Entertainment

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Directing was never on Sheila Barksdale’s wish list. "I’m happy on stage," said the African-American actress from West Babylon. 
But when EastLine Theatre asked Barksdale to codirect its production of "Intimate Apparel," which runs from Saturday through Feb. 27 at the BACCA Arts Center in Lindenhurst, she just couldn't say no. 
The COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement made her realize she needed to become more outspoken and active in pushing Long Island theaters to present stories that showcase the talents of African Americans. "This is something I’ve been asking for," she says. "For me to turn it down kind of makes me a hypocrite." 
Co-director and board member Matt Rosenberg said EastLine is leading the charge to diversify Long Island theater, adding he hopes others will follow. 
There are positive signs. Running through Feb. 20, Manes Studio Theatre’s Bayway Arts Center in East Islip is dishing up the local debut of "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner," the stage version of the iconic 1967 film co-starring Sidney Poitier that put issues of interracial marriage in the spotlight. And in May, Plaza Broadway Long Island will present the Long Island premiere of "The Color Purple," the hit musical about the trials and ultimate triumph of a young Black woman, at the Elmont Memorial Library. 
<h3>'PURPLE' PASSION</h3> 
While Plaza’s founder and executive director Kevin Harrington says he was drawn to "The Color Purple" because it’s a universal story "that touched my heart," he believes the show speaks to what’s happening now on and off-Broadway, where a number of recent and upcoming plays by Black writers are exploring a multitude of racial issues. 
While exploring those issues is an important factor for doing "The Color Purple," it isn't the only reason Harrington is doing the show. "I think I would have chosen it anyway because it’s a beautiful story and I’ve always wanted to do it. I was shocked to find out this was the Long Island premiere." 
After seeing the 1985 Steven Spielberg movie, Harrington says he was taken with the story, based on the 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning Alice Walker novel about an impoverished Southern girl who is abused by her father. Harrington saw the first Broadway production (2005 to 2008), which "I liked, didn’t love." He became passionate about the piece after seeing the 2015 Tony Award-winning revival (the version Plaza has licensed). 
"I was so moved and drawn into the characters of the revival," he says, attracted to the smaller cast, the simplicity of the set with a dozen or so chairs creating all the locations, and the richness of the score that features jazz, ragtime, blues, gospel, and African music. 
"It was not overproduced," he says, "it’s a beautiful story of a woman who’s able to overcome such adversity in her life through the power of love and the power of forgiveness." 
And it’s of the moment, he adds. "We’re living in such a divided world, it’s such a strong and powerful message for today’s challenging times … it’s a human story that everyone can relate to." 

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<h3>'DINNER' IS SERVED</h3> 
At Bayway, "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner" was selected in large part because it spoke to the theater’s commitment "to do plays that address social issues," says executive artistic director Rick Grossman. And it met his personal goal to do plays not previously presented on Long Island. 
"We were able to check a couple of boxes with this show," notes Grossman, but most important is that the play is set in the ‘60s, when the civil rights movement was "becoming so meaningful." The message of searching for racial tolerance addressed in the film (also co-starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn) and the relatively recent 2012 theatrical adaptation by Todd Kreidler is one that needs to be communicated over and over, says Grossman. 
"The movie is brilliant," says Prince Parker, the Brooklyn actor who’s playing what amounts to the title role — the man who came to dinner, made famous by Poitier. It’s the story of two families (one Black, one white) struggling to accept the idea of their children marrying. Parker says he appreciates that the film touches on topics people didn’t want to talk about when it was made. 
"For them to do that movie in that time was really huge," he says. "It was groundbreaking," but he quickly clarifies that "it still holds weight today." Parker says he hopes audiences at Bayway will "see how far we’ve come, but also how much work still needs to be done." 
Parker was offered the role on Jan. 6, the day Poitier died at age 94, though he maintains he did not panic at the pressure of taking on a character made famous by the iconic actor. Or something along those lines.. Parker calmly says "we’re only given what we can handle. At least that’s what I keep telling myself." The actor, who says he hopes to originate his own role some day, considers the Academy Award-winning Poitier an inspiration. "He opened many doors with the work he took on," Parker says. 
But Parker says he's not trying to emulate Poiter's performance but stay true to the character. 

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<h3>'INTIMATE' DETAILS</h3> 
EastLine also was inspired by a groundbreaking artist. The group decided on Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel" to mark Black History Month after the theater’s book club read the play and fell in love with it. The story of an African-American seamstress in turn-of-the-20th century New York City is inspired in part by Nottage’s great-grandmother. It deals with her love for an Orthodox Jewish man whose religion prevents marriage and a man from Barbados whom she eventually marries. 
Every character, says Rosenberg, "is searching for intimacy … longing to be loved in some way. That’s why it resonated with us." 
It’s universal, adds Barksdale. Take the Black actors away and it’s still a good story." 
Plus, "we love Lynn Nottage," adds Rosenberg. 
Rightfully so — at one point in January the Pulitzer and Tony-winning Nottage had three plays running in Manhattan, "Clyde’s," which closed Jan. 16, "MJ the Musical" (about Michael Jackson) on Broadway, and an operatic version of "Intimate Apparel" at Lincoln Center. 
As for Barksdale, she says she’s happy she accepted the directing job, but wants to think beyond this show. "To put up a play in February during Black History Month, I’m grateful," she says. "But what about January and March and April … it needs to be integrated throughout the season." 
Noting EastLine’s goal of putting on more plays by diverse playwrights for audiences, Barksdale says, "The more they’re exposed, the more receptive they will be." 
Rosenberg agrees that audiences are becoming more savvy and developing broader interests. It’s not "one and done," he says, adding that EastLine has the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Anna in the Tropics" by Nilo Cruz on its September schedule for Hispanic Heritage Month. 
"We are beginning the expansion of our community and getting the theater community to realize there’s more than just four musicals with Black people in them," he says. "There’s a wealth of authors and playwrights and artists whose stories are not being told. This is just a first step."

