“The Crucible” Now Playing At The Tri-County Performing Arts Center, Downtown Pottstown

THE CRUCIBLE at the Tri-County Performing Arts Center, Thursdays through Sundays, now through March 20th.  Log on to www.tripac.org for tickets

A Tony Award Winner for Best Play, this exciting drama about the Puritan purge of witchcraft in Salem is both a gripping historical play and a timely parable of our contemporary society. The story focuses upon a young farmer, his wife, and a young servant-girl who maliciously causes the wife’s arrest for witchcraft. The farmer brings the girl to court to admit the lie – and it is here that the monstrous course of bigotry and deceit is terrifyingly depicted.

Parental guidance suggested due to themes about relationships

Join us for the 2nd weekend of this powerful performance.

THE CRUCIBLE (Mar 3 – 20) Thur. @ 7:30 pm/ Fri. @ 8:00 pm / Sat. @ 8:00 pm / Su. @ 3:00 pm

Talkback with Cast: Sundays March 13th

Ragtime Opens Tonight At The Tri-County Performing Arts Center, Downtown Pottstown

RAGTIME (June 3-20, 2010)
Thursday – 7:30 pm
Friday – 8:00 pm
Saturday – 8:00 pm
Sunday – 3:00 pm
ADULT: Thurs $19; Fri, Sat & Sun $23
STUDENT/SENIOR(65+): Thurs $17; Fri, Sat, Sun $21
CHILD (12 & under): Thurs $13; Fri, Sat & Sun $15
$2 off per ticket for groups of 10 or more!

http://www.villageproductions.org/Ragtime.html

Upcoming Pottstown Borough Events

BMX National Race – Trilogy Park.  May 28-30 Memorial Park, Pottstown

 

PASSIONFEST – Trilogy Park.  May 29, Memorial Park, Pottstown

 

Memorial Day Parade, Monday May 31, 2010, 10:00 a.m. starting at Good Will Fire Company, High street to Manatawny Street to Memorial Park – by Pottstown Joint Veterans Council.

 

RAGTIME – June 3 – 20, 2010  Tri-County Performing Arts Center, Pottstown

Thursday – 7:30 pm
Friday – 8:00 pm
Saturday – 8:00 pm
Sunday – 3:00 pm
ADULT: Thurs $19; Fri, Sat & Sun $23
STUDENT/SENIOR(65+): Thurs $17; Fri, Sat, Sun $21
CHILD (12 & under): Thurs $13; Fri, Sat & Sun $15
$2 off per ticket for groups of 10 or more!

http://www.villageproductions.org/Ragtime.html

 

Pottstown Rumble Volleyball Tournament

Saturday and Sunday June 26 , 27

The tournament begins at 8 am in Pottstown Memorial Park.  Last year over 1200 players took part in the tournament.  This event is open to the public and you can walk though the park and watch the matches.  It’s a fun way to spend some time.

 

Pottstown’s 4th of July Homecoming Celebration now has it’s own website. The site is updated daily so bookmark it and check frequently. They supply an RSS feed so you can have updates sent directly to your email : http://www.pottstownjuly4th.org/

A Review Of HONK!

The weather played havoc with schedules this weekend here in Southeastern PA.  I had tickets for the Saturday evening performance of Honk! at Pottstown’s Tri-County Performing Arts Center but the show was cancelled.  Fortunately, the tickets were honored at Sunday’s matinee!

That being said, there is no review of Henry’s as our plans changed due to inclement weather.

So my two friends and I trudged through the snow to see Honk! Sunday afternoon at 3 pm.  The theatre was 2/3 full.  The crowd was enthusiastic and appreciative.  A mixture of all ages.  We started a few minutes late and after the usual announcements the show began.

The set was once again well designed.  Simple, yet functional and appropriate.  The music was live (great orchestra) and the lighting and effects were also excellent.

Honk! is based on the fairy tale of the Ugly Ducking by Hans Christian Anderson and was turned into a musical production.  Honk! was named Winner Best Musical of 2000 Oliver Award, and winner of FNB VITA Awards in South Africa.  Honk! is now performed all over the world.

The performance ran 2 1/2 hours with a 15 minute intermission between the Act I and Act II.  Again, the seats at the TriPAC are comfortable which really helps!!

The cast was very large, talented and included many children as well as adults.

Everyone did an excellent job but IMHO the stand-out performances were as follows:

Ugly aka Marc Sherfield did an outstanding job in the lead role.  He made Ugly come alive.  His acting and singing skills were first rate.  He was wonderful as the Tin Man in the Wiz, but I felt he did an even better job in this role.  Thank you Marc for a superb performance!

