Undergraduate
"Breaking up is Hard to Do," Neil Sedaka musical, at Saint Michael's Playhouse, July 28 to August 8
Burlington native comes home from Broadway to perform a feel-good musical
Contact Information:
Buff Lindau, Public Relations
802.654.2536
blindau@smcvt.edu
The new Neil Sedaka blockbuster musical, BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO, is on stage at the Saint Michael's Playhouse, Tuesday, July 28 through Saturday, August 8, featuring Thomas Cannizzaro, Burlington native who appeared for the entire four-year Broadway run of Monty Python's Spamalot and on Broadway in Camelot. BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO performances are Tuesday, July 28 through Saturday, August 1, at 8 p.m. each evening, and Tuesday, August 4 through Saturday, August 8, at 8 p.m. each evening, and Saturday, August 1, and Saturday, August 8, also at 2 p.m., in the McCarthy
Arts Center on the campus of Saint Michael's College.
Neil Sedaka's most popular songs spin a light-hearted tale of mistaken identity, friendship and love at a Catskills resort in 1959. Two Brooklyn girlfriends, searching for a good time weekend, take us back to the innocent summers of "Laughter in the Rain," "Next Door to an Angel," "Solitaire," and "Love Will Keep Us Together" in this retro feel-good musical.
After a considerable Broadway run, Burlington native Thomas Cannizzaro says he is excited to make his first appearance at the Saint Michael's Playhouse, singing joyous Neil Sedaka music in a show his family can easily come see. It's been 16 years since he appeared locally in Godspell and before that in all the musicals at Burlington High School.
"I love to sing, and to make people laugh-I'm really excited to be in this show," Cannizzaro said. He appeared in eight shows a week for four years in Spamalot (original cast). He has appeared in tours of Grease (Brazil), Cabaret, The Velveteen Rabbit (Theatreworks USA), and regionally at the Goodspeed Opera House, Northshore Music Theatre, Ogunquit Playhouse and on TV on Jay Leno, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and on the Tony's.
Keith Andrews, is director and choreographer for BREAKING UP. He directed the Saint Michael's Playhouse, knock-out season opener, Dames at Sea. Now in his fifth Playhouse season, Andrews produced Barnum, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Suds, My Way, Pirates of Penzance and Big River. He has directed the National Tours of The Full Monty and Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh as well as other regional productions. Recent credits include The Full Monty, staring Sally Struthers and Hunter Foster, Side Show, The Wedding Singer, and the world premieres of Love, Incorporated and the first ice skating musical, Cold As Ice, staring Olympic Gold medalist, Oksana Baiul. He has also performed in such productions as West Side Story, Mame, Phantom of the Opera and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. He directs and choreographs student showcases at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.
Cast of BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO
Thomas Cannizzaro as Del
Bill Carmichael as Harvey, is in this season's Playhouse production of How the Other Half Loves. He was last seen on Broadway in Mamma Mia. Other Broadway credits include Les Miserables, Cats and Peter Pan, and the original production and recording of Forbidden Broadway. In Los Angeles he appeared in U.S. premieres of Ragtime, Forever Plaid and Sweeney Todd with Kelsey Grammer. His national tours include Phantom of the Opera, City of Angels and Cats. He was Major General Stanley in the Saint Michael's Playhouse production of Pirates and the Ringmaster in Barnum. He appeared locally in Northern Stage productions of Crucible and Mid-life Crisis: the Musical and Sight Unseen at the Flynn.
Brian Golub as Gabe, is making his Playhouse debut. He has appeared in multiple Broadway benefits including Hair & Chess, Naked Boys Singing, Rock of Ages, Fleet Week, Caligula, Floyd Collins. His regional work includes Hairspray (Walnut St. Theatre), The Wedding Singer (Gateway Playhouse), All Shook Up & Les Miserables (Maine State MT), and many other regional theaters. He was in the 2009 Disney film, When in Rome, and is a founding member of the Transcendence Theatre Company.
