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Julianne Mosher

SCCC Selden’s newest musical will have you ‘Head Over Heels’ for it

by Julianne Mosher - April 19, 2024

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Yes, heaven is definitely a place on earth, and it’s right here at Suffolk County Community College’s Ammerman Campus in Selden.

Directed by Marie Danvers, Head Over Heels debuted on Broadway in 2018 and is adapted from Sir Philip Sidney’s The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia written in the 16th century. While still performed in its Shakespearian-era dialect, what’s most fun is the incorporation of music of The Go-Go’s.

The story takes place in the kingdom of Arcadia. King Basilius (Aiden Gomez) and his wife Queen Gynecia (Londyn Williams) have two daughters — Phioclea (Sophia Del Carmen) and Pamela (Kayla Pisano) — and we learn that Phioclea is in love with her childhood friend Musidorus (Jaiden Molina), while Pamela, the prettiest in the land, has dozens of suitors but is secretly in love with her servant, Mopsa (Izzy Mangiaracina), the daughter of Dametas (Gabriel Patrascu).

Soon after Pamela dismisses yet another potential husband, the kingdom’s new oracle, Pythio (Jayden Brown), sends a message that Arcadia might be in trouble and gives them four prophecies, saying that Arcadia needs to change.

Pythio, who is nonbinary, explains that when each of the prophecies are fulfilled, four flags will fall. If all four happen (which it does) then Arcadia will fall.

It sounds like a lot — and it is. Each character has its own individual story within the major plotline. But the students at SCCC make it easy to understand — even if it’s spoken in old English — and we have to appreciate the musical aspect of it all… especially since the music is from the late 1980s.

With favorites from the Go-Go’s like “We Got the Beat,” “Heaven is a Place on Earth,” “Mad About You,” and “Our Lips are Sealed,” you’ll be singing and dancing along as each song is seamlessly incorporated into the play.

That being said, the band is live and so is the singing of the students. Brown’s Pythio, while not in every scene, shines every time they are on stage, while Phioclea’s Del Carmen has a voice made for Broadway. These two students have bright futures ahead when it comes to musical theater.

Molina’s Musidorus is great — especially since he’s able to gender bend throughout the show (yes, he pretends to be a woman to meet with Phioclea who he’s in love with). Williams, Pisano, Patrascu, Mangiaracina and Gomez perform their roles with such ease, as does the ensemble including Angie Barrientos, Alani Etheridge, Andy Laloudakis, Talia Mazza, Joseph Salerno and Amelia Wells. Quite frankly, you’ll be surprised you’re watching community college students perform these numbers.

The set and costume design also add an extra highlight to the show. The set, while minimal, features two large guitars crossed at the neck with a crown shining above. The stage floor is a rotating record that helps during the chase scenes. The costumes are colorful and a mix of punk, pretty, Elizabethan and 1980s party all in one.

So, do you have the beat? If you don’t, head to Suffolk’s Shea Theatre and you’ll be sure to say “I’m mad about you” to the cast and crew of Head Over Heels.

The Theatres at Suffolk County Community College present Head Over Heels in the Shea Theater, Islip Arts Building SCCC Ammerman campus, 533 College Road, Selden on April 18, 19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m. and April 21 at 2 p.m. General admission is $15, veterans and students 16 years of age or younger $10. SCCC students with current ID are offered one free ticket. To order, call the box office at 631-451-4163.

See a sneak preview of the show here.

All aboard! ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ opens at Theatre Three

by Julianne Mosher - April 11, 2024

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By Julianne Mosher

This is the train to… a murder? Full of twists and turns, this is one ride you won’t forget.

Theatre Three’s latest production of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express turns the Port Jefferson-based Mainstage into a beautiful, expensive train suitable for travels of only the best of the best. Here, the audience meets eight different passengers who all have a secret with one common denominator.

When Samuel Ratchett (Angelo DiBiase), a crooked conman, is found dead in his cabin, everyone on the train asks, “Who did it?” That’s when Hercule Poirot (Jeffrey Sanzel), a well-known detective (who can crack any case) steps in — even though this was supposed to be his vacation.

