WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR Two in the Front Row. Theatrical Review by John F. Baiey. October 16, 2010:

 

You get two leading men in Westchester Broadway Theatre’s new Jekyll & Hyde:  Xander Chauncey  the charismatic master of science, Dr; Jekyll and his deranged alter-ego, Xander Chauncey’s avenging Edward Hyde who carries out personal vendettas with a spellbinding relish  chilling and exciting at the same time.

 

 

The Amazing Xander Chauncey as Hyde, (left) an Dr. Jekyll (right). in the new Westchester Theatre production of the 90s Broadway hit.

 

 

 

 

 

It brings two, not one  unforgettable leading ladies:  ethereal, eternal blonde Jennifer Babiak, Jekyll’s steadfast haunting diamond-like voice of divine inspiration,as the spunky, indepdendent Emma Carew (left) and Michelle Dawson, the earthy contralto with attitude, as Lucy,(right) who returns to her role as lady of the evening looking for a new life. Here the two serenade Xander Chauncey with In His Eyes — one of many “incandescent” interludes in Jekyll & Hyde. Photos Courtesy, Westchester Broadway Theatre by John Vecchiola.

 

 

The dangeous Hyde  (Chauncey) romances Lucy (Michelle Dawson) in London’s Victorian underground.

 

The electricity between the evenly matched leads delivering pitch-perfect duets and interactions, haunt and tear you up and give a new dynamic to the eternal triangle on stage and complexities of the heart. The earnest company of Jekyll & Hyde deliver one spectacular evening for the theatre-goer  There’s lurking menace! Romance! Passion!  Mystery delivering a realistic Victorian London in  Westchester Broadway Theatre’s staging of  the American Original “Operettical” the four-year run phenomenon, Jekyll & Hyde from the 90s at Westchester Broadway Theatre.

 

J&H enthralls! Captures imagination, unleashes emotions, stirs fears and melts  hearts. 

 

The 21^st century epitome of leading man, the dashing and dangerous  Xander Chauncey commands the stage trying to convince a board of governors of St. Judes Hospital  to support his research into the roots of mental illness and evil in the human psyche.  His mission: discover the cause of the mental illness of his father.  His two leading lady consorts in longing, anxiety and devoted passion, Jennifer Babiak, the liberated Emma and Michelle Dawson the tart Lucy compete for Mr. Chauncey’s two hearts:Jekyll’s and Hyde’s. 

 

The seductive Chauncey has every moment and theatre-goers  in his power: his towering performance of the dual role of daring doctor Henry Jekyll and evil predator Edward Hyde, recreating the role that Westchester treasure of theatre, Robert Cuccioli, director of this show,  first created, playing the Jekyll-Hyde role on Broadway. This reprise of the original 4 year run of the Broad way hit brings forth a searing recreation of Victorian England mystery, repression, and hidden passions.  Cuccioli’s direction of J&H is a masterpiece of unrelenting, fluent pace,  special effects and a dedicated cast that give it all they have.

 

The Jekyll & Hyde book gets going, keeps moving and gathers momentum relentlessly with the narrator, Tom Galantich  as John Utterson. Galantich’s character relates and guides you the audience through the action foreshadowing the doomed Jekyll’s fate throughout –nevertheless you get behind this impetuous Dr.Jekyll — the undaunted researcher bucking the corrupt establishment, grappling with God.

 

The establishment is  brilliantly satirized by the surging opening spectacular, Façade by a facadishly  attired ensemble in a sunshiny London square. Meanwhile, in St. Judes Hospital violent ward, we meet Dr. Jekyll grappling with God and the Devil. Jekyll’s motivation comes clear—as Mr. Chauncey plaintively delivers  Lost in the Darkness and I Need to Know in the gloom of the ward beside the body of his dead father. Mr. Chauncey seizes the viewer’s imagination with these two songs and we buy into his quest into the unknown, even though we know he is doomed. You root for him. And, ladies with his pony tail, he is a cross between Fabio in his Hydeness and a Dr. Kildare  of the 21^st Century in his Jekyllness..

