Answers to Questions About Our Move to Shea's 710 Theatre
Posted on December 10, 2024
In this space, we'll be answering questions about our upcoming move to Shea's 710 Theatre as information becomes available to us. Check back for updates!
QUESTION: What will be the location of MusicalFare Theatre’s new home, beginning with the 2025-2026 Season?
After our final production in May of 2025 (WAITRESS) at Daemen University, all future MusicalFare seasons will be presented in the spacious but intimate Shea’s 710 Theatre, beginning in the Fall of 2025. MusicalFare & Shea’s 710 recently signed a 10-year lease agreement (with an option to renew for another 10 years). This long term collaboration will also serve to boost Buffalo’s Theatre District and the overall Downtown energy.
_________________________________________________
QUESTION: What will future MusicalFare seasons at Shea’s 710 Theatre look like?
MusicalFare is still planning to produce five musical productions, per season. Because Shea’s 710 Theatre has more than four times the number of seats than at Daemen, productions will only run for 3 weeks each, with 5 performances per week.
________________________________________________
QUESTION: What can you tell us about 2025-2026 Subscription opportunities?
MusicalFare will announce it’s upcoming season of musicals in early 2025, offering Early Bird Season Subscriptions as we have done in past years. Details about specific shows, dates and subscription options will be available at that time.
________________________________________________
QUESTION: How does this affect MusicalFare’s employees?
All current full-time staff will be making the transition to the Shea’s 710 facility in their respective departments.
________________________________________________
QUESTION: What can you tell us about parking and transportation?
As you may know, there are numerous parking lots and some street parking available near Shea’s 710. But, we are aware that folks with mobility issues may still find that cumbersome. We are currently exploring options with tour bus operators for transportation from various locations in WNY. Potentially, patrons would be able to be dropped off at Shea’s 710 and have direct access into the front entrance with no stairs to climb as the front doors are street-level! Logistics are still be worked out, so keep an eye on out for more updates.
MusicalFare's New Home!
Posted on November 15, 2024
Shea’s Performing Arts Center and MusicalFare Theatre Announce Long-Term Collaboration to Boost Buffalo’s Theatre District and Downtown Energy
MusicalFare Performances Are Moving to Shea’s 710 Theatre in the Fall of 2025
BUFFALO, NY – Shea’s Performing Arts Center and MusicalFare Theatre are proud to announce a transformative new partnership, bringing MusicalFare’s award-winning productions to Shea’s 710 Theatre in a long-term agreement designed to invigorate Buffalo’s Theatre District.
“As a community, we are stronger when we work together,” said Brian Higgins, President & CEO of Shea’s Performing Arts Center. “Through this collaboration with MusicalFare Theater we are creating exciting new opportunities to offer more to our collective audience, expanding the capacity for additional community engagement, and energizing Buffalo’s Theatre District. Our vision from the start has been full activation of Shea’s three theatre campus, building economic opportunity for local residents and small businesses alike and leading as a responsible partner in Western New York’s robust theatre and cultural landscape.”
MusicalFare Theatre Founder, Artistic & Executive Director Randall Kramer said, “For 35 years, MusicalFare has been a beacon of creativity, storytelling, and community engagement. Those 35 years have prepared us for this once in a generation opportunity that will elevate our productions, expand our reach, and boost downtown’s 700 block. This move marks not just a new location, but a new era that will support MusicalFare’s ascent to regional theatre status as it becomes as well-known regionally and nationally as it is locally. To be able to achieve all of this in the heart of Buffalo’s Theatre District, where we are valued and welcomed for our artistic and economic impact, is thrilling. I can’t wait for October 2025!”
With MusicalFare Theatre’s lease at Daemen University set to expire in May 2025, the acclaimed theatre company will launch its 2025-2026 season at Shea’s 710 Theatre in October 2025. This strategic move solidifies Shea’s 710 Theatre as the home of MusicalFare for the next decade, with an option to renew.
