CAPE MAY — Cape May Stage, South Jersey’s premier professional Equity theatre, is thrilled to announce a production of a modern classic: Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog.
Directed by Cape May Stage favorite James Reynolds – Co-Artistic Director of the Fremont (CA) Centre Theatre and star of Days of Our Lives – and starring Stephen Rider and Jed Reynolds.
Topdog/Underdog opens Sept. 30 at 8pm at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse on the corner of Bank and Lafayette Streets in downtown Cape May.
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning drama is a modern fable concerning two African American brothers, set in the here and now. Named Lincoln and Booth by their drunkard of a father as “his idea of a joke”, their childhood was spent abandoned by their parents, eventually learning to depend on each other for sustenance and survival.
Now in their thirties, the two are still searching for ways to bring themselves out of poverty, with varying degrees of legality and success. As the title suggests, they are in constant competition with one another, with each brother victorious in his turn – in the areas where one brother is successful, the other loses – their roles continuously reversed throughout the play.
Imbued with a strong sense of history – both personal and national – Parks crafts a fascinating drama rife with trials and triumphs, brotherly bonds and betrayals, and, ultimately, rivalry and resentment.
About the Cast:
Stephen Rider (Booth) grew up in Wilmington, Delaware where he graduated from William Penn High School and excelled as an All-State track athlete. After high school, Stephen went off to college to attend the prestigious Morehouse College where he received his Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. During his junior year, he decided to take an intro to acting class where he received the acting bug. Stephen then decided to take a different direction in life and pursue a career in acting. He then went on to UCLA, where he received an M.F.A. in acting. Since, Stephen has gone on to do a host of professional jobs in theatre, television, and film. He contributes all of his success to his mother and grandmother.
Jed Reynolds (Lincoln) is a Los Angeles native. Professionally, he has been blessed to have performed at the Fremont Centre Theatre, including Ravensridge and National Pastimes where he helped originate the role of Jackie Robinson. He also was in the Native Voices original production of Stoneheart, which was fortunate enough to travel to San Francisco, New York and Washington DC.
Jed studied under Stephen Book, as well as in the BFA program at UC Santa Barbara. His film credits include M.O.G. and numerous appearances on Days of Our Lives. Outside of the acting profession, Jed has been most proud to give back to his high school Alma Mater. He coached the boys’ basketball team at South Pasadena High School for five years.
Topdog/Underdog opens Thurs. Sept. 30, at 8 p.m. Performances thereafter are Wednesday through Sunday through Sept. 25 at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $35 adults, $30 seniors, and $12.50 students. Call (609) 884-1341 for reservations and information or visit the theatre’s website, www.capemaystage.com.
During the current run Cape May Stage is participating with eight Cape May gourmet restaurants in a money-saving “Dinner & A Show” package promotion – a special night out. Restaurants involved in the promotion include 410 Bank Street, The Blue Pig Tavern, Harry’s Bar & Grille at the Montreal Inn, The Ebbitt Room, Frescos, The Mad Batter, and The Washington Inn. Call the individual restaurants for reservations and information.
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Do you think it's appropriate for BLM to call for "Burning down the city" and "Black Vigilantes" because…
