We have at our disposal here, in this great borough of Brooklyn, some of the finest theater in the city. The Strivelli Players out of Christ Church in Bay Ridge just completed their run of “Showstoppers & Standards,” a musical revue with well over 40 songs by close to 30 singers. It was a long show that featured some classic tunes by some very talented crooners. Highlights included Annmarie Brogan, Kathy Valentine, Ellen Eckelmann and Eddie Gentile. This group has been performing for many years out of places like St. Athanasius and St. Bernadettes, and now has found a new home at Christ Church, 73rd Street and Ridge Boulevard.
The Heights Players have been performing Voltaire’s Candide, translated to the stage with music by Leonard Bernstein since October 9, and it will continue this weekend, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Their theater is located at 26 Willow Pl., in Brooklyn Heights and you can call for reservations at (718) 237-2752. Read our review online.
BrooklynOne Theatre, fresh off their annual playwriting festival, named for Brooklyn actor/singer/playwright Vince Mazza, who died in 2006, performs out of St. Johns Episcopal Church (the Church of the Generals) in Bay Ridge, at 461 99th St. It was founded in 2006 as a haven for emerging artists to hone their craft in a theatrical setting.
Based in the heart of Bay Ridge Brooklyn, the company provides innovative, experimental and creative theatrical works. By providing a black box style setting at their space, BrooklynONEtheatre offers the unique experience of providing its audience a first hand look at works in development for larger runs. BrooklynONEtheatre has in its short tenure, produced works from playwrights 10 to 70 years old, and from all across the world.
BrooklynONEtheatre maintains a strong relationship with the arts in its community with a focus on continuing to expand and grow outward as it creates opportunities for artists in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Next up for this group will be “Nunsense: A-Men,” set for November 7, 13 and 14 at 8 p.m. and November 8 and 15 at 4 p.m. It’s just like the original “Nunsense,” except with a little twist — men portray the nuns. Think of ‘Mrs. Doubtfire heads for the convent.’ For advanced seating or further information please e-mail tickets@brooklynone.org.
Ridge Repertory, out of the Bay Ridge Jewish Center on 81st Street and Fourth Avenue, is in the process of presenting Lovers & Other Strangers by Renee Taylor on Saturdays, October 24 and 31 at 8 p.m. and Sunday’s, October 25 and November 1 at 4 p.m. They recently merged with the Paper Moon Players of Sheepshead Bay-fame, with over 26 years of success. To order tickets call (718) 836-3103.
Narrows Community Theater, another longtime theater group based in Bay Ridge will be presenting “Damn Yankees” for two weekends beginning November 6. Proudly serving the public for over 37 years; and these days presenting their musicals at St. Patrick’s Church Hall on 97th Street and Fourth Avenue, tickets for all performances may be reserved by calling (718) 482- 3173.
The Ridge Chorale Youth Theater, the brainchild of Jeff Samaha and Karen Tadross, will hold auditions for “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” on Sunday, Nov. 1, from 2 to 6 p.m. The Ridge Chorale Youth Theater welcomes all High School and College students to participate. We also encourage young people of all ethnicities to audition. The performance dates for Ridge Chorale’s “Spelling Bee” are January 15, 16, 17, 22 and 23.
Auditions will end at the times posted, so arrive early. Please prepare a 16 measure of a Broadway vocal selection that highlights your vocal range and evokes a comedic character. Spelling Bee’s characters must possess a flair for comedy. Character descriptions are available on our web site at www.jeffsamaha.com. Please refer to youtube.com for video clips of the Broadway show. Email all questions to ridgechorale@gmail.com.
Please send theater announcements to theater@brooklyneagle.net.
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Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net
