Photo by Dion Ogust
It’s a cause that hits home with the performers themselves: Glenn Laszlo Weiss, who is directing and producing the two plays, said that some of the actors live in the area, and a few were directly impacted by the floodwaters resulting from Hurricane Irene. “One woman had to move because the cottage she was renting is just gone,” he said. The proceeds will be handed over to the Phoenicia Rotary Club, which will distribute the money. The Town of Woodstock chipped in by donating the use of the Playhouse.
The grim reality faced by many Shandaken residents who lost their homes or had extensive damage is no cause for laughs, of course; but an evening of pure entertainment is perhaps just the thing for some needed relief (kind of like what those sumptuous Busby Berkeley dance numbers and lighthearted romantic comedies from the 1930s did for sufferers of the Great Depression). Though both plays have been performed before, they’ll be fresh and funny as ever, featuring Norma Jean Howland, Joe Bongiorno, Michael Koegel and Alise Marie.
Fully Committed, which recounts a day in the life of a busy reservations clerk in a trendy Manhattan restaurant, has “been done a million times and it’s very popular,” said Weiss. “It’s pure entertainment.” In contrast, We Cannot Know the Mind of God, which is about a game devised by God for humans to help Himself pass the time, was presented as part of a repertory at Byrdcliffe, but didn’t really get its due, so it absolutely requires another showing. “I’ve done three of Mikhail’s plays, and this is my favorite,” Weiss said. So come for an evening of laughs, and meanwhile help out those in Shandaken in need.
The suggested donation for this performance is $15. For more information, call (845) 679-4561 or e-mail starmountainvillegroup@gmail.
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