Arden Cabaret Series Presents Mary Martello Next Month
By: BWW News Desk Jan. 26, 2017
Martello will tackle the role of Mama Rose in the iconic musical GYPSY at the Arden from May 18 - June 18, marking her 17th collaboration with Arden Theatre Company.
Mary Martello started performing at the age of seven. As a proud Philadelphian, she has performed leading roles on most every stage including the Arden Theatre Company, Peoples Light and Theatre, The Wilma Theater, Walnut Street Theatre, 1812 Productions, Azuka Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company, Lantern Theater Company, the Prince Theater and with The Philadelphia Orchestra. She is the recipient of five Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre and the 2016 Lantern Luminary Award. Regionally, Martello performed at BoarsHead Theatre in Michigan, Light Opera of Manhattan and The Public Theatre in New York and Foundation Theatre, Passage Theatre and McCarter Theatre in New Jersey.
About the show
SONGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME is inspired by what Martello says has been her, "Year of the Mother." She opened the theatre season by starring in the Lantern Theatre Company's production of Mrs. Warren's Profession, playing a mother of complex character and profession. In March, she stars as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest at Walnut Street Theatre, and she closes out the theatre season starring as Mama Rose in the Arden Theatre Company's production of GYPSY.
Martello says, "The fierceness of all three of these women, and what they do for their children, has made me consider the mystery that our mothers are to all of us, and we how we absorb and embrace that mystery and pass it on to our own children. Though my mother is no longer with us, my relationship and understanding of her and the gifts she gave me continually unfold. Mothers never die."
When asked to put together this intimate evening, Martello began assembling songs that reminded her of her mother or were sung to her by her mother. Delivered as only Martello can, she will weave together song, stories and monologues that include Noel Coward, Rachmaninoff, "cowboy songs," lullabies and popular songs from the 1950s.
Martello's son, professional musician Benjamin Rogerson, will accompany her on guitar, and Ryan Touey accompanies on piano.
Arden Cabaret Series
The Arden Cabaret Series was created to provide an opportunity for artists to perform, develop and present work that is important to them, and offers a unique and intimate conversation between Arden artists and audiences.
Arden Artistic Associate Matthew Decker says, "When we opened the Hamilton Family Arts Center we realized we have the perfect space for cabaret in our 100-seat Studio Theatre. Many of our cabaret performers work regularly at the Arden and at other theatres in the region, and the intimacy of the Studio Theatre gives our audiences, and perhaps new audiences, a chance to see their favorite performers in an up-close and personal way."
Decker adds, "We realize that the local cabaret scene often features performers from outside of Philly. Philadelphia is home to some of the finest actors in the region, and to be able to showcase those talents is both thrilling for us and deserved for them."
Next up in the Arden Cabaret Series is actor and vocalist Ben Dibble on March 17 and 18 at 8pm.
Tickets and Reservations
Premium tables for $200 are available that seat four patrons each. General admission table seating is also available for $30 per person. All seating is BYOB, and the Arden supplies complementary corking service and cups, upon request.
Patrons are invited to BYOB and bring their own snacks, or they can buy drinks at the new Arden bar, open at every performance. Theatre meals and light snacks are available for pre-purchase from Wedge and Fig for $15. Boxed meals can be picked up at the box office up to one hour before the show's start time to be enjoyed before or during the show. Details here.
Arden donors and subscribers receive a $5 ticket discount. For tickets, call the Arden Box Office at 215.922.1122, visit here or walk-up at the box office at 40 N. 2nd Street in Old City, Philadelphia.
About the Arden
Founded in 1988, Arden Theatre Company is dedicated to bringing to life great stories by great storytellers-on the stage, in the classroom, and in the community. Five productions are staged each season as part of the Mainstage series and two productions through Arden Children's Theatre, the city's first resident professional children's theatre program. New work is produced through the Independence Foundation New Play Showcase. The Arden's Education Department includes: Arden for All (AFA), a theatre access and education program for underserved young people; Arden Drama School, the after-school, Saturday, and summer camp classes for students in grades pre K-12; Teen Arden, an immersive after-school access program for Philadelphia-area based teenagers; and the Arden Professional Apprentice Program, a nationally renowned comprehensive theatre management training program. The Hamilton Family Arts Center is the new facility dedicated to education programs and new play development.
The Arden has received numerous honors including 65 awards and 334 nominations from the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. The Arden is a winner of four "Theatre Company of the Year" designations (Philadelphia Inquirer), six Philadelphia Magazine "Best of Philly" awards and three "Best of Philly Kids" awards, the City Paper's Reader's Choice Award and the prestigious "Great Friend to Kids Award" from the Please Touch Museum for Arden Children's Theatre work. For accessibility efforts, the Arden was named a "Keystone of Accessibility" by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Arden Theatre Company is a professional, nonprofit 501(c)(3) theatre company and a member of the Theatre Communications Group, the League of Resident Theatres, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Old City Arts Association. The Arden also participates in The Barrymore Awards, a program of Theatre Philadelphia.
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