Theater

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Guess what's coming to LI? Shows spotlighting Black talents, issues

LI stages spotlight Black performers, issues

Long Island's EastLine Theatre and Bayway Arts Center are shining a spotlight on Black actors and directors with their productions of "Intimate Apparel" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."


LI theaters spotlight Black actors

Newsday

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Joe Iconis is no fan of jukebox musicals. 
"They’re ruining my life," he says. "People only want to see shows if they know the songs. I never thought I’d write one." 
And yet that is exactly what the Garden City-born playwright and composer is doing. "It’s strange," acknowledges Iconis, whose "Be More Chill" famously made it to Broadway in 2019 on a wave of viral social media. Not one to beat around the bush, Iconis gets right to the point. "I really needed the money." 
He pitched the idea for "Punk Rock Girl!" which has its world premiere Jan. 20 at the Argyle Theatre in Babylon, nearly five years ago, well before "Chill." For numerous reasons, the new musical featuring songs made popular by women singers including Pink, Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani, Katy Perry and a pair of Long Islanders — Long Beach native Joan Jett and Lindenhurst-bred Pat Benatar — has kicked around for years. 
"I don’t know if I would have done it had it been two years later," Iconis said during a recent Zoom interview, "but I needed to pay my rent." Not that he made that much money from the job, he notes, but it kept him going. 
He was hired by a licensing group to come up with a show using preexisting music to fit a title they already owned, "Punk Rock Girl" — taken from The Dead Milkmen hit. It could literally be about anything, he recalls. "It felt sort of old school, like a 1950s road movie," though he adds he thought his pitch "was way too crazy." 
Of course, Iconis is all about crazy. In "Be More Chill," a misfit kid hopes to find popularity by taking a pill with a copious amount of Mountain Dew. His follow-up, "Broadway Bounty Hunter," which ran Off-Broadway in 2019, is about an actress of a certain age who goes full-blown ninja in a wacky midcareer switch. "Punk Rock Girl!" is the story of a straight-laced high schooler from Forest Hills ("I’ve always wanted to set something in Queens," says Iconis) who befriends a rocker and helps her build an illegal punk club in the basement of a jukebox repair shop. 
"I thought this was a great opportunity to write for people, especially young women, who don’t normally get cast in the leading roles," says Iconis. Like all my stuff, he adds, "it’s a celebration of people who feel like they don’t belong … it’s about finding your tribe." 

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<h3>THE BOYS OF 'PUNK ROCK GIRL!</h3> 
But the show is also a celebration of songs that will bring back memories for many in the audience, says arranger and orchestrator Rob Rokicki. "I’m really interested in the intersection where rock and musical theater meet," says Rokicki, whose "The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical" played on Broadway in late 2019. The songs mix familiar anthems like "I Love Rock and Roll," by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, with lesser-known titles like "All Fired Up" by the defunct girl group Tralala, which Iconis was obsessed with having in the show. As for Rokicki, he says they hit the jackpot when they got the rights to "Rebel Girl," because "we had to have Bikini Kill." (For the record, and to quiet the snarky internet comments, the writers do not suggest that every song has punk-rock roots.) 
Together, the music does have great dimension, says Rokicki, a Colorado native whose mom lives in Astoria ("Queens cred," he jests). Some of the orchestrations are close to the original, he says, while others "we subverted in really fun, theatrical ways or stripped down and made them more simple and honest." 
Iconis says his goal was to sneak in songs that people don’t know — basically the opposite of the Temptations musical "Ain’t Too Proud" or the Jimmy Buffett songfest "Escape to Margaritaville." "We have these bands we love that I hope are going to be introduced to people for the first time," he says. 
Director Jennifer Werner, who’s worked on a couple of other Iconis shows including "Bounty Hunter," believes that crafting a story around existing songs may be harder than writing new music. She notes, for example, how Iconis has been ingenious in finding the perfect song to appear just where needed to develop the story. The show, she says, is "quintessential Iconis" and has a lot of heart, capturing the unique, off-kilter world we live in but grounded in truth." And there’s one blow-your-mind twist — no spoilers here — that people will not see coming. 
Having worked on the show for a few years, Werner is eager to get it on stage. "We are just so ready to get it up on its feet with actual human beings in front of an audience," she says. 
Dylan Perlman, who owns the Argyle with his father, Mark, couldn’t agree more. "It’s been a long and winding road," he says of the production, first scheduled to debut in September 2020. It’s not what we usually do, he notes, but it's a tremendous opportunity to work with talented creators like Iconis and Rokicki, especially with their enthusiastic young fan base that will surely attract a new audience. "To be hosting and developing a world premiere from scratch is thrilling and incredibly exciting," he says. 

