Pittsburgh CLO Revives Romantic Comedy THE STUDENT PRINCE 8/3-8

Fall in love with Pittsburgh CLO's production of the warm and witty romantic comedy The Student Prince, August 3-8 at the Benedum Center. This classic American operetta has captured audiences for more than 85 years.

Based on the play "Old Heidelberg" by Rudolf Bleichman, The Student Prince is the story of Prince Karl. Bored with royal life, the prince sets off to finish his studies and find a freedom far away from the mythical kingdom of Karlsberg. Surrounded by fellow students, he is swept away by the sights, the sounds and the sentimental song of Kathie, the innkeeper's daughter. Their friendship gives way to true love, but when news arrives that the king has died; Prince Karl must return home for his coronation and his wedding! Will he honor an arranged marriage with a proper Princess or abandon his kingdom for Kathie? The show's majestic score features the timeless "Golden Days," "Deep In My Heart" and the celebrated "Drinking Song."

ABOUT THE CAST

Ed Dixon (Dr. Engel) Broadway appearances include Sunday in the Park with George, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Gore Vidal's The Best Man, The Iceman Cometh, Les Misérables, Cyrano, The Three Musketeers, King of Schnorrers, No, No, Nanette and The Scarlet Pimpernel. Mr. Dixon is the author/composer of Shylock, Cather County, Richard Cory, Fanny Hill and Whodunit... The Musical. Honors include Two Drama Desk Nominations, Steinberg Grant, Dramalogue, Leon Rabin and two Dean's Lists Awards.

Madeleine Doherty (Gretchen) returns to Pittsburgh CLO after her performances in Hairspray and The Producers this summer. She has performed on Broadway and off-Broadway in hit musicals including Les Misérables, The Producers (Original cast Hold-Me-Touch-Me), Christmas Carol (Original cast), and Romance, Romance (Original cast). Just recently, Ms. Doherty performed in the National Tour of 101 Dalmatians (Nanny Butler/Gypsy Wife).

Shana Farr (Princess Margaret) Ms. Farr's New York theater credits include Princess Ida in Princess Ida, Elsie Maynard in The Yeomen of the Guard, Marian Paroo in The Music Man, Laurey Williams in Oklahoma!, Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance and Adele in Dearest Enemy. Her Regional stage performances include Kathie in The Student Prince and Kate Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly. Ms. Farr has appeared on television in "Guiding Light," QVC-UK, HSN-GER, Tokyo Shop Channel, and Paris Shop Channel.

Jacquelynne Fontaine (Kathie) Recent operatic stage performances include Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Rogue Opera, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with the Tuscia Opera Festival in Viterbo, Italy. Other leading roles include Cunegonde in Candide, Alma in Summer and Smoke, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. Miss Fontaine has performed with the Orchestra di Roma del Lazio, Italy, and numerous Symphony Orchestras in Southern California. In 2006, Miss Fontaine was crowned Miss California, and placed in the top ten at Miss America 2007, also winning the talent award for her performance of Puccini's "Vissi d'arte".

Tim Hartman (Lutz) Broadway credits include A Tale of Two Cities and Finian's Rainbow. Pittsburgh roles include Don Quixote in The Man of La Mancha, Daddy Warbucks in Annie, El Gallo in The Fantastics, and Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Other favorites include Miles Gloriosus in ...Forum, Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, Falstaff in Henry IV, C.S. Lewis in Shadowlands, and Mr.Fezziwig/The Ghost of Christmas present in CLO's A Musical Christmas Carol. Tim has also appeared as Merlin in Camelot, Ziegfeld in Funny Girl with Anna Gasteyer, FDR in Annie, and 24 characters in the one man show The Cotton Patch Gospel. Film: "Silence of the Lambs," "The Piano Lesson," "The Mothman Prophecies" and "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh." For the last 25 years, Tim has been writing and performing assembly programs for elementary school children nationwide. Tim is also an illustrator and award winning political cartoonist.

