Rockaway Theatre Marks Three Decades

Fifty performers and a seven-piece live band will fill the stage at the John Gilleece Theater when Rockaway Theatre Company opens its anniversary production on November 20. The show, titled the Big Beautiful 30-ish Anniversary Spectacular, runs through December 6 at the Fort Tilden venue. Artistic Director Frank Caiati describes the event as a love letter to the company and its three years of history in the Rockaway community. The production features a large-scale song and dance format with an original comedy thread woven throughout the numbers.

Caiati and co-director John Panepinto wrote the script as an evolution of the company's long-running Rockaway Café shows. The creative process began approximately one year ago with preliminary lists of characters and comedic bits. Those early ideas developed into a structured narrative with a beginning, middle, and end. The directors cite the Muppet Show as a primary influence for the meta-theatrical approach. The story follows the theater company as it attempts to produce the live performance currently unfolding before the audience. This backstage drama runs concurrently with the musical revue, creating a show-within-a-show structure.

Musical Director and composer Jeff Arzberger has written arrangements for approximately 35 songs. These pieces require 245 separate musical charts for over ten distinct instruments. The set list includes a mix of well-known titles and modern orchestrations. Numbers range from the full-cast opener The Greatest Show to a three-voice harmony of The Rose. Other selections include That's Life, Crazy Train, Pink Pony Club, and a Broadway medley. The directors state that each song functions as an individual mini-play, whether staged, danced, or simply sung. The musical style spans pop, rock, musical theater, and ballads.

Choreography for the production is led by Nicola DePierro. A team of six additional choreographers supports the work, including Adele Wendt, Erech Holder-Hetmeyer, Lorna Fontana, Gabrielle Mangano, Catherine Leib, and Dana Mongelli. The stage management team consists of Jannicke Steadman, Suzanne Riggs, and Julia Paulson. These crew members manage production details, scheduling, and attendance for the large group of cast and musicians during rehearsals and performances. Caiati and Panepinto note that the current ensemble is likely the largest cast the company has ever assembled. Any individual who participated in a Rockaway Theatre Company production over the last 30 years was invited to audition.

Performances are scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. on November 20 and 21, November 27 and 28, and December 4 and 5. An additional evening performance is set for Thursday, December 3, at 8 p.m. Matinees will be held at 2 p.m. on Sundays, November 22 and 29, and December 6. Tickets are available through the company's website and are currently selling quickly. The production concludes its run on December 6.