Award-winning actors – reading a Noel Coward play – as the final theatrical performance in this Montclair venue: Theatre lovers will have an opportunity to be part of a one-time-only experience on Saturday, June 6th 8PM, at Luna Stage in Montclair, NJ.
Kelly Bishop, Maryann Plunkett, Jake Robards and Paxton Whitehead share the stage for a benefit reading of Noel Coward’s A Song at Twilight. This outstanding group of actors is being brought together by director James Glossman to raise funds for Luna Stage. The company is moving in July from its current home at 695 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair to a new space in West Orange. Says Managing Director, Mona Hennessy, “When James approached us with the offer of directing this reading as a Luna Stage fundraiser, we were thrilled. What better way to say goodbye to our Montclair home than by having a classic play read by wonderful actors! That is, after all, Luna is all about – good theatre!”
Montclair resident, Paxton Whitehead, was the first actor on board for the project. According to Mr. Glossman, “Paxton is perfect for this role (in A Song at Twilight)! I think people will be impressed with all he brings to it – even in a reading.” Mr. Whitehead is a distinguished British actor who will be recognizable for all the television roles he has played in the United States over the past forty years in such favorite shows as Mad About You, Friends, Law and Order, The West Wing and Desperate Housewives. He won the 1981 Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a musical for his performance in Camelot (revival), and the 1984 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Work in Noises Off.
Kelly Bishop is also a Tony winner. She won the 1976 award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role as “Sheila” in A Chorus Line. Ms. Bishop is probably best known for her role as the matriarch Emily Gilmore in the long-running television series The Gilmore Girls. Most recently she was in the Off-Broadway hit, Becky Shaw. She is married to TV talk show host, Lee Leonard, and they live in South Orange, NJ.
Another Tony Award winner is in the June 6th reading. Maryann Plunkett won Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as “Sally Smith” in Me and My Girl. Her other Broadway credits include Sunday in the Park with George (she took over the lead role of “Dot” from Bernadette Peters) and the 1991 revival of The Crucible in which she played “Elizabeth Procter” opposite Martin Sheen’s “John Procter”.
Rounding out the outstanding cast is Jake Robards. Mr. Robards (son of the actor, Jason Robards Jr.) can be seen in the 2009 film, The Waiting Room. Other film work includes Cadillac Records, A Talent for Trouble and VO. He appeared on the New York stage in the 2003 revival of Our Town. Regionally, he recently worked with James Glossman in the Bickford Theatre’s production of Transit of Venus.
A Song at Twilight is part of Noel Coward’s farewell trilogy, “Suite in Three Keys”. Centered around an aging novelist who has gained success based on a life-lie, the piece is considered to be one of Mr. Coward’s most personal and autobiographical plays.
The June 6th 8PM reading will be Luna Stage’s final theatre performance in Montclair – at 695 Bloomfield Avenue. The evening includes a wine and cheese reception. Tickets for this one-time only event are $35.00 per person and can be purchased online at www.lunastage.org or by calling 973-744-3309. Luna Stage is wheelchair-accessible.
