— Love story with a message runs for three weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas –
Cape May’s award-winning playwright Bill Sterritt brings his holiday-themed play “Magic Flowers” to his Somers Point performance space – Studio;Space – for four weekends beginning on Friday, Nov. 26, and running through Dec. 19.
“Magic Flowers” is a story about holiday magic, love and moving beyond stereotypes to see someone’s true self. It revolves around Ethel Pahoni, a plain and lonely advertising copywriter who is prepared to spend another Christmas Eve alone with just a bottle of cheap Burgundy to curl up with. On the way home Ethel, played by Evie Brandford-Altsher, is approached by a homeless man (a brief cameo by Sterritt) who sells her some “magic” flowers that, he claims, are sure to bring her love.
Once home, Ethel’s suave and good-looking coworker Ralph Adams, portrayed by Dave Polgar, unexpectedly stops by. Unlike all of the other women in their office, Ethel is not at all enamored with handsome Ralph – at least, that was the case before she bought the mysterious magic flowers.
“’Magic Flowers’ is short and sweet comedic love story that takes place at Christmas, which can be a very lonely time of year for many people,” Sterritt said. “But in true Christmas fashion, a miracle occurs, which ultimately brings about a happy ending.”
Both Brandford-Altsher and Polgar have been acting for more than a decade. Brandford-Altsher trained at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, while Polgar – a Philly native presently living in Jersey City – first trained with Penn and Jared Reed at The Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, PA, and is currently a student of George Gallagher and the Harold Guskin approach.
Brandford-Altsher, who has performed in shows such as “Footloose,” “A Chorus Line” and “Peter and the Wolf,” finds “Magic Flowers” to be “funny and touching.”
“It’s a great show for Christmas fans and Scrooges alike,” she said. “It’s about two people who suddenly see each other in a new light, with more compassion and less judgment than before.”
Polgar’s work has ranged from Igor in “Frankenstein Rocks” to real-life professional football player Jim Taylor in “Lombardi.”
After just the first week of rehearsal Polgar said, “’Magic Flowers’ has been nothing short of a blast to work on. Bill and Evie are on top of their game and having as much fun as I am. Plus, the holiday spirit is really honored in ‘Magic Flowers.’”
Born and raised in Cape May, Sterritt spent the majority of his life in Los Angeles, returning to South Jersey only a few years ago. He has been producing shows and Fringe Festivals through his production company SPQR Stage ever since. His Studio;Space opened this summer in Somers Point, and is available to all types of performances from straight plays and concerts to standup comedy and trivia nights.
“Magic Flowers” is a 30-minute-long, two-act play which, according to Sterritt, is the perfect respite from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
“Take some time out from this crazy season and see our show,” he said. “Its themes of love and loneliness are timeless, but it’s packaged in a quick, half-hour escape from the holiday noise.”
“Magic Flowers” runs on the following times and dates:
8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 26
5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27
2 and 5 p.m. Saturdays, Dec. 4, 11, 18
12:30 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 12, 19.
Tickets are $10 at the door (cash only) or can be purchased in advance at Eventbrite.com. Studio;Space is at 112 Woodland Ave. in Somers Point. More information can be found at StudioSpaceSPNJ.com or Facebook.com/spqrstagesco. Reservations can be made by emailing spqrstageco@aol.com or by calling 323-793-2153.
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SPQR Stage Company: Since 2004, SPQR Stage Company has been testing and redefining the limits of Theatre, in theme, form, and purpose. In 2004, SPQR explored the relationship of Man to God, as exemplified by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS, a Finalist at the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. The advantages and deficiencies of Capitalism and Socialism (as well as the danger to our planet’s survival) were explored in FREEZING ANTARCTICA, produced in 2005, and a Semi-Finalist at Sundance’s Play Lab. The year 2007 saw Humanity’s resilience when confronted by the death of the universe by two archaeologists in REVISIONIST HISTORY. Man’s inability to refrain from war, whether Iraq or the Crusades, was addressed in NIHIL OBSTAT, produced in 2008. BOADICEA (the tale of Iceni’s Queen who revolted against the Roman Empire in 61 A.D.) exposed the inherent battle between Nature and Civilization in humans in a production given a glitter rock beat. CALLIOPE ROSE explored the diminishing power of Myth in modern society exhibited by a modern-day Siren in command of a light house off the coast of Maine in 2010. Wernher Von Braun’s fateful launching of the V-2 Rocket, which opened a modern Pandora’s Box of space exploration and nuclear proliferation, was the subject of THE MISSILE MAN OF PEENEMUNDE, premiered in 2011. THE WRECK OF THE SPANISH ARMADA was read at Manhattan Theatre Club Studios and featured in the 2015 New York International Fringe Festival. SPQR Stage Company’s Artistic Director, Bill Sterritt, was awarded Second Prize in South Coast Repertory’s California Playwriting Competition for CARIBBEAN ROMANCE. Sterritt has also received a California Arts Council Grant, as well as a Finalist Designation from South Coast Repertory’s California Playwriting Competition, for his play PUMPIN’ THE CHIHUAHUA. For almost 10 years, SPQR Stage Company’s productions have exhibited ingenuity, in language, concept and staging. Though performing in a 40-seat house in Hollywood, SPQR has strived to think big and outside of the box. SPQR has always preferred to be ambitious and in front of the curve in all of its undertakings.
