BERGEN COUNTY PLAYERS PRESENTS TONY-NOMINATED 33 VARIATIONS

CONTACT: Larry Landsman
Ll1157@aol.com
201-848-5009
PHOTOS AT www.bcplayers.org

Oradell, NJ, December 30, 2019 – Bergen County Players, one of America’s longest-running little theater companies, is pleased to continue its 2019-2020 season with the Tony-nominated play, 33 Variations. Written by Moisés Kaufman (The Laramie Project) and directed by Steve Bell, 33 Variations will be performed at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell from January 11th through February 1st, 2020. Shows will be on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.  Tickets 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. 

Moving between the past and the present, 33 Variations centers on acclaimed musicologist, Katherine Brandt, and the object of her professional passion: Ludwig van Beethoven. In 19th century Austria, Beethoven wrestles with a commission he cannot complete. In present day, Katherine struggles to unlock the mystery behind Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, a series of 33 variations on a simple waltz, considered to be the greatest set of variations ever written. As she races against time and her failing health, Katherine discovers the true nature of Beethoven’s work and gains insight into the other mystery in her life: her daughter. 33 Variations illustrates how the very passions that threaten to overwhelm us can also save us. 33 Variations premiered at Washington D.C.’s Arena Stage and later opened on Broadway in March 2009. The Broadway production featured Jane Fonda in the leading role and received five Tony Award nominations.

A Life Member, Past-President, and Board of Governor, director Steve Bell of Hackensack has been active with the Players for over thirty years. He has directed numerous BCP productions, including The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, The Drowsy Chaperone, Ruthless! The Musical, Urinetown, Modern Orthodox, Curtains, and The King & I, to name a few.  Steve also served as musical director for various shows, including Cabaret, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Aladdin, Man of La Mancha, Beehive, The Music Man, and Company. As a performer, he appeared in such shows as Guys and Dolls, Follies, Anything Goes, City of Angels, Into the Woods and Forum. Steven teaches vocal music at Teaneck High School, and is the Artistic Director of the Teaneck Community Chorus.

The talented cast of 33 Variations includes Joanne Guarnaccia of Englewood Cliffs as Dr. Katherine Brandt who struggles with the debilitating effects of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS); Jessica Bettencourt of Hoboken as Clara Brandt, Katherine's estranged daughter; Bryan John Morris of New Milford as Anton Diabelli, music publisher and amateur composer who in 1819 invited 50 European composers to create variations on a waltz he had written; Jon Cole of Glen Rock as Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the greatest composers in history; Eric Holzer of Montclair as Mike Clark, Katherine's nurse; Joann Lamneck of Hawthorne as Dr. Gertrude Ladenburg, a librarian who assists Katherine in her research; and Jay Stephenson of New Milford as Anton Schindler, the unpaid secretary of Beethoven who devotes himself to the composer.

The production team is comprised of Steve Bell (Director), Lynne Lupfer (Producer), Michele Roth (Stage Manager), Mark Rinis (Assistant to the Director), Amee van Harrant (Dramaturg), James Lesko and Michael Smith (Set Design and Construction), Allan Seward (Lighting Design), Lynne Lupfer (Set Décor), Sylvia Kates and Rachel Alt (Props), Tim Larsen (Sound Design), Maureen Mulvihill (Costumes), Vivian Hesselson (Costume Assistant), Edie Orlando (Makeup), Jim Lupfer (Sound Operation), Randi Kestin (Lighting Operation), Barbara Mintz and Steve Mintz (Photography), Kristen North and Mary DeCristofaro (Stage Crew), Marci Weinstein (Programs and Program Notes), Chris Nelson (Programs), Ezra Hiller (Videographer) and Joyce Slous (Member At Large).

TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION

• All performances 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 33 Variations are $22 on Fridays and Saturdays and $18 on Sundays, 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.
• BCP's popular Questions & Artists talkback session will be held following the performance on Friday, January 17, 2020.
• Those interested in Group Sales or benefit theater parties can call (201) 261-4200 (option #6)
• BCP offers seating to accommodate patrons who are mobility impaired and can transfer from a wheelchair. These seats can be purchased by calling the box office at 201-261-4200 and will be released for public sale two weeks prior to performance.
• Advance discount tickets for students age 25 and under with proper ID are available for $14 by phone or walk-up at every performance, and student rush seats can be purchased for $5 (cash only) starting 30 minutes before curtain at every performance, pending seat availability. Not available online. There is a limit of one discount ticket per student ID.
• A new program is now available for qualified non-profit organizations to use one performance of each production as a fundraising event.  The group will book all 200 seats at a deeply discounted price and then resell the tickets at a price of their choosing, with the difference in price kept by the group. The available date is the Thursday of each show’s final weekend. Interested groups can email fundraising@bcplayers.org for more information.
• Parking is free for our patrons at the Park Avenue municipal lot, across the street, one-half block north of the theater, as well as street parking on Kinderkamack Road and various side streets, all within easy walking distance.

Further information can be found at www.bcplayers.org.

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Photos by Barbara and Steve Mintz