@LakeDevine: Philip Rothman brings music to THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE

Composer Philip Rothman's choral direction, original compositions, and sound design serve an evocative role in the adaptation of The Inn at Lake Devine, a coming-of-age comedy about family, faith, and falling in love.

Philip's bio is impressive; his music straddles the orchestral world, television and film, as a composer, arranger, copyist and music director. He's lent his talents to every main stage TIC production since 2006, including original music and sound design for Proof (New York Innovative Theatre Award nominee, 2010) and Our Town (2012), for which he served as choral director and composer, underscoring pivotal moments in the piece with original music.

 Philip Rothman's music from Our Town

To be clear, The Inn at Lake Devine is not a musical, but rather a heartfelt memory play that uses music to evoke emotions and another era.  Some songs in the play came directly from the book -- 'Silent Night' and 'Shalom Chaverim' -- while other copyrighted songs mentioned in the book could not be used.

Working with a gifted group of singers in the cast, Philip has arranged several songs from the public domain: 'In the Good Old Summertime' to set the cheerful tone of a family car sing along, and 'Honeysuckle and the Bee' recalls old-time-y resort entertainers.  Additionally, Philip set the hymn, 'Be Still My Soul' to a new composition for a pivotal scene in the play.  If you listen closely to the interstitial music throughout the piece, you may well recognize melodies from these choral numbers.

The play with music runs for 16 performances, October 7-24, 2015 @ 7:30 pm (matinee on Sunday, October 18 @ 2:30 pm) at Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios at 244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor.  The show runs 2 hours and 15 minutes with an intermission.  Tickets: $18 at www.tictheater.com and 212-868-4444.

@LakeDevine: Jennifer Dorr White plays 'Ingrid Berry' in THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE

Jennifer Dorr White is an all-around lovely person and very talented actor, charged with playing 'Ingrid Berry' in The Inn at Lake Devine. Ingrid is a crucial player in the story, sending an incendiary letter to the Marx family at the start of the play.

The play with music runs for 16 performances, October 7-24, 2015 @ 7:30 pm (matinee on Sunday, October 18 @ 2:30 pm) at Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios at 244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor.  The show runs 2 hours and 15 minutes with an intermission.  Tickets: $18 at www.tictheater.com and 212-868-4444.

We asked Jennifer a bit about herself and the role of 'Ingrid.'  Read on...

How would you describe your character, 'Ingrid Berry'?

Jennifer Dorr White

I should preface this by saying that my mother was not anti-Semitic in any way!  But the character of 'Ingrid Berry' reminds me of her when she was in a particularly disapproving mood.  She always preferred to see me in a comedy, so when I find a comic moment that basically comes from channeling my mother's behavior, it feels a way of paying tribute to her.  I wish she were here to see this play--I know she would have enjoyed it!

The play is about vacation destinations--where would you like to go next?
For Labor Day weekend, I went to one of my favorite places in the world--a cottage by a lake!  When I was a child, my family rented various cottages on a beautiful lake in New Hampshire and my father has started doing it again in recent years.  I love to go up there, because it brings back so many childhood memories--I feel as if the air is just different--I love it so much, and it means even more to me when I have this play on my mind.

Mushrooms: yes or no?
I think mushrooms are delicious, although I don't cook with them very often these days because my son doesn't like them.  In Wisconsin, I've enjoyed a fantastic wild mushroom called a morel ... but I will do my research on the gathering techniques before I eat them again.

@LakeDevine: Andrew Dawson plays 'Karl Berry' in THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE

Andrew Dawson plays 'Karl Berry' in The Inn at Lake Devine, the kind husband of the inn's owner.

The play with music runs for 16 performances, October 7-24, 2015 @ 7:30 pm (matinee on Sunday, October 18 @ 2:30 pm) at Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios at 244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor.  The show runs 2 hours and 15 minutes with an intermission.  Tickets: $18 at www.tictheater.com and 212-868-4444.

Andy Dawson plays 'Karl,' who loves to mushroom. (Yes, that's a verb.)

We sat down with this accomplished and thoughtful actor and asked him a few questions.  His answers, below.

Tell us about your character, Karl Berry.  Who is he?
Well, rehearsals have just started, so I'm trying not to make too many decisions, too early.  But I think Karl is a kind man, who is a bit lonely and powerless.  When reading the book, I connected with Elinor Lipman's description of Karl as "a bashful husband who blossomed into a low level of jolliness, especially around kids."

Vacations figure prominently in the play, where would you like to go next?
Vacation--what's that? Maybe a trip touring around Europe...but not a whirlwind tour.  I'd like to spend a good amount of time in a few select cities, really learning the "complexion" of the place.  I'm more interested in how a place feels to live in, rather than how it feels to visit.

Karl is an avid mushroom-er.  Do you like mushrooms?
I do like mushrooms.  However, after this play, I might pause a moment before chewing.

@LakeDevine: Maria Maloney plays 'Robin Fife' in THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE

Maria Maloney joins the cast of The Inn at Lake Devine as the sincere and sweet character of 'Robin Fife,' the only daughter in a wholesome family who loves to sing harmonies together.

