Monroe thespians ready for the stage

Mighty Oak Players to perform "Catch Me, If You Can" this week.

By: Al Wicklund
   MONROE — A mystery, "Catch Me, If You Can," staged by the Mighty Oak Players, will have a four-performance run, starting on Thursday, Oct. 25, in Monroe Township High School’s Richard P. Marasco Performing Arts Center.
   The Players will have 7:30 p.m. shows Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 25-27, and a 2 p.m. performance Sunday, Oct. 28.
   The play, written by Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, writers of Peter Falk’s popular Colombo TV series, is about a newly-wed man who borrows a cabin in the Catskill Mountains as a honeymoon cottage.
   He reports his wife as missing and a local detective arrives on the scene to investigate. There are a number of intriguing twists and turns before the situation is resolved.
   Mike Keller plays the role of the troubled husband. Peter Stern is the detective. Carrie Weiss is in the main female role as a woman who adds to the mystery by claiming to be the missing woman.
   Mr. Keller, a Rutgers University graduate, is a former West Point cadet who has turned to acting and filmmaking. Mr. Stern, a veteran of community theater productions, many with the Marlboro Players, plays Inspector Levine, a Colombo-without-the-raincoat character.
   Ms. Weiss, whose grandmother resides in the Rossmoor planned retirement community, spends much of her time away from rehearsals with her 4-year-old daughter.
   Others in the cast are Jessica M. Clarke, a Rutgers University student, and Tom Lee, a member of the Mighty Oak executive board and the lead player in the Oak’s recent performance of "Harvey."
   Peter O’Brien of Monroe, whose theater work started in his native British Isles, plays the part of a priest, while the play’s director, Jack Rosmarin of Marlboro, makes an appearance as a Yiddish delicatessen owner.
   Mr. Rosmarin will be directing the Players for the first time. He has acted with them previously.
   Nancie Gunkelman, the play’s producer, said that Mr. Rosmarin, who during the day is at his business in Manhattan and directs evening rehearsals, has been leading a life more hectic than usual with a commute made more difficult by the World Trade Center disaster.
   Vickie Rosenberg is the stage manager. Tim Reynolds, a veteran of set construction with the Players, built the Players’ usual detailed and realistic sets.
   Ms. Gunkelman said the play’s support staff ranges from a 13-year-old to senior citizens.
   She said the Mighty Oak Players not only provide accessible, inexpensive theater for the area, but they also offer an opportunity for people to act or be part of the production.
   The Mighty Oak Players, a community theater group for Monroe Township, has been in existence for 12 years.
   Persons interested in working behind the scenes or having questions about the play or the Mighty Oak Players should contact Ms. Gunkelman at (609) 395-0934.
   Tickets for "Catch Me, If You Can" are priced at $12 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens.