Page 22
Thursday, May 14, 2015
The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES
A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION
NJFO’s Annual Tour of Notable
Homes Draws Large Crowds
By CHRISTIE STORMS
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and
The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times
WESTFIELD — Last Saturday,
four remarkable Westfield residences
opened their doors for the annual
Friends of the New Jersey Festival
Orchestra (NJFO) Tour of Notable
Homes, and visitors attended in
droves. So much so, the Westfield
Police provided assistance with traffic directing and parking to ensure
safety for all.
The tour offered something for
everyone’s taste, from cherished antiques to sleek, modern conveniences.
A new feature of the tour this year was
the addition of a luxury automobile
parked in each driveway.
The Victorian on Prospect Street
infused streamlined industrial-style
elements while still preserving much
of the older home’s charming integrity, including the beautiful reclaimed
barn wood floors. Guests were surprised to learn it had originally been
a two-family home and still maintained a lovely two-bedroom apart-
ment with its own private staircase.
The color palette included soft grays
and neutral tones juxtaposed against
the sparkle of crystal lighting fixtures
and sleek metal elements throughout.
The spacious kitchen featured an
unique metal sculpted “El Bull,” reminiscent of the renowned elBulli restaurant on the Costa Brava and an
ample upholstered banquette. The
adjacent family room had a relaxed,
porch-like atmosphere with walls of
windows overlooking the outdoor
pool and dancing fountains. A separate staircase led to the stunning master suite with palatial bath.
Two stately brick residences were
located on Hillside Avenue and built
in the 1920’s, yet each had its own
unique style and sights to behold.
One featured rare chestnut millwork and decorative moldings along
with four fireplaces. While its spacious rooms were updated for today’s
conveniences, including rich custom
cabinetry and granite countertops in
the kitchen, the home maintained a
feeling of regal nostalgia with its clas-
Christie Storms for The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times
MUSICAL TOUR…Members of the Junior Musical Club of Westfield entertained visitors with live interludes during the NJFO's annual Tour of Notable
Homes last Saturday. Pictured is a flutist performing in the luxe dining room of
the Victorian residence on Prospect Street.
sic wallpaper and rich dark wood
tones. A grand staircase led upstairs
where the master suite offered an
over-sized dressing room enveloped
in closets and built-in cabinetry.
A circular driveway beckoned
guests to the second home on Hillside
Avenue. The stately center hall colonial was the epitome of New England
charm, complete with ivy growing
upon its brick exterior, wood floors
painted in a checkerboard pattern in
the entry foyer and a crisp, blue and
white color palette adding a bit of
nautical flair. During a recent expansion and renovation, the homeowners’
meticulous attention to detail provided seamless transition, right down
to the brass window pulls on custom
windows acquired from New Hampshire and magnificent custom mantel,
cabinetry and radiator boxes in the
family room. Portions of the original
exterior brick wall were left intact on
multiple floors, including inside the
new master bedroom suite, where the
adjacent dressing room featured
double sets of French doors leading
to an exterior porch with stunning
views. Guests also marveled at the
wine cellar, which featured a one-ofa-kind wine- tasting room.
The sprawling Gothic-style manor
home on Ramapo Way was by far
the tour’s largest with four floors
and reminiscent of one in the English countryside, complete with
leaded glass windows. Striking
hand-painted “wallpaper” was a
highlight throughout, created in several styles, from a classic formal
damask-like pattern in the entryway
to a fun awning-style ceiling with
local sports teams’ logos in one of
the children’s rooms. The upstairs
hall was large enough to house a
piano and led to an exquisite master
suite with sumptuous window treatments. A striking use of color and
pattern united the home’s multiple
rooms along with unique textures,
such as the sueded quartzite kitchen
counters. The property contained
many extra amenities, including its
own private yoga studio. The
homeowners also provided before
CONTINUED ON PAGE 21
Susan M. Dougherty for The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times
Ready to Spell… Kyrus Keenan Westcott, Kara Wilson and Patrick Starega get into character for Westfield Community
Players’ production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Under the expert overseeing of musical director Bruce
De La Cruz, producer Steve Lemenille and director Brian Remo, the show is a delight.
Westfield Community Players
Know How to S-p-e-l-l
By SUSAN MYRILL DOUGHERTY
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and
The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times
WESTFIELD – Most people
wouldn’t go to a gymnasium to see a
local spelling bee for a fun night out.Yet
some of the best live entertainment in
Union County is found in The Westfield
Community Players’ (WCP) production of The 25th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee by William Finn and Jay
Reiss.
The format of the musical is that of an
actual spelling bee with six socially
awkward students who are ostracized
from normalcy because of family situations or personality quirks. Three “volunteer” adult contestants from the audience are selected each night and add to
the feel of randomness of audience
selection.
Richly drawn characters drive the
plot of the musical comedy that tells
their back stories in individual songs
and duets. A female moderator Rona
Lisa Peretti (Kara Wilson) - who was
once the Spelling Bee champion herself - sings longingly about her ever
changing “favorite moment at the Bee.”
Ms. Wilson can belt or use her legit
voice with equal ease depending on
what’s required in her songs.
Vice Principal Douglas Panch
(Patrick Starega), the Bee’s bored judge,
loves to ring a bell to signal a wrong
answer. With glasses atop his forehead
and a permanent scowl across his face,
Mr. Starega’s perfect deadpan delivery
of silly sentences using the words that
need to be spelled bring down the house.
He’s got some of the best lines of the
show and his good timing propels them.
Mr. Starega is also credited with the
energetic choreography of the show.
Pigtailed
Logainne
SchartzandGrubenniere (Natsha
Kurilew) is a lisping, bubbly overachiever with two Dads. Ms. Kurilew is
adorable in her enthusiastic delivery of
songs and dialogue.
Chip Tolentino (Evan Krug), the
former Bee champion, dressed in his
highly decorated Boy Scout uniform,
finds some of the awkwardness of adolescence while he’s onstage. His reappearance at the top of Act II is cleverly staged.
Although the songs are complex
musically and lyrically yet we grasp
every word without amplification in the
Cranford
$525,000
theater’s intimate space. The musical
accompaniment, provided by musical
director Bruce De La Cruz and a small
group of keyboards, woodwind and
string, is nestled behind a curtain upstage, providing a perfect balance between instruments and vocals.
Marcy Park (Nikki Ashe), wearing a
uniform suggesting parochial schooling, sings “I Speak Six Languages.” It is
a heart-wrenching lament about the fact
that she never seems to be able to do
enough to feel competent. It’s a theme
that might resonate with a number of
high school students in their fast –
paced competitive race to the best colleges.
Conversely, home schooled Leaf
Coneybear (Timothy James) sings “I’m
not That Smart.” As a second place
winner in a qualifying competition, he
gets to participate in the Putnam Bee
when his betters drop out. Every time
the self-conscious Coneybear thinks he
is going to lose, he goes into a trancelike
state, a beautifully timed spotlight (by
Jessica Foerst) illuminates him and,
true to his homemade outfit of a superhero, he saves the day by spelling his
CONTINUED ON PAGE 21
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