The show, directed by Christine Boehm and adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig, starts off in a hotel in Istanbul where Poirot is reunited with an old friend, Monsieur Bouc (Michael Limone), owner of the lavish train. Bouc offers Poirot a ride to get back home — even though it’s mysteriously fully booked for the off-season. While on the platform, we meet the rest of the cast: Colonel Arbuthnot (David DiMarzo), Mary Debenham (Cassidy Rose O’Brien), Hector McQueen (Steven Uihlein), Princess Dragomiroff (Sheila Sheffield), Helen Hubbard (Linda May), Countess Andrenyi (Michelle LaBozzetta), Michel the Conductor (Zach Johnson), Greta Ohlsson (Samantha Fierro), and the Head Waiter (Richard O’Sullivan).

With costume and wig design by Ronald Green III, set design by Randall Parsons and projection design from Brian Staton, it’s impressive how the stage turns into several different settings during pre-World War II Europe — a lavish hotel restaurant, three train sleeping cabins in a row, the train bar. With ease, the sets change between scenes, giving the story a movie-like appeal that is on a higher level than Broadway.

And while the sets turn the stage into 1934, a fun effect that adds even more to the stage is a projector screen above the stage that helps tell the story through video and images. We’re introduced early on to Daisy Armstrong (who was loosely based on the Lindbergh baby) — a little girl who’s playing in the yard with her nanny and who is suddenly kidnapped — which, at first, is confusing. Why do we need to know who she is? She’s essential to the story and is that common denominator mentioned before.

We can’t give too much away, because going in not knowing the plot twists will only make the experience better. Through the two acts, we learn the supposed backstories of all eight passengers on board — and eventually their truths of where each of them was the night Ratchett was brutally murdered.

But the investigation couldn’t have been complete without Detective Poirot. Sanzel’s interpretation of the famous crime stopper is jaw-dropping and will leave you wanting more stories with him solving another mystery. Along with Sanzel, the entire cast deserves a standing ovation. The accumulated talent of everyone on stage truly tells an intriguing story, but each bringing their own flair and personality as their character.

Since the show is based in Europe, many accents are heard on stage. It’s impressive that Limone’s Monsieur Bouc and Johnson’s Michel can speak with ease in a thick French accent for the hour-and-a-half-long show. May’s hilarious Helen Hubbard is the comic relief throughout most of the show with her silly persona and thick Minnesotan accent, while Sheffield’s Dragomiroff, LaBozzetta’s Andrenyi, and DiMarzo’s Arbuthnot’s various monologues continues to show the time and effort each actor rehearsed to make this play as realistic as possible.

And while their stories, backgrounds and nationalities are all different, the entire cast as a whole constantly get reactions out of the audience at every turn. Throughout the show, you’ll hear gasps, laughter and even an “I can’t believe it!” when the murderer is finally caught.

If you want to find out who killed the horrible, nefarious Samuel Ratchett — and learn more about the stories surrounding this vicious crime — you’ll have to head to Theatre Three yourself. You won’t want to miss this so climb aboard and get your ticket to Murder on the Orient Express.

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Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents Murder on the Orient Express through May 4. Tickets are $40 adults, $32 seniors and students, $25 children (ages 5 to 12) and Wednesday matinees. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

‘Jersey Boys’ at the Engeman Theater will have you dancing all night long

by Julianne Mosher - March 22, 2024

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The Engeman Theater’s latest production of Jersey Boys will have you singing, dancing and laughing all night long. Based on the life and music of The Four Seasons and Frankie Valli, the show is set in 1960s New Jersey as we follow the four Italian boys through the successes and struggles of reaching, and fulfilling, fame.

Written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, the show is presented almost like a documentary (as it’s based on a true story) with each member giving their perspectives of the band’s history. We start off with Tommy DeVito (Nick Bernardi) and his original group, The Variety Trio, which included his brother, Nick DeVito (Justin Wolfe Smith) and his close friend, Nick Massi (Stephen Cerf). The three perform in clubs, while also participating in some questionable and illegal activity.

There, they meet a young kind who sits in the shadows of the club and sings along. Frankie Valli (Joey Lavarco) and Tommy brings him up on stage. With his high soprano voice and large range, Lavarco can easily be mistaken for the original Frankie Valli — an impressive talent that not everyone on that stage could do.

While Frankie starts to enjoy singing with the trio, the trio each get thrown in the slammer until Tommy is eventually freed where he joins with Frankie again to continue working on music and finding their identity as a new group (Tommy’s brother quits).

