(BASKING RIDGE, NJ) -- As the second production in Bernards Township’s “Plays in the Park” summer series, Trilogy Repertory Company will produce the popular musical “Annie.” The show will run on August 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, and 28, at the outdoor amphitheater at Pleasant Valley Park, Valley Road, in Basking Ridge, at 8:00pm each evening. The shows are free to the public, but donations to support this program sponsored by the Bernards Township Department of Recreation are gratefully accepted.
Trilogy’s production is produced by Jaye Barre and directed by Joe Schmidt, with musical direction by Emily Bengels and choreography by Kristen Sarboukh.
The cast includes Karen Blevins, Ava Chianelli, Caitlyn Costello, Claire Dempsey, Bethany Duffy, Ginelle Fernandes, Jessica Junqua, Dylan Klug, Layla Marin, Maurice Marvi, Louis Mastro, Kay Mastropaolo, Nancy Jean MCBride, Germaine McGrath, Josie Monroe, Kathy Monroe, Bridget Nassan, Bill Osman, Jojo Parks, Lily Perrotti, Colleen Renee, Alex Ridder, Jaidyn Riley, David Rittenhouse, Amy Ruggiero, Elizabeth Rzasa, Allison Schaechter, Julia Schmidt, Gloria Schnure, Pichard Siegle, Kara Vandal, Holly Vandal, William Ward, Caroline Zugale, Will Carey, Bob Vaias, Eliana Krever, Maria Ruppert, Carl Bird, Caoline McKenna, Barbara Stewart.
MACY (Sandy) was adopted from Rocky Spot Rescue of Oklahoma City, OK by guardian and trainer Bill Berloni at the age of 18 months. He had seen her on Petfinder.com and traveled all the way to Oklahoma to adopt her. She had been a stray when she was picked up by the local animal control. Miraculously, Macy avoided euthanasia for months but was overlooked for adoption. Fortunately, she was picked to enter the Prison Dog Training program at the Davis Correctional Center in Holdenville, OK by the new Leash on Life Pen Pal program. She spent 10 weeks living with the inmates and received all her basic training. Unfortunately, even though she was a model student she was the only one from the program that was not adopted. Rocky Spot Rescue, a no-kill shelter, took her, which is where Bill Berloni found her. Her journey is truly inspiring. Since her first production of ANNIE she has starred in dozens of productions nationwide.
“Annie” opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theater on April 21, 1977, and ran for 2,377 performances, winning seven Tony Awards, including “Best Musical.” There have been two Broadway revivals and three movies, with stage productions all over the world. “Annie” is based on Harold Gray’s comic strip, “Little Orphan Annie” and James Whitcomb Riley’s poem “Little Orphant Annie.” The musical’s book was written by Thomas Meehan with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. “Annie Live!” is an upcoming musical television special that will air on NBC on December 2, 2021.
Patrons should plan to bring a lawn chair, blanket and a flashlight to enjoy a night of theater under the stars. Unvaccinated individuals are encouraged to wear a mask and practice social distancing. Please do not attend a performance if you are sick! Out of respect for the dog playing Sandy, please leave your dogs at home.
The partnership of Trilogy Repertory and Bernards Township has produced over three decades of family entertainment and achieved several awards for both groups for excellence in theater programming. Most prominent are the awards from ACT (Achievement in Community Theater) and the prestigious “Excellence in Cultural Arts Programming. For further information call 908 204-3003 or go to the Trilogy Repertory website at www.trilogyrepertory.com .