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<h3>A LONG ISLAND FEELING</h3> 
It’s not lost on the Perlmans that these Broadway vets could have taken their show just about anywhere. But though it’s set in Queens, "something feels Long Island about this show," says Iconis. Plus he believes the Argyle audiences have the right frame of reference, "people who are up with theater." And he loves the people who run it. "They have a real sort of 'let’s put on a show', can-do spirit that I really respond to … the vibe I get is that they’re making theater for the right reasons." 
Plus he gets to hang out on Long Island for a few weeks, especially appealing since his holiday was ruined by a case of COVID, forcing him to spend Christmas Day quarantined in the Garden City Hotel. 
Like every show anywhere, COVID is messing with the production schedule. Early rehearsals were a mix of virtual and in person, with no one in the room unless necessary. "It’s hard but not impossible," says Werner, thankful that the tools exist to move forward safely. "We have so many things going for us," she says, notably that "it’s not a kissing show." Patrons over 12 need to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test and wear masks. 
So what happens once "Punk Rock Girl!" ends it’s Argyle run on Feb. 27? Interestingly, Iconis says he never thought of the show as Broadway material. "I never even anticipated it being on a stage in a production as fancy as this one is," he says. "I wrote it thinking about it being performed in high schools and community theater." 
To Rokicki, that’s a good thing. "Its really freeing to not focus on the expectation of Broadway," he says. 
Still, with such big names attached, who knows? The show is a "weird beast," says Iconis, so maybe it will land on Broadway. "I’m very much a believer that the thing will do what it’s going to do," he says. "All I want to worry about is making the best show I can possibly make, one that we all feel good about."

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LI's Joe Iconis unleashes 'Punk Rock Girl!' power at Argyle Theatre

LI's Joe Iconis brings 'Punk Rock Girl!' to Argyle

A new take on classic punk rock music hits the stage at The Argyle Theatre in Babylon. "Punk Rock Girl!," an original musical by Rob Rokicki and Garden City playwright Joe Iconis, showcases music by rockers like Joan Jett and Pat Benatar. 


Argyle Theatre 'Punk Rock Girl!'

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The Argyle Theatre debuts 'Punk Rock Girl!'

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Loyal patrons of Manes Studio Theatre in Lindenhurst will have to find another way to get their cardio. When the renovated theater officially reopens Jan. 14, they will no longer have to climb the steep, narrow stairway to reach the second floor. 
Moving the 140-seat theater to the first-floor space that was once a bridal shop was the major goal of the $500,000 renovation, says executive artistic director David Dubin, noting that the theater had tentatively decided to go ahead with the project right before COVID-19 closed things down nearly two years ago. 
"When the pandemic hit, it was a good and a bad thing," says Dubin, sitting on the nearly finished stage in early December. "Bad in that there’s no money coming in from ticket sales, good in that we were going to be closed for a while so we could shut down without disrupting our program. It worked both ways for us." 
<h3>BUILDING A DREAM</h3> 
The makeover also includes a new first-floor lobby and restrooms, as well as offices, dressing rooms, rehearsal studios and classrooms for youth productions on the second floor — which can be reached by, wait for it, an elevator. There’s also a branch of the "Casablanca"-themed Rick’s Café Americain, similar to the one at Bayway Arts Center in East Islip, which Studio acquired from Broadhollow Theater and opened in May after its own $150,000 renovation.
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The cafes are named for Rick Hachemeister, a longtime patron and board member who has made significant contributions to the two theaters, both financially (more than $300,000) and physically. The retired Grumman engineer has devoted nearly 3,000 volunteer hours to construction on both theaters, joking that the pandemic is to blame. "My wife wanted me out of the house." 
But the Studio executives are beyond grateful. "Rick took something that was a dream for all of us and he’s making it come true," says Michael Blangiforti, Studio’s managing director. 
"We wouldn’t be here without him," adds Dubin. 
All involved acknowledge it’s been a risk. "Who acquires another theater in the middle of a pandemic," asks Blangiforti. As Dubin quipped, "we already had one closed theater, now we would have two closed theaters."
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<h3>THE PAYOFF</h3> 
The gamble appears to be paying off. Audiences at Bayway, with its ambitious schedule of shows including the upcoming musical "Titanic" and the New York metro premieres of "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner" and "Grumpy Old Men," have been so happy with the quality of the productions, he says. And, notes Dubin, with money coming in again, they were able to get back to the Studio relaunch. 
A soft opening in December featured a short run of "Reasons to Be Pretty" by Neil LaBute, an edgy playwright Dubin thought might entice the patrons of the brew pub across the street who he’d noticed peaking in the windows. "Pictures of a controversial-looking show might bring in a new audience," says Dubin. "Our subscribers are graying and we need an audience for the future. … I wanted our first show to get new people into the theater." 
While audiences weren’t as big as he hoped, Dubin says the show did attract some newcomers. "I think we made an impression on the people who came for the first time," he says.
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For the official launch, Studio will pick up exactly where it left off, presenting the season that came to a halt in March 2020. First up is the British farce "See How They Run," which was four days from opening when the shutdown hit. Other plays on the schedule include "The History Boys," "On Golden Pond," Harvey Fierstein’s recent Broadway hit "Torch Song" and "A Disturbance at Hemingsford Hall," by local playwright Frank Tangredi. 
Still the pandemic hangs over the proceedings. While Studio follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines regarding masking, social distancing, enhanced cleaning protocols and requiring casts to be fully vaccinated, what’s happening on Broadway is a concern. As of now, plans for a grand opening champagne gala have been put back until sometime in the spring, and Dubin is painfully aware that anything could happen between now and opening night. 
Echoing a familiar sentiment in these trying times, he says simply, "I’ll believe it when I see it."

