A beloved local theater icon is being remembered with the renaming of the popular summer theater program he started.
The Northampton Community College Bill Mutimer Memorial Summer Theatre begins its 2024 season with the musical "West Side Story" at the college's Lipkin Theatre, which is located at 3835 Green Pond Rd. in Bethlehem Township, Northampton County.
Mutimer, who was the producing artistic director and founder of the summer program, died March 6.
In honor of Mutimer, organizers decided to officially designate this year's summer theater program with his name.
Brett Oliveira, Mutimer's friend and colleague, who also is managing director, technical director and set and lighting designer for the summer program, said Mutimer had already cast the lead roles when he died, and all of his casting choices are being honored. Additional roles were cast through local auditions.
"Bill worked too hard and too long, and he would want the summer program to go on," Oliveira said. "He built it to last, and we want to do a season he would be proud of."
"West Side Story" is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbin, with music by Leonard Berstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents.
Inspired by Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," the musical transports the story to modern-day New York City as idealistic young lovers Tony and Maria find themselves caught between warring street gangs, the American Jets, and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Their struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence, and prejudice is one of the most innovative, heart-wrenching, and relevant musical dramas of our time.
The cast features Anthony Ghali as Tony; Maria Alvarez-Pallete as Maria; Calum Sullivan as Tony's best friend, Riff; and Yul Carrion as Maria's brother, Bernardo.
The Jets are played by Max Wetherhold, Harrison Fox, Ryan Apgar, John Greisen, Connor Sternberg, and Dylan Penyak.
The Sharks are played by Mateo Villarreal, Joao Alexandre, Julio Hernandez, Adrian Colon-Burgos, Zayne Xavier Thomie, Dyran Robles, and Sergio Salinas.
The cast also features Jenna Williamson, Deborah Katz, Isabelle Awald, Lydia Walker, Whitney Madill, Camilla Backman, Ri-Ahn Kim, Isabella Ramirez, Abby Arza, Isabella Ambroise, Julianna Braga Domiciano, Anjelica Juantia Soto, Brianna Gutierrez, Jim Long, Michael Sheridan, Cade Kocher, and Kevin Gaughenbaugh.
The dance captain is Jenna Williamson, and choreography is by Tina Williams.
Darah Donaher directs.
The rest of the Northampton Community College Summer Theatre season will feature "Fiddler on the Roof" from June 26 to July 7; "Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat" from June 19 to July 27; and "Mamma Mia!" from July 17 to 28.
Tickets cost $25 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students.
Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and June 12-15; and at 2 p.m. on Sunday and June 16.
New play at Ice House
Crowded Kitchen Players will present the premiere of a play dealing with dementia, "Twilight in the Park" in the upstairs theater at Charles A. Brown Ice House, which is located at 56 River St. in Bethlehem.
"Twilight in the Park" is written by Bethlehem playwright and actor Paul Kodiak and follows strong-willed World War II Army combat veteran Oscar, played by John Corl, who is struggling with PTSD and rapid onset dementia.
As wartime memories overshadow his sense of reality, Oscar increasingly believes that he is still an active duty soldier in a war that never ends. Oscar's wife, Lucy, played by Pamela Wallace, is near the breaking point as she fights to keep what's left of him from slipping into delusion.
Complicating things is Lucy's best friend, Agnes, played by Marcy Hake Repp, a lonely woman desperate for love, who has grown fond of Oscar.
The play is directed by Crowded Kitchen Players' member Bruce Brown and stage managed by Trish Cipoletti. Crowded Kitchen founder Ara Barlieb serves as producer and technical director.
Locally, Kodiak has had plays produced at Shawnee Playhouse, The Phoenix Performing Arts Center in Duryea, and at Illick's Mill in Bethlehem, with Selkie Theatre.
Kodiak's play "My Brother's Keeper" was selected as a finalist in the O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference in 1984. His play "The Messenger" is the winner of two NEPTA awards and also the 2011 Shawnee Original Playwrights Series winner.
Staff and volunteers from Lehigh County Aging and Adult Services will be in the lobby to speak with anyone interested in learning more about dementia and its effects on seniors and their families and friends.
Tickets cost $20.
Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and June 14 and 15; and at 2 p.m. on Sunday and June 16.
RCT presents 'The Wizard of Oz'
Reading Civic Theatre will present its production of "The Wizard of Oz" at Fox East Complex, which is located at 4350 Perkiomen Ave. in Exeter Township, Berks County.
The beloved story of Dorothy Gale and her adventures in Oz is based on the 1939 film of the same name which in turn was based on L. Frank Baum's novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."
When Dorothy and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from her Kansas farm to the magical land of Oz, she meets a scarecrow, a tinman and a lion, who accompany her to Oz, where she hopes to enlist the Wizard of Oz's help in getting back home. Meanwhile, she is pursued by the Wicked Witch of the West and aided by the good witch, Glinda. Along the way, she encounters a host of whimsical characters and things magical to behold.
