First Avenue Playhouse has been delivering all three for 26 years
By Mary Ann Bourbeau
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – If not for a chance meeting 30 years ago, there may never have been a First Avenue Playhouse.
Joe Bagnole was a beauty supply distributor, selling products to salons, when he met hairdresser Donna Jeanne. They soon started dating, but Jeanne, a part-time actress, was often busy at night with rehearsals for area stage shows. So, Bagnole stayed behind and babysat her 3-year-old son.
“I missed spending time with her, so I got involved in the theater just so I could see her,” he said.
Bagnole, 78, learned about working the lights and other backstage duties. He found he really enjoyed life in the theater. He and two friends, Norm Posner, who now lives in Florida, and the late Gary Stern, formed a theater group, where they put on productions in area restaurants, but eventually they longed for a place of their own.
Then, 26 years ago, they founded the First Avenue Playhouse in a small location on First Avenue. They staged shows and served coffee and dessert to their guests.
“It was like the birth of a baby,” Bagnole said. “It’s been gratifying to see it progress and do OK.”
Bagnole’s partners performed while he took care of the business end of things, which he still does today. Their first show was “Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” staged in a 48-seat space. When a larger space became available on the same street two years later, they jumped at the chance to move into a theater that would accommodate 82 people, six to a table.
“It was a great jump from the building we had, with more tables and a better ambiance,” Bagnole said. “I’ve enjoyed watching rehearsals, then seeing the actors on stage during opening night and hearing the applause. It’s very satisfying.”
First Avenue Playhouse’s current production, “Quartet,” begins Friday, Oct. 31, and runs through Nov. 22. The show, directed by Barry Prag, is about three people, Cecily, Reggie and Wilfred, who live in a home for retired singers in Kent, England. Each year, there is a concert to celebrate Verdi’s birthday. Reggie’s former wife, Jean, arrives and disrupts the celebration, acting like a diva but refusing to sing. Many may remember the 2012 movie version directed by Dustin Hoffman, which starred Maggie Smith and Billy Connolly.
“It’s a very funny show,” Bagnole said. “I’m not just saying that because my wife is in it.”
Along with Donna Jeanne, the cast includes Sharon Saks and Bill Lee, two seasoned First Avenue Playhouse performers, and newcomer Nathan Parker.
Jeanne agreed that, although the show is touching and poignant, it does have a lot of humor.
“We laughed so hard during rehearsals,” she said. “The show itself is very good, and so is the caliber of the actors. It’s well worth the ticket price.”
That price includes coffee, tea, soft drinks and a buffet of different gourmet cakes that often include chocolate, red velvet, fudge or cheesecake. The theater also offers dinner packages with several Atlantic Highlands restaurants as well.
“People love it,” said Bagnole, who lives in Leonardo. “They come here after dinner for coffee and dessert.”
The theater draws from a base of about 200 actors, Bagnole said, so they are never at a loss during auditions.
“There are so many talented people in Monmouth County, some more talented than you will see on Broadway,” he said.
First Avenue Playhouse stages 12 productions a year, so while one show is in progress, the next one is in rehearsals.
“It keeps us busy all the time,” Bagnole said.
Some original scripts are written by area playwrights but most are shows that people are familiar with.
“That’s what brings them into the theater,” Bagnole said.
Some titles coincide with holidays, such as Alfred Hitchcock’s crime thriller “Rope,” which was performed during the Halloween season, and this year’s Christmas show, called “Hostages for the Holidays.” The theater always has a New Year’s Eve celebration as well. This year, patrons will ring in the new year with dinner at Neil Michael’s Steakhouse in Atlantic Highlands, followed by the “Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged,)” and ending with wine and cheese and dancing until 2 a.m.
“People come back year after year for it,” Bagnole said.
Jeanne has been acting since high school and, in addition to her day job as a hairdresser, has graced the stage continually since then, appearing in about 300 productions at First Avenue Playhouse.
“I go elsewhere every once in a while just to prove that I’m not in the shows because of nepotism,” she said.
The red-haired Jeanne also works as a Lucille Ball impersonator, hired for corporate events, to stomp grapes at area wineries or perform her Vitameatavegamin routine at assisted living facilities.
“It’s been a privilege and a pleasure to represent such an icon,” she said.
The First Avenue Playhouse hosts senior citizen night on Thursdays, offers fundraising opportunities and is now branching out by hosting an improv comedy show.
Although the theater has a steady clientele, they always like to try something new to keep things fresh.
“We have a lot of repeat customers, some who come every month faithfully,” Bagnole said. “They meet at the tables and get to know each other. One group has T-shirts that say ‘First Avenue Fanatics.’ It’s nice to make so many friends here.”
Tickets for “Quartet” are $22. Discounted tickets are available at $18 on Thursdays and Sundays for senior citizens and students. All tickets must be reserved with a credit card by calling 732-291-7552.
Additional information is available by visiting www.firstavenueplayhouse.org.
***ITALVibe writer Mary Ann Bourbeau can be reached at mbourbeau@tworivertimes.com.***END
