IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE comes to Westchester Broadway Theatre

 


WPCNR STAGE DOOR. From Piaa Haas, Westchester Broadway Theatre. November 9, 2008:


It’s a Wonderful Life, Frank Capra’s classic film has been brought to vibrant theatrical life through the remarkable collaboration of Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning librettist & lyricist,  Sheldon Harnick and Grammy and Emmy Award winning Composer, Joe Raposo.  The delightful Musical, A Wonderful Life, faithfully follows the plot of the beloved 1946 film which starred Jimmy Stewart. The film was, in turn, based on a 1938 short story by Philip Van Doren Stern called “The Greatest Gift.”  It opens at Westchester Broadway Theatre November 20 running through February 8.


 


 


Frank Capra’s classic film has been brought to vibrant theatrical life through the remarkable collaboration of Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning librettist & lyricist,  Sheldon Harnick and Grammy and Emmy Award winning Composer, Joe Raposo.  The delightful Musical, A Wonderful Life, faithfully follows the plot of the beloved 1946 film which starred Jimmy Stewart. The film was, in turn, based on a 1938 short story by Philip Van Doren Stern called “The Greatest Gift.”


Set in 1945, the musical tells the tale of George Bailey, an average Joe, who spends a lifetime sacrificing his own ambitions for the sake of others and continually setting aside his own dreams in order to keep his late father’s building and loan business afloat.  When the greedy banker, Mr. Potter, manufactures a scandal that threatens to send him to jail, George contemplates suicide, and it’s up to a wingless angel named Clarence, coming down from Heaven by order of St. Matthew, to convince him of his own worth. 


A WONDERFUL LIFE was performed for the first time at the University of Michigan in 1986 and had a successful run at Washington, DC’s Arena Stage in 1991. The show continues to be a favorite of regional theatres across the country.


 


Our production stars Duke Lafoon as George Bailey and Darin DePaul as Angel-wanting-wings, Clarence. Arch nemesis, Mr Potter is played by William McCauley. Juli Robbins will be seen as George’s model wife, Mary Bailey. Featured are Ann-Ngaire Martin (of Chappaqua) as Ma Bailey,  Ryan Foy (of the Vaudeville Foys!) as Harry Bailey, Bob Stoeckle as Tom Bailey,  Jack Hallett as Uncle Billy, PJ Baccari as Ernie, Darrel Blackburn as Bert, Julie Cardia as Mrs Martini & Mrs Hatch, Brian Cooper as Sam Wainwright, and Tara Geisler as Violet Bick.   The ensemble includes; Kendall Kelly, Peter Marinos, Ronnie Nelson, Michael Scibillia, Katie Sina, and Shannon Lea Smith.


The Bailey Children will be played by Sofia Hantzaridis of Tarrytown, Sarah Heinzmann Of Ridgefield, Ct., Sharon Rosenthal of Armonk, Sofia Singer of North Salem and Cosmo Zappoli of Dover Plains      


 


Richard Stafford, who directed our critically acclaimed BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, GYPSY, THE FULL MONTY and CATS, is the Director and Choreographer, with Jonathan Stahl as Associate Director and Stephen Purdy is the Musical Director.  The winning production team includes Steve Loftus (Set Designer), Andrew Gmoser (Lighting Designer), Jon Hatton (Sound Designer), Gail Baldoni (Costumes) and Victor Lukas (Production Stage Manager).


DUKE LAFOON (George Bailey) is reprising this wonderful role at WBT. He was last seen here in Are We There Yet?  Duke last appeared as Edward in the new musical Ace at Signature Theatre. New York credits include I Love My Wife (Queens Theatre), The Drama Desk nominated production The Audience (Transport Group) and as a singing Bill Clinton in Monica the Musical at MTC. Some favorite regional credits include Father Flynn in Doubt at Barksdale Theatre, Clifford in Sideman with Company of Fools and Ace at The Old Globe. TV/Film: Iron Clads for TNT and as Jack Epps in the CBS miniseries Sally Hemings starring Sam Neill


DARIN DEPAUL (Clarence) Broadway: “Dr Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas”. National Tours: “Little Shop of Horrors”, “Fiddler on the Roof”, “Guys & Dolls”, “Funny Girl”.  Off Broadway: Classical Theatre of Harlem, NYMF.  Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, California Music Circus, Stages St. Louis, Barter Theatre.  Film: “Julie & Julia”, featured voice in “Ice Age”, “Robots” and the short “No Time For Nuts”.  Television:  “Law & Order”, “Miami Vice”, “USA Up All Night”, Nickelodeon’s “Welcome Freshmen.


