"Love Letters" at the Bergen County Players

Stars return to Bergen County Players for benefit performance
Monday, May 12, 2008Last updated: Monday May 12, 2008, EDT 7:59 AM
BY EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER
When she stepped into rehearsal for Disney's Broadway musical "Beauty and the Beast" in 1993, original cast member Beth Fowler already had a fan: the director, Robert Jess Roth. Both Fowler and Roth were former members of the Bergen County Players, and he told her that he'd always admired her work.

"Oh God," she recalled thinking to herself. "He's impressed."

Fowler has been a legend at the community theater organization since she made the leap into professional theater. The New Milford resident was a 29-year-old school teacher when she got a role in the musical "Gantry" in 1970. When she began work with Roth, she was already a Tony nominee for her role of Mrs. Lovett in 1989's "Sweeney Todd."

But Fowler, who was cast as Mrs. Potts in "Beauty and the Beast," was not looking for a fan.
"I said, 'Get over it Rob,' " Fowler recalled. " 'This is show business. Don't be afraid to tell me what to do.' "

"And he wasn't," she added with satisfaction. Roth, then a first-time Broadway musical director, kept his cool, even though the production budget was dizzyingly large at $10 million.

Roth will once again be directing Fowler and another local thespian legend, Philip Bosco, in the Bergen County Players' benefit performance of "Love Letters," by A.R. Gurney. The one-night-only performance, which also commemorates the Players' 75th anniversary season, takes place Sunday.

"I, for one, am very much looking forward to hearing Philip Bosco's voice reading these lines on stage," said Fowler, who has never worked with Bosco, a Haworth resident. "His is one of my favorite voices in the English language, and I will be very gratified to feel his voice in my body — because you do feel that on stage as an actor."

Their collaboration will be startlingly brief: The director and the two actors will get together to rehearse — at the earliest — the day before the performance. The play is structured as a series of letters between two people, crossing decades of their lives, and the actors are forbidden from memorizing a single line.

"The impact should be that [the actor is] reading this for the first time," said Bosco, who performed the two-person play when it was off-Broadway in 1989. "...It should have an unforced look, of a letter being read out loud. That was [Gurney's] only note to us."

The two actors sit across from each other on stage at a desk but consciously avert their eyes from each other for almost the entire length of the play, Bosco said. At the very end, when the woman has died and the man reads the last letter, she is allowed to look straight at him, but he is instructed not to reciprocate.

"It's a beautiful relationship that's funny and sad," said Roth. "They don't connect all the way through their lives — but you feel that maybe they should."

Roth says he is excited to be working with Fowler and Bosco in his old stomping ground. At age 12 and in the sixth grade, Roth became one of the Bergen County Players' youngest members in 1976. He still remembers the life-changing experience of playing Hughie in the play "Finishing Touches," by Jean Kerr.

"I had the first line of the play, as I recall," said Roth, who grew up in River Edge. "I remember you could hear the audience through the curtain, and you could see the houselights go down underneath it. There was this adrenaline rush, this excitement."

Roth continued with the Players, doing everything from the lights to assistant directing, for the next six years. He thinks of his experiences there as the most formative force in his childhood, other than his parents.

"The mechanics of creating a show are the same," he said, comparing the Players' productions with his work on Broadway. "It's just a lot more money involved, so there's more of an element of risk on Broadway... That's actually been comforting for me at times when it gets stressful: it's just the same thing, just a larger scale."

*
"Love Letters" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Little Firehouse Theatre, 298 Kinderkamack Road, Oradell. Tickets $75. 201-261-4200 or bcplayers.org.
E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

kanye basks in his own glow

Kanye West's space-age style coming to MSG

Friday, May 9, 2008
Last updated: Friday May 9, 2008, EDT 6:28 AM

7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Manhattan
SPACE-AGE STYLE
The Grammy-winning Kanye West invades Madison Square Garden on his Glow in the Dark tour.

TELL ME MORE: Time warp: Last summer, when Kanye West announced the theme of his new tour, he hadn't yet released September's Grammy-winning album, "Graduation." This was before the record sales duel with rapper 50 Cent and before his mother died from complications after cosmetic surgery.

