Winner of the Susan Glaspell Award, this funny and poignant new play proves that family dynamics can be the source of endless comedic material. A basket full of unpaid bills for chemical engineer Lenny Gold’s laboratory is discovered by one of his adult daughters, unveiling a lifetime of secrets, a mysterious silent partner, and a few other challenges which must be met by this family. A delightful family saga about growing up, growing older and where you put the keys.
Based loosely on characters and events from her own family, this is a comedy that also takes a serious look at the issue of aging parents and the people who take care of them. "I've spent my whole life hearing some of the craziest things from my own family," Fritz said. "I'd go into another room and write down some of these exchanges." Although much of the plot is fictional, those who knew her parents will have no problem spotting them in the play. "Blossom is my mom," Fritz said, right down to her career for 39 years as secretary to the township manager. Blossom - and Phyllis - were known for spending much of their time quietly behind the scenes keeping the ship running straight. And they also share an affinity for fine clothes and style.
The play has enjoyed a strong artistic alliance over the past two years with Corbett, who has been on-board as director and collaborator during its development. The development process has included readings of the work with such theatre luminaries as Len Cariou, Kyra Sedgwick and Dick Cavett. This is not the first collaboration for Corbett and Fritz, who worked together on Fritz’s play “Girls Room”, starring Donna McKechnie and Carol Lawrence, which was hailed as “Neil Simon on Estrogen” in its west coast premiere. “Trust is the key to any relationship,” Corbett says about their collaborations, which she describes as always sparking ideas.
Joni Fritz’s segue into a writing career began as a comedy sketch writer for USA Networks’ “Commander USA”—for which she was a writer and performer for four years, as well as the syndicated show “Horrible Night at the Movies.” As a playwright, her work has been seen in several theaters in the New York area including Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Women’s Theatre Company, What Exit Theatre and Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre. Her play Girl’s Room, starring Broadway legends Carol Lawrence and Donna McKechnie, and directed by Tony-nominated director, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, enjoyed successful runs in both New York and Los Angeles. Joni’s play First a Home, created to raise awareness for the plight of the homeless, was recently performed as part of the New York Society for Ethical Culture’s Ethics and the Theater series. Joni has also created well over four hundred live theatrical pieces, films and documentaries for such companies as Arista Records, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer and IBM, among dozens of other Fortune 500 companies. Her writing, which encompasses a wide spectrum of styles and genres, also includes award-winning films and documentaries for the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, as well as the Pfizer Artists’ Gallery, an art show that toured internationally for two years; and the anniversary film for one of the first and oldest AIDS initiatives in Africa, Secure the Future. No stranger to the stage herself, Fritz has made numerous appearances on the New York stage, had a recurring role on the daytime drama "Another World" and has appeared in numerous television commercials.
Corbett, who was nominated for the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Broadway’s “Swing!”, began her career in dance. She has choreographed hit shows on Broadway, including Chess and Titanic, and is the resident guest choreographer for the Carolina Ballet. Her dance works have been commissioned by the NY City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre , and Pacific Northwest Ballet to name a few. Her directing credits include regional theatres throughout the country and several New York theatres, and she states having been fortunate to have studied with Theatre legend Uta Hagen during her time in New York. “The dance-related work I do is very theatre-based,” says Corbett, “for instance, Kurt Weill’s ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ for the New York City Ballet.” Corbett is presently at work on a multi-media, theatre –dance piece in Japan, inspired by the life of national icon Hibari Misora, a singer and movie actress who is credited with bringing hope to her people after the devastation of WWII.
In the Car with Blossom and Len runs Wednesday through Sunday till March 8. Performances are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2pm, Thursday at 7:30pm and Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm. Tickets are $25.00 for adults on matinees and Fridays with discounts for seniors, students and children under 12. Saturday evening performances are $27.50 for adults with discounts for seniors, students and children under 12. Thursday evening performances are “Family Night”; $25.00 for all seats with a special 2 for 1 rush ticket special when purchased in person at the door two hours prior to performance time.
For more information, a full listing of all CSC events or to purchase tickets visit us on-line at centenarystageco.org, call the box office at (908) 979 – 0900 or stop by the box office located at 715 Grand Ave. in the David and Carol Lackland Center on the campus of Centenary College. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 1 – 5pm and two hours prior to every performance.
The 2014-15 season of performing arts events at the Centenary Stage Company is made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, the Shubert Foundation, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and CSC sponsors, including Premier Sponsor Heath Village Retirement Community, Silver Sponsors Hackettstown Regional Medical Center, The Holiday Inn in Budd Lake, and Fulton Bank of New Jersey, and Centenary Stage Company members and supporters.
