Spring 2017 PSF Newsletter

The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Newsletter • Spring 2017 : THE DIRECTOR’S TAKE Awards including Best Score, Best Book, the story was presented by Prince and his Best Lyricist, Best Director, Best Leading team. It made a very big impression on me Actress in a Musical, and Best Featured and I admit to being greatly influenced by it Actor in a Musical. in my own directing style. By Dennis Razze Growing up in an era of Rodgers and The summer after I saw Evita, I found Hammerstein book musicals, I had never myself directing a mammoth production first saw the original production of seen anything like Evita—a sung through of Jesus Christ Superstar, staged outdoors in Evita in San Francisco at the Orpheum musical/opera staged in Brechtian style by Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. Much of what I Theatre in 1979 during its pre-Broad- Prince and a young choreographer named I learned experiencing Evita I adapted for way tryout period before its New York Larry Fuller. Bertolt Brecht was a German this production—the huge scale, the indus- premiere. The cast included a fiery young playwright and director I had studied in trial setting, the presentational style of sto- actress named Patti Lupone as Eva and an graduate school who, along with a collec- rytelling, and putting on trial our notions of equally young Mandy Patinkin as a bit- tion of terrific plays, had created the very who we thought Jesus to be. It was a heady ter and passionate Che, along with Bob dark musical The Threepenny Opera, scored experience for me as a very young director. Gunton playing a politically pragmatic by the genius composer Kurt Weill. Like It was the first time I had responsibility General Juan Perón. I knew nothing about The Threepenny Opera, Evita used a stage over a large budget, a cast of nearly 50, and the musical I was going to see, nor did I environment that was industrial and stark, an orchestra of more than 30 players. The frankly know anything about the Peróns. exposed the theatrical lighting, used non- production had a run of 7 performances The musical, already a hit in London, was realistic scenery, and employed a confron- and was witnessed by 7,000 cheering people to be transferred to Broadway that fall. I tational style of presentation that made the each night. had always admired the work of Hal Prince, audience the judge of the moral and politi- the director, and was a fan of Andrew cal choices of the characters. I’ve been on the team at PSF since its Lloyd Webber’s earlier rock opera, Jesus founding in 1991, and have served on the Christ Superstar. Although at the time I did not fully DeSales faculty even longer. I encountered appreciate the Argentine cultural history and Evita again in 1985 in my second year as The Broadway production of Evita the politics portrayed in Evita—I was born a a young professor at Allentown College. swept the 1980 Tony Awards and became the year after Eva Perón’s death—I was mesmer- first British musical to win the Tony Award ized by Lloyd Webber’s score and the way continues on page 3 for Best Musical. It won a total of eight Tony Dee Roscioli Paulo Szot Dan Domenech 40 Eva Perón Juan Perón Che The number of actors Elphaba in Wicked on World-renowned Drew in Rock of Ages in the cast of Evita and Broadway and Nat’l baritone; Tony Award- on Broadway; recurring tours; Fruma-Sarah in winner for Best Lead guest appearance on the largest ensemble Fiddler on the Roof on Actor in South Pacific the TV series Glee in the Festival’s history. Broadway on Broadway Notes from the Producing Artistic Director Thank You to Our Sponsors Season Sponsors We work hard to put together extraordinary David B. Rothrock & Patrina L. Rothrock teams of artists for each production in our season. Decisions are driv- Associate Season Sponsors en by our vision to create world-class Linda Lapos The Szarko Family theatre by match- Patrick Mulcahy & Paul Wirth ing terrific artists to these wonderful plays. The process is rigorous. After secur- ing 60 or more directors, designers, and Sponsors artisans who will create these entrancing worlds, we then turn our attention to casting the 100+ roles featured across the seven plays. We work to connect some of the marvelous actors who have worked with Amaranth Steve & us in the past with the next role that will Foundation Jane Auvil unlock yet another layer in their artistry, talent, and skill. We revisit lists of highly skilled actors we auditioned in the past but for Lee & Dolly Butz whom we didn’t have the right role… yet. We conduct auditions in three cities, seeing hundreds of actors in the process. We engage a Broadway casting director to help us find new talent in New York, from across the country, and across the globe—artists at the top of their game and at the top of our profession. Susan Henry Martin Brenda & John Kathleen Kund Nolan The time and attention we give to & James T. Martin, Jr McGlade & Timothy E. Nolan casting might be greater than average, but then so are the results. What a team, what a company of artists we have for you this year! Dr. James & Drs. Paul & Be sure to read their bios in the pro- Penny Pantano June Schlueter gram when you attend. A few of them are featured herein and more will follow in our next edition of The Quill. And when you join us this summer… Festival Host enjoy! Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s PSF receives state arts funding support productions of As You Like It and Troilus and through a grant from the Pennsylvania Cressida are part of Shakespeare in American Council on the Arts, a state agency funded Communities, a program of the National by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Endowment for the Arts in partnership with and the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Midwest. a federal agency. The Quill, Spring 2017 610.282.will Evita, continued music, which had its origins in 19th century Buenos I chose Evita as the first musical I would Aires. direct in the three-year-old Labuda Center. The theatre department had never really The musical director done a truly large-scale musical—certainly for Evita will once again David B. Rothrock & Patrina L. Rothrock nothing of the scope of Evita. I recall that Fr. be the talented Nate Diehl, Gerard Schubert, OSFS, didn’t like the idea, who conducted West Side and he would not approve it—until a letter Story and a number of other came from the academic dean Fr. Alexander musicals for PSF. I will have the pleasure of collaborat- Phoenix Best Jason Forbach Pocetto, OSFS, who had seen the show in Perón’s Mistress Agustin Magaldi ing with the Les Miz design New York and thought it was a great idea for Broadway: The Color Enjolras, Broadway Act 1 to tackle this operatic musical. team of Steve TenEyck on scenery, Lisa Zinni Purple; PSF: Les Miz, Revival and 25th Anniversary National Tour, I enlisted the great Alan Birney to con- on costume design, and Oklahoma!, Henry V, Cinderella Les Misérables duct the orchestra, and Christopher Patrick Eric Haugen on lighting. Mullen played a fiery Che. The production My longtime collaborator was a huge hit, selling out every night, and Stephen Casey will choreo- sustained popularity and almost mythic kickstarted the musical theatre program at graph the exciting Argentine dances for this reputation are also undeniable. Although the college, which eventually helped set the wonderful cast of extraordinarily talented the musical is told through the critical lens stage for musicals at PSF. actor/singer/dancers. of Che’s experience, it leaves final judgment‘‘ The University produced Evita once The story of the Peróns’ rise to power, up to the audience as to a final determina- again in 1999. Faculty designer Will Neuert with its marriage of politics and show busi- tion of Eva’s motives and choices. designed a magnificent raked set. The tal- ness, may remind us of the current political I hope to see you here at PSF this ented Vinny Trovato conducted an assured and social atmosphere. The duality of their summer for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony orchestra and there were a host of terrific motives is apparent and the morality of Award-winning musical, Evita! n singers in the show, including a young Dee their methods may be questioned, but their Roscioli, then a DSU theatre major, who understudied the role of Eva. The story of the Peróns’ rise to power, with its When Patrick Mulcahy marriage of politics and show business, may offered me the opportunity to remind us of the current political and social revisit Evita in 2017 for the Pennsylvania Shakespeare atmosphere. Festival, I did not hesitate. The chance to direct the show with a ‘‘ cast of terrific professional actors, singers, and dancers, using our terrific new sound system, was a thrill- ing proposition. Dee Roscioli, who understudied the role 18 years ago and has since appeared on Broadway as Elphaba in the hit musical Wicked, will play Eva, and international opera star Paulo Szot, who won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for playing Emile DeBecque Lyrics by Tim Rice in the Lincoln Center revival of South Pacific, will play Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber Juan Perón. Dan Domenech, who made his Broadway debut as Drew in Rock of Ages and has also appeared on the television show Glee, has been cast to play Che.

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