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Gilbert & Sullivan's
The Gondoliers
Friday and Saturday, May 12th
& 13th Ц 8:00pm
Sunday, May 14th Ц 2:00pm
MEET THE DIRECTORS
JAMIE BIERCHEN (Director) - Jamie has been
performing in and directing Gilbert & Sullivan shows for over 25 years.
You will often see his company of Gilbert & Sullivan Players performing
in Tarpon Springs, FWP and at the St. Petersburg College campus on Drew
St. in Clearwater. He recently presented the G&S classic The Grand
Duke, a rarely seen but delightful show and plans soon, to present
Ruddigore, another seldom seen G&S "gem".
CHERYL BURTON (Co-Music Director) - Cheryl
has performed in and/or played for Gilbert & Sullivan shows for almost
30 years. In fact, Cheryl sang a part in The Gondoliers with some of
the most famous of the D'Oyly Carte singers; John Reed and Kenneth
Sandford.
CONSTANTINE GRAME (Co-Music Director) -
Constantine studied piano, voice and conducting with his father,
Theodore Grame. He is also active locally as a music director voice
coach and tenor soloist. He has accompanied noted singers such as
Sherril Milnes, Enrico di Guiseppe and Maria Zouves.
ABOUT THE PLAY
The Gondoliers, or The King of Barataria, was first
produced at London's Savoy Theatre on Saturday, December 7, 1889. The
music has been described as perhaps the most sparkling and tuneful of
all the G&S Operettas. The lilting score, biting wit and light-hearted
humor continues to delight Gilbert & Sullivan fans and earn them new
followers each time it is presented.
In keeping with their tradition of satirizing
snobbery in all levels of society and turning everything "topsy-turvy" -
here is our story: Twenty years earlier, Casilda (then a tiny baby) and
the infant heir to the throne of Barataria, were married. The Prince
was abducted and hidden away in Venice; raised by a gondolier as one of
his own sons.
As the curtain opens we find our two gondoliers,
Marco and Giuseppe, engaged in a game to choose and marry their brides.
While they are celebrating their marriages to Tessa and Gianetta, the
Duke of Plaza-Toro arrives in Venice with his wife, daughter (Casilda)
and lowly drummer, Luiz, to find her "husband." Unfortunately, Don
Alhambra who originally abducted the Prince (to keep him safe) has no
idea which of the two gondoliers is the real heir. He promises to send
for the nurse who cared for the royal baby in the hopes she will be able
to tell them which one it is. Casilda is far from delighted with the
situation because she and Luiz are deeply in love, although they
disguise that fact for her father's sake. A decision is made to have
Marco and Giuseppe go to Barataria and rule jointly - without their
wives.
Act II takes place in Barataria where the two Kings
are much too democratic to please Don Alhambra or the Duke. All seems
to be going well until the "Kings" wives, Tessa and Gianetta, appear to
find out who will be Queen. Everyone is happy and join together to
dance a Cachuca! Unable to avoid it any longer, Don Alhambra explains
to the gondoliers that one of them is not truly married and that neither
of the their brides will be a Queen. The Duke and Don Alhambra then try
to teach the gondoliers the proper way to rule.
At length the woman arrives who had been the nurse
of the baby Prince when he was married to Casilda; she reveals the
truth and thus creates the perfect ending, where everyone is happy and
joyful in the true Gilbert & Sullivan tradition.
MEET THE CAST
AL ADAMS (Chorus) - Al says, with Ducal
"Pomp & Pride", he is happy to have been adopted by Giuseppe and Marco
for this performance. This is Al's 6th G&S Players appearance. He first
swabbed the...er, trod the boards in HMS Pinafore (FWP).
ANN ADAMS (Chorus) - Ann is happy to be
appearing in her 6th Gilbert & Sullivan production. She wishes to thank
the talented Jamie Bierchen and Constantine Grame for their time and
energy, spent to enrich our community with these happy jollities.
JAN ARMENTROUT (Chorus) - Yeehaw! This Texan
is very happy to be doing The Gondoliers once again with this great G&S
group. Thanks, Jamie, for letting me come back from Houston for this
production.
JOHN AUSTIN (Chorus/Gondolier) - John is
appearing for the first time in a G&S production. John's most recent
performances include Nottingham (Showdown Theatre, Los Angeles), Clumsy
Custard Horror Show (Dunedin HS), Dracula, The Movie (PCCA Gibbs HS) and
Lil' Abner (Dunedin HS).
JAMIE BIERCHEN (Giuseppe) - Jamie not only
directs these wonderful G&S productions; he has recently performed in
The Grand Duke, and Mikado (TSPAC). You can see him in our FWP lobby
scrapbook of 1985-86 as the lead in that season's production of Teahouse
of the August Moon.
JENNIFER BIERCHEN (Chorus) - Besides
performing in shows, Jennifer's hobbies include playing basketball,
playing with her cat Tiger and playing with her Neopets. Jennifer is in
the 5th grade.
