TheatreZone Announces The Cast of THE RINK

Acting tours de force in TheatreZone's Feb. 6-16 production of Kander & Ebbs' The Rink showcase Karen Molnar Danni and Sarah Beth Ganey as a mother and daughter reconnecting after years of estrangement.

They dominate the stage in virtually every scene. Their rocky reunion is lightened by the ensemble of “The Wreckers,” a six-person, all-male cast performing as the blue-collar demo crew tasked with dismantling a failing roller-skating rink on a Coney Island-style boardwalk. The male actors each play multiple roles, including women, while singing, tap dancing, and roller skating.

The Rink's story is told through flashbacks that recall Anna and Angel's past in scenes evoking the cultural shifts during the tumultuous decades of the 50s, 60s and 70s.  The heart of the story is Anna's decision to sell her decaying roller-skating rink. Anna is a fiery Italian American who wants to move on with her life, while her returning daughter, Angel, seeks to connect with her past. In addition to performing the role of Anna, Molnar Danni, TheatreZone's co-founder and associate artistic director, choreographs the musical. “The musical's choreography features lighthearted dance numbers juxtaposed with the dramatic mother-daughter relationship,” says Molnar Danni.

TheatreZone's founding artistic director, Mark Danni, is directing the production of The Rink, being produced for the first time in four decades as originally intended, and with the express blessing of composer John Kander, who said he is “…just thrilled it's being done at TheatreZone.”

“While casting in New York and Naples, we searched for exceptional actors who also sing and dance, including on roller skates,” said Danni.

 “'The Wreckers,” Danni adds, “give high energy and levity to the story.” The six male actors transition between 20 different roles.  Sometimes they are construction workers wielding sledgehammers and at other moments, they are doubling as a former husband and father, past boyfriends, father-in-law, and local thugs. They also play female characters from the community, including a nun.

Meet the Cast of Characters

“The Wreckers” cast lineup includes:

·      TheatreZone fan favorite Adolpho Blaire stars as “Lino/Lenny/Uncle Fausto.” The NYC-based Blaire, who recently played eight different roles in TheatreZone's production of Neil Simon's comedy Little Me, returns to the theatre company's stage for a record-breaking 22nd performance.

·      Former Chicago actor and singer Will Knoop will play “Buddy/Hiram/Mrs. Jackson/Charlie/Junior Miller. Knoop is graduate of Florida Southern College with a BFA in musical theatre and former lead vocalist for Royal Caribbean Cruises.

·      New York actor Mason Hensley will make his TheatreZone debut portraying three roles as “Guy/Dino/Father Rocco.” Hensley is an actor and singer based in NYC. Past credits include Look Homeward Angel (Irish Rep) and Black Tom Island (Premier Stages).

·      Jackson Mattek portrays five different roles as “Lucky/Sugar/Arnie/Bobby Perillo/Danny.” Mattek is best known for his role as “Alexander” in the television series The Hunters with Al Pacino. He returns to TheatreZone for The Rink following his debut with the theatre company as the Bank Manager in Once.

·      Actor Gianni Saverio returns to TheatreZone for his third role playing “Tony/Tom/Peter Reilly, having previously performed in Gypsy and Carrie: The Musical. Gianni is based in Brooklyn, New York. Past credits include: A Christmas Story (Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre) and The Last Five Years (BrooklynONE).

·      Hugo Moreno performs as “Ben/Dino's Father/Sister Philomena/Mrs. Silverman.” Born in Lima, Peru, and raised in South Florida, Moreno's dancing skills have earned him roles in Univision commercials, ESPN's 30 for 30 series and acclaimed stage productions like Legally Blonde (Actors' Playhouse 2024) and Carousel (The Wick Theatre 2024).

In The Rink, Karen Molnar Danni plays two major roles: Lead actress and choreographer.

As Anna, she is a mother and the owner of a skating rink in a declining Coney Island-style amusement center. As the choreographer for The Rink, she choreographs a wide range of different dance styles popular during the decades depicted in the story. Molnar Danni is TheatreZone's co-founder (with Mark Danni) and associate artistic director and choreographs all the theatre company's productions. Since 2005, she has served as both a lead actor and choreographer in more than 90 TheatreZone shows, notably Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Lily in The Secret Garden, Luisa in Nine, Desire in A Little Night Music, and many more. Her wide-ranging biography as an actor and choreographer embraces decades of experience in New York City, Naples and regional theatres, both on stage and on film and TV. “The Rink,” she said, “has fun choreography with flashbacks to 50s, 60s and 70s styles, roller skating numbers, swing dancing, disco, and Broadway soft shoe.”  One dance highlight is with a song written for Anna by Fred Ebb called “Don't Ah Ma Me,” referring to the bickering banter between Anna and her daughter, Angel, played by Sarah Beth Ganey. Molnar previously worked with Ganey in TheatreZone's 2024 production of Carey: The Musical. Karen Molnar Danni hails from Cleveland, Ohio, where she started dancing as a toddler. She earned bachelor's degrees in musical theatre and marketing from Baldwin-Wallace University in Cleveland.

Sarah Beth Ganey made her TheatreZone debut in its 2024 production of Carrie: The Musical. Her second appearance at TheatreZone will be her role as Angel in The Rink. Ganey grew up in Winter Haven, Fla. The triple-threat performer has danced, sang and acted from childhood, including professionally as a competitive dancer throughout Florida – ballet, jazz, hip hop, and tap. She attended Drake University in Des Moines, Oh., to study opera. Musical theatre came through a family member who ran a theatre company and Ganey “fell in love with the art form,” she said.  Recent credits include Lillian Magill in The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Orlando Shakes), Dyanne in Million Dollar Quartet (Kincaid Regional Theatre), Kira in Xanadu (Venice Theatre), Maria Rainer in The Sound of Music (Kincaid Regional Theatre and Theatre Winter Haven), and Vicki Nichols in The Full Monty (Suncoast Broadway Dinner Theatre). In addition to running a private vocal studio, Ganey is a director, choreographer, and occasionally a commercial actress. “The Rink is the purest memory play I've read in a long time,” she said, adding that, “Angel loves her mother more than anything, and everything she does is for her mother's approval, even though she originally left home after feeling betrayed.”

Mark Danni related that, “Sarah Beth's understanding of Angel was so evident and tender during her audition that we were choked up and convinced she was our ‘Angel'.”

Performance Schedule and Talkback

Performances of The Rink will run from Thursday, February 6, through Sunday, February 16. The schedule is:

7:30 p.m. February 6-8 and 13-16

2 p.m. February 8-9 and 15-16

Ticket prices range from $50 to $85. A post-show talkback with the cast and creative team will take place after the Thursday, February 13 performance at no additional charge.

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