It is not often that a mother and daughter have a chance to perform the roles of mother and daughter on stage but Marilyn and Nicole Stoddard of West Windsor do just that in “There Goes the Bride,” a comedy by Ray Cooney at Off Broadstreet Theater in Hopewell on weekends from Friday, July 24, to Saturday, August 29.##M:[more]##
The mother and daughter acting duo have a lot in common. Both were born at Princeton Hospital, were raised in West Windsor, and graduated from the same high school. Marilyn is a graduate of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School, Class of 1981, while Nicole graduated from High School South, Class of 2008.
“Nicole and I have worked together on the high school musicals (she as a student/performer and me as choreographer), but never performed together professionally on stage,” says Marilyn. “It’s really exciting.”
Marilyn, who was raised in Berrien City, graduated from Glassboro State College (now Rowan) with a degree in speech, theater, and dance in 1985. She has been choreographing musicals at South since 1986 (with the exception of a few years when she took off for her children), and for PDS.
“Being on stage with my mom isn’t much different from having her as a choreographer,” says Nicole. “We’ve always openly helped and critiqued each other about all aspects of performing, so our work relationship is not much different to me than it was in high school.”
Marilyn has also worked at McCarter, Washington Crossing Open Air, and Kelsey theaters, and has appeared in television commercials and music video on MTV. “I started placing more focus on my family once Nicole was born,” she says. “While I love the theater my best work is still my children.”
Her parents, Italian immigrants, came to this country in the 1950s and purchased a home in Berrien City, where they still live. “I am very fortunate that I had an extremely supportive family and they did whatever it took to make sure that me and my siblings, Tony Mangone of Mangone Construction in West Windsor, and Teresa Giacino, who works at Blackrock, got excellent educations,” she says.
Marilyn has been working with Source One Personnel since 1995. She is a sales manager in charge of business development for the Mercer and Middlesex regions. She has been married to Jim Stoddard, a detective sergeant with the South Brunswick Police Department for 23 years. Their son, Danny, is a fifth grader at Village School.
“I am going back to choreograph the musical (“South Pacific”) after taking a one-year hiatus,” says Marilyn, who has choreographed for High School South musicals since 1986. “I am really looking forward to working with the kids and really missed them this past year.
Marilyn has appeared in many Off-Broadstreet productions including “Silvia,” “Funny Money,” and “She Loves Me.” Bob Thick, the director of “There Goes the Bride,” knew he wanted the mother to have Marilyn’s energy and comedic timing. “We first met Nicole as a little girl quietly watching her mom at rehearsals, and we knew of her involvement in the high school shows and her many years of dance training,” says Julie Thick, co-producer. “Nicole seemed a logical choice for the role of the young bride and the chemistry would be perfect. Nicole came in, auditioned for the role, complete with an English accent, and was cast instantly.”
Nicole appeared in High School productions of “A Chorus Line” (dancer), “Grease” (ensemble), “The Pajama Game” (Poopsie), and “Once Upon a Mattress” (Lady Rowena). “The biggest differences in this environment compared to that at South are the amount of rehearsal time and the directing style,” says Nicole. “In high school there was more rehearsal time, and we were given more direction. At OBT you’re expected to figure out the nuances of your character and blocking, whereas in high school much of it was thought out for you.”
A rising sophomore at the University of Maryland, College Park, Nicole is pursuing degrees in business, marketing, and art. She is currently working as a temp employee through Source One Personnel in Carnegie Center.
The madcap farce is the story of a wild wedding day where the father of the bride gets hit on the head and sees Polly, a 1920s flapper — invisible to everyone else. Although he thinks she is real, his father-in-law believes Polly is a cat, his wife assumes he is having an affair, his business partner thinks he is nuts, his mother-in-law states his eyes are too close together — and wedding bells are due to ring.
“One similarity in my case has been my relationship with the directors,” says Nicole. “From Demis Ashton, who I’ve known all my life, to Bob and Julie Thick, whom I got to know from watching my mom on stage, I’ve been lucky to work under people I feel comfortable with.” — Lynn Miller
There Goes the Bride, Off-Broadstreet Theater, 5 South Greenwood Avenue, Hopewell. Friday, July 24, 8 p.m. $27.50 to $29.50. The theater opens one hour before showtime for desserts and coffee, included in the price. BYOB. Through August 29. 609-466-2766. www.off-broadstreet.com.
