The Sound of Music Returns to Pittsburgh CLO July 19-31

Audiences of all ages will fall in love with Pittsburgh CLO's production of The Sound of Music, July 19-31 at the Benedum Center. The only way to solve a problem like Maria is with one of the world's best-loved musicals! Tickets for The Sound of Music start at $21 and are available online at pittsburghCLO.org, by calling 412-456-6666 or at the Box Office at Theater Square. Half-price tickets, sponsored by Giant Eagle, are available for children ages 3-14 in Sections E & F.
The Sound of Music tells the story of Maria, a young, aspiring but quirky, nun who brightens the lives of the von Trapp children and captures the heart of their stern and lonely father. But, will their harmonious lives be torn apart when their beautiful homeland is ravaged by war? Rodgers and Hammerstein's Tony Award®-winning musical delights audiences with the uplifting story and an irresistible score: "Climb Every Mountain," "Do-Re-Mi," "Edelweiss" and "My Favorite Things." 

ABOUT THE CAST

Jennifer Hope Wills (Maria) returns to Pitttsburgh CLO after starring in Carousel in 2005. She appeared as Christine in the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera for nearly four years. Her other Broadway credits include: Eileen in the critically acclaimed revival of Wonderful Town opposite Brooke Shields (revamped New Broadway Cast recording), The Woman in White and Beauty and the Beast. She also appeared as Della in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn with City Center's Encores! Her regional credits include: Sharon in Finian's Rainbow (Walnut Street Theatre), Sandy in Grease! (Paper Mill Playhouse), Lily in The Secret Garden (VMT) and Brooke/Vicki in Noises Off! (SART). Her voice can be heard as Liesel in the famous Salzburg Marionette Theatre's version of The Sound of Music, starring Christiane Noll. Ms. Wills has appeared in concert with the Asheville Symphony, at Merkin Concert Hall, Town Hall and at the Mar-a-Lago Club with Howard McGillin for Donald Trump and guests.

Robert Cuccioli (Captain von Trapp) reprises his role from Pittsburgh CLO's 2005 production of The Sound of Music. He recently directed this season's production of Jekyll & Hyde and will appear in Jesus Christ Superstar as Pontius Pilate. Mr. Cuccioli was nominated for a Tony Award® for his portrayal of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde on Broadway and also starred as Javert in the Broadway production of Les Misérables. Mr. Cuccioli's other Pittsburgh CLO credits include: Les Misérables, Barry Manilow's Copacabana, Funny Girl, Guys and Dolls, Bells are Ringing and The Pajama Game.

Jim Brochu (Max Detweiler) makes his Pittsburgh CLO debut. In 2010 he was awarded the coveted New York Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance of the 2009-2010 theater season for his multi-award winning play, Zero Hour. Since its premiere in 2006, Mr. Brochu has been touring the country with the show, garnering both unanimous critical raves and major theatrical honors. Beside the Drama Desk, he has won The Ovation Award in Los Angeles (Best Play), the Carbonell Award of South Florida (Best Actor) and the Helen Hayes Award in Washington, DC (Best Actor). A native of Brooklyn, he studied drama at Carnegie-Mellon University with classmate Stephen Schwartz and made his Broadway debut as Christopher Sly in The Taming Of The Shrew. His caricature hangs on the wall of the legendary Sardi's Restaurant in New York, a tribute to a forty-plus year show business career as an actor and playwright.

Donna English (Elsa Schraeder) returns to Pittsburgh CLO after her debut in the 2005 production of The Sound of Music. She has appeared on Broadway in Broadway (George Abbott, director). Off-Broadway credits include: Ruthless! (Drama Desk nomination), Taking a Chance on Love and Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back! (original cast CD). Her regional credits include: The Sound of Music (Elsa Schraeder), Harold and Maude (Mrs. Chasen), On the Twentieth Century (Lily Garland), Victor/Victoria (Victoria), A Little Night Music (Charlotte) and The King and I (Anna).

Kirsten Lynn Hoover (Liesel) is a recent graduate of North Hills High School and is a student at the Pittsburgh CLO Academy. She is making her Benedum stage debut after starring in numerous productions at North Hills High School. She is a 2011 Gene Kelly Award winner for Best Actress, a 2011 Jimmy^TM Award finalist and a 2011 finalist in Pittsburgh Public Theater's Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest.

