Theater community to gather to remember Bentley Lenhoff

Every now and then, the Valley’s entertainment scene is forced to pause and remember one of its own.

That happened last week when Bentley Lenhoff died at age 85.

Lenhoff was synonymous with the Youngstown Playhouse, and news of his death prompted calls and emails from folks who wanted to make sure I understood his legacy in the theater community.

Lenhoff ran the Playhouse during its glory years from 1965 to 1985, and returned in 2004 to steer it out of financial difficulty. He was a rarity in that he could handle both the creative and the business end of a theater with equal success. Those tasks require skill sets that are often at odds with the other, and both are not typically found in any one person.

Many long-time actors and crew remember Lenhoff as a key figure in their success.

He was buried last week in his native Michigan.

But Valley residents can pay their respects at a memorial service at 7:30 p.m. July 25 at – most appropriately – the Youngstown Playhouse.

Speakers and performers will pay tribute to Lenhoff in the auditorium. Dessert and a toast will follow in the lobby.

The Playhouse was the obvious choice for a venue in which to honor Lenhoff. He spent so much of his life there.

Lenhoff’s daughter, Alyssa Lenhoff-Briggs, said her father loved the people of the Playhouse.

“He also loved what the Playhouse could do for those who performed and those who sat in the audience,” she said in an email. “He would object to us [having a memorial service], but we have received so many requests from people who want to get together to remember him and talk about the long-reaching power of theater and the Playhouse.”

The program for the service is still being put together, but it will definitely include speeches by Bernie Appugliese, operations manager at the Playhouse; Joe and Joanne Scarvell, long-time director and actor couple who met many years ago at the Playhouse; Paula Ferguson and David Jendre, each a long-time director and actor; and Lenhoff’s daughters, Lyndean Lenhoff-Brick and Alyssa Lenhoff-Briggs; and his wife, Nancy.

Vocal performers will include Rodd Coonce, who will sing “My Way” and another song; and Jimmy and Eric McClellan. Kathy Appugliese and Dr. John Cox, who are also frequent actors and directors at the Playhouse, will stage a reading from a play that Lenhoff directed.

WATERFIRE SHARON IS READY TO BURN

WaterFire Sharon returns Saturday, the first of three iterations of the arts and entertainment celebration this summer in downtown Sharon, Pa.

The unique festival – it’s centerpiece is an entrancing bonfire lighting ritual, in which a boat puts a torch to dozens of floating braziers on the Shenango River – premiered last year and was an immediate success.

To get the festival, Sharon organizers had to petition the WaterFire organization and earn its approval. WaterFire achieved its goal of bringing new faces to the downtown, and also putting the usually overlooked river back into the forefront.

To check out the schedule of entertainment, go to waterfiresharonpa.org. If you miss this one, the festival will be repeated Aug. 22 and Sept. 26.

O’NEILL RECOMMENDED CENTENARIAN ACTOR

“Trainwreck,” the new Judd Apatow comedy that opens in theaters Friday, has a few tenuous local connections.

The first one, of course, is that LeBron James, the Akron native and Cleveland Cavaliers superstar, makes his film debut in it, with a supporting role.

Another is that New York comedian Mike Birbiglia – who has appeared several times in the past at Mahoning Valley comedy clubs – also has a minor role in it.

Most interesting, though, is the story behind how 101-year-old actor Norman Lloyd landed a role in the film.

Lloyd’s pal and neighbor, “Modern Family” star Ed O’Neill, was responsible. O’Neill, who was born and raised in Youngstown, urged Apatow to consider Lloyd for a role. Lloyd flew to New York to audition and landed the part.

In an interview with Variety.com, O’Neill shared Lloyd’s enthusiastic response when he told him about the project.

“I called Norman and said, ‘Do you think you can get yourself to New York to be in Judd Apatow’s new movie?’ And he said, ‘Or die trying!’”

SOUNDOCTRINE RELEASES FIRST SINGLE FROM ALBUM

SounDoctrine has released its first single to smooth-jazz radio stations across the country, including Sirius XM satellite radio.

The tune is a cover of Bobby Womack’s “Stop On By,” which also was made famous by Chaka Khan.

The single by the jazz-fusion band based in Youngstown is the first from its upcoming album “Source,” which will be released in August.

SounDoctrine songs have been featured as background music on the Weather Channel’s Local on the Eights. To purchase, go to iTunes, CD Baby or soundoctrine.com.