Essex Theatre Company Presents Over the River and Through the Woods

(From l to r) Vince Higgins as Frank, Claudia Russell as Aida, Kevin Cooper as Nunzio, Kathy Poppino as Emma. (Credit: ETC) — (From l to r) Vince Higgins as Frank, Claudia Russell as Aida, Kevin Cooper as Nunzio, Kathy Poppino as Emma in *Over the River and Through the Woods*. (Credit: ETC)

Essex Theatre Company opens its 2014 season with Joe DiPietro’s comedy about families, Over the River and Through the Woods, on July 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, at 7 pm and July 13 & 20 at 2 pm at the Masonic Lodge (next to the ferry dock) in Essex, NY. Starring in the show are David Tisdale as Nick, Vince Higgins as Frank, Kevin Cooper as Nunzio, Kathy Poppino as Emma, Barbara Madsen as Caitlin, and Anne Marie Holzhauer and Claudia Russell will share the role of Aida. Kathy Poppino is directing.

Over the River and Through the Woods is a comedy that examines how much you owe to the people who love you and who have raised you in fashioning your own life. Two sets of Italian-American grandparents living in Hoboken, NJ try to prevent their grandson Nick from moving to Seattle for a job promotion with humorous and almost tragic results. It is a warm, fun-loving, nostalgic piece.

(From l to r) Claudia Russell as Aida, David Tisdale as Nick, Kathy Poppino as Emma. (Credit: ETC) — (From l to r) Claudia Russell as Aida, David Tisdale as Nick, Kathy Poppino as Emma in *Over the River and Through the Woods*. (Credit: ETC)

The play, by the author of the musical I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, was developed at the 1994 National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center with Lloyd Richards as Artistic Director and was first produced at The Belmont Italian American Playhouse.

Subsequently, it has had productions by The American Stage Company, The Berkshire Theatre Festival, and was originally produced on the New York stage by Jonathan Pollard, Bernie Kukoff, Tony Converse, and James Hammerstein.

Get Tickets to Over the River and Through the Woods

Tickets are $12 at the door and $10 when pre-paid.

To pre-pay, send a non-refundable check for the correct amount to ETC, PO Box 117, Essex, NY 12936. ETC must receive the check before the day of performance. To make reservations, call (518) 526-4520 or e-mail tickets@essextheatre.org.

This show is made possible, in part, by the Essex County Arts Council CAP Grant supported by the Essex County Board of Supervisors. ETC is also grateful to corporate sponsors Adirondack Pennysaver, Inc., Denton Publications, the Galley Restaurant at Westport Marina, Lake Champlain Weekly, and Stewart’s Shops.

*Not pictured in these photos are Barbara Madsen as Caitlin and Anne Marie Holzhauer as Aida (some performances).