The Full Monty is Superlative!

By Carlo Durand
The Coaster

August 18, 2009

In 2001 when the musical “The Producers” won its 715^th Tony Award (slight exaggeration) many wondered if the hype surrounding the sold- out comedic romp had gotten a bit out of hand. Granted, the show was a joy with irreverent humor and catchy tunes and all, but a growing number of dissenters (myself included) began grumbling that there was a Broadway show tragically unawarded and overlooked due to the Juggernaut of Mel Brooks’ campy blitzkrieg. “The Full Monty” (based upon the award-winning, 1997 British film of the same title) managed to run two years and earned the reputation of being a great show that should have run longer. If you missed out on the Broadway run or simply miss the show, then you are in luck because Asbury Park’s ReVision Theatre’s production of “The Full Monty” is sensational.

F or the uninitiated, the story (the movie is set in Northern England, the stage adapters ,Music and lyrics by  David Yazbek, book by Terrence McNally, have set the action in Buffalo, NY) concerns a group of six unemployed factory workers who decide to form a Chippendales-esque group and strip for badly needed cash, all for different reasons. Heading the cast as Jerry, a man sorely in arrears for child support and in danger of losing visitation with his son, is the talented Scott Guthrie. Mr. Guthrie establishes his presence from the opening moments with a strong, clear voice. He is the ringleader who dreams up this harebrained idea and convinces others to drop trou with him. It takes an actor of great charisma and conviction to make Jerry believable and likeable; Guthrie succeeds on both fronts. His portly best friend , Dave, is played by the lovable Adam Kern. Dave is much more than the traditional “chubby best friend” role. He is a person in crisis with his life. Unemployment, the assuming of house-husband duties, and the loss of faith  in himself and in his marriage (his wife played by the adorable Stephanie Sine) have made Dave miserable, yet Mr. Kern’s performance shows a fully developed character who the audience grows to love more and more throughout the course of the evening.

These two buddies soon enlist the res t of their crew:  Andy R. Jobe plays Malcom, a suicidal security guard with mother issues. Jobe has an amazing singing voice and a wonderfully cartoonish physicality (somewhat reminiscent of Shaggy from “Scooby Doo”). His performance is hysterically funny and remarkably touching. Mark Gerrard plays Harold, the group’s reluctant dance instructor. Harold is in a pickle due to his cash-strapped status and over-spending spouse (Vicki, portrayed with gusto and glamour by the fantastic Katherine Pecevich). Gerrard succeeds well as a man fighting to keep up the illusion of stability while slowly crumbling under the weight of the pressure. His duet (“You Rule My World”) with Mr. Kern , as they sing of their respective loves in their lives was a highlight. Mark F. Weekes portrays Noah (aka “Horse”) and brings a charged vitality to the role of an older man seeking re-discovering his youthful inner boogie and Jonathan Gregg plays Ethan, a hapless oaf who has a habit of knocking himself senseless. Gregg is a wonderful performer with a beautiful voice and expert comic timing.  These six fellows have the unenviable task of not only needing to sing, act and dance but to be in varying states of undress during part of it. The group does not disappoint , particularly at the end of act one when we see them all begin to gel as a performing group thanks mainly to Connor Gallaghers’s exciting choreography . Ho wever the finale is nothing less than electric as the guys truly go for broke and do go “the full monty” which is British slang for “all the way”, meaning buck naked.  The audience was hooting and applauding every member of this delightful cast. The show was directed with finesse by David E. Leidholdt who kept the action flowing seamlessly and guided every performer onstage to memorable moments (particularly local favorite Bob Angelini in his professional debut whose brief “strip audition” was a comic highpoint of the evening). The superlative musical direction was by Andrew Hertz.  The entire evening was a complete and total joy, yet there was one factor that truly helped in firmly establishing this production as a deluxe success. The factor is a force of nature named Jane Strauss. A Broadway veteran with highly respectable credits, Ms Strauss quite simply stole the show as Jeanette, the group’s musical director.  Line by line, glance by glance, gesture by gesture, Strauss delivered comedic homeruns and had the boys onstage and the audience in the palm of her hand.

Since 2008, Revision has established itself as Asbury Park’s resident professional theatre company and in a short time has become well known=2 0for its professionalism and dedication to quality work. Currently the company utilizes the performance space at the Asbury Park VFW Hall (where their celebrated spring production of the hip-hop musical “Kingdom” was staged to raves) and the Carousel House on the Asbury Boardwalk (where “Monty” is now playing). There is a resonating sense of rebirth here. What was once a vacant shell ready for demolition is now heralding a new era for a city. Peter Allen wrote “Everything Old is New Again”. Asbury is coming alive again and no city can truly thrive without the presence of art.  One can only hope that the Carousel House or another empty theatrical venue can soon become this group’s permanent home. They deserve one and the city needs one. In the meantime, see “The Full Monty” and enjoy a bit of Broadway caliber theater right here on the shore.

