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Page 18 Thursday, November 27, 2014 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION Celebrate the Holiday Season with New Jersey Festival Orchestra HAPPY HOLIDAYS...The Presbyterian Church in Westfield is the location for NJ Festival orchestra's annual Home for the Holidays celebration on Saturday, December 6 at 7 p.m. Westfield Residents to Perform in Chatham Players’ A Christmas Carol CHATHAM – The Chatham Com- munity Players keeps their longstanding holiday tradition alive with its production of Philip Wm. McKinley & Suzanne Buhrer’s musi- cal adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” opening Friday, December 5 and running until Sun- day, December 21. Returning to the Chatham Playhouse, Jeffrey Fiorello of Montclair directs the show, Jack Bender of Jersey City is the musical director and Megan Ferentinos of Cranford is the Choreogra- pher. Several actors from Westfield are making their debut at The Chatham Play- house. In the role of Tiny Tim, Pierson Salvador will tear at your heart every time he sings. Previous credits in- clude “Alice in Wonderland” with the AlphaNYC Theatre Company, and “The Little Mermaid, Jr.” and “The Wiz- ard of Oz” at The Sundance School Theatre. Sarah Rappoport’s sweet voice is heard as Young Fan. Previous credits include “Camp Rock” as Dana Turner at the Summit Playhouse, “A Little Princess” as Josephine Carmichael at both the Hudson Guild Theatre and ex- tended run at the Signature Theatre, as well as in “White Christmas” as Susan Waverly at the Count Basie Theatre. Andrea Thibodeau will be play- ing Mrs Fezziwig and the Laun- dress in this production. She was last seen at Cranford Dramatic Club’s “Sweeney Todd”. She has previously been seen in “Fiddler on the Roof” as Tzeitel, “Oklahoma!” as Laurey, “Avenue Q” as Kate/ Lucy and “Into the Woods” as Baker’s Wife, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” as the Narrator. In this version, produced exclu- sively at the Chatham Playhouse since 1988, Dickens serves not only as narrator, but also as a character that befriends Scrooge and walks beside him during his life-changing journey through memories and pre- monitions. While the script remains true to the original story, the play- wright also pulled from letters that Dickens wrote to family and friends. The story of Ebenezer Scrooge has become one of the most beloved of all holiday tales, and this unique production also reminds us that Dickens’ inspiration for penning the story goes much deeper. “As a child, every year, around the Holidays my father would read “A Christmas Carol” to my brothers and me. I guess in his own way he was trying to do what the character of Dickens in McKinley’s version of “...Carol” is doing... that is, to educate us about the true meaning of Christmas and the care and con- cern for our fellow man,” explains Mr. Fiorello. In addition to the three actors from Westfield, the large and tal- ented cast includes: Chip Prestera of Stirling, Alan Semok of Somerset, Scott Baird of Upper Montclair, Samantha Kaplan of Verona, Steven Nitka of Hackettstown, Adunni Rae Charles of Maplewood, Will Carey of Glen Ridge, Adrian Rifat of New York City, Brielle Raddi of Cedar Grove, Maryann and Randy Post of Madison, Joelle Bochner and Eila Francis of Springfield, Jody and Parker Ebert of Plainfield, Alyssa Franck of Basking Ridge, Dash Green, Sasha Jacobs, Ryan Graziano and Meghan Sabin of Chatham, and Graham Helfrick of Mendham. This marks the seventeenth time that the Chatham Players has produced this show. From 1988 to 1995, the group pro- duced the show every Decem- ber, and it now produces the show on a biennial basis. Mr. Fiorello shared, “I hope that audiences will come see this production, and make “A Christmas Carol” a part of their holiday tradition. A story like this, with its themes of: a sec- ond chance, re-birth, humani- tarianism, forgiveness, com- passion, love, family values, and hope, are timeless, as time- less as Christmas itself.” All performances are at the Chatham Playhouse, 23 North Passaic Avenue, in Chatham. Tickets are $25 for adults and $23 for youth/senior. Tickets can be purchased at the box office or online. To access the theater’s online ticketing service, go to ccp.ticketleap.com. The ser- vice is available 24 hours a day, and tickets can be purchased online up until three hours prior to curtain on the day of a performance. The box office will begin accepting phone reservations on Tuesday, Novem- ber 25 at (973) 635-7363. The Chatham Community Play- ers has been entertaining residents of Morris County and the surround- ing area since 1922. For more infor- mation, including details of the re- maining 2014-2015 season, visit www.chathamplayers.org. AS YOU STUFF YOUR TURKEY, AND YOUR- SELF THIS THANKSGIVING, REMEMBER... ...FOOD COMAS ARE BEST