(CRANFORD, NJ) -- Summer doesn’t have to end! Leave your troubles at the door and spend ninety minutes at a completely unhinged beach party... a Psycho Beach Party! CDC Theatre presents this hilarious send up of Gidget, Frankie and Annette beach party movies, with a dash of Hitchcock psychological suspense thrillers across two weekends from October 9-18, 2026.
Written by Charles Busch, the play follows Chicklet Forrest, a teenage tomboy, desperately wants to be part of the surf crowd on Malibu Beach in 1962. One thing getting in her way is her unfortunate tendency towards split personalities. Her most dangerous alter ego is a voracious vixen named Ann Bowman who has nothing less than world domination on her mind.
“Imagine Beach Blanket Bingo taking a very wrong turn,” suggests director Sean Lough. “You get the sun and surf of a 1960s beach party movie and then, well…thing get weird. The waves are high, the hair is higher and the sanity is questionable. The only thing we’re taking seriously is making sure the audience has a good time!”
The cast includes Ryan Green as Provoloney, Tyler Callinan as Yo-Yo, Luke Basile as Starcat, Zach Mazouat as Chicklet, Sherry Mayce as Berdine, Rick Brown as Kanaka, Sommer Mae Campbell as Bettina, Sean Lynch-Littlejohn as Mrs. Forrest and Kate Griggs as Marvel Ann.
The production will run October 9,10, 16,17, 18 with a mix of matinees and evening performances and does contain some adult language. Tickets are available for purchase online. CDC Theatre is located at 78 Winans Avenue in Cranford, New Jersey.
Psycho Beach Party is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com and made possible by funds from the Union County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
The Cranford Dramatic Club is a non profit all volunteer organization whose purpose is to: Produce and present plays of merit; Develop, by discussion and active participation, the talents of members in all phases of dramatic work, e.g., directing, acting, staging, etc.; and Stimulate community interest in amateur theater.
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
@ 7:30pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center
Morristown, NJ
There are multiple performances including:
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
@ 7:30pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
New Brunswick, NJ
There are multiple performances including:
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
@ 7:30pm
McCarter Theatre Center (Matthews Theatre)
Princeton, NJ
There are multiple performances including:
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
@ 7:30pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
Union, NJ
Thursday, October 15, 2026
@ 7:00pm
Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) - Main Stage
Rahway, NJ