Madison Capizzi is Dorothy; Michael Orth is the scarecrow; Tony DeArmas is the tinman; Barry Ciabattoni is the lion; Nina Kelley is the Wicked Witch of the West; Ali Meck is Glinda the good witch; and Pete Snow is the wizard.
Free parking is available in front of and behind the theater.
Tickets cost $30 for adults; $25 for seniors; and $20 for students.
Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and June 12-15, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday and June 16.
Tonys and Tapas
Civic Theatre of Allentownwill present its 12th annual Tonys and Tapas at 5 p.m. on Saturday at 527 N. 19th St. in Allentown.
The Tony Awards (June 16) recognize Broadway and Tonys, and Tapas celebrates the local theater community and the people who make Civic thrive. This year, Civic will honor Ilene Hochberg Wood and Ray J. Starner with its "Harry" award for their deep commitment to the performing arts and years-long support of Civic's mission and vision.
This year, Tonys and Tapas is being reimagined as a big party taking place in both the 19th Street Theatre and Theatre 514, with the street closed to traffic for dancing, small bites of favorite foods, fun and festive awards, and live musicians and artists. The heart of the event will be a musical revue highlighting Civic's talented company and students.
Dress is "carnival" or "masquerade."
Tickets cost $100 for adults and $25 for age 18 or younger.
'Shrek' at State
"Shrek" is back. The larger-than-life wise-cracking ogre, and all his fractured fairytale friends will appear at the State Theatre in Easton next week. The Tony Award-winning "Shrek The Musical," based on Dreamwork's 2001 blockbuster "Shrek,"will be performed at 7 p.m. June 12 and 13.
The musical, which ran on Broadway from 2008 to 2011 and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, faithfully recreates the hit animated film on stage with the addition of humorous songs by the Tony-nominated composer Jeanine Tesori, whose cast recording of the show was nominated for a Grammy for best musical show album.
The movie, based on William Steig's 1990 book "Shrek!" was a huge hit for Dreamworks. It won the Oscar for best animated film in 2002. The unforgettable characters, including the cantankerous green ogre, voiced by Mike Myers, and Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy, became a part of pop culture. The movie spawned four sequel movies, television shows, and now a musical.
The musical features clever and catchy tunes, including "Freak Flag" and "What's Up, Duloc?" and "Big, Bright Beautiful World," "I Know It's Today," Donkey's hilarious "Don't Let Me Go," and "I'm a Believer," the only song from the film.
For theater buffs, the show features in-jokes about the theater. Look for references to "Lion King," "Gypsy," "Les Misérables," "A Chorus Line," and "West Side Story."
The production stars Nicholas Hambruch as Shrek, Naphtali Yaakov Curry as Donkey, and Cecily Dionne Davis as Princess Fiona.
Tickets cost $49 to $66.
First Friday in Bethlehem
Southside Arts District will celebrate First Friday in south Bethlehem.
First Friday celebrations happen in south Bethlehem on the first Friday of every month. It's a time to enjoy music, food, drinks, art, and special events hosted by establishments in the small businesses district.
The Banana Factory Arts Center at 25 W. Third St. will be open from 6 to 9 p.m. with exhibitions, art demonstrations, live music and open artist studios.
On display will be "ReFash: A Futuristic Intersection of Style, Sustainability, and Consumption" in the Crayola Gallery and "A Million Lines Drawn: Giancarlo DeMarchi" in the Hallway to the Arts.
There will be music by Barkley Cove in the Crayola Gallery.
The Banana Factory also will host a community clothing swap from 5 to 8:30 p.m. in the Visual Arts Classroom.
There also will be music from We're From Antarctica from 7 to 10 p.m. at Five Maidens Cider Co., which is located at 327 Polk St., and Smooth Retisna Glow from 9 p.m. to midnight at F&A Grog House, which is located at 117 E. Third St.
The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts'visual arts department will present its senior student exhibition with a free reception from from 6-8 p.m. in the Bethlehem school's Corpora Gallery.
The exhibit will feature original works in a range of mediums.
SouthSide Film Festival
The 20th SouthSide Film Festival, the longest running film festival in Bethlehem, will return from June 11 to 15 at several locations in south Bethlehem.
The festival is an annual five-day event featuring international films, guest filmmakers, juried selections, locally produced films, seminars, and networking opportunities for filmmakers and fans of independent film.
The SouthSide Film Festival's schedule will feature opening-night, late-night, and closing-night films.
The opening-night party will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on June 11 at Comfort Suites, which is located at 120 W. Third St. in Bethlehem.
At 7:30 p.m., there will be a procession to Cathedral Church of the Nativity, which is located at 321 Wyandotte St., for the opening night film screening of "The Death Tour," which follows wrestling hopefuls across Canada's far north on "the most grueling tour in indie wrestling."
The closing-night film will be "Film is Dead. Long Live Film" at 7:20 p.m. on June 15 at The Cathedral Church of the Nativity.
The film explores the vanishing world of private film collecting — an obsessive, secretive, often illicit world of basem*nt film vaults, piled-high with forgotten reels, inhabited by passionate cinephiles devoted to the rescue and preservation of photochemical film.
Admission for each film is $10.
