Some Happy Fellas (and Gals) are Cast at Goodspeed

Casting is set for Goodspeed Musicals' The Most Happy Fella Sept. 20 – Dec. 1.

Leading the cast in the role of Tony will be Bill Nolte, whose numerous Broadway credits include La Cage aux Folles, The Producers, Amour, Jane Eyre, 1776, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Secret Garden, Me and My Girl and Cats. He previously appeared at Goodspeed in Man of La Mancha and Sweeney Todd. Mamie Parris will play opposite Nolte as Rosabella. She has appeared on Broadway in Ragtime, 110 in the Shade and The Drowsy Chaperone. 
Other casting: Ann Arvia (Marie), Daniel Berryman (Ciccio), Doug Carpenter (Joey), Natalie Hill (Cleo), Greg Roderick (Guiseppe), Martín Solá (Pasquale), Kevin Vortmann (Herman).

Rob Ruggiero directs; Parker Esse choreographs.

Tickets: 860-873-8668; goodspeed.org,

Special Events:

Girls’ Night Out: Friday, September 20, 7:00 pm. Celebrate Opening Night in style! Gather the girls for glitz and glamour Broadway-style with our Ticket ‘n’ ‘Tini special. Package includes one ticket to the 8 pm performanceand a specialty martini. A hot deal at $46 per person.

Wine Tasting: Sunday, September 22, 5:00 pm. Treat yourself to a sampling of fine wines, compliments of Shore Discount Liquors of Deep River, and hors d’oeuvres provided by the Gelston House of East Haddam. Only $12 with your ticket to the 6:30 pm performance. Reserve in advance through the Box Office.

Teen Nights: September 25 & 26, 7:30 pm; September 27, 8 pm. Introduce your favorite young person to the magic of musical theatre. Each adult who buys a regular-priced ticket on the specified dates may purchase a $15 ticket for a youth age 12 to 18. Meet the cast after the September  27th performance for autographs.

Lady Katharine Lunch Cruise: Enjoy Fall foliage on the Connecticut River. Add a leisurely cruise and sumptuous buffet aboard the Lady Katharine to your theatre ticket. Available on Wednesdays, October 2 & 23. Cruises depart at 11:30 a.m. $40 with your ticket to the 2 p.m. performance.

Trick-or-‘Tini Package: Thursday, October 31, 7:00 pm. This frightfully good Halloween special includes a ticket to the evening show and a specialty martini for only $46 per person!

Food Drive / Buy-One-Get-One Free Tickets: Monday, November 25. Two-for-one tickets for select seats to the 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. performances with a generous non-perishable food donation to benefit the East Haddam Food Bank.

Meet the Cast: Take part in a lively discussion with the cast after the Thursday evening performances on October 17 & 31 and November 14. Meet the Cast events are free with a ticket to that evening’s performance.

Friday Dinner Theatre Package:  Includes dinner at the Gelston House (located next door to the Opera House) and a ticket to the 8:00 pm performance. Only $76!

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Priests Play the Palace

Fathers Martin O'Hagan, Eugene O'Hagan and David Delargy, Photo: Courtesy of the Palace

Fathers Martin O'Hagan, Eugene O'Hagan and David Delargy, better known to their millions of fans as The Priests, will perform selections from their classical music repertoire at the Palace Theater in Waterbury on Friday, Nov. 22 at 8 pm. 

Tickets for the concert are $55 and $35. 

Since the release of their debut CD in 2008, the internationally-acclaimed trio of Roman Catholic clergymen has sold more than 3 million recordings, signed a $2 million dollar contract with Sony/BMG, and has been featured in a popular PBS performance special. Their eponymous album sold at such a frantic pace that it secured them a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest-selling classical debut of all time, and since then they have performed to sold-out audiences in major cities all around the world.

Hailing from the Diocese of Down and Connor in Belfast, Ireland, The Priest are among the most recognized and successful acts in both the religious and secular worlds. Their audiences have included the British Royal Family and the Irish President, as well as the Pope and a crowd of 80,000 people in Hyde Park, England in September 2010. No ordinary superstars, these three humble men remain first and foremost committed to the cloth and donate the vast majority of their royalties to their charitable fund, which helps build schools in places like Cambodia, Uganda and Thailand, and looks after retiredpriests and the homeless.

