SummerStar Theatre announces two shows coming in June

MIDDLETOWN — The award-winning SummerStar Theatre’s 13th season features productions of “The Little Dog Laughed” and “A Grand Night For Singing” in June and “The Last Five Years” in October, with all performances planned for Orange Hall Theatre on the Middletown campus of SUNY Orange.

Max Schaefer will direct “The Little Dog Laughed,” a biting contemporary comedy by Douglas Carter Beane, that will open its six-show run at 8 p.m., Friday, June 1.

“The Little Dog Laughed” was nominated for a 2007 Best Play Tony Award and Julie White won the Best Actress Tony Award for her role as the Hollywood agent. The New York Times offered this review: “Theatergoers have cause to rejoice. Devastatingly funny, with dizzy, irresistible writing that brings down the house.”

The play takes a look at the scandalous world of Hollywood celebrities. Players in this fast-paced and hilarious farce include a spin-doctor agent, a rising movie star, a sexy “rent-boy” and his naïve and needy girlfriend. With photographers itching to catch the latest in celebrity gossip, a compromising photo can make or break your career. “The Little Dog Laughed” asks the question, “is there an escape from Hollywood’s glass closet or is it better to just stay locked in from the inside?”

Audience members will follow the adventures of Mitchell Green, a movie star who could make it big if it weren’t for one teensy-weensy problem—his hard-driving agent, Diane, can’t seem to keep him in the closet. Trying to help him navigate Hollywood’s choppy waters, the devilish Diane is doing all she can to keep Mitchell away from the cute hustler who’s caught his eye … and the hustler’s girlfriend.

The cast includes Candice O’Connor as Diane, Matt Meinsen as Mitchell, Daniel Gallardo as Alex and Brittany Pierce as Ellen.

Ticket prices are: $20, general admission; $14, senior citizens, faculty, staff and alumni; $10, students; and free for active duty military personnel. Group rates (10 or more) are available. For information, call (845) 341-4789 . Tickets may be purchased online at www.summerstartheatre.com.

‘A Grand Night’ Later in June, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical revue “A Grand Night For Singing” will leave attendees whistling show tunes for days.

Show times will be 8 p.m. for Friday and Saturday evening performances on June 22-23 and 29-30, along with 3 p.m. Sunday performances on June 24 and July 1.

‘Last Five Years’ In October, SummerStar Theatre will present a new contemporary one act musical “The Last Five Years” by Jason Robert Brown, which is an emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two 20-something New Yorkers who fall in and out of love over the course of five years.

The show’s unconventional structure consists of the woman telling her story backwards, while the man tells his story chronologically. The two characters only meet once, at their wedding in the middle of the show.

Show times will be 8 p.m. for Friday and Saturday evening performances on October 5-6 and 12-13, along with 3 p.m. Sunday performances on October 7 and 14.

Community theater SummerStar Theatre is committed to bringing Broadway and off-Broadway plays to the Hudson Valley while utilizing the skills of community members in all facets of the production. Past performances of SummerStar Theatre include “Oliver!,” “Gross Indecency,” “Proof,” “Cabaret,” “Intimate Apparel,” “Over the River and Through The Woods,” “A Little Night Music,” “A New Brain,” “Urinetown,” “The Fantasticks” and “Crazy For You.”