 

 

Fading to the Engagement Party for Emma Crew (Ms. Babiak) and Dr. Jekyll, though Dr. Jekyll is late (working as usual), Here Emma demonstares she is a modern woman opting for Dr. Jekyll despite the reservations of her father. Her duet with Mr. Chauncey, Take Me as I Am  seals them dramatically as a couple with the audience.

 

His voice strong and vibrant, her voice precise as a finely cut diamond make this song an emotional déjà vu for romances of your own. She wraps up the scene with a touching fairwell to her father, Sir Danvers, played by James Van Treuren as they duet Letting Go – a song that every father will identify with. 

 

 

 

After the engagement party, Dr. Jekyll and his friend go to visit The Red Hat, a seamy London dive and Ms.  Babiak’s rival for Dr. Jekyll’s heart, Lucy played by the steamy Michelle Dawson(center)introduces herself in a raucous and titillating extravaganze, Bring on The Men.

 

Jekyll is smitten by Lucy. He wants to help this woman obviously trapped in a bad situation. She comes to visit him in his home where he is of course working in his lab on a formula, a mind drug to isolate evil in man.

 

 

Here is Chauncey’s blockbuster number: This is the Moment and he delivers it for all it is worth. The sheer compulsion to have the courage to go into the unknown is conveyed in Xander Chauncey’s magnificent, confident, fearless voice. Then he injects the formula!

 

 

In a crack and flash of light in the bubbling, foreboding atmosphere of the perfect science laboratory (brilliantly staged by WBT setman Steve Loftus, soundguy Jonathan Hatton and the master of light, Andrew Gmoser – Jekyll transforms into Hyde before our eyes – his “evil twin” emerges!. No tricks. No disappearing. How Mr. Chauncey transforms is a stunning piece of acting ingenuity (created by Cuccioli originally)  you have to see. Hyde is Jekyll’s evil side. The side we in public must suppress.

 

Hyde carries out Jekyll’s resentments against the Board of Governors who refused to back Jekyll’s research in the opening scene. Hyde unleashes a serial killing spree dashingly, elegantly dispensing each member of the Board of Governors as fear of the deranged lunatic stalks London.

 

Mr. Chauncey’s  Hyde is devastatingly magnificently sexy evil. With glittering eyes, saliva that gleams on  his pearly teeth and an amazingly different physique, his disheveled mane – he’ll make any woman shiver with anticipation and a man shrink away if they saw Hyde coming. Chauncey departs his Jekyll voice to sing Alive!  at this key moment. As Hyde feels his evil, he exults in how thrilling evil makes him feel. Perhaps no other song makes the high of being bad so intoxicating alluring. You feel Hyde’s pleasure in being bad.

 

All this in the first act, folks, which closes spectacularly  with a conflicting, anxiety producing and beautiful triet, where Utterson as the narrator, Ms.Babiak’s Emma and Mr. Van Treurn deliver a compelling and thoughtful spectacular His Work and Nothing More.

 

The act closes with Lucy, the doomed lady of the night, visiting Jekyll, hopelessly in love with him singing Sympathy, Tenderness  and the haunting Someone  Like You. Her rich velvety voice makes you feel this song and the longing in her heart. She is a woman to win!

 

But wait. There’s even more: another act more spectacular than the first , taking you higher into emotions than the first!

 

Using flashing of red lights  and energetic fast-moving choreographies to backdrop Hyde’s murders of offending academics one by one, the musical surges higher in the madness that grips London. This is one second Act that moves and delivers more than a spectacular first act. New level after new level is reached. Cuccioli the director has the entire crew buying into the mystique of this show with an integrity of performance that shows.

 

 

The sensual is there: Chauncey as Hyde and Ms. Dawson as Lucy perform the alluring Dangerous Games  sensual duet. 

 

The heartbreak is vivid: Ms. Babiak  enchants  the audience and tears up the romantics singing Once Upon a Dream to Jekyll.

 

There is Jekyll torn between his two lovers: Ms. Babiak and Ms. Dawson singing to him the ballad, In His Eyes – another highlight worth the admission (just $70 with dinner,too!)