This collaboration promises to expand the vibrancy of Buffalo’s downtown by increasing active days at Shea’s 710 Theatre from 215 days annually to year-round activity. MusicalFare plans to stage 100 performances each year, including five multi-week mainstage engagements, complemented by after-show music and cabaret events. This significant increase in programming will not only energize the theatre district but also provide a strong economic boost for surrounding downtown businesses.
“Buffalo Place Inc. and our Board of Directors congratulate Shea's 710 Theatre and MusicalFare Theatre on their extraordinary new partnership,” said Buffalo Place Executive Director, Michael T. Schmand. “The Shea’s Theatre District campus has long been a cornerstone and driving force of our Downtown's cultural and economic vitality. As one of the region's most iconic venues, Shea's drives significant economic impact, attracting visitors, generating local business, and fostering a vibrant Downtown environment. We’re delighted to see Shea’s and MusicalFare Theatre continue to play a pivotal role in shaping a bright future for Downtown Buffalo.”
Crucially, the partnership preserves Shea’s relationships with other local theatre companies, which will continue to present select productions at Shea’s 710 Theatre. While Shea’s retains ownership and oversight of the theatre, MusicalFare will maintain creative control of its productions, giving the company an opportunity to grow its audience from a 136-seat venue to a 550-seat space. Both Shea’s 710 Theatre and MusicalFare Theatre will offer season subscriptions for the 2025-26 season, offering patrons exciting new performances & experiences.
“MusicalFare is an exciting addition to Main Street and perfectly complements the wonderful productions already offered each season at Shea’s 710 Theatre,” said Patrick J. Kaler, president and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara. “This new partnership between the two organizations will further activate our city’s entertainment district and enhance a growing collection of hotels, restaurants and attractions that make downtown a compelling weekend getaway for visitors. We’re grateful to MusicalFare and to Shea’s for their continued commitment to Western New York’s tourism economy.”
This collaboration marks a deepening of a long-standing relationship. Since Shea’s took ownership of Shea’s 710 Theatre in 2012, MusicalFare has been a key partner, delivering over 130 performances on the 710 stage and attracting more than 30,000 patrons to the Theatre District. Notable past productions have included ONCE, KINKY BOOTS, AVENUE Q, and MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET. MusicalFare’s upcoming production of LEGALLY BLONDE will run at Shea’s 710 Theatre from May 1-18, 2025, marking its 17th show at this venue.
Patrons of MusicalFare can look forward to seamless access to tickets for the upcoming season through Shea’s Box Office and website starting in 2025. Meanwhile, both MusicalFare and Shea’s 710 Theatre will complete their respective 2024-2025 seasons as scheduled, ensuring an exciting and full roster of performances in the months leading up to the transition.
MusicalFare Theatre Continues Search for New Permanent Theater Location
Posted on August 29, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Randy Kramer, MusicalFare Theatre
716-839-8565
MusicalFare Theatre Continues Search for New Permanent Theater Location
AMHERST, N.Y – August 29, 2024 – MusicalFare Theatre, Western New York’s largest producing theater, announced today it is renewing its search for a new permanent theatrical home. The decision was made by MusicalFare leadership due to lack of funding from the Town of Amherst for its share of the Amherst Central Park theatre costs and an ongoing legal challenge to the park project from local residents.
The MusicalFare team has been in discussion with Supervisor Brian Kulpa and the Amherst Town Board for more than two years and was slated to be a cornerstone tenant in the new Amherst Central Park project beginning in Fall 2025. MusicalFare currently operates at Daemen University, but its lease expires on May 31, 2025.
“We are disappointed that the Amherst Central Park project continues to be stalled. Without critical Town funding that would supplement our own fundraising efforts, it is not feasible for us to build a new theater,” said Randall Kramer, artistic/executive director, MusicalFare Theatre. “MusicalFare is very grateful for the support of many Amherst residents, Supervisor Brian Kulpa and the Amherst Town Board. But we cannot afford any further delay in finding a new home for MusicalFare. We are now pursuing other options outside of Amherst and hope to have an update in the next month."
