Somerset Valley Players — Inspecting Carol (Hillsborough)
- A stage comedy production of Inspecting Carol by Daniel J. performed by Somerset Valley Players. - Performances are listed this week as part of the April 14–20 theatre previews, with weekend shows in Hillsborough, NJ. - Details and ticket info: newjerseystage.com
Somerset Valley Players opened *Inspecting Carol* in Hillsborough on Friday, with performances continuing through May 3 at the company’s playhouse on Amwell Road. (svptheatre.org) The comedy, written by Daniel J. Sullivan, runs on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. at 689 Amwell Road, Route 514. Adult tickets are $24, and seniors, students, and children pay $22. (svptheatre.org) The plot turns on a case of mistaken identity: a man arrives to audition at a small theater and is treated as an undercover inspector for the National Endowment for the Arts while the company is staging *A Christmas Carol*. Somerset Valley Players describes the result as a backstage farce in which “everything goes wrong.” (svptheatre.org) That setup gives the show two layers at once: a play about a theater troupe, and a satire about arts funding and the panic that can follow a rumored inspection. New Jersey Stage’s April 14 roundup listed the production among the state’s theater previews for the week of April 14-20. (newjerseystage.com) The Hillsborough run is part of Somerset Valley Players’ 59th season, with *Inspecting Carol* scheduled between *Brighton Beach Memoirs* in March and *Crimes of the Heart* in June. The company says it focuses on affordable community theater in its “Little Red Schoolhouse” venue. (svptheatre.org; svptheatre.org) Holly J. Kowalenko directs this production, with Raymond Shinn producing and Shannen Rivers as stage manager. The design team includes Shayne Heluk on sets, Brent Kowalenko on lighting and sound, Kristin Clapcich on props, Sam Tonn on costumes, and Roberta Steve on set dressing. (svptheatre.org) The cast includes Kevern Cameron as Larry Vauxhall, Dawn Cimilluca as Dorothy Tree-Hapgood, Fred Cooper as Luther Beatty, Mike Johnson as Phil Hewlitt, and Cindy Magalio as Betty Andrews. Also in the production are Robyn Mandalakis, Rink Patel, Stacie Renz, Sam Tonn, Mark Shifton, David Wiiliams, and Joe Zedeny. (svptheatre.org; newjerseystage.com) Somerset Valley Players says the production was made possible in part by funds from the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. For Hillsborough audiences, the immediate window is this weekend and the next two, before the run closes on Sunday, May 3. (svptheatre.org; newjerseystage.com)
