Cherry Grove lands new production of Buyer and Cellar starring Jack Bartholet
The Arts Project of Cherry Grove will present Buyer and Cellar – the international hit comedy by Jonathan Tolins – for two performances only on Friday, August 4 and Saturday, August 5, both at 8:00 PM.
This production, starring Jack Bartholet and directed by Travis Greisler,will mark the Fire Island debut of the play after an extended run Off-Broadway and productions around the world. Buyer and Cellar will be performed at The Cherry Grove Community House (180 Bayview Walk in Cherry Grove, Fire Island, NY). Bartholet comes fresh off the success of his one night, one-man show at The Ice Palace, Live Laugh Lexapro!
According to The New York Times, Buyer and Cellar is “an irresistible one-man play from the most peculiar of fictitious premises—an underemployed Los Angeles actor goes to work in Barbra Streisand’s Malibu, California basement—allowing the playwright to ruminate with delicious wit and perspicacity on the solitude of celebrity, the love-hate attraction between gay men and divas, and the melancholy that lurks beneath narcissism. This seriously funny slice of absurdist whimsy creates the illusion of a stage filled with multiple people, all of them with their own droll point of view.”
“I love the intimate nature of this show,” says Bartholet. “It feels just as close and immediate as my own solo shows. I knew it would be a challenge and that excited me. Operating under a shoestring budget – the set is courtesy of the Belvedere Guest House for Men – it feels like a wonderful way to join the ranks of trailblazing queer people who have taken to this historic stage with passion projects. It’s an honor to work with The Arts Project of Cherry Grove, America’s oldest-known LGBTQ theatre, and a thrill to have the involvement of Actors’ Equity and Dramatists Play Service. My wild idea is really happening!”
He continues: “Alex, the main character I play, is entranced by a larger-than-life pop star diva. This is a familiar dynamic for gay men, so Fire Island seems a particularly rich place for relatability. He’s also an actor with a boyfriend who has gay showbiz-encyclopedia knowledge and passion—the gays will get nearly every joke. I really enjoy the imaginative work of Jonathan Tolins. I’d love to live inside his brain for a day. In this fantasy, Barbra Streisand encourages Alex to demand respect. She elevates his taste and teaches him a few lessons…it’s a lovely journey. The play is hysterical and I can’t wait to dive into this world when the curtain rises.”
