The Binghamton Philharmonic will continue its season on Saturday, October 22 at 7:30pm at the Helen Foley Theatre at Binghamton High School with “Walking Distance.” The performance will celebrate notable Binghamtonian Rod Serling and the evocative incidential music of Bernard Herrmann for the Twilight Zone episode “Walking Distance.”
Conductor Michael McGehee, the Los Angeles-based conductor of the Hollywood Studio Orchestra, will lead the Binghamton Philharmonic. Southern Tier Actors Read, under the direction of Judy McMahon, will read Serling’s screenplay as the orchestra plays the incidental music.
The performance, permitted through a special rights agreement with CBS Broadcasting, will even include a mechanical carousel organ, courtesy of the Endicott Rotary Foundation.
Paul Cienniwa, Executive Director of The Binghamton Philharmonic, shares insight into the unique, one time performance, and what awaits the audience.
Many associate Binghamton with the “Twilight Zone” television show and its creator, former Bennett Avenue resident Rod Serling. Those even more in the know are keenly aware that Serling’s autobiographical Twilight Zone screenplay, “Walking Distance,” was based on his Binghamton and our own Recreation Park. But did you know that the music for “Walking Distance” was created by one of the greatest film and television composers of all time?
Bernard Herrmann is probably most famous for his music for Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” His score for “Walking Distance” is anything but psychotic! Featuring 18 strings and harp, Herrmann evokes the nostalgia of Rod Serling’s Binghamton through several techniques, including: muted strings (a practice that creates a hazy, impressionist effect); “divisi” (at times, we are hearing nearly 18 separate lines in a lush texture); and, at the climax of the story, a repeated “circle of fifths” (an harmonic pattern that is both recognizable and endearing).
On October 22, conductor Michael McGehee, the Los Angeles-based conductor of the Hollywood Studio Orchestra, will lead the Binghamton Philharmonic. First, we’ll hear the incidental music by itself, arranged as a concert suite by McGee. Next, Southern Tier Actors Read, under the direction of Judy McMahon, will read Serling’s screenplay as the orchestra plays the incidental music in context. This is a perfect marriage of spoken word and music in the perfect setting: the Helen Foley Theatre at Binghamton High School, named for Serling’s drama teacher.
As many of you know, the Rec Park carousel plays a big role in “Walking Distance.” To bring our own performance to life, the Endicott Rotary Foundation will be providing a mechanical carousel organ. In addition, Two Rivers Photography Club will display a pre-concert slideshow of area carousels, using photos from their members.
“Walking Distance” will be performed by the Binghamton Philharmonic on Saturday, October 22 at 7:30pm at Helen Foley Theatre at Binghamton High School, located at 31 Main Street, Binghamton. Pre-concert refreshments will be served from from 5:30pm-7:00pm at the Bundy Museum. For tickets and more information, contact the Binghamton Philharmonic box office at 607-723-3931 or visit binghamtonphilharmonic.org
Southern Tier Actors (S.T.A.R.) Cast for “Walking Distance”
Serling: James Michalec
Narrator: Nick De Lucia
Martin: Andy Horowitz
Soda Jerk I (Charlie): Jake Donlin
Boy With Marbles: Cameron Little
Woman At Park: Katherine Boczar
Young Martin: Jack Wolf
Mr. Sloan: Joe Bardales
Mrs. Sloan: Kathleen Cook
Old Man Wilson: Nick De Lucia
Teenage with Car: Jake Donlin
Soda Jerk II: Jake Donlin
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