Skating Through Generations
The Rink Debuts Thursday, Feb. 6
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The Rink, the Broadway roller-skating musical about a mother seeking to move on with her life and a long-estranged daughter hoping to come back home. | |
The Rink is sponsored by
Stock Development
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“The Rink is a musical about letting go of the past while restoring the bonds that endure,” explains TheatreZone’s Founding Artistic Director Mark Danni. “It’s a story about a relationship torn apart by anger and deception and how it can be rebuilt with forgiveness – all set to incredible music and lyrics by the legendary team of John Kander and Fred Ebb,” he adds.
Kander and Ebb are also the renowned team behind Cabaret; Chicago; Kiss of the Spider Woman, and the world-famous song, “New York, New York.” The Rink was their 10th collaboration. The book for The Rink is by Terrence McNally.
The original version of The Rink has not been available for licensing for 40 years. “This will be the first time in four decades that anyone will hear this story and music as originally intended,” Danni shares.
TheatreZone’s access to the original material is due to Danni’s personal connection with John Kander. “I loved doing The Rink,” Kander remarked in a recent interview. “The show was an incredible, emotionally fulfilling experience and it’s a piece I’m especially proud of. It represents some of Fred and Terrence’s best work. And I’m just thrilled it’s being done at TheatreZone.
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“I have wanted to produce and direct The Rink ever since founding TheatreZone 20 years ago. But there was only a reduced and edited version of the show available for licensing. In a stroke of good fortune, TheatreZone is the first theatre company to bring the original script and music of The Rink back to audiences with the blessing of composer John Kander."
Mark Danni, Founding Artistic Director
TheatreZone
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Set in 1978 in a declining Coney Island-style amusement boardwalk, The Rink tells mother-daughter relationship through flashbacks, moving through the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and reflecting the cultural shifts of the eras. The Rink also offers lighthearted moments through its dance numbers and the comedic charm of “The Wreckers,” six male performers who play various characters, including women in the flashbacks.
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Meet the Stars of The Rink | |
In The Rink, Karen Molnar Danni plays two major roles: Lead actress and choreographer. As Anna, she is a mother and the owner of a skating rink in a declining Coney Island-style amusement center. As the choreographer for The Rink, she choreographs a wide range of different dance styles popular during the decades depicted in the story. Molnar Danni is TheatreZone’s co-founder (with Mark Danni) and associate artistic director and choreographs all the theatre company’s productions. Since 2005, she has served as both a lead actor and choreographer in more than 90 TheatreZone shows, notably Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Lily in The Secret Garden, Luisa in Nine, Desire in A Little Night Music, and many more. Her wide-ranging biography as an actor and choreographer embraces decades of experience in New York City, Naples and regional theatres, both on stage and on film and TV. “The Rink,” she said, “has fun choreography with flashbacks to 50s, 60s and 70s styles, roller skating numbers, swing dancing, disco, and Broadway soft shoe.” One dance highlight is with a song written for Anna by Fred Ebb called “Don’t Ah Ma Me,” referring to the bickering banter between Anna and her daughter, Angel, played by Sarah Beth Ganey. Molnar previously worked with Ganey in TheatreZone’s 2024 production of Carey: The Musical. Karen Molnar Danni hails from Cleveland, Ohio, where she started dancing at age as a toddler. She earned bachelor’s degrees in musical theatre and marketing from Baldwin-Wallace University in Cleveland.
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Sarah Beth Ganey made her TheatreZone debut in its 2024 production of Carrie: The Musical. Her second appearance at TheatreZone will be her role as Angel in The Rink. Ganey grew up in Winter Haven, Fla. The triple-threat performer has danced, sang and acted from childhood, including professionally as a competitive dancer throughout Florida – ballet, jazz, hip hop, and tap. She attended Drake University in Des Moines, Oh., to study opera. Musical theatre came through a family member who ran a theatre company and Ganey “fell in love with the art form,” she said. Recent credits include Lillian Magill in The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Orlando Shakes), Dyanne in Million Dollar Quartet (Kincaid Regional Theatre), Kira in Xanadu (Venice Theatre), Maria Rainer in The Sound of Music (Kincaid Regional Theatre and Theatre Winter Haven), and Vicki Nichols in The Full Monty (Suncoast Broadway Dinner Theatre). In addition to running a private vocal studio, Ganey is a director, choreographer, and occasionally a commercial actress. “The Rink is the purest memory play I’ve read in a long time,” she said, adding that, “Angel loves her mother more than anything, and everything she does is for her mother’s approval, even though she originally left home after feeling betrayed.”