“The Full Monty”  runs Wed-Sat at 8PM, Sundays at 7PM through September 6^th at The Carousel House on the Boardwalk, 700 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ 07712. Call 732-455-3059 for tickets and information or visit  www.ReVisionTheatre.org

Do You Know? Lou Liberatore

By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI

The Coaster, March 20, 2008

Lou Liberatore is just one more example of the talent and commitment of some of the new residents to Asbury Park.

He’s an accomplished Tony-nominated actor who moved to the city full-time only a year ago, a board member of ArtsCap where he brings his years of experience as an actor and his new found love of writing and a member of the Black Box Theater Group.

Liberatore and his partner, Steve Albert, bought a home in the city three years ago, but did not make it their primary residence until a year ago. Albert, who has a masters degree in public health, is the residence director at The Center in the city.

Last year Liberatore, who continues to audition for parts, lent his expertise to the West Park Players cast of “The Laramie Project.”

When he learned of the controversy surrounding the play he stepped forward and offered to lend assistance, coaching the young high school actors and staging the set with the play’s director Bob Angelini.

Liberatore is also a member of the new Revision Theater, which moved from New York City, and he established the Jersey Shore Writer’s Studio which meets once a month at the Stephen Crane House, where aspiring writers can hear their words read out loud without being criticized.
Whoever shows up on a given night is given a part to read.

“It gives them an opportunity to hear their words out loud,” he said.

But for all his community minded activities, Liberatore still auditions for parts, mainly in New York and says he would love to become part of an ensemble cast for a television show.

He was nominated for a Tony award, Broadway’s most prestigious, along with other awards, for his part in the four character play “Burn This.”

He played along side John Malkovich and Joan Allen.

When the play was taken to London, Liberatore was stopped by his union, Actor’s Equity, because of the organization’s rules.

Malkovich told the producers he would not do the play in London without Liberatore.
“John held out for me, I was very happy about that.”

He has also had minor parts in TV shows like “Sex and the City,” “Law and Order” and the daytime soap “One Life to Live.”

He would love to work with Malkovich, who he said has a very funny dry sense of humor, or Sean Penn.

“He’s done very well with the way he chooses roles.”

A graduate of Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus, he worked as an intern at the famed Circle Repertory Theater in New York City.

He ended up doing a workshop with the group on a play by William Hoffman called “As Is.”
It was the first play produced on Broadway about the AIDS epidemic.

“I played eight different roles.”

Liberatore then spent 10 years acting in New York and 10 years in Los Angeles.

But today back in the city by the sea, the actor is focused on “raising the artistic profile of the city.”

He is very happy to advocate for artists living in the city through ArtsCap and to speak on their behalf to city officials and developers.

Although he grew up in Bergen County, he spent summers in Belmar. As a resident of Asbury Park he said he wants to make sure the arts aren’t forgotten during the city’s redevelopment.
So far he has been very impressed.

“I’m impressed with the attitudes and commitment…..I just want it (the arts) to contribute to benefit the town.”

New City Theater Company Hosting Open House Feb. 23

By TOM CARDINALE
The Coaster
Thursday, February 14, 2008 at 11:55 am

A new theater company in Asbury Park is offering performers of all age and skill levels the chance to learn from respected, experienced, award winning actors and instructors. The ReVision Theatre Company is the newest brainchild of Tom Morrissey, the founder of the Genesius Theatre Guild in New York City and a former professor at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Wagner College, and New York University.

Morrissey, who now splits his time living in New York City and Asbury Park, said the creation of the ReVision Theatre Company is the culmination of years of effort.

“We are in the process of starting the new theatre company in Asbury Park,” he said. “We wanted to find a place outside of New York where we could spread out. We spent two years looking for a place.”

Morrissey, along with fellow instructors David Leidholdt, Stephen Bishop Seely, and Lou Liberatore, will offer classes for children and adults of all skill levels at the VFW Hall on Lake Avenue in Asbury Park starting in March and Morrissey said every aspiring actor is sure to find something they can enjoy.

“Beginners are definitely welcome, it’s one of the things that’s great about the classes. It would be useful to people with experience or without,” he said.

Morrissey said the classes for middle and high school students will work on a musical and culminate with the performance of the play entirely by the students. The younger students will work on improvising fairy tales and other things they’re familiar with, Morrissey said, and then finish by creating their own show.

Morrissey said some highlights of the adult classes include a cabaret class which focuses on cabaret style songs as well as a comedy class that will include stand-up and improv.

The classes will run for eight to 10 weeks and tuition ranges from $150 to $200, Morrissey said. All the courses will be taught by Morrissey and his fellow instructors, who have extensive theatre experience.

