By Myra Cohen Klenicki
A cast of seventeen , ages eight to over eighty, will bring to life stories by Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, Saki, and other classic authors in the Bimah Players new production, “Beastly Friends.” Performances are Sunday, May 15, at 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM; Thursday, May 19, at 7:30 PM; and Sunday, May 22, at 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM at the Monroe Township Jewish Center, 11 Cornell Ave., Monroe Township, NJ. Tickets are $12.00 and can be purchased online at www.bimahplayers.org or by calling 732-251-1119.
The stories, poems, and songs are about animals that are humorous, moving, and, at times, a bit dangerous,” says the director of the Bimah Players, Myra Cohen Klenicki. “The show is intended for adults, but it’s sure to please kids as well. ”
Sponsored by the Monroe Township Jewish Center, The Bimah Players is the area’s first community theater that enables Sabbath-observant Jews to participate. It is open to anyone from Monroe Township and its neighbors. But unlike other community theaters, there are no performances or rehearsals on the Jewish Sabbath, from sundown on Fridays through sundown on Saturdays.
The Bimah Players was established in March 2010 and specializes in dramatizing classic literature. Its inaugural production, presented in June 2010, was “O. Henry’s New York," an original play with music based on stories by the early 20th century writer considered the master of surprise endings. Its second production, “Autumn Tales,” premiered in November 2010 and featured bloodcurdling and frighteningly funny songs and stories by Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, and other literary masters.
photo: ©2011P.FontanesBernikow
