Woody Allen’s "Play It Again, Sam" Opens at Center Playhouse April 4th.

My introduction to the films of Woody Allen began around the time I was 13 years old.  The film was Take the Money and Run and I remember my brother and I both loving it.  I think I had a stronger connection to it, though, because my brother, younger by two years, had a lot of friends, was confident and athletically adroit.  I was shy, quiet, insecure and overweight (my nickname back then was Jelly Belly Marinelli).  In short, I immediately identified with the persona Woody portrayed not only in Take the Money and Run but most of his other “early, funny ones.” 

In 1980, when I was 14 years old, I saw my first Woody Allen film on the big screen.  It was black and white, a bit bizarre.  And it changed my life.  It was called Stardust Memories and remains, to this day, one of my favorite films of all time, and one of Woody’s favorites as well.  One of the things that struck me about it was that he seemed to be poking fun at himself (this is the one about a film director who wants to be taken seriously, but his fans still want “the early funny ones”).  I remember reviews at the time comparing it to Fellini’s 8 ½.  Not only did I not know who Fellini was, I thought I was reading a misprint.  Who calls their movie 8 ½?

That was where my cinematic education began.  After seeing that film, followed by Interiors, Manhattan, and even Annie Hall, I began to learn about other iconic filmmakers such as Ingmar Bergman, Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc  Godard.  All by the time I was a svelte 16 year-old. I learned about Chekhov, Samuel Becket and Mozart. I learned who Marshall McLuhan was (which came in very handy much later when I wrote my one-act play, Acoustic Space, a term coined by Mr. McLuhan in the 60’s).

And because I was a very curious kid, I wanted to know more about Woody’s other work.  I found an LP of his stand-up routines, then I stumbled upon collections of his short fiction and one-act plays, and thus began writing myself.  My style was his: absurd, funny, intellectual (at least as much as a 16 year old could fake it).  I began writing for the high school magazine (again borrowing, or more accurately, stealing his style) and as soon as I got my hands on my parents’ Super 8 mm film camera, I began making films.  And I was hooked.   Theatre came a little later but, like filmmaking, it was something I always wanted to do and, when I finally got the chance, I couldn’t stop.   I learned from Woody Allen that an artist must grow and not be afraid to take chances.

He has never been content with sticking to any particular genre, although one might argue that a Woody Allen movie is a genre in itself.  Love him or hate him, it is inarguable that this man has given us a wealth of great work over the years.  If he continues exploring the same themes (Match Point is a variation of Crimes and Misdemeanors, Zelig, a variation of Play It Again, Sam taken to the extreme) it’s only because perhaps he hasn’t found the answers he’s been seeking.

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Play It Again, Sam opened at Center Playhouse, located at 35 South Street in downtown Freehold, on Friday, April 4th and runs for five weekends through May 4th, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $25 for Adults and $23 for Seniors & Students and includes gourmet desserts and refreshments. Group rates for parties of ten or more are available. Seating is limited so call the box office at (732) 462-9093 or visit us online at www.CenterPlayers.org to purchase your tickets.