 

After a warning is delivered to Lucy to leave London…the audience is held in suspense to see if Lucy can escape the wrath of Hyde. Does she? What do you think?

 

Then there is the magnificent second Act tour de force where Xander Chauncey duets with himself : his Jekyll personality fights with his Hyde personality that will hold you spell bound with the conflict between good and evil. This is a must-see and one of the most brilliant stage innovations I have seen in the theatre. Chauncey executes it perfectly, powerfully. The raw, snarling conflict in this scene seizes you with its heady conflict crystallized before you. You cannot take your eyes off this stunning talent of an actor as he morphs before you time after time.

 

How does it end? A ending that satisfies all. Creates a hero.  Makes Jekyll immortal in mind. Sends you out into the night breathless, thoughtful, and more tolerant of your evil side and respectful of your good side.

 

Cuccioli, the Director has put together a masterpiece again for Westchester Broadway Theatre. It’s a must-see of a show that was the talk of Broadway in the 1990s. Phantomesque! Music that moves you.

 

 

Jekyll & Hyde is a wickedly seductive bubbling timeless addicting formula to the spectrum of conflict within: all who see it will be mesmerized by the appeal of fear, power, violence, passion, and desire. The audience is drained emotionally and can only stand compelled to applaud lustily at the close with a performance by all that pulls the audience ever higher and deeper into the maelstrom of malice, idealism and lust with each scene building in power ever stronger right to the stunning dark finale of salvation. You are drained, exhilarated and in touch with feelings you did not know you had.

 

A night and a show you will always remember.

 

The actors give it all they got and the audience gets all it can expect..

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WPCNR CITY CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. © 2010, White Plains CitizeNetReporter. All rights reserved.  October 14, 2010:

 

As first reported last Friday on the city news roundup show, White Plains Week,  the city will begin removal of surface dirt to a depth of two feet on the Our Lady of Sorrows School Baseball Field beginning in a few weeks according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

 

 

 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation approved a White Plains Plan  for removing “all fill material from the (Our Lady of Sorrows School) baseball field,” according to a letter from the DEC dated June 29 of this year.

 

The destruction and rebuilding of the field was supposed to have taken place “prior to reopening of the area to active usage,” according to the official letter below. It is unclear whether the field is still being used by the private school on Mamaroneck Avenue while it is now in session.

 

 

 

The city, according to White Plains Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti speaking to WPCNR last night, is preparing a plan to remove two feet of surface dirt from the entire field and resurface with new fill, but did not have a date when this would happen as of last night.

 

 

 Commissioner of Public Works, Joseph Nicoletti told WPCNR Wednesday evening the work at the OLS field would take about a month. He said he did not have a figure on what it would cost to remove and replace the fill, but the city would assume full cost of the job.  Nicoletti said the city would be notifying Our Lady of Sorrows Elementary School of its plans to start and a schedule when the plan is finalized.

 

 

The DEC directive calling for removal of the landfill used to build it came to light during a routine WPCNR check-in with the DEC Press Office last week to ascertain the progress of the Gedney landfull when at the same time WPCNR had been told of tests having been made at the OLS baseball field. 

 

 

Sattellite View of OLS BaseballField (the diamond to the slightly left center of the picture), shows its proximaity to the Gedney Landfill to the far left, and private greenhouse operation north of the field.

 

A Closer View.

 

The landfill closure plan has been a work in progress going back and forth between the city and the DECfor four years, since the DEC told the City Department of Public Works the landfill had to be closed in 200. Wendy Rosenbach, DEC Regional Citizen Participation Specialist, in a statement clarified the OLS rumor to WPCNR October 1:

 

“Gedney Way Landfill is under DEC order to close and specific closure requirements are under negotiation. DEC conditionally approved an interim closure plan for the Our Lady of Sorrows School portion on June 29, 2010 (See attached letter). In a May 10, 2010 letter (also attached), DEC directed the City of White Plains to submit a final closure plan for the balance of the (Gedney) landfill by October 1^st.”

 

Nicoletti told WPCNR that that final closure plan for the entire dump has not been filed yet to close the landfull and said it would not be completed until the spring when the DEC would have to approve the final version.

