CAPE MAY – Cape May Stage opened its 2017 season on May 24 with the musical play “Billy Bishop Goes to War” by John Gray with Eric Peterson, receiving rave reviews and standing ovations. Both J. Max Baker as Billy Bishop and Sam Saint Ours as the piano player show the audience the trials and tribulations of WWI through the eyes of Billy Bishop, a pilot who struggles to reconcile his joy of flying with the horrors of the war. Set to music, this tale of heroism takes you down into the trenches, up through the skies and inside the human spirit.
Marlena Lustik, director and Cape May Stage veteran, says she “picked both of these boys because they looked like the boys next door.” Though “Billy Bishop Goes to War” deals with serious topics, it is done in a lighthearted way with catchy music, song and emotion. “Billy Bishop Goes to War” runs through June 23, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Still ahead is a pay-what-you-wish performance on Friday, June 9 at 8 p.m. and a talkback with cast and crew on Friday, June 16 directly following the show. For more information about “Billy Bishop Goes to War” or any upcoming productions, visit capemaystage.org.
Up next for Cape May Stage is The Blanc de Blanc Fundraising Gala, a once-a-year event to benefit Cape May Stage. The merriment will unfold at the Hotel Alcott on Saturday, June 17 beginning at 6 p.m. Revel in the achievements of Cape May Stage while supporting its mission of artistic excellence, arts education and outreach programming in a night full of fabulous food and drinks, music by Love Affair and dancing. There will be a live and silent auction featuring exciting prizes including a New York trip with an overnight stay, dinner at the James Beard House and tickets to “Hamilton,” winner of the 2016 Tony Award for Best Musical, tickets to the Exit Zero Jazz Festival, featuring a two-night stay in Cape May, two VIP passes and dinner at Sapore Italiano and the Merion Inn, and so much more. Tickets are $150 per person and include dinner, open bar and dessert. Tickets for this event sold out last year, so don’t wait! Contact Cape May Stage to buy your tickets for this one-night only event at (609) 770-8311 or visit capemaystage.org.