By: centraljersey.com
"There’s always another challenge, and you have to challenge yourself," she says. "Otherwise you sit back and sleep ’til 10 and watch television. And that’s a boring life."
She keeps busy by traveling, writing poetry and participating in book clubs. Now, her quest to keep life interesting has led her to the stage. She recently starred in a workshop staging of The Gin Game at the Red Door Studio in Hopewell, and is now preparing to play the role of Bubbie in Susan Sander’s Crossing Delancey at the Off-Broadstreet Theatre in Hopewell March 25 through April 30.
Ms. Wildgrube’s roots in theater are deep, having worked for the Open Air Theatre at Washington Crossing during its first years. She handled publicity, sewed costumes, worked the concession stand and occasionally filled in when a member of a chorus couldn’t make a performance. But her role in Crossing Delancey will be her biggest.
"Finally, I’m here, alone, and I decided to take it seriously," she says of acting.
In the play, Izzy (Alison Quarioli) is a single woman working in a Manhattan bookshop. Her grandmother Bubbie (Ms. Wildgrube) is determined to see Isabel get "suitably" married.
"The gentleman has to be of good character, have a good business background, be well intentioned, and if he’s tall dark and handsome, that helps a little bit," Ms. Wildgrube says.
"The fly in the ointment is that the man that the granddaughter thinks she’s interested in is an author," says director Bob Thick. "And he’s a real turd, to get right down to it. And he’s full of himself, he’s an egotist, and he doesn’t have the time of day for the young lady until his assistant runs out and he’s looking for somebody who can type. And then, all of a sudden, he’s interested."
Meanwhile, Hannah the matchmaker (Marilyn Licciardello) has decided that Sam (Barry Abramowitz), the owner of a pickle shop, is a the one for Izzy, who remains drawn to the exciting life offered by the author.
The show kicks off Off-Broadstreet’s new series, which also includes Little Shop of Horrors, June 17 through July 23, the comedy First Things First, Aug. 5 through Sept. 10, Heroes, (adapted by Tom Stoppard from a play by Gerald Sibleyras), Sept. 23 through Oct. 29 and the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Nov. 11 through Dec. 17.
Izzy’s Jewish upbringing is an important aspect of Crossing Delancey, and while Ms. Wildgrube isn’t Jewish, she says she connects to these characters because she grew up in an ethnically diverse neighborhood in New York. (Her father never understood why she spent money on hot dogs from Epstein’s when her mother "cooked the best food in the world.")
Mr. Thick expects Ms. Wildgrube’s experiences to help her develop the character of Bubbie. Growing up in Manhattan, she acted in Czechoslovakian productions of shows like Robin Hood. She also worked as a reporter for the Hopewell Valley News and the Pennington Post and even dabbled in politics.
"What’s interesting is that she brings a very rich background to the character," Mr. Thick says. "Now if we can just help her to bring it out and add that spark that she has to it, I think it will be fun for the audience, and fun for Irene."
It’s fun for her already, she says, and it’s allowing her to really take part in something she truly loves.

