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"A Tailor Near Me" At New Jersey Repertory Company



By Mary Ann Bourbeau

originally published: 08/31/2023



James Pickens Jr. And Richard Kind in A Tailor Near Me, photo by Andrea Phox

(LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- Small regional theaters have always struggled to stay afloat, and that struggle became even greater when the Covid pandemic shuttered them, often for a year or more. Many nonprofit theaters are running at a loss, with audiences dwindling and government aid slashed, forcing some venues to reduce the number of shows produced each season, shorten the length of a show's run or lay off staff members. In the most drastic cases, theaters have shut down completely. 

Yet the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch, which develops and produces six new plays each year, has managed not only to survive for more than a quarter century, but is being hailed as a crucial part of the planned redevelopment and cultural renaissance of Long Branch's lower Broadway area. 

"It's been very challenging," said Gabor Barabas, who along with his wife SuzAnne, founded the company in 1997. "Running a nonprofit theater is not for the faint of heart. So many theaters are faltering and closing. It's been coming for a long time, and Covid just accelerated it. The business model for a regional theater is no longer tenable. American theater is imploding before our eyes. Yet we have a play that is selling out." That play is "A Tailor Near Me." Not only is it selling out, but due to popular demand, the run has been extended an additional week through September 3.

"A Tailor Near Me" – A World Premiere Comedy

"A Tailor Near Me" stars Richard Kind (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mad About You, Spin City) and James Pickens Jr. (Grey's Anatomy, The X-Files, Roseanne).

In this world premiere comedy, written by Michael Tucker (L.A. Law), a man goes to a tailor to have his suit pants let out. The tailor convinces him that he needs a new suit, which leads to not only the making of a new suit but alterations in both of their lives. Direction of "A Tailor Near Me" is by James Glossman.

"The thought of doing a two-character play was intriguing to me," said Pickens. "I hadn't done it before, and it was a real challenge. When I read Michael Tucker's script, it was a delightful examination of men and relationships, of love and commonality. The play is about the things we share more than the things that keep us apart. It's got a lot of heart and introspection."

Pickens was also drawn in by the chance to work with Richard Kind. 

"I've been a fan of his for a long time," he said. "He's a real piece of work; totally committed to his craft. You can just tell that he loves what he does. He knows theater and what it takes to make a play successful. It's a real learning experience watching him work."

Kind was familiar with NJRep because of his friendship with actor Dan Lauria, who has performed at the theater numerous times over the years.

"I admire Dan for his love of regional theater and original plays, two things that I support," said Kind.

Kind went on to explain his admiration for regional theaters such as NJRep and why it's important for the community to support these venues.

"My dad was a jeweler," he said. "I know that some people look for the crown jewels, the biggest and flashiest ones, but often the prettiest gems are small and perfect, simple and beautiful, not in an in-your-face kind of way. NJRep is a gem that people should be coming to. You never know when something great is going to be created in this unassuming theater. Some plays will be good, some great and some astounding. It's like going to a restaurant – sometimes the food is really good and sometimes it's not as good, but it's tasty and full of nourishment. Theater is a wonderful place to go and sit for a short while and be uplifted. It elevates you and enlightens the community."

NJRep Continues its Mission to Develop and Produce New Plays

Over the years, NJRep has produced three of Michael Tucker's plays. Tucker and his wife, Emmy nominated actress Jill Eikenberry (L.A. Law), have appeared separately and together in Tucker's plays at the theater. The Barabas' are thrilled that the theater's stature has grown to the point of having actors such as Pickens and Kind not only perform Tucker's work but offer to extend the run.

"It's remarkable that two actors of their caliber are at our theater bringing this wonderful play to life," said Gabor.

Gabor and SuzAnne Barabas met as teenagers and married at a young age in Brooklyn. She was pursuing a career in theater, and when they moved to Cincinnati, where he entered medical school, she opened a theater there. They later moved to Philadelphia, where they started another theater. In 1997, the couple had the opportunity to relocate to an old industrial building in Long Branch where they would be part of an effort to revitalize the community. 

"The original donors who gave us the building wanted to better the community," said Gabor. "In our neighborhood 25 years ago, we were the only business open at night. There were 30 buildings around us boarded up and no foot traffic."

The couple decided to produce only new plays to distinguish the theater's focus from what others were presenting.

"We both love theater, and living in New York inspired us," said Gabor. "We are enthusiastic and enamored with established plays, but we want to contribute to the repertoire of the American stage and produce the classics of tomorrow."

NJRep's Growth

Their very first play was called "Ends" written by David Alex.

"We didn't fully realize the irony of that," said Barabas. "Our first three or four years were highly challenging. It could have spelled the end for us. But 300 of the plays we gave birth to have been done all around the country and overseas. Theater is bigger than our walls."

Those walls now include a 65-seat main stage and a 50-seat studio theater on lower Broadway along with the nearby West End Arts Center, which has an art gallery and four small theaters including a flexible 100-seat venue. In the past year, they have hosted stand-up comedy events, jazz concerts and poetry readings there. They plan to add additional venues as well as a cultural center.