None of these events had occurred in West's tumultuous year, but he planted the "Glow in the Dark" seed early, reportedly to lay claim to that name.

This May, he delivers on the neon promise. In large concert venues across the nation, West has been performing with Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Lupe Fiasco on a futuristic spaceship of a set. The concept is complete with a huge LED screen and a talking spaceship computer named Jane.

Though Kanye fans have been supportive, the entertainer created new controversy last Friday when he attacked Entertainment Weekly magazine on his blog. The magazine's reviewer, Chris Willman, had given his concert a B+ rating.

"Never come [to] one of my shows ever again, you're not invited and if you see me ... BOW!! This is not pop, it's pop art!" wrote West.

Sunday, he took back some of the venom: "I'm sure there are some cool people who work over there and had nothing [to] do with that review. With all that said ... 'I'm still the greatest!!!' lol!!"

In the same post, West admitted to using "profanity" when he had technical difficulties with his set at a Houston concert.

DETAILS: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan. $49.50 to $129.50; sold out on Ticketmaster.

— Evelyn Shih

Gallery Walk in Englewood

Fine art and dining at gallery walk

Thursday, May 8, 2008
Last updated: Thursday May 8, 2008, EDT 10:25 PM

BY EVELYN SHIH

STAFF WRITER

Watch out, Soho, Englewood has you in its sights. And the North Jersey town has something that New York will never have: relatively cheap parking.

Left: Jewelry at Ayesha Studio Jewelery

The number of art galleries in Englewood has grown in recent years, and the owners have joined forces to create an all-day gallery walk event on Saturday. Not only have seven galleries coordinated their exhibits to open the same day, but they have also invited restaurants to participate with discounts and deals. Artists will be present at the galleries’ daylong receptions, and guests will be treated to light refreshments. The Jewel Spiegel Gallery will even have a jazz trio performing from 6 to 7 p.m.

“The idea is to let people get the idea that Englewood is a place to see and buy art — not just shoes,” said Anat Klebanov, owner of Midday Gallery and organizer of the event. “With the addition of the new galleries, it’s really coming up nicely.”

Klebanov worked on a similar project two years ago, but only four galleries participated. Of the original four, only Midday is taking part this time around; six new galleries have gotten onboard. Participating this year are Arielle’s Gallery, Ayesha Studio Jewelry, Borghi Fine Art, Gallery 270 at Bergen County Camera, Jewel Spiegel Gallery, Mark Gallery and Klebanov’s own Midday.

“I think a lot of people, if they have the choice not to go to New York, will be happy to stay in New Jersey and get the same service and merchandise,” Klebanov added.

Englewood has become a destination in recent years, she said, and a springboard for galleries.

“At least one gallery that opened here within the last two years has already opened a second location in the city,” Klebanov said.

Gallery 270 will offeran exhibit of Rolling Stone magazine covers by photography legend Baron Wolman. Wolman’s new book featuringthose covers will be on sale, as well as large-sized prints. Those who purchase a print or the limited edition book($450, comes with a signed and numbered print) on Saturday will also get another print, priced at $350.

Above: Jerry Garcia, portrait by Baron Wolman.

“We’re giving away the store that day,” said Tom Gramegna, who has owned the gallery for 10 years.

Gramegna is a strong believer in collectible fine art photography. Ansel Adams prints that he purchased with paper route money at age 13 sold a few years ago at auction for tens of thousands of dollars. An Adams print on the coverof his Herb Alpert record “stopped me in my tracks” and inspired him to love photography, Gramegna said.

His parents thought he was crazy to spend $25 per print and refused to allow him to take $250 out of his college fund for that purpose.

“I still bring it up with my mother,” said Gramegna with a chuckle.

In business for 43 years, Jewel Spiegel has been selling art and frames in Englewood for longer than Gramegna has been collecting. Her offering this time will be traditional representational and impressionist-style paintings by Louise Hafesh of Cliffside Park and Adele Grodstein of Haworth.

“We also tried this about 10 to 15 years ago,” said Spiegel of the gallery alliance. “It seems every 10 years we get a resurgence.”

