March 8, 2008 / GO Brooklyn / Theater / Waiting in the Wings

Curtain call for family theater

By Adam Rathe

The Brooklyn Paper

Mandy Patinkin

Tools

Print this story

Facebook this

Tweet this

Digg this

Del.icio.us

Email to a friend

Your name

Your email address

Recipients’ email addresses (Up to ten, separated by commas.)

There won’t be a dry eye in the house on March 15, when the Brooklyn Family Theater (BFT), a Park Slope gem for the past seven years, has its last show at the Church of Gethsemane.

“I think the thing that was neatest about [BFT] was that it was a local theater that was truly based in the neighborhood,” said board member Phil Greenland. “But by virtue of what city we’re in, we were able to have a true local theater run by professionals. People wanted a family-oriented theater in their own neighborhood, and all of these people who worked with us did so for free simply because it was something they wanted.”

The final show, which will feature BFT alumni performing, a film reel of the company’s highlights and a giveaway of iconic costumes, will be a bittersweet goodbye for the group that has launched the careers of Broadway actors, producers and Hollywood filmmakers from a church in Park Slope. For information, call (917) 957-2731.

• • •

There’s a new theater company in Downtown Brooklyn. On Friday, the Tiyatro Global company began its run of “Iphigenia,” a new adaptation of the famed Greek tragedy “Iphigenia at Aulis,” the last surviving work by Euripides. Director Helen Richardson, who adapted the play, has cast actors from around the world — some hailing from as far away as Israel, Turkey and Puerto Rico.

“Not only does our diverse ensemble reflect the face of the new global community, it also reflects the face of Brooklyn itself,” said Richardson in a statement.

The show will run through March 16 at the Voorhees Theatre at the New York City College of Technology. For information, call (212) 663-0428 or visit www.entertainmenttechnology.org.

• • •

Over at the Heights Players, “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940,” is being mounted through March 16. The John Bishop show, directed by Susan Montez (who you might remember as a player in their production of “Jake’s Women”), is a fun, mysterious romp through a ’40s mansion where no one is safe. For information about this Brooklyn Heights show, call (718) 237-2752 or visit www.heightsplayers.org.

• • •

Through March 9, the Brooklyn College theater department is performing the black comedy “Lobby Hero” — written by Kenneth Lonergan of “Gangs of New York” fame — which follows a young security guard as he gets caught up in a murder investigation. Directed by MFA candidate Maura Kelley, this production is on stage at the college’s New Workshop Theater in Midwood. For information, call (718) 951-4500 or visit www.brooklyn.cuny.edu.

• • •

Playwright Rosemary Hester’s new work, “You Can’t Leave That There,” might be playing in Manhattan, but it’s all about Bay Ridge. The one-act play by this Ridge native, who’s also a teacher at Bay Ridge Prep, will run March 13-15 at the Players Loft in the Players Theater as part of the “Shortened Attention Span Baseball Festival.” For information, call (212) 352-3101 or visit www.theatermania.com.

• • •

On Saturday, March 15, Tony award winner — and former “Chicago Hope” star — Mandy Patinkin is bringing his one-man musical theater concert to the Walt Whitman Theatre in Midwood. Accompanied by pianist Paul Ford, the vintage heartthrob will belt his way through Broadway hits and tracks from his seven solo albums.

“It’s a big stage, but Mandy can fill the space and make it feel intimate,” said Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts Artistic Director Seth Soloway.

For information, call (718) 951-4500 or visit www.brooklyncenteronline.com.

• • •

Also being feted in Manhattan is New Yorker scribe — and Prospect Heights resident — George Packer, whose “Betrayed” is a story based on his interviews with Iraqis during his travels to Baghdad. It runs through March 16 at Culture Project. For information, call (212) 352-3101 or visit www.cultureproject.org.

©2008 Community Newspaper Group