I hit send too fast!  A limited supply of these 13 X 19 posters signed by Lara will be available for purchase for $25 plus $5 for shipping and handling by sending a $30 check or money order to:

Dr. John Schaefer
97 Mckee Street
Floral Park, NY 11001

If you buy two the total cost for both (including shipping and handling) will be $50.

Thanks,
John

The outpouring of support for Lara in this production is wonderful and heartfelt.  We are very appreciative of the support.  We have many requests for tickets and are happy to have them.  However, there are still ticket requests coming in without the specificity of date and time of the show being requested.  Please indicate your choice and provide a phone number in the event that show is unavailable we will call you.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

For over 160 years Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol has been reinvented time and time again. Mrs. Scrooge (A New Christmas Carol) is yet another adaptation of everyone’s favorite Christmas classic.  Although this version has a bit of twist, forget Alastair Sim, George C. Scott and Patrick Stuart, because this year you can get “Scrooged” from Soap and TV Star, Lara Parker (eat your heart out Susan Lucci).  Ms. Parker gave you nightmares as a child as the blonde and bewitching “Angelique” on ABC’S gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows, and she is Witchier then ever starring as Ebba N. Scrooge in this new version of Dickens yuletide perennial classic.  Joining Ms. Parker is Fashion critic, red carpet walker, and TV Personality Leon Hall as her ghostly sidekick the dead Fashion aficionado “Jacque Marlee”.

In this present day version of A Christmas Carol we see miserly, money hungry and power ridden Ebba N. Scrooge.  She is estranged from her nephew Fred, a complete nightmare to her employees, and preferring software programs to people.  Mrs. Scrooge (A New Christmas Carol) is set in modern day Manhattan, while retaining much of the original Dickens flavor, to that end Ebba has just one Christmas Eve to learn the true meaning of the season and warm her cold uncaring heart. This Dramedy includes a cast of ten performers, and is written, adapted and directed by Peter Mac.  Mac is no stranger to NYC audiences having penned the runaway Off-Broadway hit Judy and Me.

Lara Parker achieved overnight fame for her delicious portrayal of the evil Witch "Angelique" on ABC's cult classic soap opera Dark Shadows, and would reprise her role in the 1971 MGM film Night of Dark Shadows. In 1975 Ms. Parker starred with Peter Fonda in Race with the Devil, and along side Bill Bixby as Mrs. Bruce Banner in the hit series The Incredible Hulk.  Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s Ms. Parker made numerous guest appearances on: Kojak; Alice; Galactica 1980; P.S. I Love You; and Highway To Heaven. In 1998 she made her writing debut with the Dark Shadows novel, Angelique's Descent (published by Harper Collins), followed by Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch in 2006 (published by TOR books).  This is a rare stage appearance for the beloved actress and is testament to her support and encouragement of Mac and Help Is On The Way Today.

Mrs. Scrooge plays Saturday December 15 at 8 PM and Sunday December 16 at 2 PM and 7 PM. The doors open one half hour before show time each performance.  Tickets are $25 and all proceeds go to benefit Help Is On The Way Today.  Mrs. Scrooge plays in New York City at the Producers Club in the Royal Theatre on 358 West 44th street, between 8th and 9th Avenue.  Reservations are strongly suggested as the venue is an intimate one they can only be made by pre-paying via Check or Money Order. Send payment to: Help Is On The Way Today, c/o Joseph Macchia at 52-30 65th Place #2C Maspeth, NY 11378.  For additional information please call: 718-290-0660.  Please note that all checks or money orders should be made payable to: Help Is On The way Today.  Tickets will also be available at the door the day/night of each performance but preferred seating will go to those who have prepaid for their reservation.

