Photo by Bruce-Michael Gelbert

“Panzi and Philomena Meet Frankenstein” was one of the best shows that Sal Piro ever wrote and put together. It had great comedy and the songs all seemed to fit in the exact right spot. It almost felt as if the songs were made for this show. I particularly liked certain songs because they brought back images of a past that I sometimes wish were still here. I have always felt that Cherry Grove is a family. Being in the theater in Cherry Grove means being part of a family within the Cherry Grove family. There is affection and kinship among all the people involved in the theater, whether in the spotlight, running the spotlight, or behind the scenes.

Thinking about the past, something happened during one of our rehearsals that not only brought back memories, but also made me sad and happy at the same time. In the dressing room downstairs, all the actors sign the wall after each show they are in. Sometimes they put the date and sometimes just the name of the show. During the rehearsal, one of the actors was sitting in the dressing room and, all of a sudden, a mirror above the dressing table fell. It just slid down the wall and broke, not harming anyone that was close by. That was amazing enough, but behind the mirror, on a bare cinderblock wall, were two signatures. One was Maggie McCorkle, whom we all loved and who was very active in the theater for many years. Her signature was from Noel Coward’s play “Blithe Spirit” and was dated 1986. For those of you who don’t know, Maggie passed away in October 2005 and is extraordinarily missed by our community. Besides being very active in the theater, she was a fixture in Cherry Grove and loved it more than anyone else I know. The other signature was Melanie Margaret, from the 1988 show “Those Were The Days.” Melanie Margaret was a sweetheart, a well-known personality in the Grove, and a Homecoming Queen, who loved the theater. This, by itself, was a very significant occurrence, but another strange thing is that “P & P Meet F” was a horror/comedy and “Blithe Spirit” is another work in the same genre. The consensus is that Maggie, our own blithe spirit, to whom Sal dedicated his new play, was watching over us, making sure we all had a good time, and that she was with Melanie Margaret. The one thing Maggie always said before a show was, “Make sure you have fun.” Maggie, if this reaches you, we love you and miss you and, yes, we did have fun.


Susan Sez
I believe I qualify as an expert historical critic as I have been performing, in varying degrees, in Cherry Grove since 1978, and consistently from 1982. I have performed solos, duets, etc., and have been pleased to be a part of the ensemble of RG’s (Real Girls), conceived by Maggie McCorkle for the original 1987 “Golden Girls of the Grove”… we called ourselves RG’s, as opposed to the ‘girls’ (drag queens), who had always been the stars of the musical revues put on by the APCG two or three times each season. There have been book plays produced by the APCG over the years, and I was fortunate to be cast as one of the eight women in “Last Summer At Blue Fish Cove” in 1999, but it wasn’t until Sal Piro wrote and directed his first show for the APCG, 13 years ago, that book shows were written with specific Grove DQ’s, RG’s, etc., in mind. All 10 of Sal’s shows have had a truly inspired camp/drag/gay sensibility and have been critical and financial successes for the APCG and the entire Grove community.

The latest, and in my view, the most fully realized from conception to performance, was quintessential Sal Piro at his finest. He has usually blended two shows/movies and “Panzi and Philomena Meet Frankenstein” went further… think “Rocky Horror Picture Show” meets “A Chorus Line” meets “Company,” in addition to the other references mentioned by Bruce-Michael. Think of your favorite Broadway musicals and then cast beloved Grove performers and you have an idea of the resulting fun, frolic, and froth.

The extremely creative cast members, with the assistance of Jeffrey Wallach, developed their own costumes and make-up, which gave credence to the roles they portrayed. Brett has been the choreographer for most of Sal’s shows and has learned the abilities and limitations of each of the ensemble performers. This time, he devised dance steps best suited to the highest level of talent of each individual and provided great energy and movement to each of the 20+ musical numbers… hey, look at us, we’re dancing!

It is too easy for me to praise Thom (Panzi) Hansen and Phil(omena) Stoehr as I have known and performed with them for many years and am delighted to say we are friends. They are both multi-talented, truly gifted performers, as well as wonderful colleagues. They are supportive and caring, concerned and helpful to the cast. As if that weren’t enough, they are both incredibly instinctive comedians with impeccable timing and their stage presence encourages both the cast and audience to join them in the manic mayhem afoot. In this show, Sal provided a story that allowed each to utilize best his/her vast experience and formidable individual personal assets.

