The Incredible Acting of Andrea Maulella

Andrea Maulella as Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

Seeing the wonderful Andrea Maulella play the cold-hearted Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, it was hard to bring to mind her portrayal of Annie Sullivan‘s generous spirit in Ivoryton Playhouse‘s The Miracle Worker. Andrea was chosen for these parts by two different directors - Jacqueline Hubbard cast her in the role of Annie Sullivan, and Peter Lockyer chose her to play Nurse Ratched. In both cases, Andrea was ready for the challenge of playing a complicated character with layers of emotion. We are so grateful for Peter Lockyer, the director, Andrea and the rest of the cast for their hard work in bringing such electricity to the stage of the Ivoryton Playhouse.

Andrea Maulella in the "The Miracle Worker" as Annie Sullivan.

Andrea Maulella’s television credits include in 1997 she performed in the television series Spin City as an activist, and in 2000 she played Michelle Foreman in The Sopranos, and also appeared on the daytime series, Guiding Light.

In 2005 she appeared in the movie comedy Love Ludlow as Carol directed by Adrienne Weiss. and she recently finished the movie drama  The Mulberry Tree directed by Mark Heller.

Maulella theater credits include in 2001  The Holy Mother of Hadley New York directed by Rachel Dickstein at the Ohio Theater.

In 2002 she played Nicole Harris in the play One Shot One Kill with Primary Stages directed by Joe Brancato in New York City.

In 2006 she played Adelaide in Tryst at the Westport County Playhouse directed by Brancato which won the Connecticut Critics Circle Award.

Again in 2006 under the direction of Brancato she played Edie with the Penguin Repertory in Stoney Point New York in Centennial Casting.

In 2007 at the Alley Theater she played Jean Louise in To Kill a Mockingbird directed by Paul Barnes at the Alley Theater in Houston, Texas.

In 2008  with the White Horse Theater Company she was in Small Craft Warnings, a play by Tennessee Williams in New York City as the bar regular Violet.

In 2009 Maulella plays Sheila in The Vows of Penelope Correlli also at the Penguin Rep directed by Brancato.

In April of this year she played Ruth in Miracle of South Division Street at the Seven Angels Theater in Waterbury also directed by Brancato.

In a Blog In the Wings written by Peter D. Kramer who worked as an actor, director, and technical director and has a great love of theater, he describes her performance;

“…As Ruth, an aspiring actress, Maulella is steadfast and focused, clearly an outsider in her own family. When she utters the words “here’s the thing,” the roller-coaster begins its thrilling descent. Maulella is an actress of considerable powers, nuanced and thoughtful. We see the wheels turning in her head. We feel for her.”

With this resume behind her, one can only imagine the performances ahead of her, Maulella can only surprise us with her next performance which is surely going to be a smash with audiences.

Jersey Boys Blog Gives Rave Reviews for Cuckoo’s Nest

This review was taken from the Jersey Boys Blog which is dedicated to Jersey Boys, the Tony award-winning smash hit Broadway & international musical of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

Jersey Boys Toronto’s Dan Sullivan Shines in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’

Daniel Robert Sullivan as RP McMurphy and Andrea Maulella as Nurse Ratched. Photo by The Ivoryton Playhouse

November 13, 2010

By Howard Tucker and Audrey Rockman, JBB Special Correspondents

On Sunday, November 7, we were awed by the production of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” at the 99-year-old Ivoryton Playhouse in Ivoryton, CT on the beautiful Connecticut shoreline. The Playhouse consistently contracts talented stage veterans, and this season was no exception as its management signed Daniel Robert Sullivan, who played Tommy DeVito in “Jersey Boys.”

Dan, cast as the fun-loving RP McMurphy, absolutely mesmerized a packed audience, and he and the cast were deservedly rewarded with a standing ovation at the close. While he received admiration and true success in the worldwide megahit “Jersey Boys”, Dan embraced his new venue and role with genuine humility and appreciation.

As most of us know from the 1975 movie, the story is one of the individual (McMurphy) vs. the establishment. In a way, we are reminded of the recent elections with the “Tea Party” symbolizing the individual. McMurphy, unfortunately, did not experience the same outcome as the Tea Party.

