Kristin Carbone, Peter Lockyer, Michael St. John and Jennifer Hope Wills to Bring 'MY ROMANCE' to Riverside Theatre

Allen D. Cornell, Riverside Theatre's Producing Artistic Director, and Ken Clifton, Riverside's Musical Director, have teamed up to create a special theatrical event showcasing some of the most beloved music by Broadway legend, Richard Rodgers. My Romance: The Work of Richard Rodgers takes place on the Stark Stage on Tuesday, November 14, 2017.

Featuring four highly accomplished Broadway and New York performers, this musical journey through the Richard Rodgers catalogue is an insightful look into the talents of a man that changed Broadway forever.

"After last season's success with David Pittsinger in concert, Ken and I wanted to showcase the remarkable work of a musical master," says Mr. Cornell. "These memorable tunes are lush, comical, romantic, and indicative of the lasting impression of a good song. I'm excited for our audiences to hear these timeless classics performed by our exceptional cast."

Richard Rodgers was a pioneer in crafting what became the quintessential American musical, integrating stories from books and plays and creating seamless storytelling from speech to song. Rodgers won every major award possible in his field becoming the first person to win an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) and the Pulitzer Prize. His collaborations with the Lorenz Hart and later with Oscar Hammerstein II created indelible theatrical musicals including: Oklahoma, Pal Joey, South Pacific, The King and I, The Sound of Music, Babes in Arms, and Cinderella, to name a few.

"It's been a great deal of work to translate this music to just pianos and vocal, but so fun and worth the effort," said Ken Clifton. "Such truly beautiful and memorable music is timeless and dare I say eternal. We have brought together four remarkable singers and with the artistry and talent of Anne Shuttlesworth, this promises to be one of the highlights of our season. This is more than a walk down memory lane.... It's a celebration of music."

My Romance: The Works of Richard Rodgers stars Kristin Carbone (Cinderella, Mary Poppins, Into The Woods), Peter Lockyer (Les Misèrables, Miss Saigon, La Bohème), Michael St. John (Les Misèrables, The Pirates of Penzance, The Little Prince), and Jennifer Hope Wills (The Phantom of the Opera, Wonderful Town, The Woman in White) with direction by Allen D. Cornell and musical direction by Ken Clifton. Performers will be accompanied by two grand pianos played by Mr. Clifton and Ms. Shuttlesworth.

The evening will include songs: "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning," "Climb Every Mountain," "Oklahoma," "Funny Valentine," "The Sound of Music," "Cock Eyed Optimist," "Do Re Mi," "Hello Young Lovers," "My Romance," and many, many more.

Mr. Clifton and Ms. Shuttlesworth will also shine in their instrumental piano interpretations from the Rodgers songbook.

My Romance: The Music of Richard Rodgers performs November 14, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. on the Stark Stage at Riverside Theatre. Tickets are $45. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 772-231-6990 or online at www.riversidetheatre.com.

Riverside Theatre's 44nd Season includes: Million Dollar Quartet (January 2-21), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (January 16 - February 4), Lombardi (January 30 - February 18), Gypsy (March 6-25), Buyer & Cellar (March 20 - April 8) and Mamma Mia (April 10-29).

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Kristin Carbone - In over 20 years as a New York and Broadway actor, Kristin has been fortunate to share the Broadway stage with Harvey Fierstein as Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof, and to play the Fairy Godmother AND the evil Stepmother to Keke Palmer's Cinderella in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. She played the role of Mrs. Banks opposite Tony-winner Dan Jenkins as Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins on Broadway, and last but not least was seen as Milky White (The Cow) in Into The Woods, sharing the stage with Vanessa Williams. On tour, Kristin played Magnolia opposite Ned Beatty in the glorious Hal Prince version of Show Boat, and was type-cast as the Sugar Bowl in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. She also sang "The Phantom of The Opera" with Michael Crawford on his Music of the Night Tour. Other favorite roles in numerous regional productions include Christine in Phantom at the Walnut Street Theatre, Marian in The Music Man at Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Luisa in The Fantasticks at USFT, Amalia in She Loves Me and Julie in Carousel at West Virginia Public, and Lilli/Kate in Kiss Me, Kate at the Lyceum Theatre. Kristin and her husband, Michael St. John, recently relocated to Florida with their 2 great kids, and are so thrilled to be here at the beautiful Riverside Theatre. Many thanks to Allen and Jon for having us! www.kristincarbone.com.