There are many more friends/performers that I could single out and rave about for their talent and performance, but then this review would never end. Let me name some of my own personal showstopper highlights… Peter B, Tony Bondi (hysterical as the aunt, who “love[s] to cry at weddings”), Linda, Bruce-Michael, Bella(agio)(the all-knowing Queen of the Gypsies, commencing the proceedings with a bit of a lilting Victor Herbert air), Sherri Rase, Lee Sharmat, and Craig. The talent and creativity of the cast members made each of the Monsters and Family Members distinct individuals, yet blended into an exemplary ensemble. One very special mention, Peter T’s inspired transformation into the Monster… his costume, make-up and performance truly ennobled and humanized Dr. Frankenstein’s creation.

To wrap up, for me personally, this was by far the funniest Sal Piro show… as long and arduous as rehearsals were, each of the performers continually provided bursts of hilarity, so that we were able to laugh our way through the process.

For more ... visit the gallery by Bruce-Michael Gelbert & Joseph R. Saporito


Bruce-Michael’s Musings, continued
One contribution to “P & P Meet F” that particularly brightened the performances for me was Sherri’s, as Alice Ghost-ly, narrator of the action and head of a colorful troupe of “ghosts and vampires and demons, oh, my!”—Denise Harbin, fangs dripping blood, as the Vampire of the Meatrack; Martha Pitkin, all nets, seaweed and small sea critters, as a glamorous Creature from the Great South Bay; Lee, tap dancing a mile a minute, as Red Skeleton, a shapely bag of bones capped with a hank of flaming hair; and SallyAnn Piacentino, tightly wrapped and armed with a hanger (definitely not a wire one), as Mummy Dearest. Suitably showing off Sherri’s lustrous soprano/high mezzo were her solo, “Never Never Land” (as “Cherry, Cherry Grove”), and the high part of the church singer in the dizzying “I’m Not Getting Married Today,” which also featured Panzi’s amazing rapid-fire tongue-twisters and a now doting Craig’s baritonal blessings for his “soon-to-be daughter-in-law.”

Sherri also joined Panzi and Philomena for a merrily sung and danced “There’s Got to Be Something Better Than This,” which led into the eponymous duo’s hilarious answer to Lucy and Ethel’s attempts to hold jobs. Remember the assembly line inundating Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance with more chocolate candies than they could conceivably wrap? Our divas did no better with their assignments, given them by employment counselor Pat (Pat Wagnis), as Chinese takeout deliverers—the Major ’Ho’ chicken arrived safely, but not the dumplings, actually marshmallows, riotously disgorged, one by one, half-chewed, by Panzi, for disgusted customers Martha and SallyAnn; escorts, with Panzi scaring her date; delegates to the United Nations—a sophisticated and rollicking version of Bud Abbot and Lou Costello’s “Who’s on first?” involving confusion over the names of Chinese President Hu (Jintao) and UN Secretary General Kofi (Annan), inadvertently omitted during the first performance and delivered, as a sort of encore at Sal’s behest, following the company’s curtain calls; and baby-sitting, where they wound up tied up by the “little monsters.”

Mention must be made of leading men Peter T’s big monster--resplendent in green face and black clodhoppers and, as a newly-created being, painstakingly learning to articulate, aptly driving not only Lerner and Loewe (“The Rain in Spain,” with Craig and Linda), but also Rodgers and Hammerstein (“Some Enchanted Evening,” as a romantic duet with Panzi) to roll over in their graves; and Peter B’s suave Henry, expansively impressing Philomena with his “playing,” in “I Love a Piano,” by jumping on the keys of a cloth “piano,” unfurled by Martha and Lee.

If I gave my best shot to trying to entertain as the determinedly non-dancing Wedding Dancer, more than giving me a run for my money were elegant baritone George Brescia, in his APCG debut as the Wedding Singer, doing Harry Warren and Mark Gordon’s “The More I See You,” and Rodney Giles, as a Priest, who would sing “Hava Nagila,” “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” or “I Feel Pretty” as he tied the knot for Henry and Philomena St. Henry and Monster and Panzi Stein.

The Grove Gang also salutes our colleagues Lynn Belensky, Jackie Presti in her APCG debut, Tim “Timothea” Webster (playing against type and doing a striptease), and Joyce Yaeger, as St. Henry family members; our post mistress, Jeanne Skinner, priceless as Nanny Frankenstein, shattering all opposition before her with her command, “Get over it!” and Amelia Migliaccio as Nanny’s nanny; and Sheila Stiles, our former dock mistress, in her APCG debut. Our kudos, too, to assistant director Lynne Tunderman and stage manager Arthur Cohen and their crew, Tom Cunningham, Bruce Miller, and Michael Reichbach; technical crew Alison Brackman, Craig Hollywood, Ellen Biggers, and Michael Romanelli; set designers Harold Seeley and Golly; and Janice Pullicino, for designing the poster.