Ida aka Denise Webb was perfectly suited to be the mama duck.  Her performance was genuine and her vocal skills were first rate.  Denise graduated from West Chester University with a degree in Music Education.  West Chester’s music program is excellent and Denise did them proud!

Cat aka David Wrigley was my favorite character.  David recently graduated from Muhlenberg College.  Muhlenberg has a nationally ranked theatre program which I have experienced first hand (see my Bat Boy The Musical Review).  I think casting David as Cat was genius.  His performance was purrfectly awesome.  I would have to say David is the total package for musical theatre.  Looking forward to seeing David in something else at the TriPAC or in the area.

Lowbutt aka A.J. Giruzzi was beyond hysterical as the rooster.  He had all the right moves and was hands down the funniest character.  My friend laughed so hard during the Together scene she had a coughing fit.

Queenie aka Krista Knight was perfectly matched to A.J. Giruzzi.  Their character’s were BFF’s and we had no trouble believing that.  Their voices blended beautifully and they played off of each other to perfection.  Again, great casting decisions!  Two very talented actors!

Lastly, Michael Tunney as Greylag and Deborah Stimson-Snow as Dot were also quite funny.  Great chemistry between them!

Hats off to Village Productions for another outstanding event!  If you live in the Greater Pottstown area and have not yet attended a show at the TriPAC, I would highly recommend checking them out.  Save yourself the trip into Philadelphia to see high quality theatre.  Take advantage of what is in your own backyard!

To check out upcoming events:

http://www.tripac.org

Voice: 610-970-1199

The performing arts center is located at 245 E. High Street in downtown Pottstown.

Holiday Musical Downtown Pottstown At Tri-County Performing Arts Center Starts Today

HONK!
Starts December 3rd!

A Musical Holiday “Tweet” for All Ages!
Musical by Drewe & Stiles

Based on the Hans Christian Andersen story
“The Ugly Duckling”
Presented by arrangement with Music Theater International
Recommended for ages 4 through adult

to an American Tony Award), beating THE LION KING. The musical retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen story The Ugly Duckling, HONK! features a squadron of comical geese, a sly tomcat who wants to befriend ducklings only so he can eat them, a tearful mother, a dad always `ducking` out of his responsibilities, a duo comprised of a cat and a hen right out of a Shakespearean comedy, a wisecracking bullfrog, and an ugly duckling who discovers his inner beauty by becoming a swan. Ugly’s odd, gawky looks make him an instant outcast with his family and the neighborhood. Separated from the farm and pursued by a hungry cat, Ugly must find his way home. Along his rollicking and harrowing journey he not only discovers his true beauty and glorious destiny, but also finds love and acceptance in all its forms.

With a witty book and score, and a great many “fowl” puns, HONK! won an Olivier Award for Best Musical when it opened in England (equivalent

HONK! (Dec 3 – 20, 2009)
Thursday, December 3rd & 10th – 7:30 pm
Friday, December 4th, 11th and 18th – 8:00 pm
Saturday, December 5th, 12th and 19th – 8:00 pm
Sunday, December 6th, 13th and 20th – 3:00 pm

PLEASE NOTE: There will be NO SHOW on December 17th. Instead, there will be an additional matinee on Saturday, December 19th.

ADULT: Thurs $19; Fri, Sat & Sun $23
STUDENT/SENIOR(65+): Thurs $17; Fri, Sat, Sun $21
CHILD (12 & under): Thurs $13; Fri, Sat & Sun $15
$2 off per ticket for groups of 10 or more!

Tri-County Performing Arts Center

HONK!
A family musical
Dec. 3rd – 20th
Village Productions/Tri-PAC
245 E. High Street, Pottstown

http://www.tripac.org

 

Tri-County Performing Arts Center To Celebrate 1st Anniversary in Pottstown

TRI-PAC 1st ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION & BRITTO UNVEILING
Saturday, NOVEMBER 14th

Details: http://www.villageproductions.org/1st Anniversary Invitation.pdf

To help us plan, feel free to RSVP even if you are registering at the door. Bring your friends!

Silent Auction Items & Services
FOOD & WINE: Angelina’s Italian Kitchen, Asher’s Chocolates, Bauman’s Fruit Butter, Brick House, Brookside Family Restaurant, Churchill’s, Company Cakes, Cutillo’s, Funky Lil’ Kitchen, Henry’s Café, Iron Hill Brewery, Kimberton Inn, Mama Vellia’s, Manatawny Creek Winery, Morton’s Steak House, The Pourhouse, Smokey Bones, Sweet Ashley’s, Tastykakes, and more!