Dan’s comedic talents and charisma in Act I were fully evident as he tries to avoid “hard labor” as a criminal serving a short sentence by being transferred to a mental institution in lieu of prison. His “innocent” pranks early on to irritate the inflexible, bossy Nurse Ratched were priceless. But Dan’s real acting allure comes alive in Act II as his McMurphy champions the positive life changes in the characters of Billy Bibbitt (Jonathan Fielding) and Chief Bromden (Solomon Landerman), whose portrayals themselves were rich with texture. The devastation and irony in the final scene with the Chief and McMurphy were shattering and unforgettable.

Andrea Maulella was fine as Nurse Ratched, as were Fielding and Landerman in their respective roles. The character of Candy (Bethany Fitzgerald) shone as well. Perhaps Maulella was even a little less malevolent and slightly more human than her movie counterpart Louise Fletcher, with Maulella showing in a way that she was just “doing her job” rather than intentionally acting out of pure evil. But while kudos also go to director Peter Lockyer, there was no question that the production belonged to Dan Sullivan, who, with the rest of the cast, received thunderous applause that didn’t want to stop!

This stage plot was largely the same as the movie’s with the exception of the fishing trip in the movie, which was the only scene out of the hospital, and in the opinion of many reviewers of the movie, didn’t work as well as the remainder of the movie. The entire stage show took place in the hospital.

The clear highlight of the afternoon was yet to come, however, as Dan received us at stage door with his wife Cara, the talented Emmy-nominated “Saturday Night Live” hairstylist. Both looked rested and relaxed; we were the stressed ones, still reeling from Dan’s marvelous acting.

If you can make it up to Ivoryton, CT (about a two-hour drive or train ride from NYC), it is absolutely well-worth the trip. The production runs until November 21.

More Reviews from the Audience of Cuckoo’s Nest

Scene from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Photo by Anne Hudson.

This past weekend brought at least three out-of-towners to the Ivoryton Playhouse.  All three were visiting the theatre for the first time, and all three contacted us afterwards with their congratulations…

“I have to say ALL I’m thinking about this morning is how to get back to Ivoryton in the next couple weeks!!  In fact, I may make it a Wednesday so I can see it twice.”  Audrey from New Jersey

“I was absolutely floored by Daniel Robert Sullivan’s marvelous performance in the leading role and the production in general.  And the final devastating, ironic scene is still moving me hours later!  Arguably the best out-of-town production I’ve ever seen.”  Howard from Staten Island

Whispered twenty minutes into the first act, “This…is…a…GREAT…show.”  Lulu from Virginia

Guest Blogger – Biking Through The Cuckoo’s Nest

Some of the Cuckoo's Nest gang after an afternoon of apple picking in Chester with director Peter Lockyer. (From L - Solomon Landerman, Jonathan Fielding, Andrea Maulella, and Neal Mayer), photo by Peter Lockyer.

by Neal Mayer

I haven’t really spent a lot of time bicycling in the past ten years… well, twenty… okay, make it THIRTY years, but I’ve become obsessed with biking all over Middlesex County since arriving for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” on October 20.  When Company Manager Beverley Galpin drove us up to our actor housing in Centerbrook, I immediately noticed the three bicycles awaiting us on the porch. What could be better?  Crisp fall weather, spectacular New England foliage, and a bike to explore it all.  I took a quick tour of the house, dropped my luggage in the room where I’d be staying for the next five weeks, and went out to choose my bike.

One of the bikes seemed about the right size for me, but why didn’t it have a bar running across the top?  Ah, yes, that was a GIRL’S bike – a design idea left over from when women used to bicycle in long skirts over a hundred years ago. Well, you wouldn’t catch me ridin’ no girlie bike around Ivoryton!  No sir, I may  be dealing with sexual identity issues on stage as my “Cuckoo’s Nest” character, Dale Harding, but on the backroads of Middlesex County,  I was determined to find the Lance Armstrong that was buried deep inside me.

The next bike looked sleek, cool and even had that top bar so everyone would know I was on a MAN’S bike.  I tried it out, but the seat was a bit uncomfortable.  I attempted to adjust the seat, but it wouldn’t budge. The bolt – I think you call it a bolt – was missing and apparently I’d need some kind of tool kit to adjust it.  Note to Self:  Bring tool kit to next out-of-town housing.  Note to Self #2: Learn how to use tools in tool kit before going to next out-of-town housing.