"It's going to be a large transformation of the community around us," said Gabor. "We intend to run both locations and expand programming for children and families, essentially inspiring the next generation of theatergoers."

Gabor Barabas, now retired after a 30-year career as a pediatric neurologist, has devoted himself entirely to developing theater and is excited to be part of the renaissance of the up-and-coming Long Branch arts district.

Next Up: "Welcome to Matteson!"

Next up at the New Jersey Repertory Company is "Welcome to Matteson!" a dark comedy by Inda Craig-Galván. The plot involves two African American couples and their journey through the social constraints of classism, economics and discrimination as they host a welcome-to-the-neighborhood dinner party for their new neighbors who have relocated from Chicago's roughest housing project. The play exposes reverse gentrification and how people deal with the "other" when the other looks just like them. 

"It's a beautiful, four-character play and a remarkable exploration of what happens to these people under those circumstances," said Gabor.

"Welcome to Matteson!" runs from September 28 to October 29. Tickets are $45 for students and $65 (or $60 early bird) for adults. For more information visit www.Njrep.Org. 

Thanks to Mary Ann Bourbeau for this article. Mary Ann has won multiple awards from the New Jersey Press Association. She spent 14 years writing for daily newspapers and for the past decade has been an arts and entertainment freelancer for various publications.

All photos by Andrea Phox

Let's Go to the Theater helps people learn more about about live theater and develop appreciation for this art form. Karen M. Nowosad is the founder of the site. The enjoyment Karen gets from going to the theater is something she wants to share with others.

Taylor Swift Turned Her Eras Tour Into A Movie That Hits Theaters In October

Taylor Swift fans can relive the magic of her dazzling Eras Tour — or experience the show for the first time if they lost "The Great War" with Ticketmaster — thanks to a new film hitting theaters this fall.

"Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour," filmed during Swift's performances in Southern California and directed by Sam Wrench, premieres Friday, Oct. 13. Tickets can be purchased online. 

MORE: Taylor Swift reveals '1989' as her next rerecorded album

"The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I'm overjoyed to tell you that it'll be coming to the big screen soon," Swift wrote on social media. "Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing encouraged."

AMC Theatres will play at least four showings per day on Thursdays through Sundays, including some on the chain's Imax and Dolby Cinema premium screens. Cinemark and Regal theaters also will screen the movie, and other movie theaters are expected to join the fun, too.

AMC tickets cost $19.89 plus tax — likely a nod to Swift's next album, "1989 (Taylor's Version)" — and $13.13 for kids and seniors, referencing Swift's lucky number. AMC said it has upgraded its website and ticketing engines in anticipation of an influx of Swifties seeking tickets.

The movie, which runs 2 hours 45 minutes, was filmed during Swift's six-night run in August at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles. It reportedly includes the entire setlist from Swift's show. 

A few of the surprise songs that Swift played at each show are likely to be included. Cameras were spotted during her first three shows in SoCal, when she played "I Can See You," "Maroon," "Our Song," "You Are in Love," "Death by a Thousand Cuts" and "You're on Your Own, Kid."

The film joins the Taylor Swift cinematic universe, which includes concert movies from her "1989" and "Reputation" tours as well as the Netflix film "Miss Americana" and the Disney+ movie "Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions." 

The upcoming cinematic release continues an awe-inspiring year for Swift. In the midst of an ongoing project to rerecord her old music, Swift has become the first female artist to hit 100 million monthly Spotify listeners. Her Eras Tour, which launched in March, is on track to be the highest-grossing tour of all time. 

In May, the Berks County-native performed three homecoming concerts at Lincoln Financial Field, which included a star-studded audience and an affirmation of her love for the Eagles.

The trailer for "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" can be seen below:

Review: JAGGED LITTLE PILL At Theatre Under The Stars

I remember when everyone had the Alanis Morissette CD JAGGED LITTLE PILL.  In 1995 either you owned it, your girlfriend, your sister, or your gay brother did.  And everyone knew the career defining single "You Oughta Know" which dominated radio and MTV (back when the channel played actual videos).  Alanis and producer Glen Ballard took the grunge of the mid 90s, and married it with a pop sensibility that blew up the charts like no other artist had done with her big record label debut.  She was a unique voice that defined the era of plaid, JNCO jeans, and beanie hats.  Isn't it ironic the music from that album is now translated into a theater piece that takes on every hot button issue of the 2020s? JAGGED LITTLE PILL the musical tries to address global warming, trans rights, non-binary struggles, opioid addiction, Black Lives Matter, gay rights, date rape, feminism, the Me Too movement, teenage drinking, and even white soccer mom struggles all in two acts.  It's not perfect, and surprisingly it is most effective when it ignores the issues and gets personal.  Like Morissette's music, it works best when it comes from the broken heart.  