Chad Johnson (Prince Karl Franz) MR. Johnson was most recently seen on the operatic stage as Alfredo in La traviata with both Dayton Opera and Greensboro Opera and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with both Virginia Opera and Lyric Opera of Kansas City. He has also appeared in concert with the Alabama Symphony in Mozart's Requiem and the Dayton Philharmonic for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Other highlights include the title role in Candide, Gérald in Lakmé, Mozart's Requiem, and Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance.

Stuart Marland (Von Mark) returns to Pittsburgh CLO after his appearance in The Producers (Roger DeBris), Curtains (Christopher Belling) and Lunch (Father Michael). He has appeared on Broadway in Xanadu (understudy for Tony Roberts), as Lumiere in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, General Lord Glossop and Mr. Utterson in Jekyll & Hyde and in Cyrano - The Musical. National Tours include The Producers (Roger DeBris), Seussical with Cathy Rigby (General Genghis Kahn Schmitz), Evita (Juan Peron), Ragtime, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber with Sarah Brightman, The Who's Tommy, A Chorus Line, Sophisticated Ladies and The King and I with Rudolf Nureyev. Recent regional credits include Les Misérables (Thenardier), Run For Your Wife (Bobby Franklyn), Dames at Sea (The Captain/Hennessy) and Man of La Mancha (Dr. Carrasco).

Paul Palmer (Ruder) returns to his native Pittsburgh and the Benedum Center stage for his 54th CLO production during 32 summer seasons since 1975. The Student Prince marks the second Sigmund Romberg "operetta" in which this veteran character actor has appeared for CLO, the first being The Desert Song exactly twenty five years ago.

Patrick Richwood (Hubert) Theater credits include Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour), The Robber Bridegroom (Goat), The Seagull (Treplev), Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby (Mr. Smee) and The Foreigner (Ellard). Mr. Richwood has appeared in 23 films including "The Princess Diaries," "Dear God," "Beaches," "The Race to Space," "Armageddon" and "The Other Sister." He is most recognized as Dennis, the elevator operator in "Pretty Woman" and from countless TV commercials. Mr. Richwood also played the White Rabbit on Disney's acclaimed series, "Adventures in Wonderland."

Gene Saraceni (Old Josef) Pittsburgh CLO credits include Joseph...Dreamcoat, Sound of Music, Me and My Girl, Guys and Dolls, South Pacific, Pajama Game, Kiss Me Kate, Most Happy Fella, Fiorello!, Annie, My Fair Lady, Kismet, Anything Goes, Can-Can, Carousel, Song of Norway, Fanny, two productions of West Side Story, two productions of Oliver! and three of 1776. His Regional credits include the PICT Productions Tartuffe and Hamlet and City Theatre's Temptation. Early in his career he toured the US and Canada in Shakespearean repertory.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION STAFF

James Brennan (Director/Choreographer) Mr. Brennan has directed productions of Into the Woods, Crazy For You and The Sound of Music for Pittsburgh CLO, in addition to I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at the CLO Cabaret. He was responsible for the first full production in the New York City area of A Wonderful Life, as well as The New York Philharmonic's acclaimed production of My Fair Lady at Lincoln Center. On Broadway, Mr. Brennan directed and choreographed the revivals of Cole Porter's Jubilee and Jerome Kerns' Sally. As an actor, he has appeared in Pittsburgh CLO productions of Me and My Girl and La Cage Aux Folles. His Broadway credits include 42nd Street, Singin' in the Rain, Me and My Girl, and Crazy For You. Mr. Brennan's National Tour credits include No, No, Nanette, Good News, Me and My Girl, Camelot and Crazy for You.

