Anne Kaufman Comes to East Lynne Theater Co. In Cape May 10/2

It's a busy year for Anne Kaufman, daughter of the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, George S. Kaufman, but she found time to come to Cape May to be part of the scheduled Q&A with the cast of East Lynne Theater Company's "The Butter and Egg Man" on Friday, October 2.

Kaufman's comedies have always been popular, with productions of "You Can't Take It With You" and "The Man Who Came to Dinner" being revived the most, but this fall, The Manhattan Theatre Club is mounting "The Royal Family" and The Goodman in Chicago is producing "Animal Crackers." After "The Royal Family" opens, she comes to Cape May, and then flies out to Chicago to see the comedy originally written for the Marx Brothers.

George S. Kaufman (1889-1961) became America's most successful playwright in the 1920's and 1930's. He collaborated with Marc Connolly, Dorothy Parker, Edna Ferber, Ring Lardner, Morrie Ryskind, Moss Hart, and Howard Teichmann. Kaufman's two Pulitzer Prizes were for "Of Thee I Sing," with Morrie Ryskind and Ira Gershwin, the first musical to be so honored, and with Moss Hart for "You Can't Take It With You." "The Butter and Egg Man," is the only play he wrote by himself, and ELTC recently celebrated its Broadway premiere on September 23, by opening on the same day, 84 years later.
When Anne Kaufman came to Cape May to see Kaufman and Connolly's "To the Ladies!" last fall, not only did she enjoy the production, and patrons and cast members enjoyed her, but she is now in the process of finding out how this version of "Ladies" can be published. It had not been produced in 83 years and Ms. Kaufman had neither read nor seen the play until Ms. Stahlhuth brought it to her attention. Stahlhuth, who also directed, cut a few characters in the script to keep it to a cast of eight, but all of the original humor is in tact. So impressed was Ms. Kaufman with ELTC, that she gave permission for the company to produce "The Butter and Egg Man" royalty-free. (Yes, this is NOT public domain.)

Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions of the cast members and the director, too, after the show on October 2. The cast includes ELTC favorites Tiffany-Leigh Moskow and Morgan Nichols, who were in last year's "To the Ladies!," Mark Edward Lang, Alison J. Murphy, and SuzAnne Dawson who were in the recent "Alice on The Edge," and Tommy Raniszewski, who performed with Susan Tischler in "Helpful Hints."

New to the company are Justin Flagg, who performed in the recent Catherine Zeta-Jones and Guy Pearce film, "Death Defying Acts," John Cameron Weber, who played Michael Husted in CBS's "As the World Turns," and Daisy Ouzts, a recent graduate from the Atlantic Acting School in NYC.
This marks Gayle Stahlhuth's 27th ELTC production as a director since she became the company's artistic director in 1999, and she also has a role in the show.

"The Butter and Egg Man" runs from September 23 through October 24, every Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00p.m., where the company is in residence at The First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes St., Cape May. This production was honored by being selected by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts as part of the American Masterpieces Series in New Jersey. American Masterpieces is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts. ELTC, itself, was recently voted one of the top two Equity professional theaters in the state in the Discover Jersey Arts' "People's Choice Awards," and will be further honored with an "Achievement Award" at the upcoming New Jersey Theatre Alliance gala in October.

Tickets for "The Butter and Egg Man" are $28 general admission; $23 for seniors and those with disabilities and their support companions; and $13 for full-time students. Children ages 12 and under are always free. There is an American Sign Language Interpretation on Friday, October 16. For information and reservations, call 609-884-5898 or visit www.eastlynnetheater.org. To make a reservation using a credit card, call 866-280-9211.

The production of "The Butter and Egg Man" would not be possible without season sponsors Curran Investment Management, Aleathea's Restaurant, La Mer Beachfront Inn, and funding received through a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism, as well as the generosity of many patrons.

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