Sanibel Theater does it again!!! Find me a Tenor!!!!

 

Presented buy special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC

Lend me a Tenor is set in September 1934 on a very important night for the Cleveland Grand Opera Company. Henry Saunders, the general manager of the Opera Company, is primed to welcome world famous "Tito Merelli, Il Stupendo, the greatest tenor of his generation, to appear for one night only as Otello. 

The star arrives later after a huge fight with his fiery wife, Maria, and through a series of hilarious mishaps receives a double dose of tranquilizers. His pulse is so low that Saunders and is assistant Max believe he's dead. 

In a frantic attempt to salvage the evening, Saunders persuades Max to get into Merelli's Otello costume and fool the audience into thinking he's Il Stupendo. Max succeeds admirably, but Merelli comes to and gets into his other costume ready to perform. 

Now two Otellos are running around in costume and Max must navigate through one comedic disaster after the next.

Together with Saunders, they must find a way to save the Opera Company's big night in grand, farcical fashion.

 My Review:

As soon as I saw the stage with about 5-6 doors, I KNEW there would be a lot of door slamming! I was right! THEN I saw the cast and realized that The Broadway Palm actors had come to groove at the Sanibel Herb Strauss Theater!! and I also KNEW that the night would be incredibly special!

I had seen this production years ago and had forgotten so much of the fun! I never knew how well Chris Russel ~ Max and Joel Stigliano ~ Tito Merelli,  (sure, with a name like that, I sorta went 'DUH..') sang. Their incredible operatic renditions were spot-on and breath-taking. Great work, guys!

Rob Summers, a actor that seems to thrive on extremely angst-ridden and constantly highly emotional characters. His maintenance of said emotions keeps him at the forefront of being wanted for productions like these. How he's managed not to have strokes when portraying these characters, is a mystery to me.. but he's amazing!

Here is lots more info on the show, the venue, the cast:

Keep your eyes on and your Bridge Pass paid up to get out to Sanibel's Herb Strauss Theater

here's how to keep up with the goings on~

https://www.bigarts.org/performing-arts/ 

Kopit/Yeston's Amazing "Phantom" now at The Broadway Palm!!

THE EXQUISITE MASTERPIECE “PHANTOM”

COMES TO BROADWAY PALM!

            FORT MYERS, Fla – December 15, 2016 – Broadway Palm is proud to present the exquisite masterpiece, Yeston and Kopit’s Phantom, playing December 29, 2016 through February 11, 2017. From the Tony Award-winning team of Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit who wrote Titanic, Grand Hotel and Nine comes Phantom in an epic and passionate tale of murder, intrigue and romance!

Based on Gaston Leroux’s timeless love story The Phantom of the Opera, the Yeston and Kopit version of Phantom is told with more passion and emotion than the Lloyd Webber version. The musical tells the heartbreaking story of the disfigured musical genius, known as the Phantom, and his muse, Christine Daae, the beautiful ingénue of the Paris Opera. Their musical affair unfolds deep in the catacombs of the opera house, where the Phantom finds salvation in Christine’s breathtaking voice. Critics claim “Tops any version you have seen..” - The Reporter, “Spectacular. A spellbinding production!” - Sun Times, “This PHANTOM tops Webbers!” - Daily Herald, and “A Must- See! -NBC- TV.

Directing Phantom is Brian Enzman and choreographing is Amy Marie McCleary.  The cast includes Troy Bruchwalski as the Phantom and newcomer Maxwell Porterfield as Christine. Mr. Bruchwalski holds a Bachelor of Music in Opera from the Cleveland Institute of Music and is currently pursuing his NASM Personal Training certification. His credits include Ragtime National Tour as Father, Camelot National Tour as King Arthur/Sir Lionel, My Fair Lady as Freddy-Eynsford Hill, Les Miserables as Javert, Shrek: the Musical as Shrek, Beauty and the Beast as Gaston and most recently Bob Wallace in White Christmas. Ms. Porterfield is a classically trained soprano whose dynamism and energy have enlivened stages throughout the United States. Highlights from over twenty roles in her repertoire include Blonde in The Abduction from the Seraglio, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Despina in Cosi fan tutte, Frasquita in Carmen, and Julie Jordan inCarousel. 

Get your tickets today for Yeston and Kopit’s Phantom playing December 29, 2016 through February 11, 2017 at Broadway Palm. Performances are Tuesday through Sunday evenings with selected matinees. Ticket prices range from $40 to $65 with discounts for groups of 20 or more. Tickets are now on sale and can be reserved by calling (239) 278-4422, by visiting BroadwayPalm.com or by stopping by the box office at 1380 Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers.

Troy Bruchwalski as the Phantom and Maxwell Porterfield as Christine Daae

My Review:

Not to be confused with The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)

Although it has never appeared on Broadway and has been overshadowed by the success of the 1986 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Yeston and Kopit's Phantom has received over 1,000 productions.n.

Phantom is a musical with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Arthur Kopit.^[2]Based on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera, the musical was first presented in Houston, Texas in 1991.

Not to be confused with The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)

A totally different rendition, musically from ALW (Andrew Lloyd Weber) 

From Wikipedia: 

Yeston and Kopit had just finished the musical Nine, winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1982, when in 1983 they were approached by actor/director Geoffrey Holder to write a musical based on Leroux's novel. Holder had obtained the rights to musicalize the novel in America from the Leroux estate, making Phantom the only Phantom of the Opera musical to do so.^[2] Holder planned to direct. Initially, Yeston was skeptical of the project. "I laughed and laughed.... That's the worst idea in the world! Why would you want to write a musical based on a horror story?.... And then it occurred to me that the story could be somewhat changed.... [The Phantom] would be a Quasimodo character, an Elephant Man. Don't all of us feel, despite outward imperfections, that deep inside we're good? And that is a character you cry for."^[3]

In this Production, we are brought more aware of The Phantom as a real man and given a 

bit of history about his life: He was born with a deformed face and as a small boy named Eric. pro.

Eric's father created for his son a unique and beautiful life for him beneath the opera house 

where he could live in comfort and free of distress and still allow him the joy of the opera.

As Eric grew up and surrounded his life more and more in the opera, he was able to get to 

know and decide who he liked and who he disliked in the opera world. Suddenly, he hears

an Angel: Christine Daae. 

I MUST say that in just one word, the costuming, sets, voices, .. everything is MAJESTIC.

 I can't think of any other word to cover the joy of this masterpiece. Every time I think The 

Broadway Palm has pulled off an amazing feat, the next production outshines the previous

one,. 

The cast below is breath-taking. You will remember, perhaps the voice of Troy Bruchwalski

who was in White Christmas as well. 

And I MUST add that Sami Dohtery was the lead in White Chrismas proves to be the most

wonderful ballerina in Phantom.. You're amazing, Girl!