While this is all happening, we see the love story between Frankie and his girlfriend-then-wife Francine (Katelyn Harold) and the relationship that Tommy has with a mobster friend, Gyp DeCarlo (Mike Keller). While in supporting roles (the two play other parts sporadically throughout the show) the fluidity of their change in character is astonishing. To go from a mobster, to an accountant, to a music industry executive in one act is a grand feat.

Eventually, a young Joe Pesci — yes, the actor — played by Loren Stone, introduces Frankie, Tommy and Nick Massi to a young songwriter who was known for his hit single, “Short Shorts,” named Bob Gaudino (Sean McGee). The trio found their missing piece, and although they couldn’t figure out a name, they were great at writing songs together.

But they visit every record company in the city and finally land a deal with the flamboyantly hysterical Bob Crewe (Jonathan Cobrda) who signs them as background singers for other artists. Eventually, they get a sign from above (literally, a sign), that determines their new, and last, name. The Four Seasons and they pitch new music to Crewe who hears hits which then get the four Jersey Boys on the map.

With favorites like, “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “Walk Like a Man,” if someone in the audience closed their eyes, they’d truly think they’re listening to the actual Four Seasons on the radio. Bernardi, Cerf, Lavarco and McGee’s harmonies synch together well and they look the part with beautifully, and historically accurate, curated costumes by Dustin Cross.

From then on, the second act shows more of the struggles the four experiences as their fame and fortune get bigger. Through a lot of comedy, and some somber moments, the show will definitely keep you on your toes and singing the whole drive home.

Directed by Paul Stancato, the set was minimal, but the perfect setting for so many different locations. A simple backdrop of warehouse doors and two spiral staircases, the ensemble perfects going from Jersey, to Manhattan, to on the road, to an apartment, to a club all with ease.

So, what are you waiting for? The Engeman’s production is a slice of Broadway placed in Northport and it’ll have you thinking, “Oh, What a Night.”

The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport presents Jersey Boys through May 26. For tickets or more information, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

SCCC’s ‘The Thanksgiving Play’ is perfect even during springtime

by Julianne Mosher - March 14, 2024

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How can a modern-day Thanksgiving play not ruffle any feathers, especially in a politically correct society?

Suffolk County Community College’s latest production of The Thanksgiving Play is not what one might expect. In fact, it is pure chaos, but hysterical chaos at its best.

Directed by Steven Lantz-Gefroh and written by Larissa FastHorse, the show consists of just four actors — Scott Dowd (Jaxton), Jerry Ewald (Caden), Michaela Fitzsimmons (Alicia or A-lee-see-ya), and Taylor D’Agostino (Logan). Set in an adorably relatable elementary school classroom, the four come in to start working on a culturally appropriate and politically correct play about the first Thanksgiving meal for kids.

One slight problem — all the actors are white, and very woke, and they feel that they cannot ethically perform a historically correct production as they grew up with white privilege. They hire a “real” actress from L.A., Alicia, who they believe is Native American… only to find out in show business looks can be deceiving.

FastHorse, who is the first female Native American playwright to have a show produced on Broadway, writes this clever satirical comedy with poise by serving up the hypocrisies of woke America, especially with topics like Thanksgiving, Native Americans and, dare I say his name? Christopher Columbus.

Originally making its Broadway debut in 2023, it comes to the smaller stage at SCCC’s Ammerman Campus in Selden and showcases the raw, amazing talent of these four theater students. Each one has a very bright future set up for them.

Dowd plays Jaxton, the yogi/part-time actor, who tries to always right his wrongs of being a straight, white male brings humor to the uncomfortable topic of race, especially when he’s tasked to be a part of something that needs to appeal to all people and cultures. Dowd plays the typical hippie who jumps on the bandwagon of whatever trend is going on, and he does it convincingly well.

Ewald plays Caden, a history teacher who has very serious feelings about Christopher Columbus, but also wants his side play writing performed by real humans. As in other SCCC performances, he makes the audience laugh with his slapstick shenanigans. That being said, we should highlight the choreographers for their realistic fight scene that will have you wince, but not look away.

D’Agostino plays Logan, the glue of the story, and the main protagonist who has to navigate these other personalities while trying to keep her job as a teacher in a new school district. But she’s also incredibly woke, and restricted by her overthinking and over producing. D’Agostino’s performance shines, definitely showing the leader that she is on and off the stage.

