THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS, Sherlock Holmes & More Set for ELTC's 2014 Season

The award-winning Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company announces its 2014 Cape May Mainstage Season. As usual, it includes classic gems, a world premiere, and a radio show. This year's theme is "What is legal?"

On March 14 and 15, and November 7 and 8, ELTC's popular radio-style adventure returns, complete with live sound effects and two great detectives. In "Sherlock Holmes Adventure of the Copper Beeches," a governess believes there are strange happenings at the estate where she's employed. "Nick Carter and the Strange Dr. Devolo" finds Carter and his friends trying to discover why Manhattan millionaires are missing. In both mysteries, the same six actors portray different characters, jumping from Holmes' Victorian England, to Carter's world of New York during World War II.

From June 11 to July 19, it's "The First Fifty Years," about the ups and downs of a married couple from 1872, after their honeymoon, all the way to their golden anniversary, in 1922. ELTC's artistic director tracked down the only known script of this forgotten gem at The Billy Rose Collection at The Library of Performing Arts in NYC. Playing on Broadway in 1922, this was the first success of Henry Myers who later wrote screenplays, including "Destry Rides Again," and numbered Jay Gorney, who wrote the tune for "Brother Can You Spare a Dime," as one of his collaborators. Many may know the 1952 Tony Award-winning play "The Fourposter" that covers a marriage from 1890-1925, and was adapted into the musical, "I Do! I Do!" but "The First Fifty Years" came first.

Next up is "Zorro!" from July 23 to Aug. 30, a world premiere. Adapted by James Rana, this swashbuckler is based on "The Curse of Capistrano" written by journalist Johnston McCully in 1919. When a common citizen realizes the governor of Old California is arresting people because they disagree with him, he dons the mask and cape to avenge the wrong. Like Rana's "The Poe Mysteries" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," that both premiered at ELTC, a cast of six play many roles.

"Within the Law" ran from 1912 to 1914 on Broadway, becoming the most popular play to hit New York in ten years. One hundred years later, this drama, comedy, romance, and mystery all rolled into one hit, runs only a month in Cape May from Sept. 17 to Oct. 12. A woman falsely accused of shoplifting fights society and wealth with their own weapons and stays just "within the law." This was familiar territory for playwright Bayard Veiller, who was a police reporter before becoming a success playwright.

For the holidays from Nov. 28 to Dec. 13, it's "Christmas in Wisconsin: Tales by Zona Gale." This Pulitzer Prize-winning author centered many of her stories in the imaginary town of Friendship Village, filled with all sorts of interesting people, not unlike those in Lake Wobegon in Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion," although Gale definitely has her own particular style of wit and wisdom. Taking on all of the personalities in the Village, is ELTC's artistic director, Gayle Stahlhuth, performing in storytelling fashion. A holiday treat for the whole family.

ELTC will once again have the Student Summer Workshop in June and July, culminating in a performance of "The Dancing Princesses" based on The Brothers Grimm. Other special events include a Sunday Film Series in partnership with the Cape May Film Society, with the theme "Pilots and Pirates," showing both talking and silent classics.

Season Tickets are $80 for four shows, and tickets may be used in several ways, including using all at one performance, or seeing four different shows. They may be purchased by sending a check to ELTC's office at 121 Fourth Ave., West Cape May, NJ 08204, through ELTC's website at www.eastlynnetheater.org, or at the box office when there is a performance. For questions, call 609-884-5898. General admission price is $30, so Season Tickets result in quite a savings, and make a great gift.

Photo credit: Gayle Stahlhuth

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