Apricot Sky Productions to present ‘The Last Pastrami Sandwich,’ six other short plays

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

MONTCLAIR, NJ — “The Last Pastrami Sandwich,” a collection of seven dramas and comedies in one-act format — and written, acted and directed by New Jerseyans — premieres in October at Montclair’s Grove Street Theater, 130 Grove St. The six-day run is underwritten by Apricot Sky Productions, a New Jersey community theater organization, and its producer, Livingston playwright Eric Alter.

The show will run for two weekends, Friday through Sunday, Oct. 14 to 16 and Oct. 21 to 23. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees are at 1 p.m. Five of the seven short plays are written by Alter. To purchase tickets, call 973-509-2350. 

Apricot Sky Productions has mounted shows almost yearly since 2001. According to Alter, he works to “bring professional theater to local aficionados and introduce quality acting and writing to younger audiences for just a few bucks when show tickets and parking in the city would cost a few hundred. Our aim has always been to bring Broadway-caliber acting to the suburbs. By the way, every seat in our theater is a good one. No nosebleed section.” 

The playlets are as follows:

• “Coopers Packing.” A man and a woman come home to find their dog in a seemingly permanent state of excitement. When “Down, boy!” doesn’t staunch the arousal, how does the couple deal with their pet’s unrequited lust?
• “The Save.” What different turns would a life take if one were able to take back the things blurted out on a first date? Happy denouement or cruel twist of fate?
• “Straight Date.” Two women wind up at a bar where each is supposed to meet a man for a blind date — the same man. See whether the calendar clash is a faux pas terrible or an unexpected blessing.
• “Tears for Lunch.” A former student, now turned school administrator, has the uncomfortable assignment of telling a seasoned teacher and staple of the school that the time may be near to hang up the chalk.
• “See You Monday.” The true tale of a 30-year-old teacher who suffered the enormous trauma of losing her father in the 9/11 attacks. She employs her life lessons from the event to connect and bond with a student experiencing a tragedy.
• “The Last Pastrami Sandwich.” What would you choose for your last meal? A dying rabbi wants the taste of a famous thick, meaty, fatty, salty, garlicky Katz’s Deli pastrami sandwich to be his last memory. See what transpires between the man and his son who arranged the meal. 
• “Jimmy The Bully … All Grown Up.” Do bullies ever grow up? Do their victims get revenge? The high school bully of years ago has an appointment at a doctor’s office, not knowing that the physician used to be bullied by the guy when they were teens. Has the bully changed his stripes? Does he get a taste of his own medicine?

Photos Courtesy of Apricot Sky Productions

  Grove Street Theater