Leidholdt has been a director and producer in New York City for over 14 years while Seely holds an MFA in acting from Michigan State University and has appeared in stage productions, television shows, and films. Liberatore has been an actor for over 25 years and was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in “Burn This” alongside Joan Allen and John Malkovich.
He is also the founder of Asbury Park’s Jersey Shore Writer’s Studio and the Arts Coalition of Asbury Park.

A free open house will be held on Sat., Feb. 23 at 4 p.m. for anyone interested in classes or other upcoming events. The open house will be held at the VFW hall.

ReVision Theatre Company is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. For more information or to register for classes visit their Web site at http://www.revisiontheatre.org/ or call 732-775-0635.

The B Plot: The story behind the store names

The B Plot: The story behind the store names
By RICHARD VIRGILIO
The Coaster

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 9, 2008 at 4:22 pm and is filed under Arts & Entertainment, Features

Did you receive a ‘message gift’ this holiday - a present that says more about how the giver feels about you than could ever be put into words?

The message can be positive (a vacation says, “I care for you and want to spend more time with you”) or negative (a hair buzzer or toaster says, well, you got it). I know people in town who got both those gifts. Hmmm.

Naturally, negative message gifts never come from the great stores in our town, however cool, innovative business names do. I was curious about the genesis of some of the names and reached out to Asbury Park’s store owners.

Pereaux
“We opened our first store in Mendham, New Jersey in 1977,” stated Dennis Fishbach, founder. “The preparation for the opening had been going on for months and months. After another long day of arranging the store, my partner and I sat down for cocktails with our graphic designer, his sister. I asked her what the prettiest letters in the alphabet were. After that, it became a drunken Scrabble game to come up with something that made sense for the name of our store. The name and its font have withstood the test of time. Pereaux worked out so well, we named our real estate arm Pereaux Deux.”

Not that you asked, but Dennis gets my vote as absolutely the most warm, engaging man in this town. He has the gift to be able to talk with anyone and make the person feel comfortable.

Trillium Antiques
“The name Trillium represents the flower and my life,” explained Kathleen Banks, owner. “It has nothing to do with Battlestar Galactica, as some people think. We lived in Vermont in the 1980’s and our yard had Trillium all over. It’s my favorite flower and represents the luckiest and most perfect number – the number three. The flower itself has three leaves and three petals. When we moved back here I had to name my business Trillium Antiques.”

Restaurant Plan B
“When Luis and I were thinking about starting a new business, we knew we wanted to be in Asbury Park,” stated Jeffrey, owner. “I first wanted to open a bed and breakfast. We decided to open a restaurant, we were at a bar-b-que and everyone kept telling us what we should name the restaurant, but all the names were so basic or boring. Friends said ‘call it Jeffrey,’ or ‘call it my daughter’s name.’ Finally, I thought that since the restaurant was my second plan for Asbury Park, I would call it Restaurant Plan B.”

Moonstruck
“I love Cher and when we saw the movie “Moonstruck” for the first time I thought it would be a great name for a restaurant some day,” stated Luke Magliaro, owner with Howard Raczkiewicz.
“Moonstruck was great for three reasons - it represented a combination of Italian American, just like our restaurant; the name had a city feel and, most importantly, it was romantic. When we moved to Asbury Park, the name was even more appropriate because you can sit on the balcony and see the moon sometimes.”

FYI, Moonstruck reopens on February 13 – just in time for a fabulous Valentine’s Day. Take your love of the moment early because Luke does not take reservations.
Esphera“Loosely translated, Esphera means ‘what goes around comes around’ in Spanish,” stated Ryan Sabatos, founder. “That philosophy is one which I live my life by and founded my business on.”

ReVision Theatre Company
“Tom, David and I brainstormed names for our theatre company for about one month,” stated Stephen Bishop Seely. “We came up with about 375 possible names, which included: Bad Neighbors Theatre Company, The Theatre Factory, The Good Fortune Company, Angels in Hell, Three’s Company and Above the Water Theatre. Because we were transforming our theatre company in New York City to a new theatre company in Asbury Park, we all agreed on ReVision. And the rest, as they say, is history.”

Cry Baby Art Gallery
“I am the type of girl that cries at anything,” stated Jennifer Graef, owner. “Good, bad, happy, sad – I cry. My tears come alive by artwork, too. If I like the artwork, I cry. Mid-2006, we were driving from an art opening in New York City. We were so excited that we were going to be opening our own gallery soon and began brainstorming gallery names. After tossing out a ton of names, we decided on Cry Baby because each piece in our gallery has such emotion.”

It’s cold out, but our businesses are hot stuff.

New e-mail for you, for me: Richard@TheBPlot.com.