Pushcart Players to Present 'HAPPILY EVER AFTER' at Sellersville Theater, 4/30-5/3

Pushcart Players, New Jersey's award-winning theatre for young audiences presents "Happily Ever After - A Cinderella Tale" on April 30 to May 3 at Sellersville Theater in Pennsylvania. Performance times are Wednesday through Friday at 10:00 am and Saturday at 1:00 pm.

"Happily Ever After" is a musical about Cinderella, a young woman whose kindness changes her dreary circumstances into remarkable fortune. A less-than-perfect stepfamily, magical transformations, a missing slipper and a search by a prince for his true love illuminate the triumphant story. Based on a legend first told more than a thousand years ago, the story is informed by the universal longing to overcome adversity. It's about dreaming dreams and about goodness, generosity and compassion.

"It's also about things that can help us learn and grow," noted Ruth Fost, Pushcart co-founder and playwright / lyricist for the production. "We address the dark side of bully behavior, the importance of making good choices and being responsible for those choices. A moral of the story is that beauty can be treasured, but graciousness is priceless. Without it, nothing is possible; with it, one can do anything."

The cast of "Happily Ever After" includes Katie Booze-Mooney, Stacie Gogo, Kara Kahlil and JD Lynch. Booze-Mooney worked with American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), the Barrow Group, and LAByrinth Theater Company while teaching and playwriting. Stacie Gogo has performed off-Broadway, in national tours and regionally. She played Penny Pingleton in Westchester Broadway Theatre's "Hairspray," and in Surflight Theatre's "Grease" in New Jersey. Kara Kahlil makes her debut with Pushcart Players as the Stepmother/Wanda in Happily Ever After. A graduate from the double degree program of Johns Hopkins University and Peabody Conservatory, Kara has enjoyed performing numerous roles throughout the country in both opera and musical theatre. JD Lynch is a graduate of DeSales University. He has performed in eight Pushcart shows and with other companies throughout the country, including Shawnee Playhouse and Bucks County Playhouse in Pennsylvania.

Music for "Happily Ever After" is by award-winning composer Larry Hochman and his daughter, Laurie Hochman. Larry won the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his co-orchestration of "The Book of Mormon." He also orchestrated "Monty Python's Spamalot," "The Addams Family," "Jane Eyre" and others.

Pushcart Players is in its 40th anniversary season of presenting productions filled with fun, facts, magic and wonder. The company has traveled over 2 million miles to serve more than 8 million children and their families nationally and abroad. All performances come with innovative scenery, complete lighting and state of the art sound systems, making it adaptable to any location. Study guides and other supplemental materials support the educational benefits of each theatre piece.

Sellersville Theater is an intimate venue in Bucks County, and a vital stop on the North East circuit for national and regional performers. A favorite stop for Pushcart Players, the Theater offers an ambitious year-round schedule of top names and rising new talent in many musical genres (blues, singer songwriter, rock, Celtic, folk, bluegrass, country, jazz and oldies) as well as numerous family events.

Sellersville Theater is located at 24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville PA 18960. Tickets for "Happily Ever After - A Cinderella Tale" are $10 and can be ordered by calling 215.257.5808. Visit Sellersville Theter's website: www.st94.com.

For further information on this or any of Pushcart's programs and services, contact Pushcart Players at 973.857.1115 or visit the website at www.pushcartplayers.org.

PHOTO CREDIT: Melody Moore Photography