Although it’s too soon to tell how long the current boom in art galleries will last in Englewood, Spiegel is not worried.

“Build it, and they will come,” she said.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

On the Border

Questioning their existence
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Last updated: Tuesday May 6, 2008, EDT 7:33 AM
BY EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

When Steve Ives was a student at Fair Lawn High School, a teacher gave him a copy of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road." It wasn't on the English class reading list.

Picture: A still from Ives' play, "Bordertown."

"You would really like this," Ives remembers the teacher saying.

Over the next 10 years, it would become his Bible. Ives traveled all over the country, living in his Saturn and taking odd bartending jobs. When he reached the Southwest, he was captivated. There was just something about it that he never experienced growing up in North Jersey.

"It had a certain peculiar romance to it," said Ives, who now lives in New York. "There was almost a mysticism to it, when you're the middle of nowhere, and it's nowhere as far as the eye can see."

The Southwest is the setting for his play, "Bordertown," now playing off-off-Broadway. In a place called Calexico, on the border between California and Mexico, Ives has created the Last Exit Café, a diner that becomes an existential meeting point for a motley crew of characters. All of them, including a young man who was abandoned as a baby, an escaped criminal and a policewoman, have heartbreak in their lives and must decide their fate.

There's even a character who may or may not be God.

"Throughout the play, you have these people whose lives — whether through God or through their own doing — have been sort of brutal," said Ives. "And they have to decide whether to believe or not believe."

Ives has settled — for now, at least — in New York City. But he, like his characters, still constantly questions his existence. His journey is far from over. "I still feel far from my goal," he said.

Ives has written two yet-unsold screenplays with best-selling novelist Jodi Picoult, as well as a collection of poetry and stories for DC Comics. His definition of being successful involves being a novelist.

But "Bordertown" is his first play, and as moments go, this might be the proverbial "it."

"This is the moment where if someday I am or am not a successful writer, I'll still look back on this and think, wasn't it exciting? Wasn't it fun?" he said. "Not knowing what the future is going to be, not knowing whether you were or weren't going to be successful, but having all these people reading your words, playing your characters; and all these people in the audience reacting to them. Maybe that's what it all means."

Many muses

When he's writing, Ives says, he wears his influences on his sleeve. "But because they're really disparate, I think I get away with it," he added. Not many people count among their influences Kerouac, Geoffrey Chaucer — the Bordertown characters each get a monologue in which they tell their stories, as in "The Canterbury Tales" — and Picoult.

"What [Picoult] does is she makes great literature and great fiction simultaneously," said Ives. "I try to do that in 'Bordertown,' to make it literature even though it's theater.

"I try to make the person who comes in to see the play think," he added. "I don't tell them what to think, but I try to get them to do it. That's definitely an influence from Jodi."

Ives isn't shy about citing these influences, and he also isn't too shy to say that he likes powerful women. He's worked on the Wonder Woman comic, and he inserted Hillary Clinton as a cultural reference in "Bordertown" because he admired "something that was cutting-edge sexy about her" in 2003 when he wrote the play.

Clinton wasn't in the news at the time, but "it's become almost ridiculously politically relevant," said Ives. "She's got this power surrounding her."

But relevant or not, successful or not, Ives believes he can change his own fate and that anyone can do the same.

"If people reading can take away anything from my life, it's that it's all possible," he said.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Everywhere a Curry!

A new leaf: Black chickpea stew
Monday, May 5, 2008
Last updated: Monday May 5, 2008, EDT 8:40 AM
Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"660 Curries," by Raghavan Iyer (Workman Publishing, 2008)

Curry is a catchall for spicy deliciousness, says Raghavan Iyer, and vegetarians who love Indian food heartily agree. The 362 pages of this hefty 800-page collection are dedicated to paneer, legume and vegetable recipes — and that's before you count the vegetarian selections among the contemporary and biryani curries. Iyer scoured the subcontinent for a wide range of curries and includes interesting trivia. The chickpea, featured in a pressure-cooker recipe below, is especially valued in Kajasthani and Parsi curries.