MusicalFare’s final 2024-2025 season at Daemen University begins on September 4th and features THE PROM, SOMETHING ROTTEN, NEXT TO NORMAL and WAITRESS as well as numerous cabaret performances including a production of THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
For more information about MusicalFare Theatre, visit www.musicalfare.com.
About MusicalFare Theatre:
Currently entering its 35th season, MusicalFare Theatre has produced over 200 productions since its inception in 1990, entertaining over 750,000 people and employing over 3,000 local actors, musicians and designers. It has been nominated for 608 Artie Awards and has won 121, making it the most awarded musical theatre in Western New York. MusicalFare was the recipient of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce's "Commitment to Excellence" award for 2003. The annual economic impact of MusicalFare and its audiences is over 2.8 million dollars.
###
Buffalo News Preview of HUNDRED DAYS
Posted on July 15, 2024
In MusicalFare's 'Hundred Days,' Love Lives Imitate Art for Real-life Acting Couple by Melinda Miller
(Buffalo News, 7/11/24)
The musical “Hundred Days,” making its Western New York premiere at MusicalFare Theatre, is the story of a pair of married musicians, named Abigail and Shaun. The music is a rich folk-rock Celtic-y mix, as though Simon & Garfunkel are playing with Mumford & Sons.
“Hundred Days” also is the creation of a pair of real-life married musicians named Abigail and Shaun, who performed in the original show, which became a bit of a hit a few years ago.
The question is, can “Hundred Days,” a partially fictionalized version of the love story of the real Abigail and Shaun Bengson, maintain its emotional spark without the Bengsons at its center? What could compare to the energy of a husband and wife, together on stage, singing their way through the highs and lows and secrets of a genuine relationship?
MusicalFare may have a solution with the performers playing its versions of Abigail and Shaun – Samantha Sugarman and Nick Stevens.
Sugarman and Stevens are not married in real life, but we are calling it “close enough”: Their wedding will be exactly three weeks after the show ends its run on Aug. 4.
MusicalFare Executive Director Randy Kramer said that Susan Drozd, who directs “Hundred Days,” called the unplanned casting coup “kismet.” Kismet: Fate, or destiny; a power that determines future events.
Producers weren’t expecting to find a local theater couple to play the show’s fictional couple; in fact, they weren’t even trying. So, how did the soon-to-be newlyweds wind up here?
“Randy reached out to me first about the show,” said Stevens, a known quantity for having performed with MusicalFare before, most recently in “Once.” Even so, it didn’t work. “I thanked him, but I thought I was just too busy.”
However, Drozd later encouraged Stevens to reconsider. “That’s when I started listening to (the soundtrack) at home,” he said. “I was playing it around the house, and that’s how Sam kind of got into it. She liked it.”
The third time MusicalFare called, Stevens said “Yes!” He also suggested they consider his fiancée, Samantha, for Abigail. A singer-songwriter-musician herself, he said, “Sam had a feel for the role already.”
They auditioned together with scenes from the show, and in a key scene the chemistry was obvious. As Stevens observed, “It went well.”
“Stories don’t often come around again in life, especially multiple times,” Stevens said, and Sugarman continues “so when it does, it’s usually a sign!”
Life is not totally imitating art here. The characters in the show, like the real-life Bengsons, meet, fall in love and marry within three weeks. Stevens and Sugarman said they have been together more than seven years, and engaged for more than a year. (Wedding prep is part of the “busy” that initially led Stevens to turn down the show at first.)
However, both couples did meet sort of artistically. According to their press, the Bengsons met during a band get-together, hit it off and immediately started seeing each other.
Stevens and Sugarman met at Jewish Repertory Theatre, where Stevens was performing with Saul Elkin in “Visiting Mr. Green,” a two-hander about a young man court-assigned to assist an older fellow. “It was the night I had all my friends come (to the show), because that way I got a group rate on the tickets,” Stevens recalled, “and Sam was sitting right behind them. Every time I looked over at them, I couldn’t help noticing her.”
Elkin also noticed something was up. “He was the best wingman,” Stevens said, laughing. “My character in the show was gay, but in the talk-back after the show Saul let everyone (e.g. Sam) know that I am not.”
“I thought he was great,” Sugarman said. “I thought ‘He’s soo cute!’ ” It turned out she knew one of Sam’s friends from high school, who briefly introduced the two after the show. Stevens later asked his friend for Sugarman’s number and took it from there.
Stevens has been acting for years, but this is Sugarman’s first time onstage as anyone other than herself. Still, she’s a natural for the part. The show centers around a band in rehearsal and plays right to her musical strengths.
The hard part, they agreed, is the stamina required to drive the emotional narrative of the story arc, a narrative that resonates with them and that they think will resonate with the audience.
The premise is, after a medical emergency, the possibility comes up that Abigail and Shaun have only a hundred days left together.
“This was totally in her (Abigail’s) head,” Sugarman explains. “All about her dreams, her fears … The theme is the feel of time, the meaning of time … of noticing life’s details.
“The string of life is made of those moments, no matter how long it is. You need to hold onto them,” she said.
“There’s that Tim McGraw song ‘Live Like You Were Dying,’ except you realize it takes a lot to come to terms with the reality of a relationship, the ugliness, the baggage, the person’s history,” he said. “The message is that you can’t let fear control your life. If you’ve found someone to love, to spend your life with, live it to the hilt.”
Through Aug. 4 at MusicalFare Theater on the Daemen University Campus, 4380 Main St., Amherst. In addition to Nick Stevens and Samantha Sugarman, the show stars Anna Krempholtz, Theresa Quinn, Kevin Stevens and Jay Wollin. Running time is about 90 minutes; free parking is available onsite. Tickets, including fees, are $55; $20 for students with ID; $30 for those younger than 30.
MusicalFare's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Outreach (DEIO) and Land Acknowledgement Statements
Posted on July 10, 2023
MusicalFare Theatre Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Outreach (DEIO) Statement
Updated July 2023
MusicalFare Theatre is driven by the transformative power of music and arts, and we understand that inclusive, equitable and diverse stories and storytellers are instrumental in helping our Western New York theater community thrive. At MusicalFare Theatre, all are welcome and celebrated regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, education, or ability.
We are not neutral. Hate is not welcome here. We believe Black Lives Matter. We believe LGBTQIA+ lives matter. We reject anti-Semitism and anti-Asian hate. We reject white supremacy and any forms of racial, cultural, societal, and political oppression, and we support the ongoing fight for equity.
We also recognize the systemic inequalities in the arts and know that our words are only as valuable as their accompanying actions. We pledge to be constant learners and will strive to create a culture of listening and self-challenge.
We as an organization cannot fulfill our mission and truly commit to our core values unless all voices are protected and elevated equally. We are committed to standing together with, listening to, and elevating the diverse experiences, viewpoints, and voices of our community – onstage, on our creative and administrative staff, and on our board – now and always.
MusicalFare Theatre’s DEIO Efforts:
2021: MusicalFare launched a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee as part of our capacity planning, which is dedicated to developing and sustaining concrete DEI policies and actions to help move us all forward.
2022: MusicalFare hired Davida Evette Tolbert as the organization's DEIO Coordinator and MusicalFare implemented DEI selection framework for the upcoming 2023 season.
2023: Relationship started with Resource Council of WNY. Financial support was given through MusicalFare audiences to the Red Ribbon campaign, multiple meetings were held and plans are being formulated for MusicalFare to work with after school students and possibly seniors.
2023-2024: First Stage and Next Stage Internship opportunities established to allow high school and college students to explore professional theater with members of production, artistic or administrative staffs of individual MusicalFare productions.
2024: Relationship established with Gay and Lesbian Youth Services (GLYS) of Western New York, Inc. during THE PROM to assist in promoting inclusivity.
MusicalFare has also begun to establish new relationships and partnerships within the WNY community to build upon our desire to present opportunities for growth, inclusivity, advocacy for members of our community who have been excluded and/or underserved, togetherness and equality.