Tickets for the Palace Theater’s presentation of The Priests are available online at www.palacetheaterct.org, by phone at 203-346-2000 or in person at the box office, 100 East Main Street in Waterbury. For more information, visit www.thepriests.com.

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HSO Fall Events at a Glance

Carolyn Kuan conducting the 2011 Talcott Mountain Music Festival. Photo:Steven Laschever

HSO AT A GLANCE: SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2013
Editors: Please update calendar listings to include the upcoming Hartford Symphony Orchestra events listed below. For more information about any particular event, please contact Katie Bonner Russo at kbonner@hartfordsymphony.org.

MASTERWORKS SERIES & SPECIAL EVENT: 70TH ANNIVERSARY OPENING NIGHT!
October 11 & 12, 2013
Friday & Saturday, 8:00 p.m.
Mortensen Hall│ The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Carolyn Kuan, conductor; Wu Man, pipa; Edward Clark, organ; Connecticut Youth Symphony, Daniel D’Addio, music director
Program: Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3, “Organ;” Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor; Harrison: Concerto for Pipa and String Orchestra
We’re rolling out the red carpet for Opening Night! Two of the most famous works in the organ repertoire, Saint-Saëns’ massive Symphony No. 3 and Bach’s glorious Toccata and Fugue, will be played on The Bushnell’s historic, Hartford-made Austin pipe organ. Matched with the delicacy of the pipa – a Chinese lute – played by virtuoso Wu Man, recently named Musical America’s 2013 Instrumentalist of the Year.
Concert Benefactor: Hartford Hospital
To mark this special season opener, the HSO will host a special opening night celebration before the concert, including cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and food stations; a dessert reception with Carolyn Kuan and the guest artists will conclude the evening following the concert. Tickets for the Opening Night Celebration are $170 per person for subscribers and $225 for non-subscribers, which include preferred concert seating. Call (860)246-8742 ext. 326 for more information and to purchase tickets.

POPS! SERIES: DISNEY’S FANTASIA – LIVE IN CONCERT
Saturday, October 26, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
Mortensen Hall│ The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Carolyn Kuan, conductor
Join us for a thrilling performance of Disney's groundbreaking marriage of symphonic music and animation, Fantasia. Magnificent repertoire from the original 1940 version and Fantasia 2000, including The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and The Nutcracker Suite, will be performed by the HSO while Disney's stunning footage is shown on the big screen. Experience iconic moments and childhood favorites as you never have before!
Presentation licensed by Disney Concert Library © Disney.

MASTERWORKS SERIES: BEETHOVEN & BERNSTEIN
November 7 – 10, 2013
Thursday 7:30pm | Friday & Saturday 8:00 p.m. | Sunday 3:00 p.m.
Belding Theater│ The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Carolyn Kuan, conductor; Peter Winograd, violin
Program: Beethoven: Symphony No. 7; Piazzolla: Four Seasons of Buenos Aires; Bernstein: Fancy Free
Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony is paired with Piazzolla’s tango-inspired Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, featuring violinist Peter Winograd, son of HSO’s esteemed former music director Arthur Winograd. Plus, hear the ballet score Fancy Free – the first work in the HSO’s season-long tribute to composer Leonard Bernstein.
Concert Sponsor: The Katharine K. McLane and Henry R. McLane Charitable Trust

POPS! SERIES: SYMPHONIC SONDHEIM – A TRIBUTE TO THE COMPOSER’S CLASSICS
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Mortensen Hall│ The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Tim Stella conductor; Florence Lacey, Hugh Panaro, Ron Raines, and Lisa Vroman, vocal soloists
Experience the splendor of the HSO and singers performing the music of Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award, Academy Award, and Grammy Award–winning composer Stephen Sondheim. This legendary composer's greatest melodies include works such as Follies, A Little Night Music, Company, Into the Woods, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sunday in the Park with George, and Sweeney Todd.
Premier concert sponsor: Richard P. Garmany Fund at Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

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Ticket Information: To purchase tickets or for more information, please contact HSO ticket services at (860)244-2999 or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org. Single tickets go on sale August 19.
-Single tickets to the 2013-2014 Masterworks Series range in price from $35.50-$70.50.
-Single tickets to the 2013-2014 Pops! Series range in price from $20-$67.50.
-A limited number of $25 tickets are available for patrons age 40 and under at the Masterworks and Pops! Series’ Saturday performances.
-Student and children tickets, available for Masterworks and Pops! concerts, are $10.

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