Former Jewish Campers to Present New Musical Comedy

Five Jewish, former Camp Green Lane attendees are set to share the production of their new musical comedy, “Cool at Camp,” at the Dominick A. Potena Performing Arts Center in Margate, New Jersey, on Aug. 17.

The musical is about “kids, camp, crazy parents and coming of age,” according to a July 22 press release, and is the last show of the production’s tour. The show had performances all over New York and in New Jersey and had been touring since July of last year.

The inspiration for the show came from Dani Tapper, a writer and composer from Villanova, Pennsylvania, who spent her childhood summers going to Green Lane.

“I always wanted to do something about camp because I went to camp for 15 years,” said Tapper. “[I was] going to the same camp my mom went to and all her cousins went to, and now my cousins actually are part owners of the camp, so it’s definitely been a part of my life.”

The writers of the show consist of Tapper’s fellow campers and people who worked at the camp, one of whom is Peter Weidman, a composer and former president and board member of Congregation Or Ami in Lafayette Hill.

“I was at a bar one night alone, and I see this man and his wife. They’re a little older than me — I’m 52, by the way — but they worked at my camp as well growing up,” Tapper said. “I knew he wrote music. We always used to talk music together when I was younger, so I said, ‘Peter, I have these big ensemble numbers we’re working on for this camp musical. Is this something you’d like to work on with us? We could use one more composer.’ And he’s like, ‘Sure,’ and so he came aboard.”

Tapper also said she reached out to Steven Blutig, another one of the show’s writers.

“I wanted [the musical] to be really funny. I wanted [the musical] to be for adults, kind of like an experience, you know, kind of where everyone’s involved,” said Tapper. “I reached out to [Steven Blutig], and he has this newsletter that goes out every week. I’ve been getting it in my email for the last like 12 years, and it’s called the Daily Camp News, and it’s so funny.”

Tapper said the stories in the newsletter were very sarcastic. “I reached out to him and I said, ‘Hey, would you want to write this show with me, because you’re so funny and I’d love your humor,’ and he’s like, ‘Sure.’”

Robin Raskin from Newtown, Pennsylvania, and Emily Stumer of Robbinsville, New Jersey, are also part of the team of writers.

A year ago, they started by performing at her house and would get family and friends involved. By their performance in April at the Ardmore Music Hall, they “had 13 actors on microphones, a four-piece band and we had the full score,” said Tapper.
That wasn’t without its challenges.

“We’re not from Long Island or Westchester, so to get the word out in those areas, I’ll go out there weeks before,” said Tapper. “I’ll go store to store and introduce myself and put up posters, and we try to get local businesses involved to help get the word out.”
Tapper said their biggest challenge also made the show special: It acts as a reunion of camp friends.

“It’s actually really hard for us to get people into the theater, because they’re in the lobbies just reuniting with people all the time, and that’s been really awesome,” said Tapper.

“That’s probably one of the most fun aspects of the show: how it just reunites people.” She added that she particularly enjoyed seeing the audience “wearing their camp shirts from way back when.”

For more information and tickets, visit www.coolatcampmusical.com

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