Our Land Acknowledgement Statement:
It is with gratitude and humility that we acknowledge that we are working, performing, and gathering on the ancestral homelands of the Haudenosaunee people, who are the indigenous peoples of this land. We acknowledge the Haudenosaunee as the original caretakers of this land, and honor the sovereignty of the 6 Nations—Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca and Tuscarora, and their elders both past and present, as well as future generations. We show our respect for treaties made on this land and deep regret for the mistakes both past, and present.
We acknowledge that an overwhelming number of us are using technologies not available or accessible in present day indigenous communities.
We will strive to do the necessary work to ensure that MusicalFare becomes a more inclusive space for all, and to never cease our ongoing learning in the spirit of collaboration and reconciliation. Nya: Weh. Thank you.
MusicalFare's Annual TWO DAY TICKET SALE
Posted on June 12, 2023
On Tuesday, June 13th and Wednesday, June 14th, MusicalFare will be holding its annual TWO-DAY TICKET SALE!*
On these dates ONLY, patrons can purchase General tickets to Friday or Saturday 7:30pm performances for any of the 23-24 Mainstage Season shows at the discounted rate of $40 (including fees) by entering the code TWODAY.
That's a $15 savings, per-ticket, off of our normal ticket price!
Discounted tickets can ONLY be purchased on June 13th and June 14th by phone (716-839-8540) during box office hours (12pm-6pm) or online AT ANY TIME on those dates.
And there's NO LIMIT to the number of tickets you can buy!
On June 13th or June 14th, pick a show (or shows!) that you're interested in and click the "Order Tickets" button. Once you pick a date from the calendar, you'll be shown the option to enter the TWODAY code.
*Offer only valid for Fri/Sat 7:30pm performances in the 23-24 Mainstage Season. Prior sales excluded. You must enter the code to receive the discount. If purchasing by phone, simply tell the box office representative the code.
ALL SALES ARE FINAL - No refunds or exchanges. Ticket prices revert to our usual $55 price (including fees) on June 15th.
Buffalo News Review of DISASTER
Posted on April 18, 2023
From The Buffalo News - 4/16/23
By Melinda Miller
MusicalFare's 'Disaster!' is an homage to the '70s
“Disaster!,” the musical happily destroying the MusicalFare stage now through May 14, is an irreverent homage (both figurative and literal) to the music and movies of the 1970s. Remember the 1970s? When disco was king and disaster films ruled at the box office?
Yes, those ’70s – the decade owned by Donna Summer and Irwin Allen, full of music made for dancing and celebrity-filled casts collected for chaos. Hard to believe it has been half a century since the Poseidon flipped on Shelley Winters and Newman and McQueen battled that Towering Inferno, but here we are.
Now “Disaster!” brings it all back, smartly muting the flames and flooding in favor of a rollicking dance mix and melodramatically riotous mayhem and romance. The action is set on a cruise ship-turned-casino whose cash-strapped owner has cut corners everywhere – except on the aquarium full of piranhas. What could go wrong?
One place director Randy Kramer went very right was in putting together the large cast of triple-threat performers who deliver nearly three dozen hits from way-back-when in ways we’ve never seen before. Playwrights Seth Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick have a blast using songs like “Never Can Say Goodbye,” “Knock Three Times,” “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” “25 or 6 to 4” and many more as unexpectedly campy dialogue, and these actors are relentless in making it work.
While there isn’t a sour note in the bunch, there are some standouts: Ricky Needham, as a toned-down version of his early season character in Kavinoky’s “Rock of Ages,” is just getting better and better, especially in a hysterically heart-wrenching version of Nilsson’s “Without You.” Gabriella Jean McKinley, so powerful in Ujima’s “Toni Stone,” swings for the fences again as Levora, a Tina Turner-Donna Summer combo with a voice to match.
It's also clear we don’t see enough these days of Kelly Copps and Jennifer Mysilwy, whose song, dance and comedic chops all earn the spotlight, and, frankly, I will go to anything that features Arin Lee Dandes, who gets special props in this show for playing a pair of twins.