On to Bike #3.  This one seemed to be just right.  Comfortable, the perfect size for my frame, and it had that he-man bar!  I hopped on the bike and decided to take a short ride up to see the Ivoryton Playhouse for the first time.

Although I started to hear an odd sound coming from the back of the bike, I ignored it by as I spotted the cottage-like theater framed by rows of shrub roses.

Once inside, I was awed by the framed photos of celebrities that have played the theater including Katherine Hepburn, Alan Alda and Helen Hayes. I was very excited to be part of the long history of the Ivoryton Playhouse.

I hopped back on the bike and started up a nearby hill, and then decided to embrace my inner ten-year-old by turning around and racing down the hill. That’s when the tire exploded, and I wound up in a ditch.  Note to Self #3:  Check tire pressure before mounting a new bike.  The walk back to Centerbrook took a lot longer, but it was still beautiful.

The next day, after a very productive first day of rehearsal,  I decided to go back to Bike #2 – sleek, cool with a saddle that became much easier to deal the longer I rode it. I opted to bike up to Chester, since I had worked at the Norma Terris Theater there 16 years before in a production of “Starcrossed: The Trial of  Galileo.” The ride through Deep River was stunning, and Chester was just as I remembered it.  And even though I was involved in a  terrible Sweater Accident (I decided to zip up my turtleneck sweater while riding down a hill. Don’t try it. It involved some blood loss and odd marks on my neck that either looked like I tried to cut my throat or I was the recipient of a gigantic hickey), I was now hooked.

In the past three weeks, I have biked almost every single day. I’ve made numerous visits to Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Essex, Deep River, East Haddam,and Clinton. And a few of those times, I’d leave the theater on my bike so focused on what we had just rehearsed that I was unaware that I had put on my bicycle helmet backwards and looked just like an escapee from a mental institution.

I may not be Lance Armstrong, but I am having the time of my life seeing the glory of Connecticut during the fall.  How lucky am I that I get to be part of an  extraordinary play, work with wonderful actors who also happen to be so much fun and so NICE, and explore all that Ivoryton and its surroundings have to offer?

Behind the Scenes and On the Stage

T. Rick Jones, Stage Manager is a graduate of London’s Mountview Conservatoire for the Performing Arts, T. Rick is pleased to be back at Ivoryton, where, previously, he was the Production Stage Manager for Driving Miss Daisy, Finian’s Rainbow, Some Enchanted Evening, Same Time, Next Year and Gypsy.  Additional career highlights include: Off-Broadway: Sessions, a new musical; An Evening at the Carlyle; Deco Diva; Yohen. Regional: Hartford Theaterworks; The Summer Theatre of New Canaan; The Carousel Dinner Theatre; The White Plains Performing Arts Center; The Royal Shakespeare Company (Road Crew) and The Colonial Theatre Shakespeare in the Park’s As You Like It, featuring David Birney. 

Tate Burmeister is the Sound Designer for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and has worked for us as a Lighting Designer as well. Tate also works for Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown as their Lighting Designer and Teaching Artist. We love having Tate work for us and glad we can share her talent with Oddfellows.

Tiffany Hopkins was the Projection Designer for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and also for our productions of Evita and Some Enchanted Evening.

The Phones are Ringing Off for Hook!

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is opening tonight but the phones at the office are already ringing off the hook from last night’s performance.

Beverley Galpin spoke to many of our subscribers who came to last night’s performance and these were the comments she relayed to me.

“One said that she had seen this on Broadway many years ago and was worried about seeing our production but thought that this production was just as good if not better.

Another said that as people are always calling to complain she wanted to let me know that this was one of the best shows she has seen here. She thought that Daniel Sullivan who plays McMurphy was out-standing as was the whole cast and she is recommending it to her friends.

Another said that if this had not been a part of her subscription she would not have bought tickets but was glad that it was, as she felt it was a first-rate show and she was moved to tears.”

We were happy  to hear from our subscribers  with your phone calls and even happier about what you had to say. It is our audience that we look to please.

I even heard that there is a review out that says the show is fabulous.

Thank you for your comments and we would love to hear more.