Paint...Sip...and support live theatre!

The Cumberland Theatre is holding a Paint & Sip with artist Beth Hilliker in the theatre's lobby on Friday, September 27th at 7:00 pm.

The theme for the painting will be "welcoming fall" and a large portion of the proceeds from the evening will be donated back to the theatre to support the fall and winter programming, which includes Dracula, Frosty the Snowman and Miracle on 34th Street the Musical.

Wine and cheese will be provided and all arts supplies are included in the ticket price. Come out and enjoy the perfect girls night out and help support the Cumberland Theatre!

Tickets are $40 and includes cheese board, first glass of wine, and all art supplies.

To reserve your spot, call 301.759.4990 or email info@cumberlandtheatre.com.

Meteor Shower streaks across the stage at The Cumberland Theatre with a small galaxy of acting

This review appeared today in the Mineral News Tribune

by Tom Valentine

“Meteor Shower “ streaks across the stage at The Cumberland Theatre with a small galaxy of acting stars. The comedy, by Steve Martin, continues this weekend with shows slated for Friday and Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm

Martin, better known as the “wild and crazy guy” from “Saturday Night Live”, does not fill the play with banjo playing or white suits. Nor are there big nose glasses and arrows through the head. However, there are enough jokes and funny situations for even the most casual sky gazer. Martin is the only comic who would (and can) make us believe that, “eggplants are really omens”.

Director Michael Hood, recently retired as the Dean of Fine Arts at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, brings a tightly paced and choreographed show to the local stage. The rotating set (as always, a perfectly designed by Rhett Wolford), keeps the action moving quite literally. We watch the plot develop  in the living room of a loving and staid couple, Corky and Norm - then rotate to the outside patio where the weather ( and the action) gets steamier.

Set Design by Rhett Wolford

Yes, the show is not for the young ones. There are adult situations, sexual content, adult language, half clothed individuals, drugs and alcohol use, and even a pre show warning that the play includes, “scenes of intimacy”. Welcome to our new society where we have to be warned that DANGER - there are intimate scenes ahead!

The “small galaxy of stars” includes Off-Broadway actor, Matt Kurzyniec, as a neurotic normal Norm; northeast regional actor Yury Lomakin as Gerald the cad; DC based actress Katie Culligan as a sexy and vampy Laura; and local actress and Co-Artistic Director Kimberli Rowley as the perfect party hostess wifey. The meeting of these two couples is like “Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf” on steroids.

The devious duo of Gerald and Laura are the most unwelcomed guests of dull Norm and Corky. As the celestial fireworks continue in the sky, they also illuminate the passions and feelings of the characters. If meteors really hit the earth millions of years ago creating life - or destroying most of it including the dinosaurs-  will it do the same for a marriage?

Kimberli Rowley as Corky and Katie Culligan as Laura

Culligan and Lomakin are particularly good as the swinging couple out to seduce the unknowing couple-next -door. Rowley and Kurzyniec are perfect playing the naïve duo who likes to confess their inner feelings and be open with each other. However, they get to show an alternative side or alter ego as the play concludes.

Or does it?? The scenes bounce back and forth and even repeat themselves with a different perspective and interpretation. We rewind the story and  get to view the action in a whole contrasting universe of possibilities. Or as the playwright tells us, “If you don’t deal with your subconscious, your subconscious will deal with you”.

Some “very heavy thinking” for such a comical piece of theatre. You might want to ponder that the next time you gaze at the summer sky and watch those meteor showers doing their old, criss -crossed journey through the sky…..or polish the car until you really see yourself.

Tickets are available by visiting cumberlandtheatre.com.

Photos courtesy of Wolford Photography

FREE Shakespeare in the Park is Back!

The Cumberland Theatre is once again pleased to bring free Shakespeare performances to Constitution Park's Amphitheatre this summer! This year's selection is the comedy As You Like It, which will be performed August 9th - 11th with Friday and Saturday performances at 7:00 pm and Sunday at 2:00 pm. The show is being sponsored by the Gilmore family and features both local and out-of-town actors.

As You Like It follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia to find safety and, eventually, love, in the Forest of Arden. In the forest, they encounter a variety of memorable characters, notably the melancholy traveller Jaques who speaks many of Shakespeare's most famous speeches (such as "All the world is a stage", "too much of a good thing" and "A fool! A fool! I met a fool in the forest"). The play remains a favorite among audiences and has been adapted for radio, film, and musical theatre. Gender roles, nature and politics are hilariously confused as the play reflects on how bewildering yet utterly pleasurable life can be.

Heading the cast as Rosalind is Georgia native, Courtney Feiman. She has appeared in principal roles numerous CT productions including Sophie in Mamma Mia, Poppy in Noises Off and most recently, Chutney Wynham in Legally Blonde the Musical. Playing Celia will be Johnna Leary who has graced the CT stage as Christine Colgate in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Barbara in Night of the Living Dead Live.

Appearing as two brothers who get intertwined with the cousins are Adrian Williams as Orlando and Leo Wollan as Oliver. Williams is a student at Indian University of PA and recently made his debut as Carlos in Legally Blonde and Wollan was last seen in the ensemble of Reefer Madness the Musical.

Nate Smith of Chicago will take on the role of Jacques and Erik Alexis (last seen as the Lecturer in Reefer Madness) will play Adam. Appearing as Touchstone, the jester, will be Michael Null of Oakland. Also appearing in the production in supporting roles will be Whitney O'Haver, Tai Baumann, Connor McCabe, Emily Haworth, Karen Hutcheson, Denise Adams and Jennifer Clark, who is also directing and designing the production. Madison Dolchan is serving as the production's stage manager.

The production is free to the public and runs approximately 90 minutes. It is appropriate for all age groups. If more information is needed, please call the theatre at 301.759.4990 or visit us on Facebook or www.cumberlandtheatre.com.