Lucy Sorensen as Marge, is appearing in the Playhouse production of How the Other Half Loves. Ms. Sorenson appeared in New York City in Sympathy Jones (NYMF), Sarah, Plain & Tall, and We Tell the Story (Lortel). Her regional work includes Radio City Christmas Spectacular as Mrs. Claus (Grand Ole Opry), SUDS (Saint Michael's Playhouse), Georgie in Full Monty (Maltz Jupiter), and Iron curtain (O'Neill Theater Conference). Her favorite credits include My Fair Lady (London cast), Parade (Lucille), and A Little Night Music (Petra), along with many workshops and recordings.
Michelle Scully as Lois, is appearing in the Playhouse production of How the Other Half Loves. Ms. Scully just played May in an Off-Broadway production of Sam Shepard's Fool for Love. She played both Sandy and Marty in the European tour of Grease. She earned raves for her role in the NE Florida premiere of Breaking up is Hard to Do at the Alhambra Dinner Theater. She played Belle in A Christmas Carol (European Tour), Molly in Kitty (14th St. Theater), Mama/Lula in Little Red Riding Hood (Theaterworks/USA), and is set to play Suzanne in the upcoming feature film Eventually Yours.
Kathryn Markey as Esther, has appeared in the Playhouse productions of Brighton Beach Memoirs, Broadway Bound, Perfect ... Change, Into the Woods Pirates of Penzance and Suds. She is a featured writer and performer at Symphony Space in New York. Her recent appearances include The Thalia Follies with Jane Curtin, Bloomsday, and Wall to Wall Broadway Musicals. She appeared on Broadway in Three from Brooklyn, Dancing at Lughnasa, Selected Shorts: Eudora Welty (NPR), Jumping Blind (Gayfest 2008), Ragtime (WPPAC), Thoroughly Modern Millie (NL Barn), and others. Her Screen credits include Law and Order, All My Children, and dozens of feature film voice overs. She is part of a satirical country band The Chalks which has been on Comedy Central, The Toyota Comedy Festival and elsewhere.
2009 Editor's Choice by Yankee Magazine
The Saint Michael's Playhouse was selected as a 2009 Editors' Choice by Yankee Magazine Travel Guide making it "one of the top must-see attractions in New England." The 2008 Playhouse season saw a 50 percent increase in attendance over the past five years, with over 15,000 audience members seeing a show.
Greater Burlington's professional Actors' Equity summer theater brings stellar talent from Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theaters nationwide, "right here in our own backyard!"
"Our company and crew of some 80 professional theater artists bring full-scale custom-produced shows, not one-night touring stops," said Chuck Tobin, Playhouse Producing Artistic Director. This past theater season the Saint Michael's Playhouse was named "one of the best regional theater companies in America" by the New York City Drama League, and is now a member of the distinguished Theater Excellence in America Program.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.saintmichaelsplayhouse.org (24 hours a day, 7 days a week), by phone 802.654.2281, or in person at the walk-up window at the Playhouse Box Office in the McCarthy Arts Center on the campus of Saint Michael's College. Box office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 802.654.2281 to request a Playhouse brochure. Single tickets evenings $34 per ticket; matinees $28 per ticket.
Saint Michael's Playhouse is Greater Burlington's professional summer theater, celebrating live theater, nationally renowned Equity actors, and a Professional Theater Internship Program for college students, in the heart of Northern Vermont's liveliest community. From its humble beginnings in 1947, Saint Michael's Playhouse has blossomed into an eight-week theater season housed in one of Vermont's finest theater venues, Saint Michael's McCarthy Arts Center. As the area's only professional summer theater, Saint Michael's Playhouse features stellar talent from Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theaters nationwide, hiring actors and stage managers who are members of Actor's Equity Association - the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. Each season approximately 15,000 theatergoers experience the unparalleled opportunity to see live, professional New York-caliber theater, produced and presented right here in Vermont. More information is available at www.saintmichaelsplayhouse.org.
