BWW Reviews: ALL NIGHT STRUT- A JUMPIN' JIVE JAM

The West End School was built in 1889 and remained a school for many years. In 1951, the Sketch Club Players bought the building from the city of Woodbury to use as its community theater. Founded in 1933, the company originally included painters and sketchers as well as actors. Although the artists dropped out in 1934, the Sketch Club Players kept the name while producing at least one play every year.

Since the mid-1940s, the players have almost invariably produced four plays a year, and in 1978 they founded a children's theater that now puts on two shows annually. The group not only managed to keep going throughout World War II, which most amateur theater groups cannot say, but it even managed to do quite well. In 1941, the players staged Volpone in the city's old theater to raise money for British War Relief.

We caught up with Sketch Club President/Director, Pat Mangano to get the scoop on the passion it takes to keep a 75 year old theater troupe alive.

Pati Buehler: What is your involvement in this theater company and what are you most proud of?

Pat Mangano: I am president of the Sketch Club. I took over almost two years ago when the theatre was going to shut the doors for good. I guess I'm most proud of the fact that my team and I saved an historic theatre - the oldest consecutively running theatre in South Jersey! At a time when the arts are disappearing quickly, we took the Sketch Club from a venue that was losing patrons steadily and about to close, and, in the first season, managed to fill the seats with almost every performance and start the rebirth of the Sketch Club.

PB: Fantastic! What is the main attraction to this troupe of actors that has sustained them so long in this quaint historical setting?

PM: I think the quality of the shows we do, combined with the intimate setting, is a big draw for the actors. When I said I wanted to do "The Wizard of Oz" for our first show, everyone said it couldn't be done on such a small stage. Well, we did it, and we did a great job with it. Our Dorothy even won a Perry Award for her performance! The amount of ingenuity on the part of the directors, combined with the artistry of the set designs and lighting designs, allows us to do practically any show at the Sketch Club, and I think the actors and the technical staff enjoy the massive amounts of creativity that goes into a show.

PB: Tell us about your arts and education programs?

PM: We are just starting to stick our toe into education programs. Of course, the theatre overall is one big education program - we work with a lot of talented young people who are training on our stage as performers. We have also just instituted a children's theatre troupe. We produce the shows at the Sketch Club, and also bring them into schools. In December, we brought our production of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" into several elementary schools with its anti-bullying message. We will be doing "The Jungle Book" this month and that, too will be available to travel into schools all over South Jersey. The children's shows we do are designed to educate as well as entertain. And, in the near future, we are planning to open a summer children's theatre camp.

PB: What are your goals for the future, production wise and community wise?

PM: Our goals for the future... We have a lot of them! Of course, we plan to continue to produce great theatre - musicals and straight plays... to do shows that our audiences love and our actors enjoy performing in. We would like to expand our children's theatre to four shows a year, and should be able to do that by next season. We have already begun to weave ourselves into the fabric of the Woodbury community, and plan to continue to do so. We have held food drives for the local armory, and hope to get even more involved in the overall district.

Most importantly, our future goals include trying to find grants, donors, and sponsors for our shows. As we all know, putting on good theatre is NOT cheap, and neither is maintaining an old historic building! Even though ticket sales are good, it takes more than that to cover the expenses of running a theatre. We are not "out of the woods" yet. It takes a lot of outside funding to sustain what we are doing. Now that the Sketch Club is up and running again, and gaining in reputation for quality theatre, we have to also turn our attention to finding the funding that will allow us to continue the job we started!

On to the show.... The All Night Strut! A Jumpin' Jivin' Jam is an expanded cast show that moves through the Depression, World War II and the post war boom in a two-act musical celebration of the 1930's and 40's filled with jazz, blues, bebop and American songbook standards. Weaving together the work of legendary songwriters such as Hoagy Carmichael, Frank Loesser, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Cab Calloway and the Gershwins, the story moves through time and place to highlight a slick slice of yesteryear and capture a beloved American era.

This music review features music and lyrics by various creators and by special permission and based on The All Night Strut! Originally Conceived and Originally Directed and Choreographed by Fran Charnas Conceived by Aaron Thielen and Marc Robin.

The Sketch Club cast features Tiara Greene, Toni Richards, Samantha DeWitt, Anthony Magnotta and A.J. Dwayne each who are uniquely entertaining, energetic and talented. They treat the audience to 18 memorable songs such as "Chattanooga Choo Choo, "In The Mood", "Java Jive", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "Dream", "As Time Goes By", "It Don't Mean a Thing", just to name a few.

It's the perfect blend of engaging dance, colorful characters, and well-known music. With each major section being somewhat unique in dance and music style thanks to choreographer Jason Mangano who creates an ever changing fluidity to each number. Set designs by Shawn McGovern are softly muted and Cabaret style. They even boast a sultry haze machine to enhance the 40's feel of this small club atmosphere. Complete with projection slides of famous stars from the past as well period photos from the Depression and the War II era, this production simply impresses charmingly.

The piece is an opportunity to feature each performer with a solo lead number which are all nicely executed showcasing the wide-ranging work of one. The All Night Strut! A Jumpin' Jivin' Jam is certain to send audiences back in time humming along, tapping their toes and leaving with a song in their heart.

All Night Strut! A Jumpin' Jive Jam will play at the Sketch Club Players Inc. - 433 Glover St. Woodbury, NJ 08096 on selected dates through March 28. For more information and tickets visit www.sketchclubplayers.org or call 856.848.8089

Photos

# 1 Sketch Club Players Theatre (google.com)

# 2 Tiara Greene, Toni Richards, Samatha DeWitt, Anthony Magnotta, A.J. Dwayne

# 3 AJ Dwayne & company

Photo Credits: Justin Walsh

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