 


RICHARD STAFFORD (Director/Choreographer) On Broadway, Mr. Stafford was the choreographer for In My Life (Music Box Theatre), the associate choreographer for Aspects Of Love (Broadhurst Theatre), and dance supervisor for CATS (Winter Garden Theatre) Off-Broadway he was the associate director for Summer’69 (John Houseman Theatre) and associate choreographer for The Middle Of  Nowhere (Astor Place Theatre) National Tours include CATS (director/ choreographer), My Fair Lady (choreographer), Joseph/Dreamcoat (choreographer, starring Debbie Gibson and Patrick Cassidy)-Troika Entertainment.  Mr. Stafford also has extensive Regional credits, including Dreamgirls (North CarolinaTheatre), Director and Choreographer for Singin’ In The Rain, Crazy For You,  Fame,  Swing,  Cats (North Shore Music Theatre), Disney’s Beauty And The Beast (Walnut Street Theatre and Ogunquit Playhouse), The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (Ogunquit Playhouse starring Sally Struthers),  Grossinger’s (premier, starring Gavin Macleod) and Dodsworth (premier, starring Hal Linden) both at Pittsburgh CLO.  Mr. Stafford won the Barrymore Award for outstanding choreography for La Cage Aux Folles at the Walnut Street Theatre.  He is happy to return to WBT, where he previously directed Gypsy starring Karen Mason, The Full Monty, and CATS.


 


 TICKETS & INFORMATION


 


BOX OFF. RESERVATIONS          Call (914)-592-2222. Open every day at 10am.                   


                                                             Closing times vary, depending on show sched­ules.

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City, White Plains Hospital Seal Deal on Longview Garage

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. From the Mayor’s Office. November 9, 2008: On Thursday, October 30, 2008, Mayor Joseph Delfino and White Plains Hospital Center President Jon Schandler signed an agreement between the City and the Hospital which provides a long term lease of 324 parking spaces in the new Longview Municipal Parking Garage, located on Longview Avenue between East Post Road and Maple Avenue, to the Hospital. The signing of this agreement marks the culmination of a 10 year process to construct the 758 space parking garage and provide critically needed parking to White Plains Hospital and area businesses and residents.


 



 


On Thursday, October 30, 2008, Mayor Joseph Delfino and White Plains Hospital Center President Jon Schandler signed an agreement between the City and the Hospital which provides a long term lease of 324 parking spaces in the new Longview Municipal Parking Garage, located on Longview Avenue between East Post Road and Maple Avenue, to the Hospital. The signing of this agreement marks the culmination of a 10 year process to construct the 758 space parking garage and provide critically needed parking to White Plains Hospital and area businesses and residents.


 


The City’s Comprehensive Plan identified inadequate parking as one of the key factors negatively impacting the economic viability of the Post Road Corridor, and recommended that the City work with the Hospital to deck the Longview municipal parking lot for users of Post Road businesses and the hospital.


 


In 2004, the White Plains Urban Renewal Agency and City created the East Post Road Phase II Urban Renewal Project and adopted a plan for the project area which included not just the decking of the old Longview Lot, but the construction of a new Longview Municipal Parking Garage and an assisted living facility for the frail elderly, on the site of that former parking lot.


 


The Longview Municipal Parking Garage provides area small businesses and office buildings, such as 150 Grand Street, with the parking necessary to attract shoppers and new businesses to the area.  Mayor Delfino said, “The garage is critical in revitalizing the Post Road Corridor.  It will service the residents who currently have little to no parking in the apartment and condo buildings in the area, as well as, attract visitors and patients to the Hospital who otherwise wouldn’t have found a place to park.  White Plains Hospital has always been a partner to the city and the Longview garage is a step in the right direction.”  Mr. Schandler added, “The new garage will provide much needed parking for our employees and patients, and we are grateful to the City of White Plains for their ongoing commitment to the Hospital.”