This show is presented by Theatre Under the Stars, and it has an official touring cast that includes Broadway actors and regional talent hand-picked to deliver JAGGED LITTLE PILL over an extended engagement.  The cast is near flawless, and the reason to see this run in Houston is for them.  JAGGED LITTLE PILL had a short Broadway engagement thanks to COVID, and this troop is the closest you will get to seeing what that original staging felt like.  This is near the end for many of the cast, and you can feel their deep love of the material pour out in their performances.   The narrative of the show centers around the Healy family, a mother and father with their son and an adopted black daughter.  We see them initially through a picture perfect Christmas card type setting, but soon realize through the mother's commentary that much more is happening below the surface.  The daughter is struggling with her racial and sexual identity, the son is trying to live up to their "perfect" expectations for him, the father is an absent work-a-holic, and the mother has become addicted to pain pills after a car accident.  To add fuel to their individual fires the kids are surrounded by their friends who also struggle with issues (there are so many issues).   The script from Diablo Cody is a fun conglomeration of witty dialogue married with a ton of social problems that seems to try to address far too much.  The show goes on for two hours and thirty minutes, and man does it feel stuffed to the brim with hot topic issues.  Any audience member prone to using the word "woke" is probably going to feel alienated quickly.  But the show does work admirably when it mines the personal problems of addiction or teen angst on a character level.  There is a crispness to it that is refreshing even if it is overstuffed with a large agenda.  Cody understands the heartbreak of a teenager and a mom well enough to make those two very realistic.   It's always strange when a musical focuses on the hits of one singular artist, because the songs all fit a certain style and voice.  JAGGED LITTLE PILL benefits from the Alanis Morissette tunes, but they present a special problem for any of the cis-gendered males who suddenly have to deliver her trademark wailing female voice as a dude.  The women and non-binary actors rule this roost, and deliver the songs the most effectively.  There is a one-two punch in the second act which features Morrissette's "You Oughta Know" and "Uninvited" which soar to dizzying heights thanks to their delivery from the cast members who know how to mine the feminine fury for all it is worth.  These are the moments that made me realize the strength of taking this JAGGED LITTLE PILL.   The strongest performance of the evening belongs to Heidi Blickenstaff as Mary Jane Healy.  Heidi helped bring the show back after the pandemic shut-down of Broadway, and she returns here for the tour to amaze audiences.  It is "a little too ironic" that the cast member who probably listened to Alanis in her youth is now the one who becomes the heart and soul of JAGGED LITTLE PILL.  Her mom's struggle with opioid addiction and a desperate need to be perfect is the best narrative arc in the show, and Heidi hits every note exactly right.  She is a powerhouse, and her performance during "Uninvited" left me shaking in my seat.   Jade McLeod is a non-binary performer who takes on the gender fluid role of Jo, a character who the subtext and how they play the part lets you know identifies as non-binary.  Most audience members will not realize what is happening. It is never clearly or explicitly spelled out, yet they bring a trans fury to the delivery of "You Oughta Know" that transcends gender or identity.  It rips the song out of the domain of being purely one thing or the other, and Jade's acting and singing of it is remarkable.  They blow the roof off the building, and do far more justice to the piece than the script does.  In the scene it is a simple break-up song, but in the delivery it is epic. The show features no less than three non-binary performers, and they all use their trans identities to flavor a theater piece that never truly addresses their community in any direct way.  But they are there, we see them, and they are amazing.   Two other standouts are Allison Sheppard as Bella, and Lauren Chanel as Frankie.  One has to play the victim of an assault, and the other is the black adopted sister who is struggling with her identity on all fronts.  They both possess the right voices to bring Alanis to life on stage, and they bring a fierceness to their acting that moves their narratives along nicely.  The rest of the cast is good and capable, but you get a feeling some of the guys are out of their comfort zones vocally.  The chorus is most effective at transforming "Forgiven" into a choral rhapsody to end Act One.  In general the ensemble is tight and focused, and act as Greek chorus to all of the high stakes social drama.   Technically the set is sparse, and relies on projections and lighting tricks to fill out the space rather than huge set pieces.  A rock band is above the cast in a loft rather than a pit which contributes to the rock concert feel of everything.  Costumes seem to come straight from the 90s with a lot of plaid, but the setting is modern day.  Some of it feels a little out of place, but overall there is a nice sheen to the show.   JAGGED LITTLE PILL is half brilliant and half hackneyed, but there are moments when it is dizzyingly great.  A clever but overstuffed book married with challenging pop rock songs keeps the cast and audience on their toes, but when it hits the high it is worth it.  "You Oughta Know" and "Uninvited" are two of the most amazing pieces of musical theater acting I have seen in years. Alanis Morissette created music that spoke to everyone's hurt inner bitch, and I suspect most will recognize that person in this show again.  The surprising thing is now she's a soccer mom with a Starbucks gift card and an opioid habit rather than a twenty-something jilted by a TV star.  Or alternatively they have become they. My how the 90s have changed now that the dust has settled.    JAGGED LITTLE PILL plays at the Houston Hobby Center through September 10th.  Theatre Under the Stars is the producing company that brings in this tour.  Photo used features actor Dillon Klena and company of the North American Tour of JAGGED LITTLE PILL by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade and was taken in 2022.

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