A musical comedy written and produced by two Eastern Shore men will have its New York debut May 13 in New York City’s The Tank theater at 354 West 45th St.
“Celluloid”, with book and lyrics by Earl Lewin of Chestertown, and music by Dick Durham of Church Hill, premiered in 2006 to critical acclaim at Church Hill Theatre. It is currently in final weeks of rehearsal with a professional cast in New York.
Lewin and Durham decided to bring the play to New York after review by respected Broadway professionals, including director Mark Bramble, and George White, founder of the Eugene O’Neill Memorial Theatre.
Evening performances will be at 7 p.m. May 13 through 16, with matinees scheduled at 3 p.m. on May 15 and 16.
A bus trip from Chestertown to New York has been arranged for the May 15 matinee. The bus will depart Chestertown at 9:30 a.m., and return around 8 p.m. that evening. Cost of the trip, $75, includes a theater ticket, bus fare, and return meal. Betsy Sener Durham at 410-758-8178 can provide information on the bus trip.
Through its story, music and song, “Celluloid” traces a filmmaker in the 1970s pursuing his dream of securing a major contract, but film production is being threatened by new technologies. Humorous setbacks ranging from employees’ romances, personal dilemmas to unusual schemes for raising necessary finances provide laughs and platforms for the songs. Durham’s music with Lewin’s lyrics ties it all together in this shortened version of the 2006 Church Hill Theatre production.
Lewin and Durham are familiar presences in the Eastern Shore theater community. Lewin, the author and director of a number of dinner theater musicals has also directed and acted in productions. He is a published playwright and was presented in 2003 at the New York Rash Theatre Company’s One Act Play Festival.
He wrote and directed film for GE for many years and started his own company that produced film and video for major businesses and the government. He holds degrees in theater, radio, film and communications from Temple University, and has been an adjunct professor of film at Rowan University.
Durham, pianist, composer and arranger, has been playing standard jazz for 45 years, first throughout the nation, before returning more than 30 years ago to his East Coast roots. He has performed or worked in conjunction with such notables as Count Basie, Grover Washington and Stefan Scaggiari. He holds advanced degrees in music, and his many recordings are available on cdbaby.com. He was awarded the Maryland Governor’s Citation for Artistic Merit for his scores of “Celluloid” and an earlier Lewin-Durham musical comedy collaboration, “She Stoops to Conquer.”
The 2006 production of “Celluloid” drew critical praise, including such comments as, “good pacing, catchy tunes, clever lyrics and extraordinarily disciplined rhyme schemes,” to “a helluva diverting evening,” to “reaches out to a more reflective level of human feeling.”
It was the local success of both collaborations, and the critics’ praise and acceptance that led Lewin and Durham to follow the suggestion of the New York theater professionals to edit, prepare and produce a New York debut of “Celluloid”.
The Tank theater, located in midtown Manhattan near Times Square and the theater district, emphasizes new works in the performing arts by writers, directors, producers, designers and emerging players. Its website is www.thetanknyc.org.
MARY WOOD says
Congratulations Earl and Dick. Celluloid was a delight, and to think it made its debut in “our” theatre. All the headaches,hardwork and boring board meetings have been well rewarded.