Tonight: Celebrity Readings at the Maplewood Women's Club

It's spring, for real, and it's time for Celebrity Readings, an evening of short stories, Monday, April 4th at 7:30 pm  at The Woman's Club of Maplewood. Presented by The South Orange-Maplewood Adult School, this annual fundraiser features readings by accomplished actors of stage and screen.

This year the show features Robert Cuccioli,  Reading "Salt" by Sherman Alexie; Laila Robins, reading "Roman Fever" by Edith Wharton; and Isaiah Sheffer, reading “Heart of a Champion” by T.C. Boyle. Emily Zacharias, trustee and professional actor, will once again host the evening.    

This event benefits the educational classes and lectures offered by The Adult School.   Isaiah Sheffer started Symphony Space with conductor Allan Miller over thirty years ago; it has since become an Upper West Side institution, a complex performing arts center with increasingly diverse programming. Sheffer is also the host of “Selected Shorts: A Celebration of the Short Story,” National Public Radio's award-winning series of short fiction read by actors and recorded live at Symphony Space and the inspiration for our Celebrity Readings event.

Robert Cuccioli’s most recent project, as Norman Rhodes in Bruce Hornsby’s new musical, “SCKBSTD,” wrapped up in early February. His Broadway credits include “Les Miserables” and “Jekyll & Hyde” (1997 Tony  nomination, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Awards and Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award) and his  off-Broadway credits include “Temporary Help,” “Enter The Guardsman” and “And The World Goes ‘Round” (1991 Outer Critics Circle Award). Cuccioli has also made television and film appearances.

Laila Robins is currently Paola Franco in “Dangerous Beauty,” which is making its premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse this February. She was seen on Broadway in “Heartbreak House,” the Tony-nominated play “Frozen” (Lucille Lortel Nomination), “The Herbal Bed” and “The Real Thing.” Robins’ credits also include off-Broadway and regional productions, as well as film and television appearances that include the series lead in “Gabriel’s Fire” opposite James Earl Jones. Robins trained at the Yale School of Drama.

Tickets are $45 at the door and $40 in advance; get your tickets at The Adult School (online at www.somadultschool.org or by phone at 973-378-2819), [words] Bookstore in Maplewood or RocketShip & Print in South Orange.

To see what the evening is about, enjoy our photos from last year's Celebrity Readings.