Venus in Fur on stage on Naples Atilio Marinelli and Anne Tomela

Cultural Park Theater

wraps up summer with concert, one-act plays

By Michael Moran

As the summer winds up, Cultural Park is going out with its own brand of fireworks as we welcome Atilio Marinelli and Anne Tormela to the stage with their amazing voices as he pays tribute to Elvis Sinatra, Tom Jones, Mario Lanza, Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli and many others. Their unique voices will send the audiences out with their hearts full of song, memories and yes romance as Mr. Romantico himself takes our stage. Finally, we bring the outrageous comedy of playwright Joe Simonelli to the stage with Seven By Simonelli. This fast paced series of seven one-act plays will leave everyone with a smile and plenty of laughs as our summer season comes to an end. But don’t go away, season ticket sales opened on July 15 for the 57th Culliton Gunterberg Broadway Season which starts Sept. 13 through Sept. 22. First will be the family classic musical, The Little Mermaid, followed by the Florida premiere of Joe Simonelli’s The Ghost in the Meadow (Sept. 27 through Oct. 6). Fans of old-fashioned ghost stories will enjoy this creepy thriller. When two sisters relocate from Manhattan to an old farm house in upstate New York, they soon realize that they may not be Happenings Magazine

alone in the house. An old boyfriend drops in to visit and when the strange occurrences continue he calls on the services of a psychic colleague to try to quell the restless spirits. An old fashioned thriller written just for the stage ... Simonelli has written an atmospheric piece that delivers plenty of chills with a liberal dose of tension breaking comic relief. A real Halloween treat! Following will be the opening of another classic play, On Golden Pond, followed by Same Time Next Year, The Owl and the Pussycat and Nana’s Naughty Knickers. Attached to these is our family favorite, “A Spectacular Christmas Revue,” followed by a new musical revue of “A Passage to Ireland,” which will take you through a journey of Irish culture with music old and new celebrating the best of the Emerald Isle. The season highlights two major musicals: Dan Grogan’s Nunsense (Jan. 10 through Jan. 19) and the Broadway hit musical Urinetown (Feb. 28 through March 8.) Season tickets and packages can be purchased through the box office at the theater located at 528 Cultural Park Blvd., Cape Coral, or call 239-772-5862 Michael Moran is executive director of the Cultural Park Theatre Company.

The Studio Players present Venus in Fur by David Ives Aug. 23 - Sept. 8 Directed by Anna Segreto, the local production stars Maddy Hayes & Steven Coe. Desperate to find an actress to play the female lead in his adaptation of the classic tale of sadomasochism, Venus in Fur, a beleaguered playwright/director auditions a vulgar and equally desperate actress. Though utterly wrong for the sophisticated part, Vanda piques the playwright’s interest with her seductive talents and secretive manner. As the two work through the script, they blur the line between play and reality, entering into an increasingly serious game of submission and domination that only one of them can win. The Studio Players performs at The Golden Gate Community Center's Joan Jenks Auditorium, 4701 Golden Gate Parkway, Naples. For tickets and information, call 239-398-9192 or visit online at www.thestudioplayers.org

Theatre Conspiracy to present Harvey

Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance for the Arts kicks off its 26th consecutive season in August, which includes beloved classics, comedic favorites and awardwinning new plays from the most popular unknown playwrights. Harvey, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American classic comedy by Mary Chase and directed by Bill Taylor, will be performed Aug. 15 – 25. The local production stars Brendan Powers, Rachel Burrtram, Miguel Cintron, Lauren Drexler, Dena Galyean, Joann Haley, Stephen Hooper, Scott Thompson and Patrick Day. Elwood P. Dowd insists on including his friend Harvey in all of his sister Veta’s social gatherings. Trouble is, Harvey is an imaginary six-and-a-half-foot-tall rabbit. To avoid future embarrassment for her family—and especially for her daughter, Myrtle Mae—Veta decides to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium. When they arrive at the sanitarium, a comedy of errors ensues. Performances will be Aug. 15 - 17, 22 - 24 at 7:30 p.m., and Aug. 18 and 25 at 2 p.m. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the box office at 239-9392787, visit 10091 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers, or go to www.ArtInLee.org/Theatre. August 2019 - 11