All ticket proceeds go to benefit, Help Is On The Way Today, a non for profit organization assisting children with HIV and AIDS in the tri-state area. Their mission is to provide assistance to those who have either no or limited financial and/or medical coverage. Specifically, to support cases in which current government sponsored programs fall short in covering existing medical expenses.  It is an inclusive organization with the goal that no child will ever be turned away.  Over the last three years the organization has raised over $57,000, and recently has supplied two children who had fallen through the system’s cracks and are living at Incarnation Center in NYC with motorized wheelchairs.  This past year the organization continued its “Project Backpack” and was able to donate 200 backpacks for HIV positive children on their way back to school.  At present they are currently gearing up for their annual holiday toy drive.

So come and join Mrs. Scrooge and company for a holiday show guaranteed to brighten your hearts, lift your December spirits and warm those ever needy cockles. God bless us...everyone!

Banquet Ticket

A dear friend of our is seeking a ticket to the banquet .  Like many his money didn't get to Maplewood in time and so the Banquet was already sold out. If you Know of anyone who has to cancel out on the fest and wants to sell their ticket can you please contact us privately?  Thanks for any help on this matter.

Thanks
John

I am indeed alive.  This chain has actually made me dust off my DS Boards posting skills and brought me out of my Lurkdom.  I have been promoted at work and am now running North America for the company...so to say I have been busy is a gross understatement.  in fact peter and I have been on the road for weeks and literally are back in oru house for the first time in two months.

What is the dealio?  I am disappointed that the festival has been reduced to the extent to which it has.  I do offer kudos to Jim for working to get Jonathan there to celebrate his 40th.  However, I would have thought that his attendance would have beget a larger festival...NOT a smaller one.  Its like in my business life...if the demand is there...then add to offering to serve a mass populous and not downscale it.  Here is why I am diasspointed...I look forward to seeing everyone and this is our one time a year to gather and catch-up.  DS brought us together but it isn't the only thing we now have in common.  Without the ability to spread the festival experience over four days this will not happen now.  Further many of our friends have chosen not to come due to the prohibitive cost of traveling for only 18 hours.  So this makes me sad and disappointed.  Richard Halpern is brilliant at what he does so to not have him there with us is also giving me a heavy heart.

The net net is I had resigned myself to never meeting Jonathan.  Though I would very much like to as he and my Uncle/Godfather (Richard Waring) worked together a few times at the Stratford Festival.  So how cool that I will get to see him afterall?  Very!  However at what cost?  Another year goes by without seeing those I care about.  So would I have rather we had our old festival from the last four years that I have attended?  Well yes.

Now don't faint again as a I close with the following...Marcy has done an tremendous job of keeping fans connected...though I may have "questioned" the Editing rights of that connection...it quite frankly is hers to do with as she pleases...my right to bitch about it...but thats another story and not the purpose of this post...I am more grateful that connection exists as it does connect many in fandom...I am going somewhere with this so bear with me for a second...Marcy also has looked passed peoples developmental and/or social challenges, and championed the costume contest.  It is truly a melange of characters (and I mean that in every way) It is no secret that this event is very important to many of us.  so to see this going away is an additional dissapointment.

So as I cry in to my beer...though I stopped drinking so my beer is of the diet root variety...I am grateful I will see some of you...I will endeavor on our travels to make sure we see people off of the festival schedule...a recent rrip to Florida provided a great time with Cyndi and Beth...so I will take this as comfort that it can happen.

Enough with my post.

Warmth and Frienship, John

Ok kids California here we come! Judy Garland and Bea Arthur will be performing at the Bel Age Hotel in West Hollywood on Thursday November 9th as guests of the wonderfully talented Les Michaels at 8pm. Please try and make it...and wish us luck!

These two Dorothy's are really looking forward to reuniting "where orange and palm trees sway"! Our NY Christmas show is selling out for Christmas as we speak. So please reach out to us to hold you a seat.

Here is a clip from a recent performance in NYC.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1270975199

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_9ChbkcXvc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OHzDaBJwek

Friends.  I have uploaded a copy of one of our tributes to Craig from our show the other night on You Tube.  This is at the request of a couple of friends who were in the audience that night.