ENJOYED IN BED. Come to Shovlin Mattress and Nirvana HAPPY THANKSGIVING! ShovlinMattress.com WESTFIELD – Join Maestro David Wroe and New Jersey Festival Orches- tra on Saturday, December 6 at 7 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church in Westfield for Home for the Holidays, a family festival of traditional and contempo- rary songs and music, sing-alongs and more guaranteed to make the season merry. Special guest soprano Mia Pafumi will join NJ Festival Orchestra to present both popular favorites as well as winter curiosities to welcome in the holiday season. Traditional carols, signature versions of familiar fare and a host of dance favorites are sure to delight. Other guests include Westfield's Wil- son Elementary School Chorus who will charm with America the Beautiful and Leroy Anderson’s A Christmas Festival and lead a rousing finale pre- sentation from “It’s a Wonderful Life”. “We believe there is something for everyone in this performance,” said Maestro David Wroe. “But above all, our program is a vessel for children, parents, grandparents and friends - in- deed the entire community - to come together through music and celebrate this unique time of the year.” This seasonal stroll of timeless clas- sics and sentimental holiday favorites, sure to bring joy, smiles, and distinctive holiday memories to one and all, has been made possible in part by a Union County Heart (History, Education and Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant and generous support from The Westfield Foundation. Tickets prices range from $26 to $75 for adults and there is a special discount price of only $13 for students K-12 making this event a perfect start to the holiday season for the whole family. Tickets are also available for NJ Fes- tival Orchestra’s NewYear’s Eve musi- cal celebration. This year’s perfor- mance, The Guys and Dolls of Broad- way, promises a superb revue ofAmeri- can musical theater classics and fea- tures renowned guest vocalists direct from the Broadway stage and beyond. Patrons are advised to purchase tickets well in advance as this concert has been a sell out for the past five years. Tickets for both concerts are avail- able on line at www.njfestivalorchestra.org, by call- ing (908) 232-9400 or visiting the of- fice at 224 E. Broad Street, Westfield. Pierson Salvador from Westfield as Tiny Tim and Scott Baird from Upper Montclair as Bob Cratchit Photography by Rubinstein In Gallery at the SP Library SCOTCH PLAINS – Photography by Ellen Rubinstein will be on display at the Scotch Plains Public Library from Monday, December 1 to Friday, December 28. Ms. Rubinstein’s images capture fragments of the beauty of nature. They reflect the natural peace surrounding us, focusing on light and form. Nature is continually presenting us with visu- ally striking moments which will never be repeated. It is our challenge to notice, appreciate, and preserve them. Ms. Rubinstein is a resident of NJ, and currently teaches at Monmouth University. A reception will be held on Sunday, December 14 from 1 to 3 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to all interested attendees. More information is available online at www.scotlib.org, by phone at (908) 322-5007 x 204, or e-mail [email protected]. The Scotch Plains Public Library is located at 1927 Bartle Avenue, one block from Park Avenue in the center of town. HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Special guest MIA PAFUMI Saturday December 6, 2014 at 7pm The Presbyterian Church, Westfield There’s no place like home for the holidays with a family festival of traditional and contemporary songs, music, guest choruses and more. This seasonal stroll of timeless classics and sentimental wintertime favorites is guaranteed to make the season merry. Tickets $26-$75 Students $13 THE GUYS AND DOLLS OF BROADWAY Wednesday December 31, 2014 at 7pm Westfield High School, Westfield One of New Jersey’s most popular New Year’s Eve musical festivities, this year’s celebration promises a superb revue of Broadway classics and jazz favorites presented in glorious symphonic splendor and features renowned guest vocalists direct from the Broadway stage. Tickets $40 and $70 FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO WWW.NJFESTIVALORCHESTRA. ORG VISIT US ON FACEBOOK CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH NEW JERSEY FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA! CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH NEW JERSEY FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA! DAVID WROE MUSIC DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR From traditional to pops, choral favorites to musical theater classics, this season of NJFO concerts will fill the whole family with holiday cheer. MAKE Y OUR R ESERVATIONS NOW! Order tickets online at www.NJFestivalOrchestra.org or call at 908-232-9400
