex .   We find that Ethan is not here by accident and knew about Olivia, her first book and that she would be at the cabin.  Indeed he has used the internet to read up about her and seek to out photos of her.  It as if he was reviewing an online dating profile and shows the stark differences between the two characters.  Olivia is absorbed by the written word, great authors, and dreams of joining her literary idols on the shelves.  Ethan is a scrappy internet blogger,  who we find dreams of leaving the shallow persona that has made him a success and become a real author.  The strangers do become romantically entangled despite their obvious differences.  However, Olivia uses the internet to find out more about Ethan and his books and finds she is repelled by his sexual exploits as well as the counter-blogging by women that he slighted.

Act Two shifts gears and is set in Olivia’s apartment.  The lives of the two very different strangers become entangled not only in their strange sexual attraction, but their shared ambition to be published.  In Act two we see a change in the characters and their relationship as they use each other to achieve their personal goals.    The play is a commentary on our digital world, the personas we create online, and how we interact with each other online and in person.   The play is sprinkled with humor which helps break the tension between the two characters.

Jessica Love who has Broadway and off Broadway credits in resume does a fine job as Olivia.  Chris Ghaffari who was on the Westport stage last year in the hilarious “What the Butler Saw” did an excellent job as Ethan.

The scenic design by Edward Morris were really well done and constructed and drew the audience into the play.  The woodsy bed and breakfast cabin was very realistic and effective.

An interesting and thoughtful play with direction by Katherine M. Carter.

The play runs through October 14th 2017

Westport Country Playhouse

25 Powers Court Westport Ct

tel. 203.227.4177

web for info and tickets     

http://www.westportplayhouse.org/sex-with-strangers

like I on The Valley on facebook   http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

instagram>>>  i_on_the_valley

 

Appropriate: a must see drama with a deep secret at Westport Country Playhouse

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

Appropriate_HomepageBox_400x340

As the house lights darken, the sound of cicadas fill the theater and set the mood for the drama that lies ahead.  The lights soften to reveal the inside of a dilapidated former plantation in Arkansas.  The  old once grand home is great disrepair and filled with years of a hoarders collection of  both artifacts and secrets.

Much like the mysterious cicada insect that lives underground only to return every 13 to 17 years and sing its mating song, the adult Lafayette family which has been distant from each other  decides to reunite at the plantation after the death of their father.  The purpose is to liquidate the estate and the decaying plantation house.  Of the three adult children, each has a  different reason for returning.  Toni, (Betsy Aidem) the oldest is the executor and is there with her son Rhys (Nick Selting) to oversee the sale of the contents of the home and the plantation itself.  However, she cannot seem to get a grasp on letting her father go, and the sale she charged with arranging is disorganized.  Her brother Bo (David Aaron Baker),  has come in from New York with his family so he can recoup his financial outlay of taking care of his father, and for his wife Rachel  (Diane Davis) and kids (Allison Winn and  Christian Camporin) to learn something about the reclusive father whom they have never known.

Appropriate0391web

Into the mix comes the long lost brother Franz (Shawn Fagan), the youngest sibling and  the misfit  of the family who has been out of touch from the family for 10 years.  With him is his earthy and soulful young girlfriend,  River (Anna Crivelli).  Franz (formerly Frank) was a burden to his family  for years and then dropped out of sight.  Franz  has returned not to seek money or his share of the estate, but to reunite with his siblings and make peace with his family,  His visit is to cleanse himself from the person he was  and to confront his troubled past growing up in the plantation.  With the assistance of River, he has reinvented himself and the misfit now morally rises above his siblings.

Appropriate0672web

Old houses as well as families have deep secrets that perhaps are best kept that way.  But by accident a horrible secret about their father emerges from the hoard of items found in the house.  Each sibling must grasp with this discovery.  There is denial, intrigue and accusations as we learn about each member and their relationship with their father.  The remaining family members struggle not only with the discovery of this secret, but must deal with the decay of their family ties which parallels the decay of the plantation itself.  I will not disclose the secret as that if for you to discover.

