Arts & Entertainment

Plays in the Park Presents 'Macbeth'

The second of two performances brought to you by the Trilogy Repertory Company.

The curtain will soon fall on the second of two "plays in the park" on Friday, July 30, a must-see event for those who enjoyed The Music Man or are looking for summer entertainment in town.

Decked out in full Scottish regalia, the dramatic characters of Shakespeare's Macbeth will invade the stage at Pleasant Valley Park, Basking Ridge, on July 30, 31, and August 5, 6, and 7.  Not only will soldiers, kings, and nobles fight and tell the tragic story of Macbeth's rise and fall, but look for the three "Weird Sisters" to stir up the cauldron with their famous "Double, double toil and trouble." 

Macbeth has been performed in a variety of venues and media, including forty-six Broadway presentations of the classic, with the most recent starring Patrick Stewart in 2008.   There have been over fifty movie and television productions, including the classic 1957 Japanese version entitled "Throne of Death," directed by Akira Kurosawa.  Additionally, Macbeth, an opera in four acts, was Giuseppe Verdi's tenth and most prized opera.

One of Shakespeare's best-known plays, Macbeth is presented by Trilogy Repertory Company as part of the Bernards Township Plays in the Park series.  It is Trilogy's goal to produce classical plays in a manner that is both understandable and enjoyable for their open-air audience.  Many of the show's actors have appeared in a variety of Shakespearean roles both on the stage at Pleasant Valley Park and with other area theater companies. 

Joe Penczak of Westfield appears with Trilogy for the first time as Macbeth, a role he has played in the past, along with others including Brutus in Julius Caesar. He is also the artistic director of The Troupe of Friends Theater Company in Westfield.  Christie Leigh Carver of Somerset returns to the Park stage as Lady Macbeth, having previously appeared there in Twelfth Night in the role of Viola and as Mistress Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Lewis Decker of Basking Ridge, a frequent performer in the Park, including the role of Prospero in The Tempest, returns as the noble but tragic MacDuff.

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I think many of our performers return year after year because of the support of the program from Bernards Township, the large enthusiastic audiences, and the unique experience of outdoor theater," Director Hank Barre of Basking Ridge said in a press release.

Other cast members include Samantha Ferrara of Bernardsville, Katherine Cartusciello of Mendham, and Samantha Simone of Basking Ridge as the witches.  Pat Busch of Basking Ridge portrays Malcolm while Peter Curley of Maplewood, who played a lead in last year's You Can't Take it with You, returns as Lennox.  Perennial Trilogy Repertory actors Hugh Wallace, who appears as Ross, and Nancy Jean McBride, as Lady MacDuff, now living in Rahway, met on the Park stage while performing in Shakespeare and were married last year.

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

It is common with the large cast requirements for Shakespeare productions for actors to appear in multiple character roles. In this production this includes Johhny Citarelli of Berkeley Heights as Donalbain, a Lord, and Young Siward.  Ed Schroeder of Basking Ridge appears as the Old Man and the Doctor, and Scott Avery from Califon depicts the murdered King Duncan and miraculously reappears as Mentieth in the second act.Kevin Dodds of Manville portrays both the rough Sergeant and the English General, Siward and Alex Hutson of Mendham appears as Fleance, a messenger and Young MacDuff. 

New to the Trilogy stage are Lee Grabelsky of Metuchen as the noble captain, Banquo, his own ghost and later as Caithness, and Matt Marino of Scotch Plains as both a bloody Murderer and Angus. Susan Pedersen of Bedminster and Germaine McGrath of Basking Ridge portray servants and Allan Gershenson of Linden returns to portray the other evil Murderer.  Christian Winans of Morristown is featured as the comical Porter and Alan Kendall of Clark is the sly Seyton.

This year's production will have a variety of special effects and an extensive soundtrack thanks to the efforts of Assistant Director, Bill Ward, of Basking Ridge.  Ward, a professional musical performer and actor, has added a whole new level to the show with effects, sounds and props that reinforce the occult and mystical nature of the Macbeth story. 

"There is no way to acknowledge individually the dozens of people who donate their time and energies to producing Plays in Park each year. Many thanks those who contribute by building sets, doing costumes, designing and running sound and lights, creating programs, running concessions and doing the hundred other jobs that are necessary to bring you quality live entertainment," the Trilogy Repertory Company said in a statement to the press.

The company expressed gratitude to the Bernards Parks and Recreation Committee and the staff of the Bernards Parks and Recreation Department who support Trilogy's efforts each year.  Macbeth is also made possible, in part, by support from New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

All performances of the show start at 8 p.m. at the Pleasant Valley Park Amphitheater on Valley Rd (next to Lyons VA Hospital) in Basking Ridge. Donations are gratefully accepted so we may continue to offer these programs free to the audience. Theater goers are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets for seating and enjoy a night of theater under the stars. Food service is available or you can enjoy a picnic of your own.

For additional information call 908 204-3003 or go to www.bernards.org.

 

What: Macbeth performed by the Trilogy Repertory Company

Where: Pleasant Valley Park Amphitheater on Valley Road (next to the Lyons VA Hospital)

When: July 30, 31 and August 5, 6 and 7. Performances start at 8 p.m.

How Much: Free. Donations are encouraged.


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