East Lynne Rep THE BUTTER AND EGG MAN As Part Of The American Masterpieces Series 9/23-10/24

"She keeps saying she shot the guy and there's a lot of trial stuff, and finally the judge gives her fifteen years. Then everybody does an exit, and she's just there with the judge, who turns out to be her father. Anyhow, it goes back and forth, and she gets crying, and goes crazy sorta, and finally they drag her off, cursing like a trooper. That's your first act! The name of the play is 'Her Lesson' and it's a wow!"

Joe Lehman and Jack McClure are describing their upcoming Broadway show to Peter Jones, from Chillicothe, Ohio. They are desperate to find funding and hope that Peter will indeed be the "butter and egg man" (a rube with the money) they've been looking for, in George S. Kaufman's comedy.

Once more, East Lynne Theater Company, recently voted one of the top two Equity professional theaters in the state in Discover Jersey Art's "People's Choice Awards," is true to its mission of presenting classic American plays that speak to audiences of today, by producing another comic gem, "The Butter and Egg Man." It 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. Opening night, September 23, is the 84th Anniversary of the play's original Broadway opening. After the show, audience members have the opportunity to meet the cast and crew at a party at Aleathea's Restaurant at The Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean Street.

Like last year, when ELTC producEd Kaufman and Marc Connelly's "To the Ladies!" George S. Kaufman's daughter, Anne, will be coming to Cape May to answer questions and talk to the audience, but a date has not been set for her arrival. Currently she is busy preparing for the Broadway opening of the revival of the much anticipated production of "The Royal Family" written by Kaufman and Edna Ferber.

This production of "The Butter and Egg Man" was 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.

George S. Kaufman (1889-1961) became America's most successful playwright in the 1920's and '30s. 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 talented cast of 10 in "The Butter and Egg Man" includes ELTC favorites Tiffany-Leigh Moskow, Mark Edward Lang, Alison J. Murphy, SuzAnne Dawson, Morgan Nichols, and Tommy Raniszewski, under the direction of Gayle Stahlhuth, who is also in the play. New to the company are Justin Flagg, John Cameron Webber, and Daisy Ouzts.

The two men who desperately need backing for their show, Lehman and Mac, are portrayed by Mark Edward Lang and Morgan Nichols. Recently, Mark appeared in ELTC's "Alice on The Edge," and performed Off-Broadway in "Welcome Home Marian Anderson." Morgan was in last season's "To the Ladies!" and this past spring, played the lead in "What Happens to Women Here" at the Richmond Sheppard Theater in NYC.

Lehman's wife, Fanny, who had a career as a juggler on the vaudeville circuit, is played by Alison J. Murphy, who was in ELTC's "Alice on The Edge." She has also worked with American Stage Company and Shakespeare in the Garden, and performs in corporate training and events in the NYC area with Executive Development Concepts.

Justin Flagg portraying Peter Jones from Ohio, performed in "Twelfth Night," and "The Seagull," among others, at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He's performed at Metropolitan Playhouse in NYC, and is in the film "Death Defying Acts" with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Guy Pearce.

Lehman's secretary, Jane Weston, is played by Tiffany-Leigh Moskow, who was in "To the Ladies!" Her credits include "Embedded" at the Fringe Festival in Scotland, and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" at Hollywood Playhouse in Florida. She has also been the lead in several independent films and television pilots.

SuzAnne Dawson is the leading actress, Mary McMartin, in the hopefully Broadway-bound "Her Lesson." She was in last season's Kaufman play and in the recent "Alice on The Edge." Suzanne was in "A Little Night Music" at Buffalo Studio Arena, "Carnival" at The Alliance in Atlanta, "Rumors" at Paper Mill Playhouse here in NJ, and toured opposite Gavin MacLeod in "Last of the Red Hot Lovers."

Rounding out the cast are three people whom the audience meets when "Her Lesson" begins its out-of-town tryout in Syracuse. In the role of Oscar Fritchie, another would-be producer, is John Cameron Weber, who played Michael Husted in CBS's "As the World Turns," performed with the Beaux Arts Society and Women's Inner Art Theater in NYC, and has worked in several regional theaters including Cortland Rep in New York and Arrow Rock in Missouri. Daisy Ouzts plays Kitty Humphries, who is asked her opinion of the play, as a native living in Syracuse. She's a recent graduate of the Atlantic Acting School in NYC, who has performed in several independent films. Tommy Raniszewski plays Cecil Benham, the director of "Her Lesson." Recently he played the title role in "The People of Cape May v. Johan van Buren" and worked with Susan Tischler in "Helpful Hints," and last season, was in ELTC's "The Guardsman."

Since becoming ELTC's artistic director, Gayle Stahlhuth has produced 51 different productions, including 13 World Premieres and 7 New Jersey Premieres, and this marks her 27th ELTC production as director.

Tickets 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 after-show discussion with the cast on Friday, October 2, and 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.

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.