Rounding out the cast: Kyle Bassett-Baran as “the bad guy,” Kevin Craig (fresh from his great one-man show at Second Generation), the versatile Alex Anthony Garcia, sometime “Golden Girl” Michael Gilbert-Wachowiak, Stevie Jackson and Kristen-Marie Lopez, both seen this season in “Beehive,” and MusicalFare regular Jon May.
Also: Maria Pedro and Emily Yancey, as two very different women who are “torn between two lovers,” and Bob Mazierski and Jenny McCabe in about half-a-dozen roles each.
If ever there was a decade worth spoofing, it was the 1970s, and it’s “Still the One.” “Disaster!” leaves you laughing and may even make you feel like dancing (one song that somehow didn’t make it into the show!).
Now Hiring: House Manager/Box Office Representative (part-time)
Posted on August 26, 2022
MusicalFare Theatre is seeking a part-time House Manager/Box Office Representative for its 2022-2023 season. Our season opens with NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT which runs from September 7th-October 9th. Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 3:30pm and 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. We are looking for someone to cover 2-4 shows per week.
House Manager:
*Prepare the space—Making sure the house, lobby and restrooms are presentable for our audience before, during and after each performance.
*Manage the Ushers- meet and greet with them, assign them their jobs.
*Check patrons into the theatre.
*Work with our box office staff if there are any ticketing issues
*Work with our production stage manager to start the show on time.
*Seat all late comers.
*Responsible for the safety of the audience, in case of an emergency.
Box Office Representative:
*Sell tickets/subscriptions before the show and during intermission.
*Work with the house manager to solve any ticketing issues.
*Answer/return phone calls that come in during the performance.
*Looking for someone with great people skills, computer/Ipad skills, and must work well with others.
To apply, please email Kristy Cavanagh at kcavanagh@musicalfare.com by Monday 8/29/22.
Buffalo News Article - MusicalFare Theatre: Postponed Shows Get New Life
Posted on September 7, 2021
By Janelle Harb - The Buffalo News - 9/3/21
After a year of virtual cabarets, MusicalFare Theatre opens its 2021-2022 season with four previously postponed shows and a new musical.
“Camelot,” the new addition and first show of the season, was chosen because of its inherent protocol friendliness. “The composers and main authors of the show rewrote the show to a smaller cast so it can be done with eight people,” said MusicalFare's Marketing Director Doug Weyand.
“We wanted to go and make it a production that’s relevant to our time, so we have very diverse casting,” Weyand said. “[We’re] staying true to our mission statement at the same time as providing high quality musical theater entertainment.”
The other musicals include the astounding true story “All Is Calm,” the topical “American Rhapsody,” the comedy “The Other Josh Cohen” and 2014 Tony award-winner for best musical, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.”
“All the shows in the season, none of them have large casts,” Weyand said, citing that the maximum number of cast members in a show is 10. “Sometimes we would normally do shows that have like 25 people in them, but we’re taking it slow with people coming back to the theater.”
Weyand recounted how the audition process induced emotions among returning players. “Everyone was just like ‘oh my God, I’m so happy to be here, I’m so happy to be auditioning’ and actors hate auditioning,” Weyand laughed. “People were like tearing up at auditions, it just felt so good to sing in front of people again.”
During the pandemic, MusicalFare pivoted to a digital format through use of the cabaret space in its lobby for more than 30 livestreamed performances. “We used to do little cabaret performances on weekends where there wasn’t a mainstage show,” Weyand said. “Because of [the shutdown], we did them as livestreams and we basically turned our entire cabaret space into a television studio.”
The space went from having a one-camera livestream setup to now six, including overhead and moving cameras. “Our upcoming cabarets now will be in-person and livestreamed so we’ll be combining those two things,” Weyand said, which audiences can once again expect to see between mainstage musicals.
Weyand emphasized the unspoken bond that live theater creates and society is currently missing. “It’s one of the very few things where you can communally get together with people who you don’t know necessarily and you can laugh or cry and have an emotional response,” Weyand said. “It’s something that everyone needs in their lives, it’s enriching, and it’s communal, and it’s just flat-out fun.”