Tom Helm (Music Director) returns for his 15th season with Pittsburgh CLO, where he has been the musical director for more than 40 productions, including Les Misérables, Barry Manilow's Copacabana, and Into the Woods in 2009. On Broadway, he was the musical director of Les Misérables, Me and My Girl and the revival of Brigadoon. Mr. Helm was also the musical director for the First National Tour of Cats and conducted Cats on Broadway early in its historic run. Mr. Helm is the resident music director at Paper Mill Playhouse, where he has been the conductor for more than 30 productions. He is also the musical supervisor for live Theater Productions of Diego Live, Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer.

John McLain (Lighting Designer) Mr. McClain's credits include National and International productions of musicals, ballet and opera. He has spent 21 years designing for Pittsburgh CLO. He has designed for Ice Capades, Radio City Music Hall, The Lido in Paris, Jubilee for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and Reno. He has represented every major regional theater and opera company in the USA. In the summer, he divides time between Pittsburgh CLO, Theater of the Stars in Atlanta and the Dallas Summer Musicals. He has designed productions of Porgy and Bess all over the world. He has been represented on the road by Rugrats, Camelot, Joseph..., The King & I, The Sound of Music and Bombay Dreams. John lives in New York City and Connecticut.

HISTORY OF THE SHOW

The Student Prince, an operetta with book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly and music by Sigmund Romberg, remains one of America's all-time musical theater classics.

The operetta came after a period of struggle with Romberg's producers, the Shubert brothers. Romberg fought a legal battle with The Shuberts over the content of the piece, emerging as the winner. The Student Prince went on to become one of his greatest and most lasting successes.

The musical opened on Broadway at the Jolson Theater on December 2, 1924, and ran for 608 performances. The show was the most successful of Romberg's works and the longest-running Broadway show of the 1920s. After that, it toured extensively throughout the U.S., and even entered the international repertoire. The stage work was revived twice on Broadway-once in the 1930s and again in the 1940s.

In 1954, MGM made a very popular film version of the musical, and New York City Opera began staging productions of it. This operetta is now a classic of the American theater, repeatedly revived. In recent years, the The Student Prince has been performed each summer at the Heidelberg Castle Festival.

ABOUT THE ORIGINAL CREATIVE TEAM

Sigmund Romberg (Music) was born on July 29,1887 in Nagykanizsa, Hungary. He showed musical ability at an early age, but his parents sent him to Vienna to study engineering. Instead, he immersed himself in the world of Viennese music. He soon moved to New York and found work as a pianist in cafes, and formed his own European salon and light music orchestra in 1912. He attracted the attention of Broadway producers J. J. and Lee Shubert and by 1917, Mr. Romberg had composed 275 numbers for seventeen musicals and revues. His great successes include Maytime, Blossom Time and The Student Prince. Throughout the 1930s, he wrote the scores for several movies, including "Viennese Nights" and "The Night is Young." He later toured America with his own orchestra, and regularly appeared on radio. His final Broadway show was Up in Central Park in 1945. Mr. Romberg died in New York on November 9, 1951.

Dorothy Donnelly (Book and Lyrics) was born January 28, 1880 in New York City. Ms. Donnelly's early theatrical work was as a dramatic actress, appearing in Madame X (1910) and other plays. However, soon after this she turned her considerable creative talents to writing song lyrics and librettos for musical comedies. She worked on Flora Bella (1916) and Fancy Free (1918), then teamed up for the first time with Sigmund Romberg for Blossom Time (1921). With Blossom Time a big hit on Broadway, Ms. Donnelly then worked on Poppy (1923). She worked with Romberg again on a show that would be one of the greatest Broadway successes of all time-- The Student Prince (1924). They also worked together for My Maryland (1927) and My Princess (1927) before Ms. Donnelly's death in 1928.
TICKETS FOR 2010 SUMMER SEASON

Tickets for The Student Prince start at $21.50 and are available online at pittsburghCLO.org, by calling 412-456-6666 or at the Box Office at Theater Square. Groups of 10 or more may call 412-325-1582.

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