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Renovated Manes Studio Theatre reopening after two years

Renovated Manes Studio Theatre to reopen at last

The bag of candy sits untouched in a dressing room at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in Manhattan. 
It has been there since March 12, 2020, the property of Lily Tamburo, 10, a young actress from East Setauket who had a role in "Mrs. Doubtfire," the musical based on the hit 1993 movie that managed to get in three previews before the COVID-19 pandemic shut Broadway down. She’d like her candy back, but it’s complicated. While most young people wait for years for their theatrical dreams to be fulfilled, Lily made it to Broadway at a very young age. She was the understudy for the leading role of Natalie Hillard in the production, and had a small part in the ensemble. But when it all came crashing to a halt, she could do nothing but wait. 
The pandemic was tough on actors everywhere, but for young performers, the challenges were multiplied. To state the obvious, kids grow. Someone who looked age-appropriate 18 months ago could easily have aged out of the role by now. Many did, among them Zachary Podair, 14, of Smithtown, who at 12 was scheduled to make his Off-Broadway debut in the musical "Trevor." But he grew 5 inches and his voice dropped, changes that the production believed made him unsuitable for the role. "It was heartbreaking," says his mother, Kathy Podair. 
COVID-related issues also muddied the waters, as Broadway and many other companies required everyone in the cast and crew to be vaccinated, potentially eliminating anyone under 12 for whom the vaccine was not yet available. It was too much for the producers at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport, which replaced its December run of "The Sound of Music" with "White Christmas" rather than deal with casting all those von Trapp children, starting with Gretl, who is supposed to be 5. 
"You can still have an Equity production with children under 12," explained director of production Jennifer Collester, "but the rules are very different … and we couldn’t have a 14-year-old Gretl." 
David Levy of Actors Equity confirmed that the union’s safety protocols include provisions for "unvaccinated personnel in the workplace," stiff regulations that include masking, social distancing and strict testing requirements. 
Kevin Harrington, producer of the just-opened Plaza’s Broadway Long Island in Elmont, had to deal with similar issues with "South Pacific," which requires two young actors. Before Equity rules were developed to coincide with Broadway’s return, Harrington cast Derek Hough, 12, of Commack, and Claudia Fabella, 11, of Rego Park in the roles, only to be forced to rescind Claudia’s offer when the regulations took effect. More heartbreak for the young actress, who already lost the role once — she was supposed to be in the ultimately canceled production at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. But this story has a happy ending. Unable to find a 12-year-old who was right for the part, Harrington was granted a concession from Equity allowing Claudia to do the role, though the requirements are tough. Among them, she can only interact with the rest of the cast when on stage, she is not allowed in a communal dressing room and, like the whole cast, she must undergo regular testing. 

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FROM BROADWAY BACK TO LI 
For Lily Tamburo, timing was the issue more than anything else. When the shutdown was first announced, she and her mom, Lauren Zummo, moved back to Long Island from the apartment they’d rented in Manhattan. "It was definitely really sad," said Lily, recalling being told just before the evening’s preview that performances were suspended. 
Zummo says they packed and left within a few days after hearing rumors that the city would be locked down with no one allowed to leave. "We packed up and never came back," says Lily, who left her candy stash (a carefully selected mix of goodies like Hershey’s Cookies and Cream and deluxe kisses) because she expected to be back in rehearsal in two weeks "and I knew I would be hungry." 
Once it became clear that the shutdown was going to last substantially longer, Lily went back to fifth grade at Setauket Elementary School and mastered the technology to make self-tapes and manage Zoom to audition from home. The theater pro (she’s done three shows at Engeman and played Cindy Lou Who in the national tour of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!") auditioned for "The Music Man" (via Zoom, so no Hugh Jackman sightings); "The Bedwetter," a new musical based on Sarah Silverman’s memoir, and NBC’s "Annie Live!", all the while uncertain whether she’d be asked back to "Mrs. Doubtfire." Where she’ll finally end up has yet to be determined. 

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GROWING UP TOO SOON 
Despite the long shutdown and growing around four inches, Lily didn’t worry too much about "aging out" of the "Doubtfire" part. "I’m still really short," she says. But many other young actors cast right before the shutdown did grow to the point that their roles were in question. In March 2020 Craig Brown, a 14-year-old from Westbury, was cast to play the youngest member of an anti-Fascist family in Lillian Hellman’s "Watch on the Rhine" for Modern Classics Theatre Company of Long Island in Lindenhurst. At the time, he says, "I was average human height." 
Then he grew six inches, and at 5 foot 11 he wasn’t going to pass for 9. But things worked out for him: The production was able to make slight changes to lines — We sometimes forget he’s still a baby" became "We sometimes forget he’s still a boy" — and he performed the role earlier this fall. 
Zachary Podair was not so lucky. About six months after performing in the backer’s audition, he was cast as Walter, Trevor’s lifelong friend, in the show based on the Oscar-winning short film. "It was an exciting time," says Kathy Podair, noting there was a lot of buzz about the show, the story of 13-year-old kid confused by his crush on another boy. When he got the part, she says, "it was amazing, life-changing we thought." 
But after three weeks of rehearsal, the shutdown hit. Like Lily and her mother, they’d rented an apartment in Manhattan, but moved out once they heard it was becoming difficult to find food. Back in Smithtown, Zachary and the other kids in "Trevor" kept in constant online contact. "We were family," he says. 
As the shutdown extended, Kathy and her husband, Seth, recognized that Zachary, also a veteran of several shows at Engeman and now a freshman at Smithtown High School West, might outgrow the role. "We knew it was going to happen and it did," she says. "It was nerve racking. You’re celebrating the fact that your child is growing and thriving … but it’s a double-edged sword. In the theater world you want your kids to stay little because that’s good for booking roles, but in life you want your kids to be healthy and thrive and grow. We tried to make piece with that and really said whatever is going to happen is going to happen. We can’t control any of it." 
Eventually, as Kathy Podair tells it, all the teens in the cast got an email from director Marc Bruni letting them know that "as much as they’d love to have everyone back, the show takes place during a specific time in Trevor’s life and we need to reflect that." New auditions were scheduled and in the end only four of the original 13 teens ended up back in the show (previews start on Oct. 25). For Zachary, it’s difficult to discuss. "Disappointing," is about all he can manage. 
It’s one of the tough lessons of the theater but it hasn’t slowed Zachary down. He says he’s thinks he might want to focus on film and perhaps modeling rather than stage work. He’s already appeared in the HBO film "Bad Education" and played Andy Garcia’s son in an episode of the Netflix series "Modern Love.’’ He also has a part in the upcoming film "Skelly," starring Brian Cox and Torrey DeVitto. 
Lily, too, has many irons in the fire. She recently appeared in "At This Performance," a cabaret featuring Broadway understudies along with actors from "Tina Turner," "Chicago," and others at the Green Room 42 in Manhattan, and is the voice of Dee in the YouTube nursery rhyme series "Dragon Dee." Plus there’s still a chance she’ll get something in the Sarah Silverman musical. And while she says she’s wanted to be an actress since she was 4, she also thinks about becoming a neurosurgeon. Wait, what? She grins and says "I’m a huge Grey’s Anatomy fan."