Lisa Howard (Mother Abbess) makes her Pittsburgh CLO debut. Her Broadway credits include: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific at Lincoln Center. Her other New York credits include: And the Earth Moved and Silence, The Musical! In addition, she has appeared in Dolly Parton's 9 to 5: The Musical and in Jim Henson's Emmet Otter at Goodspeed Opera House. She has worked in regional theaters across the country including The St. Louise MUNY, The Carousel Dinner Theatre, The Human Race Theatre Company, The Olney Theatre Center, Barrington Stage Company and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the national touring company of Les Misérables. Ms. Howard will soon appear in the upcoming film Twilight: Breaking Dawn as Siobhan.

Jeff Howell (Herr Zeller) is a Pittsburgh actor/singer who has a long list of theater and concert credits. He was last seen on the Benedum stage in Pittsburgh CLO's 2011 production of Jekyll & Hyde. Mr. Howell also appeared in Pittsburgh CLO's 2010 production of Oliver! His other onstage credits include: Beauty and the Beast, Candide, Bells are Ringing, A Musical Christmas Carol, Chicago, Man of La Mancha and as Fezziwig in the world premiere of Christopher Durang's Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge. His television credits include: "All My Children," "The Young and the Restless," "Equal Justice" and "The Oksana Baiul Story." Films: "The Cemetery Club," "Sudden Death," "The Dark Half" and "The Bride in Black." His past work with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra includes: A Tribute to Lerner and Loewe with Marvin Hamlisch, Of Thee I Sing, Classical Rap, The Wishing Tree and Peter and the Wolf.

Gene Saraceni (Franz) Mr. Saraceni's Pittsburgh CLO credits include: The Student Prince, Joseph...Dreamcoat, 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 of Oliver and three of 1776. This is his second appearance in The Sound of Music. His regional credits include: the PICT Productions of Tartuffe and Hamlet and City Theatre's Temptation. Early in his career he toured the US and Canada in Shakespearean repertory. "Doc" Saraceni taught at Seton Hill University for 37 years, retiring in 2003 as Professor Emeritus of Theatre.

Terry Wickline (Frau Schmidt) is a Pittsburgh CLO veteran. Her credits include: My Fair Lady (Mrs. Pearce), Crazy For You (Patricia Fodor), The Sound of Music (Frau Schmidt), Me and My Girl (Mrs. Brown), The Music Man (Alma Hix), Hello Dolly (Ernistina Money), Always...Patsy Cline (Louise Seger), Nunsense (Rev. Mother) and over ten productions of A Musical Christmas Carol. For Pittsburgh Public Theater she appeared in: The Importance of Being Earnest (Miss Prism), Much Ado About Nothing (Ursula), Man of La Mancha (Maria) and A Streetcar Named Desire for Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

AaRon Young (Rolph) makes his CLO debut. His theater credits include starring roles in: Cabaret, Cinderella, Annie Get Your Gun, The Sound of Music, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Grease. He is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a BA in Musical Theatre Performance.

Six talented Pittsburgh CLO Academy students will also grace the Benedum Stage as the ever-obedient von Trapp children: Christine Brown, Louisa; James Paul Coletta, Friedric; Madeline Dick, Gretl; Victoria Huston, Marta; Hannah Kwiecinski, Brigitta; Joseph Serafini, Kurt.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

James Brennan (Director) has directed productions of The Student Prince, Into the Woods, Crazy For You and The Sound of Music for Pittsburgh CLO, as well as I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at the CLO Cabaret. He was responsible for the first full production of A Wonderful Life in the New York City area, 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.

Mark Esposito (Choreographer) has choreographed several Pittsburgh CLO productions including Brigadoon, Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me, The Music Man, Tommy, Carousel and Oklahoma! He has also choreographed for North Shore Music Theatre in MA, Sacramento Music Circus in CA, Blowing Rock Stage Company in NC, The York Theatre Company and Signature Theatre Company in NYC and in LA at The Hollywood Bowl choreographing South Pacific starring Reba McEntire and Brian Stokes Mitchell. He is also the choreographer for the annual holiday show Yuletide Celebration starring the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra with Sandi Patti and has served as associate director/choreographer for the Radio City Christmas Show starring The Rockettes. Mr. Esposito also served as the consultant choreographer for Walt Disney Global Casting and hired talent for their shows in Tokyo Disney Resorts. He has performed in over 16 Broadway and National Tours and has assisted or worked for Jerome Robbins, Michael Kidd, Agnes De Mille, Michael Bennett, Rob Marshall and Bob Fosse.