And we can’t forget Fitzsimmons, who plays Alicia, the L.A. actress brought in by Logan as the team’s cultural compass navigating Native American culture (Logan saw headshots of her on her website wearing braids and turquois). Your standard L.A. actress, she plays the snotty, and kind of stupid, actress who relies mostly on sex appeal for parts amazingly well. Her facial expressions even when she’s in the background tell a story in itself.

Through satire and humor, this one-act show addresses the misrepresentation of Native Americans, the lack of indigenous casting and the challenges of accurately representing indigenous people in American society — all of which FastHorse experienced herself as a Native American playwright.

And you’re honestly just going to laugh from the moment the four performers step on stage. Throughout the show, we bounce back and forth between the scene in the classroom to small musical numbers relating to Thanksgiving.

You’ll laugh at the humor, but also with how uncomfortable these conversations can be. So, even though it’s not Thanksgiving time at all, get in the spirit of cultural appropriation and white storytelling, and head over to SCCC to see this unique, hysterical and impressive show. You’re going to gobble it up.

The Theatres at Suffolk County Community College present The Thanksgiving Play in Theatre 119, Islip Arts Building Suffolk County Community College, 533 College Road, Selden on March 15, and 16 at 7:30 p.m., and March 17 at 2 p.m. General admission is $15, veterans and students 16 years of age or younger $10. SCCC students with current ID are offered one free ticket. To order, please call the box office at 631-451-4163.

Theatre Three’s Festival of One-Act Plays gives eight reasons to go see it

by Julianne Mosher - February 29, 2024

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For what is now a quarter of a century, Theatre Three’s Annual Festival of One-Act Plays is a favorite tradition that should not be missed out on.

Now in its 25th year, more than 12,000 submissions from playwrights across the country have been sent to the Port Jefferson-based theater over the years in hopes that their short, under 30-minute shows have a shot of being performed on stage. This season, Director Jeffrey Sanzel said there were over 2,000 submissions and just eight made the cut. Of those eight, none disappointed.

For an-hour-and-a-half, during Sunday, Feb. 25th’s performance, the nearly sold-out audience sat quietly, engaged, watching, listening to what is about to appear on stage. The festival brings these little vignettes that are full of story — some that are hysterically funny, while others leave the room quiet because of how serious and emotional the act ends.

The festival opens with Brian C. Petti’s Bovine Existential, with Linda May and Phyllis March playing two cows who are waiting in a slaughterhouse holding pen discussing fate, mortality and morality. Both May and March play the animals well, and while a serious topic of philosophy, they still had the audience in stitches.

The second act features Deirdre Girard’s A Year to Grieve and at first the audience doesn’t expect what will eventually happen. We see Thomas (Evan Teich) and Heather (Brittany Lacey), two mystery crime writers working on Heather’s latest novel. The friendship between the two is sweet, until one decides to make fiction real. Both Teich and Lacey shine — as usual, since both are returning Festival performers.

To lighten the mood, we’re sent to a tomb in Verona, Italy to see Juliet (Cassidy Rose O’Brien) who woke up from her slumber and didn’t kill herself with her fiancé’s dagger in Juliet Wakes Up by Laura Neill. Compared to the original Shakespearean tragedy, this is anything but. Quite frankly, this should be a whole show on Broadway, rather than the & Juliet musical that is currently out. I like this version better. Juliet is met by Rosaline (Julia Albino), her cousin, and Willow (Gina Lardi), the apothecary worker who sold the poison to begin with. The three ladies hatch a plan to hide Romeo’s (Jae Hughes) body after Juliet stabbed him to death, instead.

The first half ends with Rescue by Kevin Podgorski, and this one is not for the weak at heart. We’re introduced to Dot (Ginger Dalton), who has a large bruise on her face. She’s talking on the phone with her two friends, Maeve (March) and Allen (Andrew Markowitz), who are desperately trying to help her out of a toxic and dangerous home situation at the hands of her grandson, Charlie (Steven Uihlein) that Dot has been taking care of since his mother died. Powerful and sad, when the act ended there was a silence, with several audience members saying, “wow.”