— Evelyn Shih

Black chickpea stew

1 cup dried black chickpeas, rinsed and soaked overnight
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium-size red onion, finely chopped
2 fresh green chilies, stems removed, cut in half lengthwise. Seeds preserved.
1 cup shredded fresh coconut
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 to 4 dried red chilies, stems removed
1 large tomato, cored and finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt
12 to 15 fresh curry leaves
Drain the chickpeas and transfer them to a pressure cooker. Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Skim off and discard any foam that forms. Seal the cooker shut and allow the pressure to build. When the cooker reaches full pressure, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the cooker from heat and allow the pressure to subside naturally before opening.

While the chickpeas cook, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and fresh chilies. Stir-fry slowly until the onion is brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour 1 1/2 cups water into a blender jar with coconut, coriander seeds, and dried chilies. Purée to make a slightly gritty, thick paste. Add this paste to the onion. Wash out the blender with 1 1/2 cups water, then add the water to the pan. Add the tomato, salt and curry leaves.

Drain the cooked chickpeas, and stir them into the mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Keep warm until served.

Servings: 6.

Per serving: 232 calories, 11 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, no cholesterol, 27 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams protein, 496 milligrams sodium, 8 grams fiber.

Bucky Pizzarelli

Jazzman Bucky Pizzarelli to perform with Bergen Youth Orchestra

Saturday, May 3, 20084 p.m. Sunday, Manhattan

82 Years young
Bucky Pizzarelli heads up the Bergen Youth Orchestra.

TELL ME MORE: Since the '50s, John "Bucky" Pizzarelli has collaborated with the likes of Benny Goodman and Stephane Grappelli. He's also worked with his son, John Pizzarelli Jr., who is known for his jazz vocals and guitar music.

But Sunday, the legendary guitarist and Saddle River resident will pit his classic jazz tones against the 85 high school members of the Bergen Youth Orchestra (BYO). The concert at Symphony Space is a benefit for the non-profit organization, which develops young musicians.

Pizzarelli will play the classical "Concierto de Aranjuez" by Joaquin Rodrigo and various jazz standards with the BYO and his trio, which includes Wayne Dunton (drums) and Jerry Bruno (bass).

Pizzarelli's daughter-in-law, Broadway star Jessica Molaskey ("Sunday in the Park with George"), performed in a BYO benefit three years ago and was instrumental in getting him to participate this year.

DETAILS: $25 to $55. Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway (at 95th Street), Manhattan. Call 212-864-5400 or visit symphonyspace.org for more information.

— Evelyn Shih

Cinco!

Meaningful Cinco de Mayo in N.J.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Last updated: Thursday May 1, 2008, EDT 2:41 PM

BY EVELYN SHIH

Staff Writer

Web special: More Cinco de Mayo recipes

Staff art, left, by Peter Monsees

We all know Cinco de Mayo. We know that “cinco” means five in Spanish, and “Mayo” is May. And we know that there will be more than a fair number of margaritas and nachos ordered in the coming days at bars and restaurants in the area.

Or do we only think we know Cinco de Mayo? Will anyone know what we are toasting as we hoist tequila-filled, salt-rimmed glasses? Like St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo has become an occasion to consume alcohol and celebrate a particular flavor in America’s melting pot. Just substitute tequila for Guinness.

Although Mexican-Americans make up only 6 percent of the Latino population in Bergen County and 15 percent in Passaic County, restaurants and bars throughout North Jersey — even some that don’t serve Mexican cuisine — will be dishing up Cinco de Mayo specials and decorating with festive colors.

Tamara Morales’ 22-year-old son, Martin, probably will be partying with his friends, but he tells her that he also uses the day to spread the word about the day’s original meaning.

“He’ll have a couple of drinks with his Italian and American friends, but he’ll remind them, ‘Hey guys, this isn’t a holiday for drinking, you know,’ÿ” said Morales, spokeswoman for Casa Puebla in Passaic. Her organization works to preserve and promote Mexican culture in North Jersey.

“This is a day that helps you remember who you are and what it means to be Mexican,” said Morales.

