Latest news with #Rosati
CBS News
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
"The Play That Goes Wrong" is nonstop laughs as chaos unfolds onstage in Massachusetts
It's a disastrous night at the theater but that's a good thing at "The Play That Goes Wrong," which is now playing in Stoneham, Massachusetts. During "The Play That Goes Wrong," the cast deals with everyone onstage mishap imaginable. The production at Stoneham's Greater Boston Stage Company is a play within a play, where the actors portray actors. "What I think is surprising for a lot of people is that what they're seeing is actually just an exaggerated version of what happens in theaters every single day," said cast member Mark Linehan. From the set coming apart to an unconscious leading lady, just about everything that could go wrong, does. "It is really a masterwork of physical comedy and comic timing," said cast member Ceit Zweil. "And it's the kind of comedy that isn't done quite as much anymore." "It is a deeply challenging show technically but when you fill your cast with stunning comedic actors and your design team with people who are just so prepared to take on that challenge? It is just pure joy," said director Tyler Rosati. But it's far from easy to perform. "I don't think I've ever had to have this much strength training in order to do a show, in which I am having a nonsensical phone call, while completely supporting my body weight from falling off the set, using only my 10 fingertips," said Linehan. "So this is pretty new for me." The set is designed to come apart a little at a time, with secrets hiding in plain sight. "I wanted something that looked beautiful to start, I wanted an audience to walk in and be like, 'I am going to see a stunningly gorgeous Agatha Christie murder mystery' and then we are going to slowly but surely dismantle this gorgeous set into a pile of nothing before your very eyes," said Rosati. And Linehan said the audience should expect the unexpected. "This show is nonstop laughs," said Linehan. "And the only time that you're not going to be laughing is when you're going to be gasping because you can't believe what just happened." It's the crew you don't see that makes it all happen. "Backstage choreography is one of the great joys of theater," said Zweil. "I sort of sometimes wish the audience could see all the amazing stuff happening backstage because it is delightful to experience." Rosati agreed, saying, "For anyone who has done theater knows that stage managers and your team backstage are some of the hardest working people in the business. This show takes so long to set back up because there are so many pieces." "The set falls on us but they make the set fall safely," said Linehan. "So we couldn't do this without them." You can see "The Play That Goes Wrong" at the Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham through April 16.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Residents learn about smart meters at NYSEG event
The president and CEO of New York State Electric & Gas met with community members Wednesday at Lockport Town Hall to answer questions about smart meters. NYSEG is seeking the go-ahead from homeowners across Western New York to switch their homes to smart meters. Residents have taken to social media to express concerns about what conversion means for their electric bills. According to a NYSEG fact sheet, a smart meter is an electric meter or natural gas meter with two-way wireless communications with the utility's secure data center. It transmits energy use and meter status automatically. This meter eliminates the need for personnel to read electric meters, and makes detection of power outages automatic. Residents can use Energy Manager, an online tool, to more precisely observe their energy use and costs. NYSEG CEO Patricia Nilsen said the meters ensure that a customer gets a bill on an actual reading. 'With Energy Manager, they can monitor their energy by the hour. Customers can go back two days to see what was used. So if they plugged in an electric car, they can see the difference.' Nilsen said that if the power goes out, smart meters send an alert to the household address. This allows utility trucks to stop only where they are needed, rather than going door to door. Homeowners have expressed concerns that the utility can control a home's power use remotely through the smart meter, Nilsen said, and impose 'black outs.' She assures customers that this is not the purpose for smart meters. Some homeowners have claimed on social media that their utility costs increased after their smart meter was installed, Nilsen said. Most often, she said, this impression is due to customers receiving estimated utility reads before their smart meter was installed, and seeing a difference with the actual bill. According to an October commentary by Christine Alexander of NYSEG, the company, along with RG&E, sends out 2 million bills a month. She said less than half a percent leads to customer complaints. Alexander said the company encourages customers to call so a customer service representative can go line by line through their accounts and better understand what factors may actually be leading to billing variations. Town residents Reggie Rosati and Kathy Galus attended the information session and were able to have their questions answered. Rosati said she walked in unhappy, having received a bill for $1,500 last month. She said she was ready to opt out of the smart meter, but after learning more had changed her mind. NYSEG staff went through Rosati's utility charges and decided that her old meter needed to be replaced at no charge. 'It's definitely the way to go,' Rosati said. 'I'm going to give it a chance.' Galus described reading utility bills as 'reading Greek.' She said she felt better after speaking with NYSEG staff. To speak with a NYSEG customer service representative, call 800-572-1111 (NYSEG) or 800-743-2110 (RG&E).