After a brief intermission, we’re set in a car on a highway leading to the Colorado border for Aleks Merilo’s The Nearest Far Away Place. A young woman (Courtney Gilmore) hitch hiked a ride from Wisconsin by a man who eventually we learn is a corrections officer played by Rob Schindlar. Uncomfortable and nervous about what is waiting for her across state lines, the young girl tries to chat the man up, but quietly spoken, he has no interest until he begins talking about his own family and how he hasn’t spoken to his own daughter in years. With a serious undertone, it has its highlights that will make you laugh because of the two opposite personalities; Gilmore’s annoying teenage girl self (which we can all relate to somehow) and Schindlar’s stoic manly façade.

A complete left turn into Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend’s The Curse, we’re taken into an alternate version of The Little Mermaid featuring a mer-man, Jeremy (Sean Amato) who was washed up on land and realizes he has feet. Turns out, an evil enchantress named Donna (his co-worker of all things) turned him human as punishment for his man-splaning over her during staff meetings. He only comes to this realization by Beth (O’Brien), a passerby who sides with Donna. After some serious plays beforehand, this one was funny and lighthearted, which is just what we needed.

In Grave Matters by Michele Markarian, Paula (Lardi) is at the grave of her father asking for a sign from him to get over the family drama since her parents had passed. Well, the dad didn’t show, but her mom, Beth (Dalton) came by instead. This one, again, has those serious undertones, but Dalton’s annoying motherly comments (that again, we can all relate to somehow) make it funny and surprisingly realistic — despite her being a ghost, of course.

And we end with the beautifully crafted The Hike to Hart Lake by Johanna Beale Keller which features Albino, Amato, Hughes, O’Brien and Uihlein as five friends who hike up a mountain in their 20s to a beautiful scenic view they never forget. Always saying they should all go back, life happens, there are deaths and slowly the group becomes one over the course of 80 years. While all five actors are standouts, Hughes had the audience in tears with their powerful monologue at the end of the performance.

With a minimal set with just a few props moved around for each play, the costumes designed by Jason Allyn match each performance perfectly — and remember, we’re sent from present day, to the 14th Century and then into the future. So, buckle up, grab some tissues and make sure you sit in for The 25th Annual Festival of One-Act Plays. It isn’t just a show… it’s an experience you won’t want to miss.

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents the 25th annual Festival of One-Act Plays through March 23 at The Ronald F. Peierls Theatre, on the Second Stage. All seats are $25. Please note: Adult content and language. Parental discretion is advised. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

‘tick, tick … BOOM!’ shines at Theatre Three

by Julianne Mosher - February 23, 2024

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Before there was Rent, playwright Jonathan Larson had a one-man show drafted on several pieces of paper. A semi-autobiographical account of what it is like to be turning 30 and not having it all figured out, Theatre Three’s latest production is a story of friendship, growth and love in the years leading up to a mid-life crisis.

Beautifully directed by Jeffrey Sanzel, tick, tick… BOOM! features just three actors, but all of whom have a combined talent of a full theatrical ensemble.

Larson, who is famed for creating Rent, tragically died just before the rock opera show’s opening night at age 35. tick, tick… BOOM! is the show Larson created before Rent was even a thought in the young artists’ mind.

Originally penned in 1990, the initial production for tick, tick… BOOM! was performed by Larson as a solo show, but after his death in 1996, it was revamped by playwright David Auburn as a three-piece ensemble and premiered off-Broadway in 2001. A film adaptation directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and starring Andrew Garfield as Jon was released by Netflix in 2021. Garfield won an Academy Award for his performance.

Based on Larson’s own life, the show starts off with Jon (Robbie Torres), an aspiring composer, who lives in New York City in 1990. Similar to Larson, he had been trying to make a name for himself in theater since the early 80s and he voices worry that he is turning 30 with no solid future in sight. He lives with his childhood friend, Michael (Jason Furnari), who is a marketing executive — and former actor before he “sold out” — in an apartment in SoHo. Susan (Veronica Fox) is Jon’s girlfriend who is a dancer who “teaches ballet to wealthy and untalented children.”

For years, Jon has been workshopping a musical he wrote called Superbia (which was a real unpublished play written by Larson discovered after his death) and he is nervous about how critics might take it. Susan starts to ask Jon if he’s willing to leave the city as she begins to dream of marriage, kids and Cape Cod. Meanwhile Michael knows Jon needs more stability and helps him snag an interview at his marketing firm. We see Jon’s day-to-day working at the Moondance Diner, catering to annoying tourists and customers as he just tries to finish his shift so he can go back home and continue writing.

