'Room Service' to Serve up Cure for Winter Doldrums at Mercer County Community College

Theater To Go (T2G) presents “Room Service” at Mercer County Community College’s (MCCC) Kelsey Theatre in February. Dates and show times are Fridays, Feb. 12 and Feb. 19 at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, Feb. 13 and Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. and Sundays, Feb. 14 and Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on the college’s West Windsor campus at 1200 Old Trenton Rd. A reception with the cast and crew will follow the opening night performance on Feb. 12.

Gordon Miller is a Broadway producer who is struggling to find a backer for his new show, which he is sure will be a smash hit. Holed up in a Times Square hotel with 19 hungry actors and a ballooning room service bill, Miller tries to forestall eviction by concocting a series of increasingly more preposterous events.

Penned in 1937 by Allen Boretz and John Murray, “Room Service” is considered by many to be the funniest play of the 1930s. Striking just the right chord in post-Depression America, it was succesful on Broadway under the direction of the famed George Abbot and was made into a popular Marx Brothers movie of the same name in 1938.

The talented cast includes Charles Acosta of Levittown, Pa. as Faker Englund; Arnold Brown of Monroe as Sasha Smirnoff; Lew Gantwerk of Princeton as Dr. Glass; Stan Karuzis of Lawrenceville as Gregory Wagner; Madison Kotnarawski of Hamilton as Hilda Manney; Rob Lasky of Hamilton in multiple roles; Alfie Mannino of Collingswood as Gordon Miller; Destyne Pitts of Trenton as Christine Marlowe; Paul Rahter of Haddon Height as Leo Davis; Steven Smith of Princeton Junction as Harry Binion and Mark Violi of Hamilton as Joseph Gribble.

The creative team includes director Ruth Markoe, stage manager Hannah Knight, sound designer Eric Collins, set designer John Russell and lighting designer Kitty Getlik. Props are by Amy Besselieu with costumes by Ritzzy Productions.

Based in Lawrenceville, Theater To Go (T2G) was founded in 1992 by Ruth Markoe. The company’s first production at Kelsey Theatre was “Lend Me A Tenor” in 1995. The company performed “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” during its last season. T2G has also presented popular audience participation movie sing-alongs at Kelsey Theatre as well as with community and corporate performance events around the region.

Tickets for “Room Service” are $18 for adults, $16 for seniors and $14 for students and children. Tickets may be purchased through the Kelsey Theatre website. Kelsey Theatre is wheelchair accessible with free parking available next to the theater.