Photo Flash: First Look at Bergen County Players' MAN OF LA MANCHA

Celebrating a season entitled "From Page to Stage" and inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' 17th century masterpiece Don Quixote, Bergen County Players (BCP) opens its 81st season with the Tony Award-winning musical Man of La Mancha. Performed at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell, now through October 12, 2013. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast onstage below!

With a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh, Man of La Mancha tells the story of the "mad" knight, Don Quixote, as a play within a play, performed by Cervantes and his fellow prisoners as he awaits a hearing with the Spanish Inquisition.

The original 1965 Broadway production enjoyed a six year run and starred Richard Kiley, who won one of the show's five Tony Awards. It also won for best musical and best direction of a musical as well as for score and both scenic and costume design. Considered one of the most enduring works of musical theatre, the show has since been revived four times on Broadway, most recently in 2003 with Brian Stokes Mitchell.

Man of La Mancha is directed by long-time BCP member Jacqueline McElroy- Poquette of Westwood, who has directed over 30 plays. The most recent include two NJACT Perry Award-nominated productions, The Melody Lingers On and Follies in Concert, and the Perry Award-winning The Beauty Queen of Leenane. When McElroy-Poquette was a school teacher, the centerpiece of the graduation ceremony every year was the singing of "The Impossible Dream," the fabulous anthem from the production and one of the most recognizable songs in the history of musical theatre. To this day, she can hear the sobs it invoked from students, parents and teachers, and thus her goal in presenting the show for the Bergen County Players is to recreate that moving experience. According to McElroy-Poquette, "Don Quixote is one of the greatest characters ever created - pure and gentle with great innocence. His quest is at once sad and funny and incredibly inspiring."

The music is under the direction of Steve Bell of Teaneck, who has been the musical director for many BCP shows including last season's exciting productions of Beehive andThe Sing-Along Sound of Music.

The talented cast of Man of La Mancha includes: Brad Baron as Don Quixote (Glen Rock), Nina Lionetti as Aldonza (Westwood), Bill Kaufman as Sancho (Paterson), brian james Grace as the Padre (Clifton), Neil Kahn as the Duke/Dr. Carrasco (Maywood), Kenneth Fodor as the Governor/Innkeeper (Westwood), Jim Kelly as the Barber (Park Ridge), Rosella DeVincenzo as the Innkeeper's Wife (Oradell), Elisabeth Erdmann as Antonia (Nutley), Shari Mendelson as the Housekeeper (Fort Lee), David Luke as Captain of the Guard (Washington Township), Dan Giordano as Pedro/Muleteer (Leonia), Christian Spinella as Guitarist/Muleteer (East Rutherford), Charles Gerard Timm as Rodrigo/Muleteer (Clifton), Andrew Guiterrez as Juan/Muleteer (River Edge), Robert G. Ouellette as Paco/Muleteer (Westwood), Jill Eras as Moorish Dancer (Wyckoff), Jim Espaillat as Anselmo/Muleteer (Bogota), and John Michael Villa as Jose/Muleteer (Franklin Lakes).

The production team includes Jackie McElroy-Poquette (Director), Steve Bell (Musical Director), Oren Korenblum (Choreographer), Rhea Smith (Choreographer - Moorish Dance), Sandra Chiappino (Producer/Stage Manager), Paul Reitnauer (Assistant to the Director/Assistant Stage Manager), David Arts (Combat Choreographer), Mark Cardone (Set Design), Lauren Zenreich (Décor),Patty Howard, Lynn Oliver (Costumes), Neil Kahn (Sound Design), Raymond Poquette (Lighting Design), Jillian Hendrickson (Lighting Operation), Pat Bain and Annette Jacobs (Props), Margie McDonough and Laura Bateman (Stage Crew), Norma Llamos (Makeup), Ed Gross and J. Edmund Fond (Publicity), Alan Zenreich (Photography), and Eileen Winkler (Member-at-Large).

Please note that the show includes mature subject matter. All performances for Man of La Mancha take place at The Little Firehouse Theatre at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, home to the Bergen County Players since 1949. Performance times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm, with the exception of Saturday, September 14th, which begins at 8:30 pm. Tickets for Man of La Mancha are $22 for all performances, and can be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, by calling 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell during regular box office hours.

Photo Credit: Alen Zenreich

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