Skyline Theatre Company Presents BROADWAY IN THE WORKS

Skyline Theatre Company, a 20-year-old professional theatre company previously calling Bergen County its home, will open its 2023 season in Bloomfield on Friday, April 21 at 7:00pm with a one-night-only staged reading of a new musical in development, "A Thousand Faces: The Lon Chaney Musical," at the Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center, 240 Belleville Avenue.

This special event is part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance's 2023 Stages festival, a state-wide spring festival of free and low-cost theatre events for all ages. Thanks to the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, of which Skyline Theatre Company is a long-time member, admission for BROADWAY IN THE WORKS is free. Reservations are recommended and can be made in advance at Skyline's online box office: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/1191742

"A Thousand Faces: The Lon Chaney Musical" -- developed with the cooperation and participation of the subject's own great-grandson Ron Chaney -- tells the incredible true and heart-warming biographical story of the pioneering silent movie star who changed the face of film. Born to deaf parents who didn't speak, Lon learns at an early age to communicate through facial expressions and pantomime. With their son in tow, Lon performs with his charismatic first wife as a song and dance man in vaudeville houses across the country. When a family scandal destroys his theater career and results in a bitter divorce, Lon must quickly find work and establish a stable home or lose his son. He turns to the budding silent film industry transforming himself with incredible depth and humanity into characters living on the fringe. Lon shoots to international fame as the star of over 150 films, including the original Hunchback of Notre Dame and Phantom of the Opera. He struggles to meet the demands of career, along with those as a father, as talking pictures sweep the nation.

Sam Scalamoni, Skyline Theatre Company's co-founder and artistic director, directs the staged reading. "A Thousand Faces: The Lon Chaney Musical" has a book by Eric Lane, music by Rachel Devore Fogarty, and lyrics by Kevin Fogarty. Musi Supervisor is Gary Adler and Music Director is Paul Masse. Charlie Sutton is Choreographer and Laura Dilling is Access Coordinator. Ron Chaney, Lon Chaney's great-grandson, is the production's Creative Consultant.

The cast of principals features Danny Gardner as Lon Chaney, Tori Palin as Cleva Creighton Chaney, Emily Larger as Hazel Chaney, Gregor Lopez and Bobby Davis as Frank Chaney, Chrissy Cogswell and Logan Epstein as Emma Chaney, and Jaxon James as Young Lon Chaney. Ensemble members include David Couter, Jo Davis, Sam Hartley, Haley Jones, Marie Lemon, Matthew McGloin, Bobby Montaniz, Jonah Nash, and Dax Valdes.

"All of us at Skyline Theatre Company are thrilled to bring live professional theatre back to Bloomfield!" says Artistic Director Sam Scalamoni. "Our 2023 season at Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center in partnership with the Township of Bloomfield promises to be an exciting one and we look forward to welcoming area theatre lovers to Oakeside to see professional theatre right in their own backyard."

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