“BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO:” IS A NEIL SEDAKA TREAT

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Christopher DeRosa and Leah Monzillo Sing and Swing to Neil Sedaka Songs
Remember back to the 1960’swhen the Bozo the Clown Punching Bop Bag, with bright red hair, squeaky nose,bop zone and sand filled base, was all the rage.  You vent your stress and frustration by hitting it down andwatching it pop right back up again, ready for another round.  How wonderful it would be if peoplecould be that resilient and could bounce back as easily when they are knockeddown by disappointment.
Just ask Marge Gelman whosefiancé left her at the altar.  Shejustifiably was devastated and depressed and despondent.  So it’s her B.F.F, best friend forever,Lois to the rescue and a three-day weekend at Esther’s Paradise Resort in theCatskill Mountains of New York as a quick fix, a temporary Band-aid, to injecta dose of momentary joy.
To journey with Marge andLois, come along to the Ivoryton Playhouse for a musical injection of NeilSedaka tunes in “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” with book by Erik Jackson and BenH. Winters, until Sunday, October 14. 
Leah Monzillo’s Marge andSheila Coyle’s Lois jump into the bevy of activities that Esther (MelanieSouza) and her resort are famous for as they try to heal one broken and bruisedheart.
The girls quickly findthemselves swept up with hunky head singer Del Delmonaco (Christopher DeRosa)who has an ego as big as the resort’s mountain range.  Initially he seems a good choice to get Marge out of herdespair but his callousness only makes the situation worse, when she realizesher mistake.  Enter Gabe (ScottScaffidi), a sincere guy who is secretly writing all of Del’s songs and lettingDel take all the credit.  Gabe seesMarge for the sweetheart she is and happiness is clearly around the corner.
A happy ending is alsoforecast for the club’s top comic Harvey (R. Bruce Connelly) who discovers,amidst all the jokes and smaltz, that he loves Esther.  Jacqueline Hubbard directs the romanticromp that is stuffed with Sedaka songs like “Where the Boys Are,” “Stupid Cupid,”“Calendar Girl,” “Solitaire,” “Laughter in the Rain” and “Love Will Keep UsTogether,” all under the musical direction of John S. DeNicola and VicPerpetua.
For tickets ($40, seniors$35, students $20, children $15), call the Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street,Ivoryton at 860-767-7318 or go online to www.ivorytonplayhouse.org.  Performances are Wednesday at 2 p.m.and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundayat 2 p.m.

Cheer for Marge to recoverher romantic equilibrium and once again find love, with the help of her bestbud Lois and the music of Neil Sedaka as her lucky charms.