Tom Helm (Music Director) returns for his 16th season with Pittsburgh CLO. His theater credits include the Broadway productions of Souvenir, Les Misérables, Me and My Girl, Cats and Brigadoon. He has also contributed his talents to television programs such as "Crazy For You" and the "Today Show." Mr. Helm has conducted at Radio City Music Hall, Paper Mill Playhouse and many other regional and national theaters.

John McLain (Lighting Designer) returns for his 22nd season with Pittsburgh CLO, which began in 1988 with The Wizard of Oz. His credits include: major musicals, ballet, opera, Las Vegas, Broadway, road shows, ice shows and many international productions.

HISTORY OF THE SHOW
The Sound of Music, with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, is based on the real-life memoir of Maria von Trapp, "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers." The memoir was published in 1949 and also inspired a 1956 German film entitled "Die Trapp-Familie."

The Sound of Music premiered on Broadway on November 16, 1959 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. It later moved to the Mark Hellinger Theater on November 6, 1962, and closed on June 15, 1963, after 1,443 performances. The Sound of Music tied for the 1960 Tony Award® for Best Musical with Fiorello! and received four other Tony Awards® for Best Actress in a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Scenic Design (Musical) and Best Conductor and Musical Director. The entire children's cast was also nominated for the Best Featured Actress category as a single nominee even though two of the children were boys.

The award-winning musical film version of The Sound of Music was released in 1965 and starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. It was filmed on location in Salzburg, Austria, Southern Germany and at the 20th Century Fox Studios in California. The Sound of Music won a total of five Academy Awards including Best Picture in 1965 and its soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The Sound of Music was also selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2001. The film has been adapted for over 25 different countries and is one of the most popular musicals ever produced.

ABOUT THE ORIGINAL CREATIVE TEAM
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (Music and Lyrics) - Richard Rodgers (composer, 1902-79) and Oscar Hammerstein II (librettist/ lyricist, 1895-1960) joined forces in 1943 to create the most successful partnership in the history of American musical theater. Prior to his work with Hammerstein, Rodgers collaborated with lyricist Lorenz Hart on a series of musical comedies that included Pal Joey, On Your Toes and Babes in Arms. Throughout the same era, Hammerstein teamed up with Jerome Kern to create the masterpiece Showboat. The first Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Oklahoma!, opened in 1943 and was the first of a new genre: the musical play. Oklahoma! was soon followed by Carousel, State Fair (film), Allegro, South Pacific, The King and I, Me and Juliet, Pipe Dream, Cinderella (television), Flower Drum Song and The Sound of Music. Collectively, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals have earned 35 Tony® Awards, 14 Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards.
Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse (Book) - Howard Lindsay (producer/playwright/librettist/director/actor, 1889-1968) and Russel Crouse (playwright/librettist/actor, 1893-1966) collaborated famously from 1935 to 1962 on a variety of Broadway plays and musicals. Their first collaboration was the rewriting of the libretto of Anything Goes in 1935. They also wrote the play Life With Father which opened in 1939 and starred Lindsay and his wife Dorothy Stickney. It ran for over seven years to become the longest-running non-musical play on Broadway. In 1946, the two were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for their 1945 play State of the Union. Other work included the librettos for The Sound of Music, Red, Hot and Blue, Call Me Madam, Arsenic and Old Lace and Mr. President.

TICKETS FOR 2011 SUMMER SEASON

Tickets for The Sound of Music start at $21 and are available online at pittsburghCLO.org, by calling 412-456-6666 or at the Box Office at Theater Square. Half-price tickets are available for children ages 3-14 in Sections E & F, sponsored by Giant Eagle. Special discounts and packages are available for groups. Groups of 10 or more may call 412-325-1582.

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