The 19th Season of Broadway Onstage Live Theatre and the 32nd Season of Dennis Wickline Productions, Inc. premieres with the Comedy THE GREAT AMERICAN SEX FARCE! By Dennis Wickline when it opens on Friday, July 20. Running Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Select Sundays at 2pm, this comedy tells the story of a struggling advertising agency and a lingerie company run by an eccentric matron known as Benni of Boca. The production runs through Saturday, August 18.
Select Sunday Matinees are only performed at Broadway Onstage when a prearranged group of 30 or more is scheduled to attend. Broadway Onstage Live Theatre is located at 21517 Kelly Rd. at Toepfer (8 ˝ Mile Rd.) in Eastpointe. It is the home of the patented TeeVeeStage™ Presentation system, which employs cameras above the audience and monitors above the stage to provide audience members with different viewing perspectives of the live stage performance. Broadway Onstage Live Theatre is also the home of Dennis Wickline Productions, Inc., which began producing Non-Equity professional live theatre on the Eastside of Detroit in February of 1980.
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THE GREAT AMERICAN SEX FARCE! takes us into the world of a struggling advertising agency: Johnson, Johnson, Johnson and Bingo. Arvide Bingo has acquired the agency from his partners, the Johnson Brothers, for a bargain basement price. Miles Forester, Arvide's future son-in-law and the Manager of the Agency, is desperately trying to get the Benni of Boca lingerie account. Unknown to Miles is the fact that Benni is a flamboyant eccentric who is contemplating a political run for president and who wants to launch a "Patriot Collection" of undergarments that she is advocating as Wedding Attire. Benni wants to do the launch as part of a one hour infomercial on network television. Add to this is the oddball cast of characters that inhabit the agency. Captain "Bangs" is the photographic executive of the agency who meditates in his office in the nude. Bunny Bingo is Arvide's daughter and Miles' fiancé. She is "in love" with the "Patriot Collection" and wants to get married in a Merry Widow. Falon Sweetwater is a new account executive who is familiar with Benni and her oddities, but Falon may be hiding something. And finally, Sylvia Masterson is the agency receptionist who is secretly in love with Miles. |
The cast of THE GREAT AMERICAN SEX FARCE! is truly talented and brings the comedy of this show to life. Jann Hight, who has been in a wide variety of productions at Broadway Onstage and other venues, will be seen as Benni of Boca. Portraying Miles Forester is Charley Davis. Mr. Davis has appeared at Broadway Onstage on several occasions and is quite active with the Fine Arts Society of Detroit. Sharron Nelson has been seen at Broadway Onstage on many occasions, as well as appearing in other local professional venues and film productions, will be seen as Falon Sweetwater. Broadway Onstage favorites Elizabeth Rager and John Arden McClure will be seen as Sylvia Masterson and Captain "Bangs" respectively. Newcomers to Broadway Onstage, Kelly Kucharski and Peter Cucinella, will complete the cast as Bunny and Arvide Bingo. The production is under the able direction of Christopher Oakley, who has directed numerous productions at Broadway Onstage and other venues. |  |
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Tickets for Opening Night, Friday, July 20 are $15. Tickets for all other performances are $18. Again, Broadway Onstage is located at 21517 Kelly Rd. at Toepfer (8 1/2 Mile Rd.) in Eastpointe, Michigan. Ticket Reservations are strongly recommended by calling (586) 771-6333. |
JANN HIGHT (Benni of Boca) - Jann appeared last summer as Mrs. Hudzinga in THE SEX MANIAC. She was seen in December 2010 as Alberta in THE NUTCRACKER'S NUTS, a role she originated and portrayed for 9 of our 10 productions. Jann appeared as Bridget in our spring 2009 production of DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. She also appeared as Claudia in our summer 2007 production RED HOT MAMAS. She portrayed Anne, the mother, in THE COCKTAIL HOUR here at Broadway Onstage several seasons ago. She recreated her role as Clairee in STEEL MAGNOLIAS in 2002, which she first performed for Wickline Productions at the Golden Lion in 1991. She has been in many productions here at Broadway Onstage. Jann was also seen in 2001's I HATE HAMLET, and 2000's YOU KNOW I CAN'T HEAR YOU WHEN THE WATER'S RUNNING, in which she portrayed three very different and complicated ladies. We're honored to have her back again. Thanks, Jann.