 

The OLS work, though,  will start shortly, according to DEC understanding. Ms. Rosenbach of the DEC issued this statement to WPCNR October 7, last Thursday:

 

“Just heard back from the Regional Solid Waste Engineer (Kenneth B. Brezner) and DEC has been in contact with the City of White Plains regarding this site: 1. The city has not started work at Our Lady of Sorrows site because they are currently working out legal issues. 2. The city hopes to start work in the next few weeks. 3.) The City will call DEC in the next week to provide an update.”

 

The city, according to White Plains Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti speaking to WPCNR last night, is indeed preparing a plan.

 

He said the city will remove two feet of surface dirt from the entire field and resurface with new fill. He did not have a date when this would begin as of last night.

 

 Nicoletti told WPCNR the work would take about a month. He said he did not have a figure on what it would cost to remove and replace the fill, but the city would assume full cost of the job. 

 

Nicoletti said the city would be notifying Our Lady of Sorrows Elementary School of its plans to start and a schedule when the plans are finalized.

 

OLS Unaware as of Tuesday evening.

 

Tuesday evening, WPCNR asked Robert Stackpole, the chief financial officer for the elementary school what the legal issues were that the DEC said the city was working out with the school.

 

He said, “what legal issues?” When informed of the DEC comfirmation to WPCNR that the city was to remove all fill from the baseball field, Stackpole said, “I don’t believe it.” Stackpole also said the school received the fill to build the field from the city when the field was created. 

 

Thursday afternoon, Stackpole contacted WPCNR and confirmed again the city has yet to inform the school of its plans and he had not heard from either John Callahan the city Chief of Staff or Commissioner Nicoletti as of 2 PM.

 

 

Mystery men.

 

 Stackpole said he recalled being told of personnel from the city appearing on the field conducting some operations, but the school administration was given no explanation of what they were doing. Stackpole did not say when the workers appeared on the field (presumably when samplings of the soil were made, from which the DEC determined the fill was not up to state standards).

 

It was unclear from the material provided WPCNR by the DEC how contaminated the dirt is that needed to be removed.  Mr.Stackpole when asked could not recall exactly when the OLS baseball field was built. He thought it was about 10 to 15 years ago.

 

Gedney Little League Field Not Tested.

Archbishop Stepinac Fields OK: DEC

 

Asked about whether the Archbishop Stepinac football and baseball fields, also adjacent the Gedney landfill have been recently tested, (where a new synthetic turf field is planned by the private high school), Ms. Rosenbach of the DEC issued this statement:

 

“Stepinac High School is a past DEC enforcement case settled and closed a number of years ago. Athletic fields (there) were constructed using Construction and Demolition debris (C&D). The C&D debris was tested and found not to pose a threat to the environment or public health if covered with paved surfaces (tennis courts) or clean soil – which was done.”

Asked if the Gedney Little League Field built adjacent to the Gedney dump and opened in 2001 had been tested for contaminated soil, Rosenbach of the DEC issued this statement:

 

“The testing which is being done now by the City of White Plains with DEC oversight is only at Our Lady of Sorrows, not at Stepinac or at any City Little League Field. DEC has no (current testing) information regarding any testing at these other two locations.”

 

A little too dirty dirt from the city  also showed up at Eastview School Fields.

 

This is not the first time city-supplied materials have been judged below standard. In May, 2004 The White Plains City  School District had a problem when the Eastview fields were redone by the city as part of the Stop and Shop project. Then Athletic Director Mario Scarano refused to accept the fields because of construction debris in the dirt given the district by the city. That story may be viewed at http://www.whiteplainscnr.com/article2407.html

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. From the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. October 12, 2010 UPDATED 5:45P.M. E.D.T.:

 Shoppers. diners, and drinkers, and moviegoers  returned strongly to White Plains Westchester County’s retail  and entertainment hub in September.

According to Brad Maione of the Department of Taxation and Finance Press office, White Plains reaped a 35% increase in sales tax receipts above September 2009.

