Mikayla Petrilla to Lead GYPSY for Phoenix Productions

Mikayla Petrilla will be playing a principal role in Phoenix Productions' upcoming September revival of GYPSY. This show will take place at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank for a two-weekend run beginning September 16th.

Mikayla is a well-known actress in the New Jeresy community. She graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University, whree she double-majored in Musical Theatre and Public Relations. During her collegiate experience, she extended her studies to the United Kingdom, to study classical theatre and dramaturgy at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Globe Theatre, and Wroxton College in Oxfordshire, U.K. Upon graduating, Mikayla was an Acting Apprentice at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Making her return to Matawan, she performs regularly in New Jersey and New York City's theatre and comedy scenes, and serves as the Marketing Coordinator for Phoenix Productions.

In Gypsy, Mikayla plays Electra, the seasoned but demure burlesque stripper whose routine involves a costume wired with lights, allowing her to "shine" without working up a sweat. Mikayla also plays Miss Cratchitt, the sophisticated and very sarcastic secretary. "Electra makes a name for herself simply for having an attractive figure, and literally lighting it up for display," explains Mikayla. " I think her routine pays a testament to humans having always been 'visual creatures'. A woman's body has always fascinated men, been idolized by men, and has led men to do crazy things in art, literature, and history. If you have one, which 4 billion women on earth do, men are going to notice. Women have strove for centuries to be respected as intellectuals and equals, as is our right, but one can't deny the ever-lasting power of a beautiful woman. It's a gimmick in itself, and Electra isn't afraid to make that point heard. Burlesque in definition is "an absurd or comical exaggeration of something", and Electra is satirizing the adult industry as a whole. It's always existed, it always will exist, so let's call it like we see it."

Referred to as the greatest American musical by many critics, Gypsy is the ultimate true story about an aggressive stage mother. Join Rose, June and Louise in their trip across the United States during the 1920's, when vaudeville was dying and burlesque was born. Jule Styne's music and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics include lots of unforgettable standards like "Everything's Coming Up Roses", "You Gotta Get a Gimmick", "Together Wherever We Go,"and, of course, "Let Me Entertain You".

Performances will be on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm, with its run concluding on September 25th. Tickets are available at the Count Basie Theatre Box Office and can be purchased in person at 99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, N.J, by phone at 732-842-9000, or online at www.countbasietheatre.org.

Phoenix Productions is a non-profit community theatre organization that has produced more than a hundred full-scale revivals of Broadway musicals since 1988. For more information on Phoenix Productions or upcoming shoes, visit www.phoenixredbank.com.

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