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CHARLES DAVIS (Miles) - Charley appeared as Joseph Ballard in 2011's THE PROBLEM OF CELL 13. He portrayed Stu for us in our season closer of 2010, THE SCOTTISH PLAY. He has a wealth of experience in other venues. He is a longtime member of both Fine Arts Society of Detroit and Grosse Pointe Theatre and is a Past President of Fine Arts 2007-2008. He just directed Fine Arts production of THE BIRDCAGE. He has been seen in a number of exciting and varied roles. He was Brutus in JULIUS CAESER at Wabash College in 1990. He was recently seen as George Noonan in Jeff Daniels' THE VAST DIFFERENCE for Fine Arts. Charley has also been seen on a number of occasions at Grosse Pointe Theatre. He was Frank Lubey in their production of ALL MY SONS in 2005, and portrayed Albert Kramer in their 2005 production of DEAR RUTH. He has also been see in local films, including one of the InZero episodes for When Thoughts Collide Productions. It is great to have Charley with us again. Thanks, Charley! |  |
SHARRON NELSON (Falon) - Sharron was just seen as Peggy Lou Caccetti in our closing musical from last season, MOTHER SUPERIOR'S HABITS. She appeared as Estelle in THE SEX MANIAC and Molly in LOVE SONG in 2011, and also choreographed and appeared as Madame Ziegfried in A MUSICAL SALUTE TO VAUDEVILLE AND BURLESQUE to close our 2010-2011. Also last season, Sharron appeared as Lauren in THE CHRISTMAS CAROL CAPER, SCROOGE THIS! during the Holidays. She is a theatrical veteran. She appeared as Felicia in our fall 2009 production THE WEREWOLF OF THE FULL MOON. She appeared here as Nurse Kelly in HARVEY and Miss Poppenghul in MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS in the fall of 2008. She was also seen here in the spring of 2008 in WEEKEND COMEDY (as Jill) and in the summer of 2007 as Abby in our hit comedy RED HOT MAMAS. She portrayed Sophia for us in the spring of 2007 in NEIL SIMON'S FOOLS. Sharron has appeared in a number of theatrical venues on a professional and community level. She has appeared in a number of roles for the Heidelberg Dinner Theatre, and interactive theatre on the Michigan Star Clipper and Detroit Princess. She is also quite active with Grosse Pointe Theatre, and portrayed Louise in their version of EPIC PROPORTIONS in January 2007, and was seen in their 2008 production of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. She was just seen in their Purdon Studio Theatre production of THE EXONERATED and has also has served on their Board of Directors. She was seen here in the spring of 2010 as Susan in THE CRAZY TIME. Sharron teaches power skating at University Liggett School and runs clinics in power skating at other arenas. She also has appeared in two independent films that are premiering soon. It's a pleasure to have her with us. Welcome back, Sharron! |  |
ELIZABETH RAGER (Maureen/Sister Mary Kneepad) - Elizabeth was just seen as Maureen/Sister Mary Kneepad in last season's closer MOTHER SUPERIOR'S HABITS. She was also seen here last season as Madge in THE SEX MANIAC and Liz in LOVE SONG. She also appeared as Erma in our Holiday Comedy THE CHRISTMAS CAROL CAPER, SCROOGE THIS! She gave a memorable performance as Dorothy in the 2010 summer production THE SOCIAL SECURITY MURDERS, and as Mrs. Hudson in SHERLOCK HOLMES IS COMING TO DINNER. She was our Stage Manager for MURDERER to begin 2010 and stage managed our 10th NUTCRACKER'S NUTS in December 2010. She appeared as Alberta in THE NUTCRACKER'S NUTS and as Susan in our summer show LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS in 2009. She was seen in our closer several seasons ago DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE as Pauline. She was seen as Leah in our summer 2008 production