Throughout the show, we begin to see the changes in his friends lives while Jon continues to feel stagnant as his 30th birthday nears closer and closer. The anxiety he feels penetrates in his chest and mind going “tick, tick… BOOM!.”

In typical Larson fashion, the set, designed by Randall Parsons, is minimal, but shows the grungy aesthetic that these starving artists were living in during the early 1990s. The cast is able to add furniture in certain scenes to give the appearance of different settings, and as a special treat, the band, which at Theatre Three is typically set off to the side, sits on stage with the cast and is part of the show.

But what stands out the most are the performances of Torres, Furnari and Fox who work together in such harmony that you’d think the parts they are playing are real life.

A music-heavy show with no intermission, Torres, Furnari and Fox do an excellent job of memorizing the words of Larson whose lyrics tend to be fast-paced and thought-provoking. A hit number of the night that had the audience applauding was “Therapy,” which features Fox and Torres “arguing” as a couple with two separate choruses intertwined together in a fast-paced rhythm.

During the show’s opening night, the entire audience gave the cast a standing ovation which will undoubtedly happen again and again for all the upcoming shows. Don’t miss this one.

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents tick, tick… BOOM! through March 16. Tickets are $40 adults, $32 seniors and students, $25 children (ages 5 to 12) and Wednesday matinees. The Mainstage season continues with Murder on the Orient Express from April 6 to May 4, and The Producers from May 18 to June 22. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Strike a pose: Vogue in the Village Fashion Show returns to Port Jefferson

by Julianne Mosher - February 15, 2024

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The second annual Vogue in the Village Fashion Show is heading to Theatre Three in Port Jefferson this month so locals can strut their stuff in the latest styles from the village’s boutiques all for a good cause.

Scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 29 at 7 p.m., (on Leap Day), this year’s theme is appropriately titled “Leap Into Fashion.”

Hosted by the Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and Theatre Three, the event follows a successful show last year. Barbara Ransome, director of operations at the chamber, said that last year’s ticket sales went back to supporting the chamber and their events. And while this is partly true this year, Ransome added that donations from the 2024 show will also go to the Town of Brookhaven’s Dress for Success program.

According to the Town of Brookhaven website, “Dress for Success Brookhaven is part of an international nonprofit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the developmental tools to help them thrive in work and life.”

Since 1999, Dress for Success has helped over 6,000 women work towards self-sufficiency in the Town of Brookhaven.

Ransome said this a great way to get the word out about local stores like Fame & Rebel, Kate & Hale, The Smokin’ Gentleman, Ivory & Main, Sue La La Couture, Timber & Ties and Dr. G Sustainability Lifestyle.

In addition, before the show and during intermission, a vendor’s marketplace with tables set up for different organizations, businesses and services will be held throughout the theater’s lower level.

Douglas Quattrock, third vice president of the chamber and artistic associate and director of development at Theatre Three, said this year they have about 50 models coming out to get done up and sashay across the stage. “It has built up a lot since last year,” he said. “What I love is the community coming together.”

Along with local shops donating their services, local beauty salons like Fedora Lounge Boutique Hair Salon, The Hair Bar and Karasmatic Day Spa are planning to help out with hair and makeup before the show.

The models are getting the full glam experience — men, women and even dogs.

Ransome noted that, like last year, dogs for adoption with Yorkie 911 Rescue will prance on stage wearing accessories from Fetch Doggy Boutique and Bakery on East Main Street. The 2023/2024 Ms. New York Senior America, Mae Caime, is also going to be a highlighted model.

“It’s one-stop-shopping the see the best of the village in one night,” Quattrock said.

The 2nd Annual Vogue in the Village Fashion Show will be held at Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson on Thursday, Feb. 29 from 7 to 9 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The vendor marketplace opens at 5 p.m.

The first 100 ticket holders to arrive will receive a fabulous gift: a swag bag, filled with goods from the local merchants. Tickets are $20 cash and check, $25 for credit card and online. Donations for Dress for Success will be accepted at the event or online when purchasing tickets.

For more information, call 631-473-1414 or visit portjeffchamber.com/events-calendar/vogue-in-the-village-2024/

Annual ice fest brings hundreds to Port Jeff

by Julianne Mosher - February 2, 2024

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The 5th annual Port Jefferson Ice Festival didn’t disappoint, yet again, with hundreds of people coming near and far to enjoy this winter wonderland.