Mark Danni related that, “Sarah Beth’s understanding of Angel was so evident and tender during her audition that we were choked up and convinced she was our ‘Angel’.”
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“’The Wreckers,” Mark Danni says, “give high energy and levity to the story.” The six male actors transition between 20 different roles. Sometimes they are construction workers wielding sledgehammers and at other moments, they are doubling as a former husband and father, past boyfriends, father-in-law, and local thugs. They also play female characters from the community, including a nun.
“The Wreckers” cast lineup includes:
· TheatreZone fan favorite Adolpho Blaire stars as “Lino/Lenny/Uncle Fausto.” The NYC-based Blaire, who recently played eight different roles in TheatreZone’s production of Neil Simon’s comedy Little Me, returns to the theatre company’s stage for a record-breaking 22nd performance.
· Former Chicagoan actor and singer Will Knoop will play “Buddy/Hiram/Mrs. Jackson/Charlie/Junior Miller. Knoop is graduate of Florida Southern College with a BFA in musical theatre and former lead vocalist for Royal Caribbean Cruises.
· New York actor Mason Hensley will make his TheatreZone debut portraying four roles as “Guy/Dino/Father Rocco/Debbie Duberman.” Hensley is an actor and singer based in NYC. Past credits include Look Homeward Angel (Irish Rep) and Black Tom Island (Premier Stages).
· Jackson Mattek portrays five different roles as “Lucky/Sugar/Arnie/Bobby Perillo/Dann.” Mattek is best known for his role as “Alexander” in the television series The Hunters with Al Pacino. He returns to TheatreZone for The Rink following his debut with the theatre company as the Bank Manager in Once.
· Actor Gianni Saverio returns to TheatreZone for his third role playing “Tony/Tom/Peter Reilly, having previously performed in Gypsy and Carrie: The Musical. Gianni is based in Brooklyn, New York. Past credits include: A Christmas Story (Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre) and The Last Five Years (BrooklynONE).
· Hugo Moreno performs as “Ben/Dino’s Father/Sister Philomena/Mrs. Silverman.” Born in Lima, Peru, and raised in South Florida, Moreno’s dancing skills have earned him roles in Univision commercials, ESPN’s 30 for 30 series and acclaimed stage productions like Legally Blonde (Actors’ Playhouse 2024) and Carousel (The Wick Theatre 2024).
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February 6-16, 2025
7:30 p.m. February 6-8 and 13-16
2 p.m. February 8-9 and 15-16
Learn & Book
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March 6-16, 2025
7:30 p.m. March 6-9 and 13-16
2 p.m. March 8-9 and 15-16
Learn & Book
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June 5-15, 2025
7:30 p.m. June 5-8 and 12-15
2 p.m. June 7-8 and 15
Learn & Book
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Upon purchase of your tickets, you receive email confirmation. TheatreZone is ticketless; our ushers automatically have a record of your purchase and will escort you to your seat. | |
TheatreZone, celebrating its 20th season in 2025, presents its musical performances in the intimate 250-seat G&L Theatre conveniently located in Naples at 13275 Livingston Road, between Pine Ridge and Vanderbilt Beach Roads, in a dedicated building nestled within the campus of the Community School of Naples.
TheatreZone is Naples' first Equity theatre. Its contract with the Actors’ Equity Association ensures access to the best actors, singers, dancers, musicians, and stage management professionals from throughout the country. The nonprofit, 501(c)(3) was established in 2005 by Founding Artistic Director Mark Danni and Associate Artistic Director and choreographer Karen Molnar Danni, who have both enjoyed successful careers on Broadway and Off-Broadway.
See the lineup of shows and concerts and book tickets at Theatre.Zone. Tickets are $50, $65 and $85, depending on choice of seat.
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Susan and David Owens
Ron and Patty Salvagio
Mike & Dorothy Vondra Foundation
Linda Walsh
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