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LI kids try to regain spotlight after losing roles in the pandemic

When the Pandemic caused a shutdown within the world of theatre, children who were auditioning for roles, lost their chance, Newsday's Marissa Sarbak reports.


Child actors who lost roles in the pandemic

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For their 1949 smash "South Pacific," Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the delightful "Cockeyed Optimist," in which the leading actress sings of her hope and optimism even in a time of crisis. It’s a song that clearly resonates today, making the show a logical choice to open Nassau County’s new professional theater. Plaza’s Broadway Long lsland debuts Oct. 2 with the show that founder and artistic director Kevin Harrington says is as relevant today as it was more than 70 years ago. But when it comes to such unbridled enthusiasm, Harrington is not alone. 
On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic that shuttered most venues for nearly a year and a half — and despite growing concerns about variants — Long Island theater is experiencing a renaissance of sorts. Along with Plaza’s venture, a new theater will open next year in East Rockaway, a Lindenhurst theater is expanding and opening a long-planned renovation later this fall, and a professional East End company has embarked on an ambitious plan to build a state-of-the-art theater. 
Rather than dwelling on what they’ve lost, the people behind these endeavors put a positive spin on their efforts, while making a major commitment to theater on Long Island. "I think the timing was right," says Harrington. "I think people are hungry for entertainment, and though we live in this technology-driven society, people cherish live theater." 
David Dubin, artistic director of Manes Studio Theater in Lindenhurst, is on the same page. "I’m hoping because people have been deprived of theater for a year or so, there will be a resurgence and appreciation for it," says Dubin, who hopes to show off a $250,000 renovation of the theater in December. "I guess I’m banking on that, almost literally." 

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<h3>PLAZA'S BROADWAY LONG ISLAND</h3> 
Harrington acknowledges there were times during the pandemic when he wondered if he needed the aggravation. "But this is who I am," he says. "Musical theater is such a large part of my life." 
Plaza marks its 40th anniversary next year and Harrington says having a professional theater company has long been a dream. And, he says, "it always struck me strange that there was not one in Nassau County." So when Broadhollow Theater vacated the 400-seat theater at the Elmont Memorial Library, Harrington jumped at the opportunity. "I’ve always set goals for myself … this was the next logical next step for us." 
Under a contract with Actors’ Equity, Harrington will be able to present shows using Broadway actors, directors, stage managers and designers. In planning his schedule, Harrington says he looked for shows reflecting his belief that theater is a powerful teaching tool. "Shows have to entertain, yes, but they have to be inspirational, they have to be educational. The musicals that touch my heart are the musicals that have some message to them … something you can apply to your own personal life or to the world around us." 
With its underlying issues of war and race, "South Pacific" is especially timely, he says. "There is much to be learned from the characters and their experiences in this musical." The show will have around 20 in the cast and an 18-piece orchestra (conducted by his son, Alex, who is a Broadway musical director). Next on Plaza Broadway’s schedule is "Man of La Mancha," a show Harrington reveres because the title character "transforms the lives of everyone on stage by looking for the good in them." That will be followed next year by two Long Island premieres, "The Color Purple" and "Something Rotten." 
Beyond these shows, Plaza will also present "behind the scenes" events for those who want to dig deeper into any given show, as well as road trips to places like the Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey or Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut. Next summer’s plans call for a festival highlighting new musical theater works. 

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<h3>MANES STUDIO THEATRE AND BAYWAY ARTS CENTER</h3> 
Dubin, too, sees potential as he expands Studio’s footprint. "Quite often in the past I felt like I was dealing with a dying art," he says, "but now that people have been deprived, they realize what they’ve missed." For Studio, that translates to another acquisition from Broadhollow, Bayway Arts Center in East Islip, which after a $75,000 renovation again (including a refurbished lobby and dressing rooms, a new cafe and technical upgrades), opened in May with a robust schedule of musicals and comedies. 
Now that Bayway is running, Dubin can focus on the ambitious renovations of the Lindenhurst theater, which involve moving the second-floor theater down to street level (to the relief of audience members who for years had to negotiate a frighteningly steep staircase). 
Once Studio gets going (they’ll start with the British farce "See How They Run," which was four days from opening when the pandemic shut it down), Dubin is looking for crossover audiences that will subscribe to both theaters. Studio will present more intimate Off-Broadway type shows, while Bayway, under its own management team, takes one bigger shows that require complicated sets and a bit of distance from the audience. 
The reception so far has been great, says Dubin. "The audience feels like we’ve given an upgrade to the quality," and though we raised prices at Bayway, "not one person has complained." 

