HUNCHBACK's Andrew Samonsky to Come Home for May Cabaret Concert at Rubicon Theatre

Broadway star Andrew Samonsky (South Pacific, Scandalous, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Paper Mill's The Hunchback of Notre Dame), returns to his hometown on Sunday, May 3, for a special one-night-only cabaret performance to benefit Rubicon Theatre, Ventura County's premier not-for-profit professional theatre company.

Accompanied by Musical Director and Pianist Miriam Arichea, with a special performance by Rubicon's Broadway Juniors, Samonsky will perform musical theatre favorites including "Try To Remember" and "I Can See It" (from The Fantasticks), "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Younger than Springtime" (from South Pacific), "On the Other Side" (from Queen of the Mist), and "Seeing You There" (from Ordinary Days); pop hits such as Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind"; and standards including "New York, New York."

The son of local residents Susan and Chuck Samonsky, Andrew is a native of Ventura, California, where he attended Buena High School and studied voice with Linda Ottsen. He received a Bachelor of Music in Voice at Cal State, Northridge, and went on to complete a Master of Fine Arts in Acting at U.C. Irvine. Samonsky moved to New York and was immediately cast in the National Tour of Disney's On the Record (also appearing on the cast album). It was while he was in New York that Samonsky auditioned for director Scott Schwartz and was cast in his first production at Rubicon Theatre -- the West Coast premiere of tick...tick...BOOM! Samonsky and his co-stars Wilson Cruz and Natascia Diaz received universal praise from critics, and the production transferred to The Coronet Theatre in Hollywood for a successful commercial run, where Samonsky continued to receive extraordinary notices.

Upon his return to New York, Samonsky was quickly tapped for Broadway, making his debut in South Pacific at Lincoln Center as the young romantic lead Lt. Cable with a cast including Kelli O'Hara and opera singer Paolo Szot. He reprised his role in the PBS production. Samonsky next played dual roles in the original cast of Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson (written by Kathie Lee Gifford). He returned to Lincoln Center in the role of Neville Landless in The Mystery of Edwin Drood! alongside Tony winners Jessie Mueller and Chita Rivera.

In 2012, Samonsky wowed critics and audiences with his versatility and received a Drama Desk nomination for "Best Supporting Actor" in a Musical for his extraordinary character work Off-Broadway as Frank Russell in Michael John LaChuisa's Queen of the Mist.

Other New York City credits include Encores! productions of Fiorello and Merrily We Roll Along. Samonsky has originated roles in the musicals Tales of the City, Somewhere in Time and Little Miss Sunshine. Samonsky currently stars as Phoebus in the American Premiere of the Alan Menken/Stephen Schwartz musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Samonsky has returned to Rubicon the past two holiday seasons in developmental productions of Little Miss Scrooge by Tony and Olivier Award-winner John Caird and Tony nominee Paul Gordon.

Miriam Arichea, winner of the 2014 Mayor's Arts Award for Arts Educator, serves as Musical Director for the cabaret and will accompany Samonsky on piano. She is known locally for her performances as a concert pianist and soloist with the Ventura College Symphony and the Channel Islands Chamber Orchestra. Arichea has collaborated with vocalists and instrumentalists in a variety of venues, including the Ventura Music Festival, the Ventura Master Chorale series, and the Ventura Unified Festival of Talent. Through her work on the Festival, she became acquainted with Rubicon's Education Outreach Director Brian McDonald and for the past few summers has been actively involved as Musical Director and Conductor of the organization's youth musicals, including recent productions of Beauty and the Beast and The Drowsy Chaperone. She is also the director of Rubicon's holiday Tiny Tots concerts and the Broadway Juniors. Arichea directs the youth music program at her church, and has worked with the Ventura Unified School District choirs as well as the Camarillo Youth Theatre. A lawyer by training, Arichea received her undergraduate and law degrees at Duke University. She presently handles criminal appeals as a court-appointed attorney with the California Appellate Project. Arichea lives in Ventura with her husband Jeff Brackett and their children Josh, Arielle and Daniel.

Rubicon Broadway Juniors is a program which focuses on providing education and performances opportunities to young people while making community connections and creating goodwill. The students, who were selected on the basis of talent and commitment, are composed of middle school and high school students in the County who volunteer their time and share their love of singing. The group was founded in 2012 by Miriam Arichea; and over the past two years, Rubicon's Broadway Juniors have performed in churches, in senior centers and nursing homes, at facilities for at-risk or troubled youth, and at various social and civic functions.

Tickets to ANDREW SAMONSKY: COMING HOME are $59.50 per person; $49.50 for Rubicon subscribers. All tickets include a pre-show reception of champagne and Trufflehound's chocolate strawberries. V.I.P. tickets may be purchased for $125 and include priority seating, a private post-show reception with Mr. Samonsky of wine and hors d'oeuvres, and a tax-deductible donation to the work of Rubicon. Tickets may be purchased in person through the Rubicon Theatre Company Box Office at the corner of Main and Laurel in Ventura (enter through the Laurel entrance and go downstairs). To charge by phone, call 805.667.2900. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.rubicontheatre.org.

Pictured: Andrew Samonsky in Paper Mill Playhouse's production of THE HUNCBACK OF NOTRE DAME. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

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