The Fantasticks,” the longest running musical based on Rostand’s “Les Romanesques,” features a girl, a boy, their conniving fathers, and a bandit. The original 1960 production starred Jerry Orbach and Rita Gardner at the Sullivan Street Playhouse, New York City. Pennington Players presents a new production at Kelsey Theater on Fridays to Sundays, July 25 to August 3. An opening night reception to meet the cast and crew will be held following the show on Friday, July 25. Tickets are $16.##M:[more]##
Elizabeth Ferrante of West Windsor, pictured at right, portrays The Girl, also known as Luisa. A graduate of High School North, Class of 2004, she recently graduated from Manhattanville College with a major in musical theater.
Ferrante, 22, has lived in West Windsor for 19 years. She studied dance at Dance Spectrums, now called DanceExpo; and voice with Peter DeMets of Newtown, Pennsylvania.
While at High School North she was president of the Concert Choir and performed in and directed “Bang, Bang You’re Dead.” Ferrante participated in the spring musicals “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (Gad), “Grease” (Ensemble), “The Music Man” (Mrs. Paroo), and “Annie” (Miss. Hannigan).
Manhattanville, a small liberal arts college in Purchase, New York, was perfect for Ferrante. “I knew I didn’t want to attend a conservatory program and the school’s close proximity to New York City provided us with an amazing faculty who in addition to their teaching were also actively involved in the New York theater scene.” Ferrante, who graduated with only nine other theater majors, and only a slightly larger number of music majors, received a plethora of opportunities to perform and create art.
At college she studied dance with Bonnie Walker, whose Broadway credits include the original cast of “Cabaret,” the dance captain for the original production of “Cats,” and choreographer for the current revival of “Gypsy.” She has continued her voice studies with Ron Cappon.
“I have been interested in the performing arts for as long as I can remember,” says Ferrante. “I am very lucky to have parents and a family who have always told me to follow my dreams and to do what I love, so trying to make a career out of my passion for the arts was never really a question.”
Her mother, Maureen Ferrante, teaches junior kindergarten at Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart. Her father, Michael Ferrante, is the president of Coface North America. Her brother, also Michael Ferrante, is a reference librarian at Franklin Township Library.
Ferrante is currently working at George Street Playhouse working with students ranging from ages 5 to 17 on a variety of theater classes and performance programs. She then teaches drama to ages 9 to 14 at the Community Christian Choir’s C.A.M.P. (Christian Art and Music Program) as a drama teacher in August.
“My future plans include a move to, or nearer to, New York and see what happens,” she says.
— Lynn Miller
The Fantasticks, Kelsey Theater, Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, 609-570-3333. www.kelseytheatre.net. $16. Friday, July 25, to Sunday, August 3.
