‘Birnbaum’ to make its Valley debut

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

“Gloria Birnbaum’s Broadway Debut,” the new comedy by playwright Bernie Appugliese (“Speaker of the House,” “Last Laugh”), will make its Youngstown debut Friday at the Oakland Center for the Arts. Produced by Michael Morley, the show will be performed five times over the its two-weekend run.

The play is set in 1955, where Gloria is finally about to make her Broadway debut — that is if a skeleton in her closet and her long-lost brother Bernie don’t stand in the way.

The cast includes Josh Lewis (“Curtains,” “Smoke on the Mountain”), Carla D. Gipson (“Doubt,” The Mystery of Edwin Drood”), Chuck Simon (“Jesus Christ Superstar”), Tom O’Donnell (“The Homecoming”) and Easy Street Productions’ Maureen Collins as Gloria Birnbaum.

The set and light design are by Leslie Brown (“Little Shop of Horrors,” “Hedda Gabler”) with John Pecano (“The 39 Steps”) providing the original sound design.

Appugliese, a theater professional who recently returned to Youngstown, is directing. “Gloria Birnbaum” is part of a series of original plays that he is spearheading.

The Oakland’s Star Gallery also will feature a special showing of “Scenes — The Theatre Drawings of Artist Paul Kimpel” during the run of the play.