Bergen County Players' LEADING LADIES to Run 2/13-3/5

Bergen County Players continues its 83rd season with Ken Ludwig's hysterical comedy, Leading Ladies. Opening February 13, 2016, the high-heeled hilarity will run through March 5, 2016 at the Little Firehouse Theatre, 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell. Leading Ladies is helmed by veteran director Lynne Lupfer of Tenafly. Those who bring their "leading lady" to Leading Ladies over the Valentine's Day Weekend (February 13th or 14th) will get the second ticket for free!

Leading Ladies is the side-splitting farce by Ken Ludwig, author of the Tony Award-winning Lend Me A Tenor and Moon Over Buffalo. Two down-on-their luck English Shakespearean actors find themselves performing "Scenes from Shakespeare" on the Moose Lodge circuit of Pennsylvania. When they hear that an elderly woman is about to die and leave her fortune to her two long lost English relatives, they hatch a plot to scam her of the fortune. The trouble is, upon their arrival, they find out that the relatives aren't nephews, but nieces and, in the tradition of any Ken Ludwig farce, absolute hilarity ensues! With nothing but a few costumes of some of Shakespeare's greatest female characters, such as Cleopatra and Titania, Queen of
the Fairies, they decide to give it a try. Their desperate attempts to keep themselves under cover (and in high heels) will have audiences rolling on the floor.

Leading Ladies had its world premiere at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas, in association with the Cleveland Playhouse, on October 15, 2004. The Houston Press said of the show, "Ludwig's newest farce is so funny, it will make sophisticated and reasonable men and women of the 21st century cackle till their faces hurt."

Director Lynne Lupfer of Tenafly is a seasoned BCP director, having previously helmed the BCP productions of Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, and The Mouse That Roared. She has also served on the crew of countless other productions and is currently the organization's Membership Vice-President. "I love working on Ken Ludwig's material," states Lupfer. "Not only is the writing a lot of fun, but it's also about something. Leading Ladies has a lovely humanity underneath the craziness. This farcical wonder-ride, filled with both heart and lunacy, challenges and ultimately upturns all of the characters' lives, while treating the audience to an uproarious journey of mistaken identity and misunderstandings galore."

The talented cast of Leading Ladies includes Filipe Valente of Bergenfield as Leo, Ian Murphy of Dumont as Jack, Brittany Haydock of Glen Ridge as Meg, Katie Lupfer of Tenafly as Audrey, Andrew Whitney of Ramsey as Duncan, James Lesko of Englewood as Doc, Celeste Fasone of Woodland Park as Florence, and Daniel Reid of Emerson as Butch.

Valente previously appeared at the Little Firehouse Theatre in A Midsummer Night's Dream and A Shayna Maidel. Lupfer has appeared in numerous roles on the BCP stage including Pinocchio, The Mouse That Roared, and The Man Who Came to Dinner. Whitney has appeared with the Players in The Mouse That Roared, August Osage County, 45 Seconds From Broadway, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Lesko has also appeared in numerous shows with BCP, including Getting Away With Murder, The Mouse That Roared, 45 Seconds From Broadway, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Around the World in 80 Days. Reid also appeared in multiple shows at BCP, including Pinocchio, Guys and Dolls and The Mouse That Roared. Murphy, Haydock and Fasone are thrilled to be making their stage debut with the Players. Murphy most recently appeared in a production of As
You Like It. Haydock most recently performed in a production of Art of Murder. Fasone has appeared in Grease, Steel Magnolia, Lost in Yonkers, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, and in Casualties of Love, among other shows.

The crew of Leading Ladies includes: David Luke (Producer), Geri Bernhain (Stage Manager, Assistant to the Director), Adam Farnan (Set Design and Construction), Ellyn Essig (Set Decor), Joe Lanteri (Lighting Design), Tim Larsen (Sound Design), David Arts (Stage Combat Choreography), Ray Yucis (Dance Choreography), Erika Monti, Terri Caust and Kathleen Ruland (Costume Design), Taylor Donahue (Properties), Barbra Murtha (Properties Mentor), Beth Erdmann (Lighting Operation), Eileen Karlson (Sound Operation), Bridget Duffy (Makeup Design), Elaine D'Addezio (Hair and Wigs), Steve and Barbara Mintz (Photography), Kenneth Rivera (Social Media) and Marci Weinstein (Program Notes).

TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION
- All performances for Leading Ladies take place at The Little Firehouse Theatre at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, home to the Bergen County Players since 1949. Performance times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm.
- Tickets for Leading Ladies are $21 for Friday/Saturday performances and $17 for Sunday matinees, and can be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, by calling 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell during regular box office hours. Visa, Master Card, and American Express are accepted.
- Leading Ladies Valentine's Day Weekend Buy One/Get One Free offer is only good for performances on Saturday, February 13th at 8pm and Sunday, February 14th at 2pm. The Promotion Code is BCPVALENTINE, which can be entered during an online purchase or by mentioning it during a phone order. The offer is good for any seat in the house. Limit ten tickets per customer. Does not apply to previously purchased tickets. No refunds or exchanges.
- BCP's popular Questions & Artists talkback session will be held following the performance on Friday, February 19th. The session is included in the cost of the ticket to that performance.
- Those interested in Group Sales of 20 or more tickets can email groups@bcplayers.org or call the main number and press #6.
- Row K, Seats #1 and #2 are held to accommodate people with disabilities. They can be purchased by calling the box office at 201-261-4200. These seats will be released for public sale one week prior to performance.
- Advance discount tickets for students age 25 and under with proper ID are available for $14 by phone or walk-up only, and student rush seats can be purchased for $5 (cash only) starting 30 minutes before curtain at every performance, pending seat availability. There is a limit of one rush ticket per student.
- Parking is free at the Park Avenue municipal lot, across the street, one-half block north of the theater.

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