For the second show in their 50th Anniversary season, Cortland Repertory Theatre presents a revival of one of their most popular comedies, "Over the River and Through the Woods". This comedy written by prolific playwright Joe DiPietro will have performances at the Little York Pavilion in Preble from June 22nd - July 1st with evening shows at 7:30 PM.
Matinees are available on June 24th, 26th, 29th and July 1st at 2:00 PM. Tickets may be purchased by calling 800-427-6160 or by visiting the CRT Box Office at 24 Port Watson Street in Cortland. Tickets are also available through CortlandRep.org with ETIX, for a small additional charge. CRT cautions that ETIX is the only approved online ticket service; others charge significantly higher rates for tickets and are not approved by CRT. The GPS address for the Little York Pavilion is 6799 Little York Lake Road in Preble.
First produced at CRT in 2005, this hysterical comedy is for, and about, the whole family. Nick is a young Italian American living in New York City who meets both sets of grandparents in New Jersey for dinner every Sunday. That is, until he accepts his dream job in Seattle. The news sets the grandparents reeling, and then scheming, as they find ways to keep him from moving - including playing matchmaker with a lovely young lady who has no idea what she's getting into. At CRT's previous production, patrons commented that they felt they were seeing their own family on stage!
Over the River and Through the Woods is directed by Dr. Deena Conley in her CRT debut. Dr. Conley is the Musical Theatre Coordinator in the SUNY Cortland Theatre Department. Stage Manager Anna Vu returns for her second CRT summer, with Jacob Brown and Emily Liberatore making their CRT debuts as Scenic Designer and Costume Designer, respectively. CRT's Head Electrician Connor Beattie will serve as Lighting Designer, and Sound Engineer Lex Allenbaugh will create the Sound Design. Gregory Pernicone Jr. continues as Props Designer, as does Dana White, Jr. as Technical Director.
The cast is comprised of a mix of familiar and new faces to the CRT audience. Playing Nick Cristano, John Cavaseno returns to CRT after being a Performing Intern in the summer of 2018, when he appeared in Saturday Night Fever, Newsies and Our Town. As Nick's maternal grandparents Richard Daniel plays Frank Gianelli with Catherine Gaffney as his wife, Aida. Daniel appeared as Ben Franklin in CRT's production of 1776 and was also seen in Cards on the Table. Gaffney portrayed Ann Landers in the one-woman show The Lady with All the Answers and was nominated for a SALT Award for her role as Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town. As the fraternal grandparents, Bill Coughlin revisit his SALT Award winning performance as Nunzio Cristano and is joined by Cara D'Emanuele in her CRT debut as his wife, Emma. Alice K. Johnson also makes her CRT debut as Caitlin O'Hare.
CRT offers a "Friday Night Talk Back" after the evening performance on June 24th, with a Q & A session with the actors, director, designers and crew. Tickets are on sale for the rest of CRT's summer season, which includes Kiss Me Kate, Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express and Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins.
Also for the younger generation, The Bright Star Touring Theatre will present three children's shows: The Little Mermaid on July 8 and 28, Treasure Island on July 9 and Upcycled Cinderella on July 29. All children's shows will be at 10:00 AM. Visit www.cortlandrep.org for more information on all upcoming performances.