of LADIES OF HARMONY. She was also seen in the 2007-2008 season closer, ESCANABA IN DA MOONLIGHT, as "Wolf Moon Dance." Elizabeth also portrayed Mrs. McGee in CORPSE! in January 2008 here at Broadway Onstage. She was also Stage Manager for ESCANABA IN DA MOONLIGHT and our fall 2007 production of A THOUSAND CLOWNS. She made her acting debut with her performance as Stella in our September/October 2007 production of SOMETHING TO HIDE. She is no stranger to the stage, peforming parody songs as part of a singing group as well as performing skits in theatre-in-the-round. She is also an able pianist, playing in a variety of venues including accompaniment for soloists and musicals. She believes her occupation as a trainer helped prepare her for the stage: "In training others, you design and present everything for learning with a little entertainment spread throughout; with theatre, you design and present everything for entertainment with a little learning spread throughout." We welcome you back, Elizabeth. |  |
PETER CUCINELLA (Arvide) - This is Peter's first appearance for us and he brings with him a genuine love of theatre. He did live TV in the late 50's and early 60's and is an inactive membere of AFTRA. He played St. Peter in the PASSION OF CHRIST 1962 at St. Bonaventure Monatery and was awarded the ultimate Detroit Lions Fan for the Year 2000 and installed in the Visa Hall of Fans in Canton, Ohio. His enthusiasm has been infectious and we're truly honored to have him lend his talents to our production of THE GREAT AMERICAN SEX FARCE! We're pleased to have him on our stage and hope that his role tonight is the first of many for our company. He has been a joy to work with and we look forward to working with him again. Welcome, Peter! |  |
KELLY KUCHARSKI (Bunny) - Another newcomer to our stage, Kelly has also been a joy to work with. She was seen in THE BIG AUDTION in 2011, a play at an improvisational theatre and created "Juniper," the drummer. She has also done some independent film work as an extra and in principal roles. Kelly has also taken a variety of acting classes and is excited to be doing live thatre again and proud to have this opportunity. We're very pleased to have her with us and hope that she will perform with our company again. Her development of the role of Bunny has been a pleasure to watch and we're sure that she will continue to be an asset to any production that she becomes a part of. We thank her for joining us for THE GREAT AMERICAN SEX FARCE! and we know we'll be seeing her again. Thanks, Kelly! |  |
JOHN ARDEN MCCLURE (Captain "Bangs") - John gave very memorable performances as Beane in LOVE SONG, Herb in THE CHRISTMAS CAROL CAPER, SCROOGE THIS!, Grant in CAHOOTS, and Nick in OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS last season. He also stage managed THE SEX MANIAC last summer, last spring's MOTHER SUPERIOR'S HABITS and 2011's THE BROADWAY ONSTAGE MURDERS. He appeared as R.A.P. Blotkin in A MUSICAL SALUTE TO VAUDEVILLE AND BURLESQUE also in 2011. He was seen as Professor S.F.X. Van Dusen in THE PROBLEM OF CELL 13 (which he also wrote), Sherlock Holmes in SHERLOCK HOLMES IS COMING TO DINNER, Sam in THE LAST GREAT BRITISH SEX FARCE EVER!, Warren in THE SOCIAL SECURITY MURDERS and Jeff in THE SCOTTISH PLAY here. He also portrayed Dirk in THE CRAZY TIME in the spring of 2010. John was seen as Richie in LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS and Mitch in MURDER AT THE HOWARD JOHNSON'S in 2009. He followed that by portraying Dr. Emrich in THE WEREWOLF OF THE FULL MOON. He took on the title roles in our closer in 2009 DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE to great acclaim. John was seen as Remnar in our 2007-2008 closer ESCANABA IN DA MOONLIGHT and was seen