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<h3>STRONGBOX THEATER</h3> 
Looking further down the road, Strongbox Theater in East Rockaway is targeting a fall 2022 opening, though owner Tony Leone acknowledges that with such a complicated process — building permits, village approval — "it’s always going to be a moving target." Leone and his wife, Marla D’Urso, bought the former East Rockaway Bank and Trust Company with the idea of turning it into a year-round theater offering everything from concerts and open-mic nights to live theater. Originally scheduled to open this fall, Leone says the acquisition of a building next door has slowed things down, but will ultimately give them more space and allow for better seating, sets and lighting. "It’s going to add so much to the experience," he says, anticipating they will spend around $2 million on the project. 
Since announcing the theater last year, Leone says he’s gotten plenty of ideas from people interested in the project, so he’s broadening his thoughts regarding content, including a storytelling night modeled on NPR’s Moth Radio Hour and Tuesday nights with an intellectual focus — think TED-like talks and guest speakers. "My mind keeps on racing," he says. "The building is a blank slate." 
Theatrically, he plans to concentrate on straight shows, dramas and comedy, noting that many other theaters are doing musicals. "I’d like to offer up something different." 
Locals have already gotten a sneak preview of what Strongbox plans to offer. In July, Strongbox presented "The 39 Steps" for free in East Rockaway’s Memorial Park as a thank you to the community for its support. Despite an opening-night disaster — a thunderstorm stopped the show in Act 2 — Leone says producing that show was illuminating. Drawing around 1,100 people over eight performances, the production was not only a great education, says Leone, but also convinced him how much he loved all this. And he firmly believes they’ll succeed. "You can make money in the arts," he says. 

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<h3>BAY STREET THEATER</h3> 
Community bureaucracy has also slowed down Sag Harbor’s Bay Street Theater, which announced plans to construct a new building last October. "I feel like I’m going nowhere fast," says Bay Street executive director Tracy Mitchell, explaining that a moratorium on commercial building in the village has been extended to March 1. That puts the theater in a holding pattern as it awaits new codes and regulations on things like setback and height restrictions, while at the same time dealing with pushback from residents concerned about changes to the village waterfront. 
"Change is uncomfortable for many people," says Mitchell, but she anticipates with revisions to the initial design, "people will feel better about it." 
Bay Street, like Plaza, was a recipient of a Shuttered Venue Operations Grant, which provided assistance to establishments affected by COVID-19. Though Mitchell doesn’t expect the project will be completed until 2024 or 2025, Mitchell is excited about the potential. Mostly she looks forward to giving their many programs for young performers the ability to operate year-round in the same space as the theater. She also hopes the new building will invite people to, as artistic director Scott Schwartz puts it, "see how the sausage is made." She envisions glass spaces on the first floor where people passing by can watch the creation of sets or costumes. "You never know," she says, "what’s going to strike some kid walking by who might see that and have something sparked in them." 
No matter what stage these various projects are in, the people involved are supportive of each other. "I’m thrilled about it," says Leone of Strongbox. "We all have carved out our models, I don’t see myself competing … I think we’re just going to compliment each other." 
Bay Street’s Mitchell, too, is rooting for anyone who dreams of producing live theater, adding tt’s not the same audience. "If someone has the desire and wherewithal to make it happen, they should do it," says Mitchell, who sends her best wishes to anyone in this arena. "I hope they do well … more power to everybody."

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Staging a comeback: The rebirth of LI theater

After over a year of shutdowns from the pandemic, Long Island theaters are experiencing a renaissance, with guests eager to return. 