Appropriate is a brilliantly written play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. It is complex, and thought provoking.  I found myself rewinding the scenes of the play in my mind long after I left the theater.   Direction by David Kennedy is wonderful as the audience is immediately drawn into the action and held there for the duration.  The set design is wonderful and captures the decay of the plantation.  Special note should go the effects, lighting and sound which are all instrumental to the performance.

Notable acting performances include Betsy Aidem as Toni who commands the stage as her character swings from sadness to remorse to rage during the play. Shawn Fagan as Franz gives an illuminating performance of a character who embodies redemption.   It is perhaps Anna Crivelli as River whose rational zen like character brings both levity and calm which is the most memorable performance.

This is a must see drama and one of the finest I have seen in some time.

The show runs through September 2 2017

 

Westport Country Playhouse

25 Powers Court  Westport Ct

tel.203-227-4177   

tickets: http://www.westportplayhouse.org/tickets/Calendar/Buy/id/3962

Like I on the Valley on Facebook   http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

Instagram:  i_on_the_valley

An Evening of One Acts 2017 at the Ridgefield Theater Barn

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

one-acts-2017a

Now appearing at The Ridgefield Theater Barn  in Ridgefield Ct. is An Evening of One Acts 2017. The evening features 8 short one act plays that are written by local authors, and are acted and directed by talented local artists.  The plays are very funny and entertaining, and as always a great way to spend an evening.  An Evening of One Acts 2017 is a great showcase for the talent in our area and the evening  was a real success with much laughter and applause showered on the show on opening night.

Most of the plays are comedies and range from being witty to downright hilarious.  One of our favorites was The Computer Lesson  written by Myles Gansfried and directed by Kay Mayr which tells the touching and funny tale of Morey (Larry Greeley), his son Alan (Rick Haylon) and Sammy the computer tech (Roberto Perez).   Alan insists that his elderly father Morey who lives alone move to assisted living and give up his apartment, or learn to use a computer and the internet so he can  stay connected to the world.  Morey has no interest in computers at all but accepts his son’s ultimatum rather than move into assisted living.   When the computer arrives, Morey is more than flustered, and calls the computer Tech in India to walk him through the set up and his intro to computers.   Though they are separated by oceans, age and knowledge, the lonely Morey begins to bond with Sammy over the phone and a friendship ensues .  Each man finds that they are able to assist each other in some way, and Alan’s hope of opening his father’s world has come to fruition.  A heart felt, funny and wonderfully acted and directed performance.

Our other favorite was The Drive written by Tracy James,  direction by Nick Kaye with Eileen Fickes, Pamme Jones, and Nicole Veach.  This story involves three women who travel to Ireland. As they stuff themselves and their luggage into a very tiny rental car, they start out on their adventure on the narrow windy lanes of the Irish countryside.    They rely on the GPS provided by the rental agency to guide them to their destination.  The GPS (named Lucy) who speaks in a proper English accent announces each turn in the road.   However the comedy start when the distracted women miss a turn and the GPS comes to life and begins to correct the women, and eventually start insulting them in a dry but hilarious manner. The women start talking back and arguing with Lucy the GPS (voiced by Anna Frankl-Duval) but they are no match for her wit.  The  audience was laughing the entire performance.

The Evening of One Acts 2017 is filled with fun and fine moments like this and should not be missed.  The performances run through  July 15th 2017 with performances on Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm.  There is a Sunday Matinee on July 9th at 5pm.

Tickets are $25 each.   Doors open one hour prior and most guests bring dinner, snacks or drinks to enjoy prior to the performance.  Seating is cabaret style at tables.  So grab some friends, or a date and enjoy a fun evening of one act plays.

for tickets and info: http://ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org/pages/special-events.php

Ridgefield Theater Barn

37 Halpin Lane Ridgefield Ct

like I on the Valley on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

  instagram    >>>>  i_on_the_valley