 


The Longview Municipal Parking Garage is scheduled to open in late November 2008, before the holiday shopping season.


 

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City Will Honor Veterans Tuesday

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. From the Mayor’s Office. November 9, 2008:  Mayor Joseph M. Delfino and the White Plains Veterans Committee announce details of the Veterans Day Ceremony to be held Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at the Soldier’s and Sailor’s Monument in the Rural Cemetery on North Broadway.  Beginning at 10:30 a.m., the event will feature the recollections and insights of speaker Dom Blum, survivor of the worst naval disaster in our nation’s history.


 



 


Mr. Blum was among the crew of 1,196 on board the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945, when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Philippine Sea and sank within twelve minutes.  Those sailors who did not go down with the ship were left floating in shark-infested waters with no lifeboats and little food or water until they were spotted by accident four days later.  Mr. Blum was one of the 316 men still alive.


 


Mayor Delfino thanks the Jewish War Vets Post  #191 for hosting the event and invites all residents and visitors.  “It’s important for all of us to take time out to pay tribute to those who have sacrificed so greatly in the name of freedom and liberty,” he said.           


 

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Mediation Successful 65-75% of Time. Schools/Teachers Mediator Not Assigned Yet

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. November 6, 2008: Anthony Zumbolo, Executive Director of the New York State Public Employer Relations Board (PERB)  said that the White Plains School District/Teachers Declaration of Impasse apparently has not been assigned a mediator from PERB yet as of today.  Asked the rate of success in successful PERB mediations, Zumbolo said that mediation in public employee disputes is successful 65% to 75% of the time in resolving employee-employer disputes.


The district and the White Plains Teachers are far apart in negotiations over a new contract, the contentions being amount of pay increase and the percentage teachers pay of their health benefits. The two parties agreed to file a joint Declaration of Impasse two weeks ago.



Zumbolo said when the Director of Conciliation at PERB receives the Declaration a mediator will be assigned from the state’s board of onstaff mediators. (The Office of Conciliation has a staff of 3 full-time mediators employed by the state, an Arbitration Panel Administrator and two support persons.)


The Executive Director said that after a mediator is assigned (who has, according to Zumbolo extensive experience in public employee disputes, law and practices), it depends upon the schedules of the parties as to how long a mediation can take.  There is no average length of time that a mediation takes, Zumbolo said.


He described the process as unfolding with the mediator taking the time to familiarize themselves with the facts in the case and the history of the dispute and the issues, then sitting in on negotiations with both sides, he or she suggests avenues of compromise and building grounds for agreement step-by-step, ending hopefully in the mediator suggesting the structure of an agreement.  


The mediator then encourages the two parties to negotiate deeper into possible agreement scenarios.


Fact-Finding: Parties Don’t Want to Go There


If the school district and the teachers union are not satisfied with the structure of possible compromises suggested by the mediator, the next step, Zumbolo said was to have PERB hire a fact-finder who would again analyze the positions of the parties, and draw up an agreement that the fact-finder presents to both parties.


After the Fact-Finder’s solution is presented, the parties have 5 days to accept the agreement. If the agreement is rejected the terms of the rejected agreement, and all the facts, figures, and rationalizations leading to the agreement are then public information. Zumbolo told The CitizeNetReporter that most parties, school districts and unions are reluctant to engage in fact-finding because of the required disclosure of financial information. Zumbolo said fact finding is rarely resorted to in school district and employee disputes. Fact finding happens “almost never,” he said.


Should fact-finding be rejected the parties would have their choice of going to compulsory arbitration or non-binding arbitration. This would consist of a three-person panel which would hammer out a settlement between the two parties.


Asked what the trend was in requests for mediation on the part of school districts, Zumbolo said mediations were down, year to year, as of March 31, 2008, but he  noted that the world had changed since that time, and did not  have figures on whether mediations on school contracts had increased sharply as a result of the state financial troubles.

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