Opening Night: THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE, running through Oct. 24!

The entire Inn at Lake Devine team

October 9, 2015: the world premiere production of The Inn at Lake Devine, based on the novel by Elinor Lipman, officially opened at Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios to a full house and an enthusiastic response.

The play with music was runs for a total of 16 performances after a year in development by Tongue in Cheek Theater Productions.

Novelist Elinor Lipman was on hand for the premiere performance and said she was thrilled with the production.  Audiences raved about the cast, the design, and music.

L-R: Maria Maloney, Elinor Lipman, and Melissa WolfKlain

Immediately following the opening night performance, the cast, production team, and audience gathered for an opening night reception in Shetler 1.

We also sang to Maria Maloney ('Robin Fife') in celebration of her birthday, and wine and assorted nibbles, including ruggelah, were consumed.

If you haven't purchased tickets yet, please do so!  Several shows have sold out, but walk ups nearly always get in.  The box office opens at 6:45 pm for a 7:30 pm curtain, so arrive early to put your name on the standby list.

Director Kimberly Faith Hickman and cast members

The show runs for 13 more performances, every night other than Mondays through October 24, 2015 at Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios, 244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor.  Tickets are $18 at www.tictheater.com and by calling 212-868-4444.

Here's to an amazing run ahead and a huge thank you to the production team, designers, actors, and, of course, Elinor Lipman!

@LakeDevine: actor Carson Lee plays 'Nelson Berry' in THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE

We open this week -- this Wednesday! -- and actor Carson Lee handily plays the hunky 'Nelson Berry' in world premiere production of The Inn at Lake Devine, based on the novel by Elinor Lipman.

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, 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 Carson a few questions, below!

Where are you from originally?  What brought you to New York City?

Carson Lee plays 'Nelson Berry'

I'm originally from South Dakota.  Came here via Minneapolis, with my wife, Brandon, to persue being an actor.

This play is about vacation destinations.  Where would you like to go next?
I would like to do a tour of the British Isles.  It would be easy for me to communicate.

How about mushrooms: do you like them?
Mushrooms can be part of a dish but not overwhelming.  Much like curry.

Favorite coming of age movie?
I still love 'Stand By Me,' when it comes to coming of age stories (albeit a bit more of an adult film than I realized when I watched it as a kid). 

We've already sold out several shows, but tickets remain for our very first performance, Wed 10/7, so nab yours now at www.tictheater.com!
 
 

@LakeDevine: Amanda Rodhe plays 'Gretel Berry' in THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE

Actor Amanda Rodhe plays 'Gretel Berry,' the youngest child of the Berry clan in The Inn at Lake Devine.  Amanda does it all with perfect insouciance: playing pesky Gretel as a 9-year-old to a seemingly prim Middlebury student, plus singing soprano and giving snarky looks for comedic effect.

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, 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 Amanda a few questions, pertaining to aspects of the play, below.

Favorite trip you took as a kid?

G is for Good Conversation with 'Gretel'

Lion Country Safari.  It's this drive-through safari in Florida where you can see lions, elephants, zebras, and other neat wild animals up close, from the comfort of your own car.  They are VERY strict about keeping your windows rolled up (because, duh, LIONS), but my dad rolled down his and almost got his eye pecked out by a high-strung ostrich.  This has become the stuff of Rodhe family folklore.

Mushrooms: yes or no?
Yes!  In omlets in the morning, pizza in the afternoon, and pasta at night.  Everywhere, all the time.

Favorite coming of age story (book or movie)?
Never Been Kissed, the classic 90s rom-com starring Drew Barrymore and Michael Vartan.  Let's hear it for the kids who were awkward in high school but turned out to be perfectly normal adults.  And that scene on the Ferris wheel?  Gives me the schoolgirl giggles every time. 

Catch this talented thesp in The Inn at Lake Devine, opening Wednesday, October 7!

@LakeDevine: Molly Ballerstein Wears Many Hats for THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE

Molly Ballerstein is what we call a hyphenate in the creative world: a gifted director, producer, writer, dancer, and stage manager, among other talents.  She's wearing several hats for the world premiere production of The Inn at Lake Devine, including associate producer, assistant director and stage manager.

