60 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • APRIL 5, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Disarming Musical Comedy at Secret Theatre
Are you sick of political pundits?
Annoyed by second rate sequels? Would
you prefer some pleasant harmonies, clever
dialogue and a small cast with disarming,
likable performers? Yes, they’re available
now at Executive Producer/founder
Richard Mazda’s Secret Theatre. The somewhat
befuddling name of this delightful
musical comedy is “title of show”.
The Obie winning, Tony nominated
production first played off Broadway a
dozen years or so ago. This version enjoys
direction by Scott Guthrie. His players
use subtle gestures and turns of phrases
that add frequent smart touches and a
great deal of humor.
The play’s plot may sound familiar; two
young guys are writing a play within a
play. They intend to write a play suitable
for presentation in just three weeks. They
decide that everything they say and do will
be scenes in the actual play. Naturally, they
are interrupted by some everyday events
including answering machine messages
and restaurant takeout orders. Emotions
are emphasized in lyrics and music. The
end result is a lesson in friendship. It is
also a joyous affirmation of tenacity and a
belief in a winning future.
Chelsea Barker and Jennifer Swiderski
are both outstanding as they interpret
their character’s changing moods, confidences
and insecurities. The “playwrights”
Jeff (Jason Moody) and Hunter
(Jeffrey Scott Stevens) are good friends
with very different personalities. Hunter
is often completely exuberant while Jeff
is frequently businesslike and a diehard
realist. The musical director, Larry, is
played with absolute joy and skill by
Christopher Lengerich.
Onstage, there are just two window
frames, four unmatched chairs and a keyboard
(set designer Tzu Ching Cheng).
There are no intermissions since the passage
of time is marked in various clever
ways (stage manager Jessica Fornear,
production manager Justin Hsu, lighting
design Sophie Talmadge Silleck).
There are quite a few musical numbers
that are generally unassuming but definitely
relevant to the theme. These include
“Two Nobodies in New York”, “Die
Vampire Die!”, and “A Way Back to Then”.
The pivotal scene is an awkward photo
shoot marked by the song “Change It,
Don’t Change It.” But don’t worry about
a thing. Such a charming presentation
just has to offer a happy ending.
For information on this and future productions,
call (718) 392-0722 or surf to
www.secrettheatre.com. As always, save
me a seat on the aisle.
Sample cuisine from around the world
at Taste of Sunnyside next month
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @angelamatua
For the ninth year in a row, the Taste
of Sunnyside will showcase cuisine from
local restaurants that are serving up fare
from around the world.
Hosted by Sunnyside Shines, the
neighborhood’s Business Improvement
District, participants will be able to sample
food and drinks from a variety of
restaurants and breweries under a blocklong
tent at the P.C. Richard & Sons parking
lot at 50-02 Queens Blvd. The event
will take place on May 22.
The event has previously been held
under the elevated train tracks underneath
the 7 line. According to Jaime-
Faye Bean, the executive director for
Sunnyside Shines, the move will provide
more space and will make it possible to
add more perks.
“Our partnership with PC Richard is
allowing us more space to spread out for
this event, including the creation of an
outdoor ‘beer garden’ where our attendees
can relax,” she said. “It also gives
our restaurants more flexibility to prepare
food onsite, which in turn enhances
the range of restaurants and cuisines that
have decided to participate.”
This year, participants will be able to try
Italian food from Senso Unico, Filipino
cuisine from Tito Rad’s, small batch
ice cream from Bliss Street Creamery
and beer from local breweries such as
Singlecut Beersmiths, Big aLICe, Long
Island City Beer Project and more.
According to Bean, the vendors are still
being finalized but local favorites such as
Sidetracks, I Love Paraguay, Bar 43 and
Dazies will also provide food.
In addition to food and drinks, there
will be live entertainment and a raffle with
a variety of prizes.
Though the event begins at 6:30 p.m.,
there are VIP tickets available that give
participants an extra hour of service beginning
at 5:30 p.m. There are also general
admission tickets and VIP tickets available
in a bundle with five raffle tickets.
To purchase tickets, visit the Sunnyside
Shines website at www.sunnysideshines.
org.
A VIEW FROM
THE CLIFF
BY CLIFF KASDEN
/www.secrettheatre.com
link
/www.sunnysideshines