in our fall 2008 production of HARVEY as Mr. Wilson. He portrayed CHUCK, one of the moving men, in MIXED EMOTIONS here several seasons ago. John was also seen as Inspector Davies in SOMETHING TO HIDE, and also in A THOUSAND CLOWNS in the fall of 2007. John's first appearance on our stage was in 2005 as Charley in THE BOOK OF MURDER. Since then his resume also includes Charles Wellington York in 2007's SHERLOCK'S VEILED SECRET and Dr. Zubritsky in FOOLS. He has also appeared as Benny in EPIC PROPORTIONS, Reverend Chasuble in THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, Donnie in THE FOURSOME, Charlie Dugan in APRIL, MAE AND JUNE, and Mellersh Wilton in ENCHANTED APRIL. John is also a theatrical veteran for other area groups, having portrayed Ranger Tom in ESCANABA IN DA MOONLIGHT, Bozidar in DEAR SANTA, and Trent in THE LAST RESORT for Starbrite Dinner Theatre. He is also a member of Grosse Pointe Theatre, having portrayed Anthony Marston in TEN LITTLE INDIANS and Kenny Norman in PROPOSALS. We welcome him back to our stage! |  |
CHRISTOPHER OAKLEY (Director) - Christopher directed last summer's THE SEX MANIAC and 2010's THE SOCIAL SECURITY MURDERS. He also directed our fall 2009 production of MURDER AT THE HOWARD JOHNSON'S. He directed our fall 2008 production of MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS. Christopher directed our 2007 production of A THOUSAND CLOWNS and our fall 2006 production MISTER 80%. He directed Avon Players' 2007 production of A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, and also directed YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU there. In September of 2006, he directed Grosse Pointe Theatre's opening production DIAL "M" FOR MURDER, and he directed our production of THE FOURSOME in January of 2006, and our EPIC PROPORTIONS in the spring of 2005. He has directed a number of our most successful productions, including BREAKING LEGS several seasons ago, and our production of CRIMES OF THE HEART in the summer of 2001. He also directed our spring 2002 production of MISERY. In January of 2002, Christopher portrayed Lord Fancourt Babberly to great acclaim in Grosse Pointe Theatre's CHARLEY'S AUNT. He has been with us since the beginning of Broadway Onstage. Thanks for everything, Chris! |  |
DENNIS WICKLINE (Producer/Set Design) - Dennis was just seen as Edna in Grosse Pointe Theatre's HAIRSPRAY. He was seen here as Olin in THE CHRISTMAS CAROL CAPER, SCROOGE THIS! and Frank in OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS last season. Dennis portrayed Hector in THE NUTCRACKER'S NUTS here in December of 2010. He portrayed Miles in our spring 2010 comedy THE CRAZY TIME as well as appearing as Ty in THE SCOTTISH PLAY to close our 2009-2010 Season. He portrayed David O'Selznick in MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS and Elwood P. Dowd in HARVEY in the fall of 2008. He was seen as Major Powell in CORPSE and Frank in WEEKEND COMEDY here in 2008. Dennis was also seen as Bradley in THE COCKTAIL HOUR in the fall of 2004, among other productions. He is the producer of all shows at Broadway Onstage. He began producing theatre in February of 1980 at Stouffer's Eastland. This season is his thirty-second of producing non-Equity professional theatre in the Detroit Metropolitan area. He is the author of a number of plays and musicals, including THE NUTCRACKER'S NUTS. He also appeared as Fagin in Grosse Pointe Theatre's 2001 production of OLIVER! and was seen as Joe Keller in their production of ALL MY SONS in March of 2005. Dennis was also seen here in the thriller THE WOMAN IN BLACK in the fall of 2002, portraying 5 separate characters. He also directed GPT's 2005 SHOWBOAT and 2008's JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. |  |