Spearheaded by the Port Jefferson Business Improvement District and partnering with the, the festival gives visitors and residents a bunch of fun activities great for all ages.

The common denominator each year is the fantastic ice sculptures created by Rich Daly — owner and ice sculptor with Ice Memories, based in Mastic Beach. Daly said he spends three weeks preparing for the two-day-long festival, creating 30 ice statues to distribute around Port Jefferson. From dogs outside Skinmed Spa to a cheeseburger outside Tommy’s, there is quite the variety. For this festival alone, Daly said he carved 225 blocks of ice (that’s 70,000 pounds) slated for the weekend.

The festival began Saturday, Jan. 27, and was supposed to go into the Sunday. However, a rainy forecast postponed the second day until this coming Sunday, Feb. 4. While disappointing for some, people who missed the first day can now have another chance to enjoy the festivities. Some of those festivities include admiring Daly’s sculptures around town, character appearances — Spider-Man and Barbie were spotted — and horse and buggy rides.

But the biggest crowd draw is the three live ice sculpture experiences by Daly occurring throughout the day.

Daly became the world’s fastest ice carver, according to Guinness World Records, back in 2013.

“I carved 18,000 pounds of ice into 61 different carvings in two hours and 52 minutes surpassing the old record by over an hour and a half,” he said. “So now we’re 11 years in, and it’s still my record, thankfully.”

Last Saturday, Daly stood with a 300-pound block of ice in the Meadow Parking Lot behind PJ Lobster House with nearly 100 people and children cheering him on. He took his ice pick, carved out a rough design of a dove and then started up his chainsaw to carve out the bird. In under 30 minutes, the bird was ready and admirers could be photographed with the new creation.

This year’s Port Jefferson Ice Festival will have its grand finale on Sunday, Feb. 4, featuring all-new ice designs throughout the village along with Daly’s live carvings. Parking is free.

‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’ delights at the John W. Engeman Theater

by Julianne Mosher - January 25, 2024

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The most relatable comedy you will ever see

By Julianne Mosher

The John W. Engeman Theater’s latest produce is perfect… and it should definitely not change.

During Saturday, Jan. 20’s performance of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, the Northport-based theater was full of nonstop laughs thanks to the four-piece ensemble on stage.

Starring Gina Naomi Baez and Lauren Weinberg as the two main women and Danny Bernardy and Jason SweetTooth Williams as the two men, this witty musical tackles modern love in all forms in separate vignettes per scene.

Originally premiering off-Broadway in 1996, the show ran for 12 years, making it off-Broadway’s second longest running show. It has since premiered in a dozen countries and has been translated all over the world.

Directed and choreographed by John Simpkins, the show starts off with the four playing your general everyday people looking for love. The unnamed people sing about the hopes and dreams of their upcoming date that they each get dressed and ready for, “Cantana For a First Date.” Immediately after, we see Baez and Bernardy chat it up after meeting in person for the first time after an online dating match.

The relatability of these songs and scenes is painful — in a good way. For those in long-term relationships, you’ll cringe being reminded what it was like on the dating scene. For those still single, you’ll nod along in agreement to everything they complain about.

Matt DaSilva, who was Williams’ understudy during Saturday night’s performance, was stellar in his scenes, notably the third song about two awkward people on their first date. The fact that each actor was able to change characters per scene with ease was impressive — each having their own story to tell.

Other standout songs and performances came from “Men Who Talk and the Women Who Pretend They’re Listening,” “The Lasagna Incident,” (with a beautiful ballad sung by Weinberg that shows off her phenomenal range), and “And Now the Parents.” You can guess what each of those songs are about and how they relate to dating.

But the musical isn’t only about looking for love. They capture the wedding day, a typical night for a married couple, childbearing and even death, too.

One number, that was sweet and funny, was “Funerals Are For Dating,” featuring Baez and Bernardy who hysterically played two old timers meeting at an acquaintance’s funeral. Bernardy tries to pick the mourning woman up and laughter ensues. However, it will leave you smiling because for such a funny moment mixed with sadness (talking about their deceased partners), you’ll smile at the sweet sentiment the end of the number provides.

However, it’s not entirely sweet. This show is definitely not recommended for someone who might be a prude. Other topics tackled are unhappy sex lives and why men send women pictures of their penis. Adult language and content are prevalent.