Peter Lockyer made his Broadway debut in the Dutch production of Cyrano the Musical and has since gone on to play leading roles in some of Broadway's most popular shows. He recently played Jean Valjean for the 30th Anniversary Gala in the original production of Les Misèrables at The Queen's Theatre in London's West End, a role he also played in the North American Tour in over 70 cities. Prior to playing Jean Valjean, he was Marius in the 10th Anniversary production of Les Miserables on Broadway, a role he also played in the China Premiere in Shanghai starring Colm Wilkinson. He was also Chris in Miss Saigon both on Broadway and in the First National Tour. Also on Broadway, Peter played the role of Rodolfo in Baz Luhrmann's critically acclaimed production of La Bohème. Peter was featured in Lincoln Center Theatre's revival of South Pacific, which aired on PBS nationally and he was also a longtime cast member of Broadway's The Phantom of the Opera. In the summer of 2007, Peter had the great honor of being one of four Broadway guest stars for Barbra Streisand in her historical, first European Concert tour. In 2008, Peter was nominated for a Connecticut Critics Circle Award for his performance as Tom in The Glass Menagerie at The Ivoryton Playhouse. On TV, Peter played Yonkers in the CBS telefilm Gypsy, starring Bette Midler. He was recognized with the 2011 Connecticut Critics Circle award for Best Director of a Play for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at The Ivoryton Playhouse. As an avid sports fan, he has enjoyed singing both the American and Canadian national anthems at Major League Baseball games and NFL football games across the U.S. He graduated magna cum laude from New York University receiving a B.S. in Music Education and Educational Theatre and also received an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of British Columbia. He is a proud dual citizen of both the USA and Canada and lives in New York City. Peter continues to perform with symphonies across North America, he coaches executives on presentation skills and performance and lives in New York City with his wife, Melanie.

Michael St. John has been performing across the United States and Canada for 25 years. He toured the continent playing the roles of Thenardier and The Bishop of Digne in the Broadway Tour of Les Miserables for 5 years. In addition, he performed with John Reed of D'Oyly Carte fame in the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players' production of The Pirates of Penzance, and shared the stage with Tony Danza in the Off-Broadway production of How Deep is the Ocean. He also played to New York audiences as The Fox in The Little Prince. Regionally he performed at Walnut St. Theatre in the Yeston/Kopit Phantom, and went on to perform the title role of the Phantom in 5 regional productions across country. In fact, he was lucky enough to perform that role opposite both of the leading ladies in this evening's performance - one of whom would become his wife! Other regional roles include: Mike in Three Joisey Tenors at the Bickford Theatre, Stride in Jekyll and Hyde at Carousel Dinner Theatre, Peron in Evita and Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar. Michael and his wife Kristin Carbone along with their 2 children became Florida residents in August of this year. Thank you to Hurricane Irma and to Riverside Theatre for making this transition one he will never forget! Thank you to Allen and Jon for this opportunity.

Jennifer Hope Wills is thrilled to return to Riverside Theatre for her 4th Fall Concert! Ms. Wills spent nearly four years starring as Christine in the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera. Other Broadway credits include her critically acclaimed portrayal of Eileen in Wonderful Town opposite Brooke Shields (New Broadway Cast recording), The Woman in White and Beauty & the Beast. Off Broadway, Jennifer appeared as Della in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn at City Center Encores! Favorite regional credits include Magnolia in Showboat and Fiona in Brigadoon (both at Sacramento Music Circus), Maria in The Sound of Music and Julie in Carousel (both at Pittsburgh CLO), Marian in The Music Man, Rose in Aspects of Love and Sharon in Finian's Rainbow (all at Walnut Street Theatre), Guinevere in Camelot, AbiGail Adams in 1776 and Eliza in My Fair Lady. NYC concerts at Town Hall, Merkin Concert Hall and Joe's Pub. Headlined with Omaha, Houston, Portland, Austin and Roanoke Symphonies to name a few. Mom to Vincent! www.jenniferhopewills.com

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