It was the first time since White Plains installed a 1/4% increase in its sales tax effective July 1 that the city had gained tax receipts over and above the 11% the sales tax increase represented. The White Plains share of the sales tax is 2-1/2% as of July 1, compared to 2-1/4% last year.

Throughout Westchester County, sales taxes rose 3.2% in September and 1.3% through the first 9 months of the county fiscal year. Should the county maintain its sales tax pace of last year in October, November and December, it will generate $434 Million in sales tax, beating its sales tax revenue forecast by about $2 Million. The county pace picked up, increasing 3.2% in September after having been down 1.2% in August after July generated a 7% increase. The county continues to struggle.

 

The City retail and entertainment establishments generated $4,598,468 in September  compared to $3,390,776 in September 2009. The $4.6 Million is the highest White Plains number since September 2008. The highest sales tax revenue ever generated in a month by White Plains was $5 Million in December of the fiscal year 2006-07, when the White Plains “Renaissance” was at its zenith.

 The city has generated $12.1 Million in sales taxes in the first three months of the 2010-11 fiscal year compared to $10.3 Million the first quarter last year, putting the city on a pace for  $50 Million in sales tax (the city is budgeted for $43.5 Million), if the upward trend continues.

On the county side, all of Westchester rumbled along at a modest 4.76% increase in sales tax collections in September, $42,906,181 compared to September 2009 $41,564,454 , up 3.23%. This would indicate that despite the White Plains surge in spending accounting for 11% of the county September numbers, the rest of the county had a sluggish September.

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. From Department of Recreation and Parks. October 7, 2010:

Good old Ebersole Rink will open for the 2010-11 ice skating season Friday with two public sessions at 3 P.M. and 8 P.M.. Those sessions will be  followed by a Saturday public session from 12 to 4 and Sunday session from 1 to 4 P.M. 

Welcome Back! Kristen Fuerst, Ebersole Skating School Director for 13 years, reports  there is still time for parents to sign their kids up at the White Plains Department of Recreation and Parks Headquarters. Private lessons are also given at the rink by the Skating School Instructors. Contact Rec & Parks at 422-1336, for the Skating School Booklet, or the skating school at 948-6696, for information on Group Lessons from 4 to Adult, Advanced Figure Skating. 

Friday is the earliest date Ebersole Rink has opened in years. Skating classes for children of all ages and adults are now open for enrollment with classes beginning  Friday October 22. For information, go to www.skatinginstructor.com or contact the Department of Recreation and Parks, 422-1336.

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WPCNR South End Times. From Louis Bruno. October 6, 2010:

The White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations will sponsor a Forum on The Future of the Ridgeway Country Club at its October meeting.  The keynote speaker will be Tom Anderson, Deputy Director of the Westchester Land Trust.

With membership declining, the Ridgeway Country Club was first offered for sale last year at $20 million, and failing that, last week at $13.5 million. In its October meeting, the White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations (WPCNA) will feature local leaders exploring the history, ecology, uses and value of the 128.6 acre Ridgeway Country Club.  The meeting is at the Ridgeway School cafeteria, 225 Ridgeway in White Plains, NY at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, October 12, 2010. Admission is free and audience participation is encouraged.

Spun off from the 1912 Gedney Farm Hotel, the Ridgeway Country Club has long been known for golf, tennis and fine dining.  But today, with debt rising, the Club wants a quick sale to end the pain. Developers see an opportunity for upscale housing — the property is zoned R1-30, One Family District.  Environmentalists point to many acres of sensitive wetland.  Open space advocates hope, at minimum, for continued operation as a country club.  The City may buy and develop it for recreational use while protecting and preserving the space.

In addition to Tom Anderson, who writes and lectures on Long Island Sound issues, the Forum will include architect and White Plains Common Council Member Milagros Lecuona, prominent Realtor and former Planning Commissioner Michael Graessle, environmentalist Robert Stackpole, White Plains Historical Society President Robert Hoch, EcoNeighbors: Carry Kyzivat and Yvonne Gumowitz, and White Plains Concerned Citizens for Open Space President Frances Jones, who will moderate the discussion.