ENTERTAINMENT & GET-AWAYS: Arden Theatre Co., Astral Artists Series, Centre Theater, Chanticleer Garden, Colonial Theatre, Deerfield Bed & Breakfast, Private Guitar Concert, Holiday Inn of Historic Philadelphia, John Mellencamp collectibles, Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia Orchestra, MCCC Lively Arts Series, Montgomery Theater, National Constitution Center, People’s Light & Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia Zoo, Pottstown Symphony Orchestra, Radisson Plaza-Warwick Hotel Philadelphia, Rainbow Dinner Theater, Reading Public Museum, TNT Air (airplane ride!), Schuylkill Valley Regional Dance, Tao Martial Art of Drumming, Theatre Horizon, Tri-County Performing Arts Center, Walnut Street Theatre, Wildwood vacation home, Atlantic City Casino trips, New York and Baltimore Inner Harbor trips, and more!

Visual Arts, Crafts, Lessons & Jewelry: Boyertown Bear “Bearita”, Britto Original Painting – “Billy”, Britto Sculpture, Jane Runyeon Painting, Amy Ragsdale Jewelry, Calligraphic Dinner Party Services, Hand-crafted Rug, Art Quilts, Cindy Christen Design Necklace, Glass Art Box, Art Lessons, Goggle Works Membership, Handmade Furniture, Julie Longacre Serigraphs, Leroy Neiman Signed Lithograph, Art Books, Pottery, Photography, Jeanne Petrosky Paper Sculpture, Dance Lessons, Taylor Backes Art Glass, and more!

SPORTS: Arnold’s Family Fun Center, Golf Outings, Autographed Eagles Photo, Autographed Flyer’s Hockey Puck, Rock Climbing, Gym Memberships, Bicycles.

SERVICES: Massage, Salon Services and Products, Piano Tuning, Photography, Interior Design Consultation, Automobile Services
Homegoods & Apparel: Chiropractic Pillow, Candles, Wedding Accessories, Stationary, Photo and Scrap Books, Travel Accessories, Maternity Apparel, Flags, Decorative Bowls and Wreath, Table Lamp, Mink Coat, Misc. Gift Baskets, Mantel Clock, T-Shirts, Home Improvement Gift Certificates, Vases, Pet Grooming, Floral Arrangement, Birdhouse, Plush Robe, L’Occitane Toiletries, Weitzenkorn Gift Certificate, and more!

ART TREK DETAILS
“Canvas the Streets” in support of area art galleries. Visit 3 or more of the following galleries before arriving at the Tri-PAC and receive free gifts such as posters, art cards, coupons, and tickets to a Tri-PAC performance. Don’t forget to collect a business card or pamphlet from each gallery on your way want to the Tri-PAC.

The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art – Ursinus College
Studio B – Boyertown, PA
The Boyer Gallery – The Hill School
Goggle Works – Reading, PA
Montgomery County Community College – Pottstown, PA
Gallery School of Pottstown – Pottstown, PA

If you are unfamiliar with Romero Britto (international artist) you can check out his website http://www.britto.com/

Dracula Takes A Bite Out Of Pottstown

By Roy Keeler

On Sunday, October 11th, I had the pleasure of attending my third Village Productions play at the Tri-County Performing Arts Center in downtown Pottstown.

I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into the Main Stage area and realized it has been totally reconfigured and everything is black.  This time, the seats are in one large row, stadium style, and the stage area is much smaller than it was for Miracle on 34th Street and The Wiz.  The set is appropriately Gothic.  We were seated in the fourth row and center stage for optimum viewing.

After a quick introduction and some housekeeping items, Marta Kiesling relayed to us that the role of Dr. Seward was being filled by her husband Bill.  The actor who was playing Dr. Seward was unable to continue in the role after Wednesday night’s dress rehearsal.  Her husband stepped in the day before opening night and took over the role.  Talk about saving the day!  Without further delay, the production began.

The room was pitch black, there was some thunder, lightening, fog and music began to play (Camille Saint-Saëns: Dance Macabre) which was extremely appropriate!  Great mood setter!

Act I takes place in the library of Dr. Seward’s sanatorium in England.  This is the longest segment and a fifteen minute intermission takes place at the end of the act.  Act II takes place in Lucy’s boudoir and is followed by a five minute “stretch”.  Act III has two scenes: back in Dr. Seward’s library and in a crypt.

