If you’re a teenager in America with access to cable TV, Chris Colfer may well be one of your heroes – especially if you’re gay, have gay friends or have experienced bullying, since those are major themes of the hit musical series Glee, in which he co-stars as Kurt Hummel. The series has used episodes from the openly gay Golden Globe-winner and two-time Emmy nominee’s own life as the bases for some of its plotlines; and the extraordinary range of his singing voice, which can reach up to a high F, gets put to good use in the popular high-school based show.
Even if you’re not a teenager, there’s probably at least one in your life who will be excited to know that a new comedy film starring and written by Colfer (who has also authored a couple of best-selling Young Adult novels) is premiering on Sunday, January 6. At the same time that Struck by Lightning gets its red-carpet launch in Los Angeles, at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the Rosendale Theatre will host a first-run screening of it. And at the conclusion of the film, Colfer himself will join in remotely from LA for a live interactive webcast question-and-answer session.
Struck by Lighting is an Official Selection of the 2012 TriBeCa Film Festival. The movie’s plot concerns high school senior Carson Phillips (Chris Colfer), who is aiming for bigger things than his close-minded small town could ever offer when he is suddenly killed by a bolt of lightning in his school parking lot. Demonstrating that life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans, Carson recounts the last few weeks of his life via flashbacks revealing his scheme to blackmail his classmates into contributing to a literary magazine that he is publishing. Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids) plays Carson’s best friend, Allison Janney (Juno, The West Wing) his alcoholic mother, Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding) his estranged father and Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) his Dad’s pregnant fiancée.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Struck by Lighting “plays like an extended episode of that hit show [Glee] minus the musical interludes.” Getting this premiere slot is quite a coup for our funky neighborhood cinema in Rosendale.
Struck by Lighting premiere screening followed by live remote Q & A with Chris Colfer. Sunday, January 6, 8 p.m., $7 general admission/$5 members, Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main Street/Route 213, Rosendale; (845) 658-8989, https://rosendaletheatre.org.
Join the family! 