It's showtime: The renaissance of Long Island theater

The renaissance of Long Island theater

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Long Island stages will welcome back theater-hungry audiences this fall and winter with everything from a world premiere to crowd-pleasing favorites. On tap: a new musical from the writer of "Be More Chill," a Rodgers and Hammerstein classic that will launch Nassau’s first professional stage, and a reprise of the rollicking revue that opened one of the area’s major theaters. 
'Grease' 
Through Oct. 30, Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson 
"Hand Jive," anyone? The 1978 film with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John is burned in many a mind, but the musical that debuted on Broadway in 1971 is always a draw. Songs like "Summer Nights" and "We Go Together" are highlights of the boisterous show that also touches on serious issues like teen pregnancy and gang violence. 
INFO 631-928-9100, <a href="http://theatrethree">theatrethree.com</a> 
'Smokey Joe’s Cafe' 
Sept. 16-Oct. 31, John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport 
Celebrating its return, Engeman will reprise the show it opened with in 2007 — a feel-good revue featuring the music of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Songs like "Hound Dog," "Stand by Me" and "Jailhouse Rock," many of which became chart-topping hits for the likes of Elvis and The Coasters, are sure to have audiences up on their feet. 
INFO 631-261-2900, <a href="https://engemantheater.com/">engemantheater.com</a> 
'South Pacific' 
Oct. 2-24, Plaza AEA Productions, Elmont Memorial Library Theatre, 700 Hempstead Tpke. 
With treasured songs like "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Younger Than Springtime," the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic set during World War II touches on tensions that develop when an American nurse falls for a French plantation owner but has difficulty accepting his mixed-race children. Next year, the new professional division of Plaza Theatricals offers two Long Island premieres: "The Color Purple" (March 12-April 3) and "Something Rotten" (May 21-June 12). 
INFO 516-599-6870, <a href="https://plazabroadwaylongisland.com/">broadwaylongisland.com</a> 
'Holiday Inn' 
Oct 9-30, CM Performing Arts Center, 931 Montauk Hwy., Oakdale 
This perennial based on the 1942 Bing Crosby-Fred Astaire is known for the Irving Berlin hits "White Christmas" and "Easter Parade." Still, just about every holiday makes an appearance in the sweet story of a song-and-dance man who gives up performing to move to rural Connecticut and raise a family. Needless to say (since this is a musical), that doesn’t quite happen. 
INFO 631-218-2810, <a href="https://cmpac.com/">cmpac.com</a> 
'A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder' 
Nov. 17-Dec. 4, The Gateway, 215 S. Country Rd., Bellport 
You won’t be able to stop laughing throughout this delightful whodunit (winner of the 2014 Tony Award for best musical) about a down-and-out guy who discovers he’s ninth in line to become an earl if only he can knock off those who come before him. Like most productions, one actor hilariously plays the entire family of aristocrats, often changing character in full view of the audience. 
INFO 631-286-1133, <a href="https://thegateway.org">thegateway.org</a> 
'Cinderella' 
Nov. 19-Dec. 19, BayWay Arts Center, 265 E. Main St., East Islip 
Lots of tinkering is going on with this beloved fairy tale right now — a Netflix film with Syosset-raised Idina Menzel as the stepmother was recently released, and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s updated version was set for an August opening in London if pandemic restrictions allow. This will be a more traditional take on the rags-to-riches story, featuring the Rodgers and Hammerstein music first heard in the 1957 television special starring Julie Andrews. 
INFO 631-226-8400, <a href="https://www.studiotheatrelongisland.com/">studiotheatrelongisland.com</a> 
'Punk Rock Girl' 
Jan. 20-Feb. 27, Argyle Theatre, 34 W. Main St., Babylon 
Garden City native Joe Iconis of "Be More Chill" fame is adapting the music of rockers like Pink, Blondie, Avril Lavigne and Pat Benatar for this original offering. It’s about a 16-year-old who feels she doesn’t belong until she finds her place in this world of raw, messy music. As Iconis told Deadline, punk music is "for people who aren’t polished, who aren’t perfect." 
INFO 844-631-5483, <a href="https://argyletheatre.com/">argyletheatre.com</a>

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Fall 2021 shows at Long Island theaters

What's playing this fall on LI theater stages

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Many words can be used to describe the smash Broadway hit "Camelot." Intimate is not one of them. When the musical opened in 1960 starring Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet, the cast numbered more than 40, with lavish, expensive sets and costumes (some wryly labeled the show "Costalot") and a run time of well over three hours. 
Not on my watch, proclaimed Scott Schwartz, artistic director of Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor. The Bay Street production that opens Thursday and runs through Sept. 5 is decidedly intimate, with just 11 actors recreating the beloved legend of King Arthur. "One of things we’ve come to specialize in over the past few years is taking well-known, larger-scale musicals and stripping them down," says Schwartz, who directs the show. Focusing on the essence of the acting and music reveals new things, he says. "I felt 'Camelot' was really ripe for that."
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Bay Street is taking the show a few miles away from its Sag Harbor theater, performing "Camelot" in an open field behind the Bridgehampton Carvel. Schwartz says an outdoor space felt like the safest way to plan a large-scale musical when pandemic restrictions were still a moving target. (The audience will be limited to 200; masks and social distancing are not required.) 
But the bucolic setting also works for this show, says Schwartz, as it harkens back to the origins of this legend, when the Anglo Saxons were just coming together to form England. "It was a wild, natural environment," he says, "and the surrounding forest is really an essential part of the show…having nature surround the story of a mythical Camelot seemed kind of perfect." 

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<h3>MAKING THEIR OWN MAGIC</h3> 
Schwartz is working off an adaptation by David Lee. Britney Coleman, who plays Guenevere, knows the adaptation well, having already performed it three times. Lee’s script, she says, cuts many of the ancillary side stories from the original (and brings the run time down to just over two hours). 
"Some of the magic that folks know from the original — Merlin, Nimue, Morgan le Fay — is not part of our show," says Coleman, who will return to the Broadway cast of "Company" when it reopens in November. Their songs and scenes have been cut, which Schwartz says puts the remaining actors front and center. "It really allows them to delve into these characters and explore the nuances and complexities of these people and these relationships… the central passionate love triangle between Arthur, Guenevere and Lancelot." 
Fans of the original need not despair: Though orchestrations will be modified with a Celtic, Gaelic flair, all the famous songs will be there, promises Schwartz. 

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<h3>A SHOW FOR ALL TIMES</h3> 
But there’s more to "Camelot" than legendary performances and beloved songs. It is a show for the moment, says Jeremy Kushnier, who plays King Arthur. "The piece is timely, it’s current … this guy and the people around him, the people closest to him, are really just trying to make a beautiful place to live where people are good to each other and take care of each other." And the piece is quite beautiful, adds Kushnier, a Broadway veteran who you might recognize from many television performances (he’s the guy who held a gun to Edie Falco’s head in the series finale of "Nurse Jackie.") 
Coleman says the production is a different experience every time she does it, but there’s always a political resonance. It’s the idea of "what does it take to rule a country justly, to sit down and listen to your constituents and be able to relate to people who are not in this room and be accessible." 
The trials of the nation over the past 17 months have also been on Schwartz’s mind as he worked on the show. "Camelot," he says, is ultimately "the story of a man who wanted to make a fairer and more equal society … a man who wanted power to make things better." Schwartz sees parallels to American life right now. "Even though this show is a myth set in England centuries ago, it still speaks to us in a contemporary way."

