BY JOHN DUNPHY
Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY staff Kathryn Comiciotto, in the role of Marguerite, rehearses a scene from “The Scarlet Pimpernel” with Jamesburg’s Dan Savarese for the Main Street Theatre Company. Heads are rolling in Sayreville. But through the efforts of “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” the citizens who have been unjustly brought before the guillotine will survive long enough to see the end of the show.
The Sayreville Main Street Theatre Company has premiered its rendition of “The Scarlet Pimpernel” at its new home, the Garden Friends daycare center, 3018 Bordentown Ave.
The classic musical is about Percy Blankeney, an Englishman who travels to France to save the innocent people who have been sentenced to death by decapitation; Marguerite St. Just, the French woman he marries and who he later believes to be a French spy; and Citizen Chauvelin, Marguerite’s former lover who wants to discover the identity of the mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel.
For director Mark Ilardi, who founded the Sayreville-based theater troupe in 1994, this show has been especially anticipated.
“I’m really excited about it,” he said prior to last weekend’s show opening. “Everybody is chomping at the bit for this production. It’s going to be electrifying.”
For 10 years, the theater company performed at the Step Inn Ballroom, MacArthur Avenue, which had once been a restaurant. That property has since been purchased by the owner of the Crestwood bar and restaurant in South River, who is in the process of renovating the building for a new bar and grill.
During its first season, the Main Street Theatre Company performed its shows at the Sayreville Senior Center on Main Street.
But Ilardi said the Garden Friends facility is, by far, the best location to date.
“The space is cleaner, newer and lends itself better to theater,” he said. “We’re able to produce more shows in here, more children’s shows, and we have a built -in audience for it.”
During the day, Garden Friends uses another section of the building. Since most theater productions are at night, the company does not anticipate any issues with one organization getting in the way of the other.
Frank Norek, who is performing the role of Ozzy, also lauded the superiority of the new location.
“This is a nice facility,” he said. “It cleans up real easily.”
Though the Sayreville resident has been in a number of productions elsewhere, he considers the Main Street Theatre Company his home.
“There’s a strong community here you don’t want to walk away from,” he said. “You want to work with other groups, but this is home for me.”
Though Flemington resident Kathryn Comiciotto is making her debut with the company as Marguerite in “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” she has been welcomed wholeheartedly by its members.
“It’s like a family here,” she said. “Everyone has been welcoming and encouraging.”
Comiciotto said there is another role she has her eye on later this year for which she would like to audition.
“I’ve had a lot of fun,” the theater veteran said. “If something else comes up, I’d definitely work here again.”
Patrick Starega, like Norek, has been with the company since its beginning. He attributed the theater’s layout, which has tables set up for the audience to enjoy light refreshments during the production, instead of rows of chairs, to the comfort felt by both audience and cast members alike.
“I like it a lot,” he said. “It gives you a chance to work in a different environment. Audiences tend to relax more.”
“You’re sitting in a theater instead of in front of the TV, and anything that gets people away from the TV is good,” Starega added.
Ilardi said the company is continuing its dessert menu, which is included in the price of the ticket and offers several kinds of cheesecakes, carrot cake, assorted pies and death by chocolate, which is far better than death by guillotine.
“This is still the best bang for your buck in community theater, that’s for sure,” Ilardi said. “This is a very powerful rendition of the show that is not to be missed.”
The Sayreville Main Street Theatre Company’s production of “The Scarlet Pimpernel” will continue at 8 p.m. June 17 and 18, with a matinee at 2 p.m. June 18.
Advance tickets are $18 for adults, and $16 for students and seniors with an additional surcharge at the door. For more information, call (732) 553-1153 or visit the Web site www.smstc.org.