The play with music runs for 16 performances, October 7-24, 2015 @ 7:30 pm (matinee on Sunday, October 18 @ 2:30 pm) at Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios at 244 West 54th Street.  The show runs 2 hours and 15 minutes with an intermission.  Tickets: $18 at www.tictheater.com and 212-868-4444.

Maria Maloney is sweet like Robin, but also, you know, smart.

We asked the brilliant actress for a bit about her backstory, and here's what she had to say.

Where do you hail from originally?
I'm from Perkiomenville, PA and came to NYC after landing a great scholarship to the American Musical Dramatics Academy to study musical theatre.  I've been in love with New York ever since!


The play is set on vacation--do you recall a vacation from your youth especially fondly?
My favorite trip I took as a child was our annual beach vacations to Long Beach Island, NJ.  The car ride was the BEST, as we would look forward to making the same stops along the way.  We would stop halfway to eat at my FAVORITE diner, called "Seville's", where we were allowed to order whatever we wanted, as long as we could order it properly ourselves.  I think I was 3 when I ordered shrimp cocktail and strawberry shortcake!

Mushrooms: yay or nay?
No--especially after this show!

--Editor's note: intriguing, no?  Come see the show to find out why.

First Read Through: THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE

"It's like the first day of school!" remarked actress Jill Melanie Wirth as we gathered this afternoon for our first read-through of The Inn at Lake Devine.  

I know exactly what she means -- all the nerves, excitement, new people, and work lies ahead to put a play on its feet in 5 short weeks.  We even get new clothes (costumes) and books (script) and an incoming class (cast and crew).

Tongue in Cheek's world premiere of the play with music, based on the novel by Elinor Lipman, features 15 actors, directed by Kimberly Faith Hickman and assisted by Molly Ballerstein.  Philip Rothman is the music director and sound designer, Lisa Renee Jordan is the costume designer, Tyler M. Perry is our scenic designer, and Richard T. Chamblin III will light the show.

At 1 pm, the singers in the production arrived and went through songs with Philip.  By 2 pm, the room was filled with everyone else, and by 2:10, we started reading the play.  Then there were bits of business -- design presentations, photos for Lisa Renee, paperwork -- and, most importantly, people seemed genuinely delighted to be in the room together.

I can't wait for it to be running -- and yet, I want to relish every minute we have until that day -- to enjoy rehearsal, get to know everyone involved, refine our work,  and put forth our best possible production.

Join us at Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios, October 7-24, 2015.  Tickets are $18 at www.tictheater.com and at 212-868-4444.

Cast and crew of THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE announced!

First, a huge thank you to all the actors who submitted, auditioned, and came to callbacks for The Inn at Lake Devine.  We saw so many talented actors and loved seeing the piece come to life aloud.

Below please find the list of our cast for the world premiere production, October 7-24, 2015 (tickets on sale here!).  Photos and bios here.

Kurt Badele* as 'Donald Fife'
Michael Breese Barbour* as 'Eddie Marx'
Andrew Dawson* as 'Karl Berry'
Jessica Giannone as 'Woman'
Carson Lee* as 'Nelson Berry'
Jake Lipman* as 'Natalie Marx'
Maria Maloney* as 'Robin Fife'
Ruben Navarro as 'Man'
Norrice Raymaker* as 'Sissy Fife'
Amanda Rodhe as 'Gretel Berry'
Andrew Spieker* as 'Kris Berry'
Barbra Wengerd* as 'Pamela Marx'
Jennifer Dorr White* as 'Ingrid Berry'
Jill Melanie Wirth* as 'Audrey Marx'
Melissa WolfKlain* as 'Linette Feldman'

Our production team is comprised of director Kimberly Faith Hickman, assistant director/associate producer/stage manager Molly Ballerstein, composer and sound designer Philip Rothman, scenic designer Tyler M. Perry, and costume designer Lisa Renee Jordan.

Can't wait for the first read-through later this month!

Visit 'The Inn at Lake Devine' on Indie Go Go!

This summer, Tongue in Cheek launched its first ever Indie Go Go "crowdfunding" campaign, for the world premiere of The Inn at Lake Devine this fall.  All donations are tax-deductible!

We love producing indie theater in NYC for you.  You fill our audiences with laughter and applause.

Ticket revenue only covers a portion of our expenses, however.  For The Inn at Lake Devine, we are asking our friends and supporters to help with the biggest production we've ever mounted.

We are SO grateful if you are in a position to contribute to our production of The Inn at Lake Devine.  Watch our video about the production. 

Shooting our campaign video was a blast!

We'll be performing 16 times (our longest run ever!) and the cast is comprised of 15 actors, a top-notch production team and original music, too!  At our staged reading in April, our audience members called it "heartwarming and funny" and "a delightful slice of Americana."

ANY support is appreciated -- liking us on Facebook and Twitter, sharing the link to the Indie Go Go campaign with your friends -- and makes producing thought-provoking comedy possible.

And a very special thanks to Holly Lynn Ellis for shooting our video campaign and Gusta Johnson for editing it.