Photo caption: Michele Scully as Lois and Thomas Cannizzaro as Del
Buff Lindau, Public Relations
802.654.2536
blindau@smcvt.edu
The new Neil Sedaka blockbuster musical, BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO, is on stage at the Saint Michael's Playhouse, Tuesday, July 28 through Saturday, August 8, featuring Thomas Cannizzaro, Burlington native who appeared for the entire four-year Broadway run of Monty Python's Spamalot and on Broadway in Camelot. BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO performances are Tuesday, July 28 through Saturday, August 1, at 8 p.m. each evening, and Tuesday, August 4 through Saturday, August 8, at 8 p.m. each evening, and Saturday, August 1, and Saturday, August 8, also at 2 p.m., in the McCarthy Arts Center on the campus of Saint Michael's College.
Neil Sedaka's most popular songs spin a light-hearted tale of mistaken identity, friendship and love at a Catskills resort in 1959. Two Brooklyn girlfriends, searching for a good time weekend, take us back to the innocent summers of "Laughter in the Rain," "Next Door to an Angel," "Solitaire," and "Love Will Keep Us Together" in this retro feel-good musical.
After a considerable Broadway run, Burlington native Thomas Cannizzaro says he is excited to make his first appearance at the Saint Michael's Playhouse, singing joyous Neil Sedaka music in a show his family can easily come see. It's been 16 years since he appeared locally in Godspell and before that in all the musicals at Burlington High School.
"I love to sing, and to make people laugh-I'm really excited to be in this show," Cannizzaro said. He appeared in eight shows a week for four years in Spamalot (original cast). He has appeared in tours of Grease (Brazil), Cabaret, The Velveteen Rabbit (Theatreworks USA), and regionally at the Goodspeed Opera House, Northshore Music Theatre, Ogunquit Playhouse and on TV on Jay Leno, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and on the Tony's.
Keith Andrews, is director and choreographer for BREAKING UP. He directed the Saint Michael's Playhouse, knock-out season opener, Dames at Sea. Now in his fifth Playhouse season, Andrews produced Barnum, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Suds, My Way, Pirates of Penzance and Big River. He has directed the National Tours of The Full Monty and Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh as well as other regional productions. Recent credits include The Full Monty, staring Sally Struthers and Hunter Foster, Side Show, The Wedding Singer, and the world premieres of Love, Incorporated and the first ice skating musical, Cold As Ice, staring Olympic Gold medalist, Oksana Baiul. He has also performed in such productions as West Side Story, Mame, Phantom of the Opera and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. He directs and choreographs student showcases at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.
Cast of BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO
Thomas Cannizzaro as Del
Bill Carmichael as Harvey, is in this season's Playhouse production of How the Other Half Loves. He was last seen on Broadway in Mamma Mia. Other Broadway credits include Les Miserables, Cats and Peter Pan, and the original production and recording of Forbidden Broadway. In Los Angeles he appeared in U.S. premieres of Ragtime, Forever Plaid and Sweeney Todd with Kelsey Grammer. His national tours include Phantom of the Opera, City of Angels and Cats. He was Major General Stanley in the Saint Michael's Playhouse production of Pirates and the Ringmaster in Barnum. He appeared locally in Northern Stage productions of Crucible and Mid-life Crisis: the Musical and Sight Unseen at the Flynn.
Brian Golub as Gabe, is making his Playhouse debut. He has appeared in multiple Broadway benefits including Hair & Chess, Naked Boys Singing, Rock of Ages, Fleet Week, Caligula, Floyd Collins. His regional work includes Hairspray (Walnut St. Theatre), The Wedding Singer (Gateway Playhouse), All Shook Up & Les Miserables (Maine State MT), and many other regional theaters. He was in the 2009 Disney film, When in Rome, and is a founding member of the Transcendence Theatre Company.