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Bay Street 'Camelot' is a field day for the actors

Bay Street presents intimate 'Camelot' in a field

Bay Street Theater is presenting a reimagined version of "Camelot" with only 11 actors performing the classic musical in a field in Bridgehampton.


Bay Street presents "Camelot" out in a field

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The woman did not look happy. Moments earlier, magician Bobby Torkova had borrowed her ring and made it disappear into thin air. Flashing a "What, me worry?" look, he moved on, making a walnut, an egg and a lemon vanish. Reaching into a bag, he found the lemon. Slicing it, he brought forth the egg, which he cracked to reveal the walnut. You see where this is going — inside the nut was the ring, good as new. 
It’s all part of the fun at "Parlor of Mystery," a magical evening held the fourth Sunday of every month at South Shore Theatre Experience in Lindenhurst. (The August show has been canceled due to scheduling issues, so the next date is Sept. 26.) 
"It’s Long Island’s best-kept secret," says artistic director Deborah Cascio Plezia of the show that’s been running more than seven years other than a break for the pandemic. "People love it, they eat it up," she adds, noting that the 40-seat theater is almost always sold out for "Parlor of Mystery." 
 
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<h3>THIS MAGIC MOMENT</h3> 
The production got its start when her husband, Ted Plezia — a magician who goes by Thaddeus when performing — and several colleagues decided they wanted to do something along the lines of the long-running "Monday Night Magic" in Greenwich Village. 
An initial weekend with several other magicians was a huge success and they were off, putting on shows that incorporate magic in its many forms, from card and coin tricks to mentalism and street magic. At the July show, Plezia, who started doing magic when he was 12 growing up in West Hempstead, served as host and did his own brief set (a humorous flea circus) before introducing the two other performers. 
With so many magicians passing through New York, the Parlor has been able to attract talent from all over the world including Francis Menotti, who did a complicated word trick the night before performing it on the CW show "Penn &amp; Teller: Fool Us." The Lindenhurst audience was fooled; even better, so were Penn and Teller. 
Over the years, the show has developed a significant fan base, spurred on by the popularity of magic on television shows like "America’s Got Talent." Carol-Lynne O’Pray of West Babylon rarely misses a performance: On top of being entertained, she says she loves supporting a local business. "You’re never disappointed," she says. 
For Tom Facchiano, it’s all about "trying to figure out how they did it," though he admits he hasn’t been able to thus far. The Massapequa Park resident liked the June show so much that he returned in July with 11 friends. 
 
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<h3>AN INTELLIGENT AUDIENCE</h3> 
The audience is involved every step of the way, often called on to lend a ring, test the strength of a rope or pick a card. Ted Plezia stresses that no one in the audience is ever embarrassed and most are eager to participate. "It’s very rare nobody wants to come up, they want to come out and play," he says. 
While Plezia believes magic brings the audience back to their childhood, this event is intended for adults, though not because of inappropriate material. July headliner Eric DeCamps notes that the concepts are more esoteric than those in a children’s show. At its highest form, he says, "magic is not just a craft, it’s an art form." And don’t dismiss the feeling of wonder, says Torkova, taking the audience "out of their everyday lives." 
DeCamps closed the recent show with an illusion he’s been working on for some 35 years, a complicated trick in which three cards selected at random by the audience somehow show up under a glass dome. This kind of close-up parlor magic requires thinking on the part of the people watching, he says. "The higher the intelligence of the audience," he says, "the more the magic works." 
But DeCamps is also realistic. "If I could do real magic, I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d be sitting on a pot of gold." His role, he says, is to help people accept the illusion. "And if I do it right," he believes, "it’s magical." 
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Lindenhurst magic show for adults is LI's 'best-kept secret'

Magic show for adults is 'LI's best-kept secret'

South Shore Theatre Experience's "Parlor of Mystery" is a magic show aimed at adults that blends comedy with illusions such as levitation. It's been a favorite of magic aficionados for the past seven years at the Lindenhurst theater.


"The Parlor of Mystery" magic show for adults in Lindenhurst

Linda Winer

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Long Islanders can expect a warm weekend forecast with temperatures in the 80s, there is an air quality alert Friday until 11 p.m., NewsdayTV's meteorologist Geoff Bansen has all the details.

Air quality alert for Long Island Friday

Carmine Agnello's arrest, for allegedly choking his girlfriend during an argument, comes weeks before he is to surrender to prison on a fraud conviction. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

'Nothing happened,' Agnello said

Schwally, of Dix Hills, is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 12. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

Guilty verdict in fatal nail salon crash

The alleged drunken driver who crashed into a Deer Park nail salon, killing three employees and a customer, bought liquor and drove around the area for about five hours before the crash.

Timeline of events in fatal Long Island nail salon crash

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. spoke with NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa about what life is like for the Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann in jail.

'He will be ... coming out of prison in a body bag'

State Attorney General Letitia James's office is investigating Nassau University Medical Center's former executive leadership. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn and Newsday's Nassau County politics reporter Candice Ferrette have the story.

'This is public taxpayer money ... so really, every dollar counts'

Prosecutors say 28-year-old Robert Carragher died in his father's arms. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

'They attempted to control that bleeding'

Yaphank jail to pilot public health curriculum to help curb gun violence. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'The individuals participating will learn about the causes and consequences of firearm violence'

Nassau police said a 22-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 28-year-old man at a Massapequa home.

Fatal stabbing in Massapequa

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From Billy Joel to Lindsay Lohan, the latest on Long Island celebrities, entertainment, theater, movies and television. 

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