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, 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 Molly a few questions...

The play is about vacation destinations... where would you like to go next?

A hat, on Molly Ballerstein

I have been itching to go to Scotland for years. I've worked on 3 productions that have gone to the Edinburgh Festival, but never managed to go over myself. In addition, I have Scottish ancestry and would love to see the places my family emigrated from. Based off the pictures I've seen, once I go over, I might never come back!

Favorite trip you took as a kid?
My family didn't take a lot of trips, but every summer we would go camping.  Once year, when I was probably around 5 or 6 years old, we stayed on Cape Cod.  This is the first time I remember smelling and seeing the ocean; it was breathtaking.

Mushrooms: yes or no?
YES!  I absolutely would eat anything protagonist 'Natalie Marx' cooked with mushrooms, and enjoy long walks with 'Karl Berry' in the woods, picking mushrooms. 

We open on Wednesday, October 7, so get your tickets now and see our entire team's beautiful work!

@LakeDevine: actor Andrew Spieker plays 'Kris Berry' in THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE

We're delighted to have actor Andrew Spieker in the leading role of 'Kris Berry' in The Inn at Lake Devine.  'Kris' is the middle child in the Berry family, whose Vermont inn is the focal point of the story, and Spieker brings a lot of wit and warmth to his scenes.

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, 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.

Our Q&A with the actor, below.

Mushrooms: Yes or no?

Spieker channels an Outsider.

Yes, indeed. I love creminis and shiitakes (no canned 'shrooms, though!).  Cooking is a hobby of mine.  I almost went to culinary school about five years ago.  Mushrooms also have a number of health benefits (Google it!).

Favorite song from the 60s or 70s?
"Runaround Sue" by Dion (I can't help but boogie down when that one comes on). "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King (I loved the movie in the 80s and the great soundtrack, too!).

Favorite coming of age story?
As I mentioned previously, the movie "Stand By Me" is probably my favorite coming of age movie.  It came out in 1986 and I was just a little younger than the four boys in the story.  (My mom was not happy when she found out we rented a rated R movie!) Great flick, though.

My favorite coming of age book would probably have to be To Kill a Mockingbird, The Outsiders, Harry Potter, Tuck Everlasting, and Lord of the Flies.

The show opens in just over a week, so get your tickets now!

@LakeDevine: Kimberly Faith Hickman directs THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE

Kimberly Faith Hickman is a gifted director and choreographer with an impressive background which includes Broadway, Off Broadway, national tours and regional theater, with a focus on new works by contemporary writers.

For the world premiere of The Inn at Lake Devine, she ably juggles working on an adaptation, a big cast of 15 actors, in a story which spans over a decade, and includes 8 musical numbers.  Nonetheless, she's indefatigable!

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, 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.

Favorite trip you took as a kid?
I grew up in the south, and every summer, my parents would take my sister and me to Panama City Florida.  Our getaways to the beach would include amusement parks, water parks, lots of sea food, candy apples, and shopping at the "cave mall" (a mall designed to look like a cave, and it had a waterfall and real alligators inside.  I have no idea why).

I loved those summers!  And I love that my sister is continuing the tradition by taking her two sons to those same spots.  (And yes--the cave mall still exists, as well as the waterfall and alligators!)

Favorite coming of age story?
Where to begin?!

I read constantly as a kid.  The Anne of Green Gables series was a favorite.  It provided the perfect literary heroine: a feisty red head who embraced her intelligence as much as her femininity. I also love anything by Judy Blume.  I read Are You There, God, It's Me, Margaret over and over again like every teenage girl. On a darker note, I was also obsessed with Lord of the Flies. As an adult, my favorite coming of age story is the Harry Potter series.  I can't wait to introduce them to my nephews.

What touches you most about the play?
There are many moments in this play that I identify with, but I especially love Natalie's sense of social justice and her desire to be independent.  The first moment in life that challenges us to define who are can be daunting.  It takes courage and tenacity to be your own person, but for those brave enough to do so, there is a lot of joy to be found along the way.

@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.