(BASKING RIDGE, NJ) -- As the first production in Bernards Township’s “Plays in the Park” summer series, Trilogy Repertory Company will produce Neil Simon’s comedy, “Rumors.” The show will run on July 30, 31, and August 5, 6, and 7, 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.
The comedy opens with four couples arriving at the home of New York City’s Deputy Mayor and his wife for a party. They find that that there are no servants; the mayor’s wife is missing, and the Deputy Mayor has shot himself in the head. The attendees decide it would be best for everyone to hide what has happened from the police.
The cast includes AJ Meeker (Edison), Alicia Harabin, (Somerville), Rick Brown (Verona), Ruth Kliwinski (Bloomfield), Dawn Lanoue (Metuchen), Greg Northam (Garfield), Corinne Chandler (Edison), Matt Marino (Bernardsville), Raven Oppong-Boateng (Parlin), and Kyle Watkins (Basking Ridge). Staff includes Taylor Lyons, Regina Barletta, Emily Tonn, Michael Wolfe, and Chris Wolfe.
Directed by Morristown’s Peter Curley, who is undertaking his first directorial role for Trilogy after fifteen years on the stage and produced by Hank Barre of Basking Ridge, “Rumors” originally opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theater on November 17, 1988, and ran for 535 performances, winning a Tony Award for Christine Baranski as Best Featured Actress In A Play.
In an interview with Mervyn Rothstein, written for the The New York Times, November 13, 1988, Neil Simon said: " 'I was going through some difficult times...I wanted to work, because work is always a cathartic process for me, and I thought it would be really good just to get into a comedy.' He noted that, ”This is completely different for me...It's unlike anything I've ever written. It's my first farce.”
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! Note: This play contains some adult situations and language. We have toned it down, but we are not encouraging young children to attend.
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. “Rumors” will be followed on August 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, and 28, by a presentation of the delightful musical “Annie” on the park stage.
PHOTOS: (TOP) Corinne Chandler of Edison and Matt Marino of Bernardsville have an ongoing battle (BOTTOM) Rick Brown of Verona listens disapprovingly to Alicia Harabin of Somerville on the phone
