Shirley Valentine closed with a final stunning performance by star Cheryl Willis on Sunday, March 20th. Cheryl has been the toast of the town for the past six weeks, the box office phone has been ringing off the hook – one would be hard put to find an audience member who was not totally enchanted and delighted by this incredible performance.
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| photo by Michal Daniel |
Closing night also happened to be Cheryl’s birthday (which one? not from my lips!). Her husband, C. Andrew Mayer (who also happens to be a Jungle Sound Designer), and I hosted a birthday bash in the lobby after the show to celebrate. Food, drink, three birthday cakes (one a cherry-chocolate sheet cake made by Cheryl’s mother-in law, Jewel Mayer, who gave a lovely toast to the birthday girl at evening’s end), sandwiches assembled by Cheryl’s two sisters, Patsy and Debby, who flew in from hometown Liverpool just for the show (Cheryl herself hails from the home of Beatle-mania) to support their uber talented sister. The party (to which the entire audience was invited!) went on until well after midnight!
The next day when I arrived at the theater at nine in the morning, the crew had already disassembled the Greek Island of Santorini and the huge void of the stage loomed once again, expectant, awaiting Joel’s set for Next Fall, which opens Friday, April 8. This touching and funny play, the talk-of-the-town in New York last year, is receiving its local premiere at the Jungle. Order you tickets now—you will love it.
Bye for now. One more storm – then SPRING!
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