Lucy Sorensen as Marge, is appearing in the Playhouse production of How the Other Half Loves. Ms. Sorenson appeared in New York City in Sympathy Jones (NYMF), Sarah, Plain & Tall, and We Tell the Story (Lortel). Her regional work includes Radio City Christmas Spectacular as Mrs. Claus (Grand Ole Opry), SUDS (Saint Michael's Playhouse), Georgie in Full Monty (Maltz Jupiter), and Iron curtain (O'Neill Theater Conference). Her favorite credits include My Fair Lady (London cast), Parade (Lucille), and A Little Night Music (Petra), along with many workshops and recordings.
Michelle Scully as Lois, is appearing in the Playhouse production of How the Other Half Loves. Ms. Scully just played May in an Off-Broadway production of Sam Shepard's Fool for Love. She played both Sandy and Marty in the European tour of Grease. She earned raves for her role in the NE Florida premiere of Breaking up is Hard to Do at the Alhambra Dinner Theater. She played Belle in A Christmas Carol (European Tour), Molly in Kitty (14th St. Theater), Mama/Lula in Little Red Riding Hood (Theaterworks/USA), and is set to play Suzanne in the upcoming feature film Eventually Yours.
Kathryn Markey as Esther, has appeared in the Playhouse productions of Brighton Beach Memoirs, Broadway Bound, Perfect ... Change, Into the Woods Pirates of Penzance and Suds. She is a featured writer and performer at Symphony Space in New York. Her recent appearances include The Thalia Follies with Jane Curtin, Bloomsday, and Wall to Wall Broadway Musicals. She appeared on Broadway in Three from Brooklyn, Dancing at Lughnasa, Selected Shorts: Eudora Welty (NPR), Jumping Blind (Gayfest 2008), Ragtime (WPPAC), Thoroughly Modern Millie (NL Barn), and others. Her Screen credits include Law and Order, All My Children, and dozens of feature film voice overs. She is part of a satirical country band The Chalks which has been on Comedy Central, The Toyota Comedy Festival and elsewhere.
2009 Editor's Choice by Yankee Magazine
The Saint Michael's Playhouse was selected as a 2009 Editors' Choice by Yankee Magazine Travel Guide making it "one of the top must-see attractions in New England." The 2008 Playhouse season saw a 50 percent increase in attendance over the past five years, with over 15,000 audience members seeing a show.
Greater Burlington's professional Actors' Equity summer theater brings stellar talent from Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theaters nationwide, "right here in our own backyard!"
"Our company and crew of some 80 professional theater artists bring full-scale custom-produced shows, not one-night touring stops," said Chuck Tobin, Playhouse Producing Artistic Director. This past theater season the Saint Michael's Playhouse was named "one of the best regional theater companies in America" by the New York City Drama League, and is now a member of the distinguished Theater Excellence in America Program.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.saintmichaelsplayhouse.org (24 hours a day, 7 days a week), by phone 802.654.2281, or in person at the walk-up window at the Playhouse Box Office in the McCarthy Arts Center on the campus of Saint Michael's College. Box office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 802.654.2281 to request a Playhouse brochure. Single tickets evenings $34 per ticket; matinees $28 per ticket.
Saint Michael's Playhouse is Greater Burlington's professional summer theater, celebrating live theater, nationally renowned Equity actors, and a Professional Theater Internship Program for college students, in the heart of Northern Vermont's liveliest community. From its humble beginnings in 1947, Saint Michael's Playhouse has blossomed into an eight-week theater season housed in one of Vermont's finest theater venues, Saint Michael's McCarthy Arts Center. As the area's only professional summer theater, Saint Michael's Playhouse features stellar talent from Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theaters nationwide, hiring actors and stage managers who are members of Actor's Equity Association - the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. Each season approximately 15,000 theatergoers experience the unparalleled opportunity to see live, professional New York-caliber theater, produced and presented right here in Vermont. More information is available at www.saintmichaelsplayhouse.org.
Photo caption: Michele Scully as Lois and Thomas Cannizzaro as Del
