Surflight Opens Its Season With A Sold-Out Broadway Hit

LBI’s Surflight Theatre threw open its doors Saturday night, kicking off its 62nd season with a production of “Rent” to a sold-out, enthusiastic audience.

Television, film and theater stars like Justin Guarini, an American idol finalist, along with off-Broadway artists and young debut actors let loose their voices and their emotions. Eyes flashing with wild joy and faces glistening with sweat and tears, they performed the story of a group of New York Lower East Side artists who sought life’s meaning while battling with poverty and AIDS.

"How are we gonna pay?” Justin Guarini sang as a young guitarist “Roger” in the beginning of the first act.

Surflight Theatre was asking itself this very question just a few months ago, when drowning in $4 million debt. It declared bankruptcy in the beginning of this year.

“There are still all sorts of challenges ahead for the theater,” said the show’s producer, Roy Miller, who had been hired nine months ago to rescue Surflight from the financial deep water. “But for me, a big day-to-day question mark all these months has been whether or not we were going to have an opening night at all.”

Miller started his theater career as a fourteen-year-old actor apprentice to Surflight founder Joseph Hayes. When not on stage, Miller was "sweeping the floors and cleaning toilets," while learning a lot from his mentor.

At 19, Miller ended up as the youngest actor on the staff of  a Broadway production There he made many valuable contacts, which he used to cast this season's biggest Surflight stars, from Food Network's Marc Summers to well-known comedy series actor Judd Hirsch, to Dawn Wells from "Gilligan's Island."

“A lot of friends came to Surflight on my behalf,” Miller said. “They have worked with me on Broadway and elsewhere. I told them I needed some help, and they came down, and they are working for pennies. But that’s the way it is in our business. When your friend is in trouble, you come to help.”

After his Broadway stint, Miller veered off his theater course, working in marketing and program development for Pepsi Cola, until in his thirties he decided to return to his roots with a job as an assistant producer at Paper Mill Playhouse, a regional theater in the Northern New Jersey town of Millburn.

Now Miller’s business skills have come in handy on behalf of his first theater love – Surflight.

A part of Miller’s business strategy for Surflight’s survival is simply to make sure no expenses are made before they are approved, something that used to happen routinely, he said.

Miller also hired Timothy Laczynski, a Broadway producer, financial planner and enterpreneur as the theater's chief financial officer, a position that hasn't existed at Surflight before. Laczynski and Miller have been working to increase ticket revenues, reduce expenses and solicit donations, while the marketing and publicity staff seeks to spread the word in new and creative ways.

 “With musicals, and especially with Rent, it's all about the music,” said Gay Adelmann, Surflight’s marketing director. “We wanted to get people singing the songs in their heads and wanting more. So we have been arranging ‘flash mobs’ in local venues with some of our cast.”

Several members of the cast would break up into smaller groups and walk into area restaurants, Andelmann said. Positioned in different corners of the place, the artists would suddenly start singing a capella from the musical.

“We plan to do several more flash mobs throughout the summer,” Adelmann said. “You never know where we might show up next.”

Even though Miller said that starting the 2011 season with a younger, more provocative “Rent” was a move aimed at reeling in new audiences, many
of the people attending the show on Saturday night, were among Surflight’s faithful supporters – some of them lifelong.

“I’ve been coming to Surflight since the 70s,” Nancy Rawles of Manahawkin said. "Their shows are always great."

Sally Binder of Oakland, New Jersey, came to Surflight for the first time on Saturday night, with her mother-in-law, who had been to the theater before. Binder said she was excited about seeing a performance by stars like Justin Guarini. "It's another  big name," Binder said.

“I think the show is great,” said Scott Spiro of Livingston, New   Jersey, during the intermission. “But they have always had good shows. The Buddy Holly story here was as good as the Buddy Holly story anywhere.”

“I feel bad they are going through bankruptcy,” added Spiro, a summer resident of Brant  Beach, who said he had not known about Surflight’s finances earlier. “I am going to send them a donation.”