For Mexican-Americans, Cinco de Mayo has come to signify the triumph of David over Goliath: the local campesinos, or farmers, rising up in arms to beat back the imperialist European power.

Although May 5, 1862, was not the day Mexico declared independence from Spain, it was the day of the Battle of Puebla, when 5,000 Mexican troops beat back the French army of Napoleon III. (With the United States occupied by the Civil War, France was looking to expand its colonial holdings.)

Morales, like many of the Mexican-Americans in the North Jersey and New York area, traces her family to the city and state of Puebla, near central Mexico. “Poblanos,” as they call themselves, are especially proud of Cinco de Mayo because it is a part of their local history.

“When you’re from Puebla, you feel more proud to be celebrating Cinco de Mayo,” said Juan Rojas Campos of Palisades Park. Campos owns Mama Mexico restaurant in Englewood Cliffs. “Yes, I’m Mexican, but I’m from Puebla.”

“If you’re Poblano, you’ll make sure to tell your children the story,” Morales said.

While most of mainstream America is out at bars and restaurants, traditional Poblano families will be having private parties with neighbors and paesanos, or countrymen, she added.

The dish of the day is “mole poblano,” which is turkey smothered in a rich sauce of chocolate, peanuts and raisins. It originated, according to one legend, at a convent where the nuns who needed to entertain an archbishop had nothing to serve. They put together the best ingredients they had, and the synergy of the materials created an instant success.

Campos has implemented another Poblano tradition at Mama Mexico: The manager makes rounds, tipping guests’ heads back and pouring in a mouthful of sweet tequila. The mild pineapple-flavored drink is brewed on the premises and is a way of creating a festive atmosphere, said Campos.

As for Morales, don’t look for her at a bar or restaurant.

“I’ll be home cooking up a storm,” she said.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

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CINCO DE MAYO MYTH-BUSTERS
MYTH: Cinco de Mayo is Mexican Independence Day.
REALITY: Mexico declared independence from Spain on Sept. 16, 1810.
Cinco de Mayo commemorates a battle won in 1862 against Emperor Napoleon III’s French army, which was attempting a takeover of the city of Puebla. On May 5, about 5,000 Mexican soldiers under Texas-born Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza held off nearly twice as many French soldiers in the “Batalla de Puebla” (Battle of Puebla).
MYTH: Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s biggest holiday.
REALITY: In Mexico, the day is celebrated locally in Puebla and Mexico City (the capital), but is not a big event in other parts of the country. When compared with American holidays, Cinco de Mayo is more like Flag Day, whereas Mexican Independence Day is more like the Fourth of July, said Tamara Morales, spokeswoman for Casa Puebla, a Passaic-based group that promotes Mexican heritage in North Jersey.

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CINCO ON THE TOWN
Want to know where to go for your Cinco celebration? Here are a few local venues that will be spicing it up for the day.

• Mama Mexico,464 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, 201-871-0555. The house mariachi band plays live with the addition of traditional Mexican dancers and spotlights in the parking lot. Specials: guacamole Cinco de Mayo and flaming margaritas. Starting 7 p.m. Monday.
  
• Blue Moon Mexican Café,Old Tappan: 316 Old Tappan Road, 201-263-0244; Englewood: 21 E. Palisade Ave., 201-541-0600; Wyckoff: 327 Franklin Ave., 201-891-1039; Woodcliff Lake: 42 Kinderkamack Road, 201-782-9500. Happy hour, live music and open mike at Englewood, 5 p.m., Friday; Cinco family brunch with clown entertainment at Wyckoff and Englewood, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday; mariachis, giveaways and specials, all locations, Monday.
  
• Trumpets, 6 Depot Square, Montclair, 973-744-2600. World Culture Day: Mexico will be included through a performance by the Ballet Folklorico of Casa Puebla, traditional mariachi music and a presentation of food and history by Englewood author Nora Melendez. 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday.
  
• Fiesta Hut,227 Park Ave., East Rutherford, 973-316-4965. The restaurant will be serving perennial favorites, including soft-shell tacos and a mole poblano sauce. From 5 p.m. Monday. (Restaurant is closed Mondays except May 5.)