“It is my belief that the spirit of man is eternal, and free to communicate with the living,” claimed photographer William Mumler. He also claimed he could take pictures that captured both the living and the dead. In 1869, he had to prove his claim before the NYC Court of Special Sessions.
“Summerland” is another name for the afterlife, where there is no more pain or suffering.
The award-winning Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company presents the NJ premiere of Arlitia Jones’s “Summerland:” only the third production ever of this provocative historical-fiction-mystery.
Opening on June 12, with an after-show party at The Washington Inn, 801 Washington Street, it runs through July 20, at the First Presbyterian Church of Cape May, 500 Hughes Street. Shows are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:30 p.m., except there is no show on July 4, but there is a show on Sunday, July 7. An after-show Q&A is on Friday, June 21.
Mumler is portrayed by Kyle Walton, and Detective Tooker is Jared Mason Murray. While Tooker is out to prove Mumler is a fraud, Mumler’s wife, a clairvoyant, played by Elisabeth Ness, digs into Tooker’s Civil War past. “Summerland” is directed by Tom Byrn, who helmed ELTC’s “Silent Sky.”
Tickets are $35; $30 for seniors; $20 for students and military; and ages 12 and under are free. Season tickets are available through June 30, and there is still time to sign up for ELTC’s Summer Student Workshop. For information and reservations, call 609-884-5898 or visit www.eastlynnetheater.org.