By Adam Hetrick
30 Sep 2009
The cast includes Josh Bates, Ray Bendana, Ronn Burton, John Cardenas, Tina Marie Casamento, Kristin Farrell, Roy Flores, Carolyn Hartvigsen, Greg Horton, Lorinne Lampert, Kenny Wade Marshall, David Perlman, Anette Michelle Sanders, Hollis Scarborough, Natasha Soto-Albors and James Andrew Walsh.
Here's how the Gallery Players describes the musical: "It's New York City, 1955. The Brooklyn Dodgers are about to square off with the Yankees in a World Series that will net 'dem bums' their first title in fifty-five years. So, T.V.’s most popular variety program, ‘Top of the Heap,’ is headed to Brooklyn for a live, remote broadcast tied into the Series. A struggling pair of nightclub comics see this as a chance to bluff their way out of the dives where they perform and into television. But, they soon discover just how high a price they'll have to pay."
"Directing Top of the Heap at The Gallery Players is a special privilege for me," Freeman said in a statement. "As a Brooklyn-based artist, it is easy for me to identify with the struggle of the two leads against the odds to make something special happen for themselves in their home borough. As I walk to rehearsal every day, I imagine the characters working and living on a street just like ours some 50 years ago, and it is both humbling and exhilarating to step into the theater and help to bring the story to life on our stage. I read the piece before listening to it and was immediately captured by the elegance of the story telling. Hearing the wonderfully unique and jazzy score sealed the deal. I knew this was a piece I wanted to direct."
Musical director for Top of the Heap is Lilli Wosk and Katharine Pettit serves as choreographer. The creative team also includes Ann Bartek (set design), Megan Q. Dudley (costume design), Tsubasa Kamei (lighting design) and Nicholas Meyer (video design).
For tickets call (718) 595-0547 or visit galleryplayers.com
The Gallery Players is located in Park Slope, Brooklyn, at 199 14th Street. Those in Manhattan can reach the theatre by taking the F train to 4th Avenue or the R train to 9th Street.
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The Gallery Players, a Brooklyn theatrical institution, boasts numerous Broadway folk among its alumni, including Harvey Fierstein (A Catered Affair, Hairspray, Torch Song Trilogy), Jennifer Barnhart (Avenue Q), Manoel Felciano (Sweeney Todd), Diedre Goodwin (A Chorus Line, Chicago), Seth Rudetsky (Seth’s Broadway Chatterbox), Garrett Long (The Spitfire Grill) and John Rando (director of Broadway's Urinetown and The Wedding Singer).


