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PHOTOS from "Drop Dead!" at WHATCo

By John Posada

originally published: 02/27/2023

(WEST HUDSON, NJ) -- The West Hudson Arts & Theater Company (WHATCo) is celebrating their Main Stage 2023 season with the debut of the comedy farse Drop Dead! by Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore, and with a much-anticipated move to a new performance space in Harrison, NJ.  Productions of this potboiler murder mystery continue Friday and Saturday, March 3rd and 4th at 7:00pm.  Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.

A nonstop physical comedy, Drop Dead! Is sponsored in part by Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home.  The play takes the idea of “the show must go on” to a deadly new level. A cast of has- been actors plan to revive their careers but when the murders and mysteries exceed those in the script - these thespians must save the show and their careers as well as their lives!

“This is show is a perfect vehicle to help us kick off our season in our fantastic new theater space,” said WHATCo president Brandi-Leigh Miller.  “This dark comedy  filled with larger than life characters has our audiences howling with laughter and excited to be back enjoying live theater here in West Hudson!”

Directed by WHATCo alumni  Matt Masiello, the cast includes Dylan Myers, Nicole Gallin, Arthur Carlson, John Fraissinet, Donna Frassinet, Jessica Jones, John Branwell, Richard Dwyer, Jonathan Rueda, and K. Dixon. Miller notes that the themes and situations presented are best suited for mature audiences.

General admission tickets are $20;  $15 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased online at www.whatconj.org. The WHATCo Box Office at 15 Frank E. Rogers Blvd South will also be open for advance ticket sales; check WHATCo Instagram and Facebook pages for Box Office hours. Some tickets may also be available at the door the evenings of the performances. 




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With their new location at 15 Frank E. Rodgers Blvd South in Harrison (the former Holy Cross School.) WHATCo is now conveniently located less than a 10 minute walk from the Harrison PATH station and along the #30 and #40 NJTransit bus routes. 

Free parking is available in the fenced lot at the corner of Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. South and Jersey Street. 

Here are more photos from the production.

“Drop Dead!” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

This program is made possible by a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a division of the Department of State, and administered by the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, Thomas A. DeGise, Hudson County Executive & the Hudson County Board of County Commissioners.

About the author:

John Posada is a New Jersey based photographer specializing in photographing live theatre and music performances. Currently, John has spent the last 6 years concentrating on photographing almost 400 theater productions at over 70 different NJ theatres. Click here for John's website.





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EVENT PREVIEWS

(UNION, NJ) -- American Theater Group (ATG), in partnership with the Union Arts Center, will present a three-day Spotlight play reading event featuring works by New Jersey playwrights at the DMK Black Box Theater at the Union Arts Center from July 6-8, 2026 with performances at 7:00pm each night.

Live On Stage Productions presents "Together Off-Broadway: Merman & Martin in Concert" at Cape May Stage

(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Live On Stage Productions presents Together Off-Broadway: Merman & Martin in Concert at Cape May Stage from July 4-10, 2026. This show celebrates the remarkable bond between Ethel Merman and Mary Martin — two of Broadway’s brightest stars.
Gateway Playhouse presents Neil Simon

Gateway Playhouse presents Neil Simon's "London Suite"

(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse presents Neil Simon's London Suite with three performances from July 11-12, 2026. Witty, charming, and unmistakably Neil Simon, London Suite invites audiences into a series of hilarious and heartfelt encounters set in the same London hotel room.

The Light Opera of New Jersey presents "H.M.S. Pinafore" at the Sieminski Theater Cultural Arts Center

(BASKING RIDGE, NJ) -- The Light Opera of New Jersey presents H.M.S. Pinafore from July 11-12, 2026 at the Sieminski Theater Cultural Arts Center. This is a comic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan that satirize the British class system. 
Misfits Theatre Co. presents "She Loves Me"

Misfits Theatre Co. presents "She Loves Me"

(MATAWAN, NJ) -- Misfits Theatre Co., a community theater organization dedicated to producing bold, entertaining, and accessible theater for audiences of all ages, presents its inaugural book musical production, She Loves Me at Matawan Regional High School from July 10-12, 2026.
Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center presents "Sense and Sensibility" outside duCret Center of Art

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(PLAINFIELD, NJ) -- Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center invites audiences to experience Jane Austen's beloved classic Sense and Sensibility in a charming outdoor production this summer at duCret Center of Art in Plainfield. Performances take place July 10-12, 2026.

Howell PAL Theater Company presents "Grease"

(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Howell PAL Theater Company presents the classic musical Grease weekends from July 10-12, 2026 at the Jersey Shore Arts Center. Grease is a love song to the 1950s and a cornerstone of the American musical comedy form.
Pioneer Productions presents encore run of "What the Constitution Means to Me" in Chatham Borough

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(CHATHAM, NJ) -- Pioneer Productions is thrilled to announce encore performances of their production of Heidi Schreck's "What the Constitution Means to Me." Following a sold-out run of the show in downtown Morristown earlier this year, the original cast and production team have partnered with Chatham Borough to present an encore weekend July 11-12, 2026 at the Stanely Center.

Skyline Theatre Company presents Shakespeare on the Porch with "Much Ado About Nothing"

(BLOOMFIELD, NJ) -- Skyline Theatre Company presents Much Ado About Nothing with performances July 17-18, 2026 as part of its Shakespeare on the Porch series. The Bard's ultimate rom-com comes to life on the porch of the Oakeside Mansion.

The Montclair Foundation and Studio Players will present Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" at Van Vleck House and Gardens

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- The Montclair Foundation and Studio Players will present Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing outside at Van Vleck House and Gardens across two weekends from July 10-18, 2026. This is no ordinary stage production, it’s an immersive theatrical experience.
 

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