Buffalo News Review - LOVE, LINDA: THE LIFE OF MRS. COLE PORTER
Posted on June 29, 2021
MusicalFare's 'Mrs. Cole Porter' showcases the talent, charisma of Debbie Pappas - by Anthony Chase - Buffalo News digital (6/29/21)
ow starring in the one-person show, “Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter” at MusicalFare Theatre, let us sing the praises of Debbie Pappas, a charismatic performer with a lush singing voice and irresistible stage presence. Pappas has been a fixture on Buffalo’s musical theater stages for … let me be a gentleman and just say “years.”
I first saw Pappas in the 1980s, playing Joan in “Dames at Sea” at Ruben’s Backstage. Since then, she’s played a litany of musical theater roles and has won three Artie Awards. Not all musical theater performers make smooth transitions from ingenue to their later careers, especially not singers. Pappas has accomplished this with finesse and retains the supple and expressive voice that has always been the hallmark of her stage performances.
A few years ago, I spoke to Pappas after she had done yet another audition for yet another production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” Tzeitel, the eldest daughter had been a go-to role for her, and a new production of “Fiddler” meant almost guaranteed employment. This time, however, Pappas was not hired. She peeked at her audition card, and was horrified to read “Too old,” scribbled beside her name.
Well, for an actress, the teen years rarely endure past the age of 35, and while Pappas might have become too old to play the Tzeitel, the daughter, she would not be too old to play Golde, the mother; or Princess Puffer in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”; or Margaret Johnson in “Light in the Piazza”; or Trina in “Falsettos”; or the Stepmother in “Cinderella”; or Greta in “James Joyce’s ‘The Dead.’” She began to land and conquer these roles, one by one.
Indeed, Pappas now reveals in her credits that her most thrilling role to date is the real-life role of grandmother. (I suspect this admission is motivated by a combination of pride and an awareness that audience members will read the word “grandmother” and exclaim, “Impossible!”)
With “Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter,” MusicalFare has provided a showcase for her magnetic allure and remarkable talent. As the lights come up, Pappas is revealed in a stylish Art Deco living room, wearing a sleek evening gown of cornflower blue and midnight blue that compliments the decor. The gown is punctuated with a generous three-strand pearl necklace and large pearl bracelet. Her hair, deep brunette, is done in a classic Gatsby era style.
Pappas has been called upon to portray one of the most beautiful and fashionable women of the early 20th century.
Linda Lee Thomas had divorced her abusive first husband by the time she met Cole Porter in 1918. The couple would marry the next year, even though Porter was ten years her junior and as openly gay as it was possible to be in those days. The two would come to define jazz era glamor and sophistication, first in Paris, then in New York. At the same time, Porter’s reputation and popularity as a song writer would soar.
In the show, Pappas, as Linda Porter, narrates the story of her famed marriage with charm and humor, while highlighting its major events by singing 18 Porter songs. Sometimes the song selections are expected, as when she opens with “When a Woman’s in Love.” Sometimes the choices are surprising, or take on heavy irony, as when Linda describes how she coped with her husband’s most ardent male lovers by singing his seemingly innocent, “Let’s Be Buddies.”
Pappas demonstrates the value of experience with a performance that is well-paced and builds to a rewarding crescendo. She saves the full power and fluidity of her voice for the most unlikely vocal highlight of the evening, Porter’s “Wunderbar,” from his late-career masterpiece, “Kiss Me Kate.”
I’m not sure, but it’s possible that Pappas forgot some lyrics on the opening night. It was during Porter’s playfully risqué “Let’s Do It,” with its famously endless list of double entendres. The complex lyrics she starts to sing are not by Porter at all, but by Noël Coward, written for his Las Vegas act. At one point, she turned to the audience and entreated us to provide the next rhyme. It was an amusing bit, but then I thought, “Has she actually forgotten the words?” Then I thought, “Who cares? She’s fabulous! This is divine!”
The production has been directed by Norm Sham, who is married to Pappas. Music direction is by Theresa Quinn. The smart set and lights are by Chris Cavanagh, who has also provided expert sound. Kari Drozd designed the costume. Susan Drozd designed the wig and make-up. The total effect is wunderbar.