Performers took to the stage at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church for a dramatization of Barabara Pym’s “Crampton Hodnet” as roughly 100 people filled the parish hall. Ticket proceeds from the sold-out event will go toward renovations, including air conditioning installation and accessibility improvement, at St. Luke’s.
Saturday night marked Sea Cliff’s third live performance of a Pym novel adapted by residents Dan DiPietro and Fred Stroppel. The same group of actors performs in the Sea Cliff Civic Association’s annual Scrooge Stroll and James Joyce Jaunt.
“I’m a fan,” said Carol Vogt, a Sea Cliff resident who regularly attends the performances. “I think that all of the theatrical events going on in Sea Cliff are very worthwhile.”
The play was narrated by Dan and his wife and civic association President Ann DiPietro, who took on the role of Pym herself. Prior to the event, Ann said Pym was her favorite author. Some attendees dressed up in costumes representative of the 1930s, the era in which the posthumously published novel takes place.
Dan said that the organizers felt “really good about the whole night” and that he observed the audience’s engagement with the performance.
“I really felt that people kind of got the jokes,” he said. “They laughed at almost always the right time.”
Vogt, who has read some Pym novels, praised the production and described the performance as “marvelous.”
“Even if you had never heard of Barbara Pym, the play was interesting,” she said. “It was funny, it was enjoyable. It was very professional.”
Songs from the era, including Frank Sinatra’s “You Make Me Feel So Young”, played between scenes of the play. After the performance, attendees had the opportunity to play trivia based on the music played during the show.
Dinner was catered by longtime resident Lisa Harir, and dessert, including cupcakes decorated with fondant Pym book covers, was provided by local Sleepy Jeane’s Bake Co.
An encore performance will be held at St. Luke's at 4 p.m. on April 19. Tickets are $50 per person to support renovations.
“We were relieved,” he said of Saturday night. “You’re never sure you know if what you’ve chosen to present is going to resonate in the way you think it will.”
For more information, contact Dan at dan@dipietroconsult.com.