This production has a strong cast and I was impressed with the acting!  There are some special effects, which are well done, but the high caliber acting by the cast draws you into the story.  Elizabeth Hennessey and Scott Minor are back for another “Village Production” after appearing in Miracle on 34th Street.  I became a fan of both actors after seeing them in Miracle on 34th Street and in this production of Dracula their acting skills are showcased even further. Scott has the role of R.M. Renfield, a bug eating lunatic in Dr. Seward’s sanatorium.  Not exactly an easy role to pull off.  Elizabeth is the female lead, Lucy Seward (Dr. Seward’s daughter) who becomes Count Dracula’s love interest/victim.  Both Scott and Elizabeth delivered superb performances.

Michael Shoeman plays John Harker, Lucy Seward’s love interest.  Michael delivers another strong performance as his character desperately struggles to save the woman he loves.  You feel the intensity and raw emotion of Michael’s performance.

Paul Dake was cast as Abraham Van Helsing.  Van Helsing is a strong character in need of a strong actor to due justice to the role.  The pivotal role as Dracula’s nemesis was skillfully executed by Paul.

As I mentioned earlier, Bill Kiesling was thrust into the role of Dr. Seward on opening night.  It is a performance using the script as there was no time to memorize hundreds of lines.  However, the script in concealed in a book that he carries at all times.  Personally, I was not bothered by it.  Several of the people who were with me felt it was distracting, although they completely understood there was no other option.  I think Bill does an amazing job with this role.  It is a main character.  The emotion and depth of feeling put into the role is excellent, especially considering he had 24 hours to ready himself.  There was no awkwardness or missed cues that I noticed.

Diane Davis as Miss Wells (maid) and Eamon Goebel as Butterworth (butler) delivered wonderful performances.  They added some comic relief which is necessary in a drama as intense as Dracula!

Last and certainly not least is Jerome Neville as Count Dracula.  In my humble opinion Jerome rocks the house as Dracula!  He has all the right moves, even down to the hissing when crosses, garlic, mirrors, Wolf’s-bane and the Blessed Sacrament are used against him.  Think Bela Lugosi!  The classic Dracula of my childhood; creepy, charming and everything in between!  Great performance!

The play runs about 2 1/2 hours including the intermissions.  Excellent costumes, sound, lighting, sets etc… It may be a little scary for small children but is otherwise great entertainment for all ages.  The special effects are excellent and I thought the ending was “killer”.  I give Dracula two fangs up!

Dracula runs through October 25th. Performances are Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  For more information about tickets sales, performance times and dates visit their website at http://www.tripac.org. The Tri Country Performing Arts Center is located at 245 E. High Street, Pottstown, PA 19464.  They can also be reached by telephone at (610) 970-1199.

Grab The Garlic! Dracula Comes To Pottstown!!

Tri-County Performing Arts Center
245 East High Street Pottstown,  PA  19464

Presents Dracula

Thriller by Deane and Balderston
Presented by arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
Not recommended for young children due to potentially frightening situations and suggestion of mature themes

Get ready for Halloween thrills and chills with the play based on the novel by Bram Stoker! A young friend of beautiful Lucy Seward dies unexpectedly, supposedly of anemia. Now Lucy is ill too, and her well-meaning father (Dr. Seward) and fiancé (Jonathan Harker) consult with the specialist, Van Helsing, to seek a cure. Their mysterious new neighbor, Count Dracula, appears to be unusually attracted to Lucy’s predicament. Meanwhile Dr. Seward’s mental patient, Renfield, is exhibiting increasingly bizarre behavior, torn between embracing the Count’s promise of immortality and saving his own soul. Dr. Seward’s attendant, Butterworth, can’t contain Renfield, and both he and Lucy’s maid observe increasingly odd disturbances within the household. Van Helsing is the first to realize the Count’s true nature, and together with Dr. Seward and Jonathan Harker, seek to destroy Dracula to save Lucy.

CAST
Count Dracula – Jerome Neville
Van Helsing – Paul Dake
Renfield – Scott Minor
Lucy Seward – Elizabeth Karpinski
Dr. Seward – Stephen Blumenthal
John Harker – Michael Shoeman
Miss Wells – Diane Davis
Attendant – Eamon Goebel

Directed by – Geoffrey Berwind

DRACULA (October 8 – 25, 2009)
Thursday October 8,15, 22 – 7:30 pm
Friday October 9, 16, 23 – 8:00 pm
Saturday October 10, 17, 24 – 8:00 pm
Sunday October 11, 18, 25 – 3:00 pm

ADULT: Thurs $17; Fri, Sat & Sun $21
STUDENT/SR (65+): Thurs $15; Fri, Sat & Sun $19
CHILD (12 & under): Thurs $13; Fri, Sat & Sun $15
$2 off per ticket for groups of 10 or more!