With a beautifully designed set, you will surely be impressed the moment you sit down. A setting described as “a city near you,” the backdrop includes impressive buildings with windows to apartments, and throughout the stage, different living rooms and bedrooms are set up for the appropriate skits.

From the looks of the rooms to the costumes and experiences, this show is going to make you say, “too true” in relation to your life. I can guarantee at least one of the scenes will relate to you and your partner in any stage of your relationship.

Tip? Bring someone on a first date! Remind them what they’re in for…

The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport will present I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change through March 3. Tickets are $80 for Wednesday and Sunday evenings; $85 for Thursdays; $90 for Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday matinees; and $95 for Saturday evenings. Tickets may be purchased by calling 631-261-2900, going online at www.engemantheater.com, or visiting the Engeman Theater Box Office at 250 Main Street, Northport.

Ice, ice baby! Port Jefferson’s 5th annual Ice Festival is going to be really cool

by Julianne Mosher - January 21, 2024

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Update: Because of the rain on Sunday, January 28, the second part of the Port Jefferson Ice Festival will be held on Sunday, February 4 from noon to 5 p.m.

By Julianne Mosher

Back by popular demand, the fifth Annual Ice Festival is heading back to the Village of Port Jefferson on January 27 and 28 from noon to 5 p.m.

Hosted by the Port Jefferson Business Improvement District (BID) in partnership with the Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, the festival is a fan favorite that bring hundreds in to admire and pose alongside handcrafted ice sculptures created by Guinness Book World Record holder ice carver Rich Daly.

But that’s not all. According to Barbara Ransome, director of operations at the Port Jefferson Chamber, there will also be a new horse-drawn wagon available for rides (fee) and the now-sold-out Mac and Cheese Crawl.

Visitors can enjoy live music, performances by local Shine Dance Company, ice skating demos at the Rinx as well as character photo opportunities and interactive games (cornhole, bowling and tic tac toe) — made out of ice, of course.

Daly, who has been the star of the festival throughout its entire run, said that this year will be “bigger and better than ever.”

“We have about 200 blocks of ice ready for both days,” he said. “And while the ice is awesome, there are a lot of activities for families to do in Port Jeff, so it’s a great event.”

Daly said that on Saturday alone, there will be about 30 sculptures around town outside different Port Jeff shops. Sunday there will be another set ready to photograph with.

And these are not small statues. The famed interactive graffiti ice wall set up in the Frigate parking lot stands large enough for a whole family to pose with, but what’s most fun to watch are the live ice carvings done by Daly in the flesh.

On both days, there will be three live ice carvings starting at 12 p.m. at Mill Creek Road, 2 p.m. at the Meadow Parking Lot and 4 p.m. at Pocket Park. Each carving lasts at minimum an hour.

As founder of Ice Memories Inc. based out of Mastic, Daly is one of only eight certified master carvers in the U.S. Since starting Ice Memories in 2000, Daly has won over 200 ice carving competition titles and received the Guinness World Record for carving 60 ice sculptures in under three hours.

Compared to previous festivals which included Olaf from Frozen, a turtle and a lighthouse, “There will be new characters this year like Spider-Man and Barbie,” Daly said. However, this won’t be your typical doll-sized blonde fashionista.

“She’s going to be a big girl,” Daly laughed. “She’ll be about 6-feet-tall and start off at 2,400 lbs of ice.”

A rain date is set for Feb. 3 and 4. The event and parking are free for both days. For a full schedule and map of events, visit www.portjeffchamber.com. For further information, please call 631-473-1414.

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Julianne Mosher

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SCCC’s ‘The Thanksgiving Play’ is perfect even during springtime

Theatre Three’s Festival of One-Act Plays gives eight reasons to go see it

‘tick, tick … BOOM!’ shines at Theatre Three

Strike a pose: Vogue in the Village Fashion Show returns to Port Jefferson

Annual ice fest brings hundreds to Port Jeff

‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’ delights at the John W. Engeman Theater

The most relatable comedy you will ever see

Ice, ice baby! Port Jefferson’s 5th annual Ice Festival is going to be really cool

Update: Because of the rain on Sunday, January 28, the second part of the Port Jefferson Ice Festival will be held on Sunday, February 4 from noon to 5 p.m.

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