JOHN BIERCHEN (Annibale) - John has been
performing since he was 2. He is a senior at Clearwater HS and enjoys
playing ice hockey. He dedicates his performance to his girlfriend,
Christie.
JULIE BIERCHEN (Chorus) - Julie loves
singing and dancing. In the past, she has done numerous plays as well
as professional modeling. She is in the 9th grade at Clearwater High
and is a competitive gymnast.
KELLY BINS (Guilia) - Kelly is appearing
with the G&S Players for her first time.
BRUCE J. BLACK (Chorus) - Bruce did
improvisation for several years with the Bay Area Renaissance Festival.
He has appeared here at FWP in The Man Who Came to Dinner, Ladies of The
Jury and Life with Father. He's a favorite with the G&S Players having
now performed with them in 3 productions.
DAVE BOSTICK (Chorus) - Dave is well known
to Pinellas County theatre goers; you've seen him in Oklahoma (EOT),
Footloose (EOT), HMS Pinafore (FWP), and Brigadoon (FWP). He lives in
Clearwater with his beautiful wife Sadra and daughter Sophia.
LAUREN BRONSON (Chorus) - Lauren will be
graduating this spring with a B.A. in Marketing. She has performed with
the G & S Players in HMS Pinafore (FWP), Iolanthe, and others. She is
happy to be sharing the stage, for the first time as a Bronson, with her
parents-in-law, brother-in-law, niece and husband.
MICKEY BRONSON (Chorus/Costumer) - A big fan
of Gilbert & Sullivan, Mickey loves being on stage with friends and
family, especially this time thanks to Milt, Rick, Tom, Lauren and
Skylar Bronson. Thanks to Sha'ula and Milt for their assistance with
the costumes.
MILT BRONSON (Gregorio) - Milt always enjoys
performing at FWP. He has appeared with the G&S Players in many shows.
This performance is most important because he joins his wife, two sons,
daughter-in-law and grand-daughter in the cast. Gotcha Jamie - more
Bronsons than Bierchens this time!
TOM BRONSON (Luiz) - Tom last appeared at
FWP in HMS Pinafore. After The Gondoliers, Tom will be reprising his
role in a special production of The Complete Works of Shakespeare
(abridged), a hilarious comedy being presented in June at the Tarpon
Springs Cultural Center.
RICK BRONSON (Antonio) - Rick is pleased to
be back on the FWP stage. You've seen him here in Auntie Mame and The
Importance of Being Earnest. He is thrilled to be sharing the stage
with his family and friends, but especially excited to be working with
his extremely talented daughter, Skylar.
SKYLAR BRONSON (Chorus/Drummer Boy) -
Skylar's G&S Players credits include, Mikado, The Grand Duke and
Patience. She is happy to be in this show with her Dad, Uncle, Aunt and
Grandparents. She'd like to say "thanks" to her Omi and Opa for getting
her started in the "ride of her life."
SARA BUCKLEY (Duchess of Plaza-Toro) - Sara
is performing for the 1st time with the G&S Players. NO, not the 1st
time she's ever performed! She is a premier contralto with considerable
experience, as her singing will demonstrate to you. We hope you'll get
to hear her sing here many more times.
SUSAN CARR (Casilda) - Susan is performing
in her 6th production with the G&S Players and she hopes to be involved
in many, many more! You last saw her at FWP in HMS Pinafore and she has
since appeared in Pirates of Penzance, Patience and The Grand Duke (TSPAC).
VICTOR CARR (Chorus) - The Gondoliers marks
Victor's debut with the G&S Players, but this is not his performing
debut. In the last 12 years he has appeared in over 55 shows in
Baltimore and, since 2003, in Pinellas County. At FWP you saw him in My
Three Angels.
LEAH DELORENZO (Tessa) - Leah is a senior
at Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs HS. She will major in
Musical Arts at University of Central Florida this fall. This is her
6th G&S Players production and she thanks Cheryl for inviting her to
join and Jamie for casting her in so many wonderful parts.
PEGGY DONOFRIO (Chorus) - Peggy is an avid
Gilbert & Sullivan fan who has appeared in 9(!) G&S Players productions
including HMS Pinafore (FWP). She says she will keep on performing
Gilbert & Sullivan plays as long as Jamie keeps on producing them
because "it is so much fun!"
ROBERT GOSS (Chorus) - Robert is studying
music at the Indian Rocks Performing Arts Center. He sings in two
choirs locally, is a retired computer programmer, and The Gondoliers
marks his theatre debut.
CONSTANTINE GRAME (Marco/Co-Music Director)
- A Tarpon Springs native, Constantine has performed in, and been
musical director for many of the G&S Player productions. He is
multi-talented and tonight you are able to enjoy his gifts both on-stage
and in the musical magic you hear.
JULIE KRAUS (Margaretta/Fiametta*) - Julie
is no stranger to the theatre. She has performed at the Kennedy Center
in Washington, DC and sung the National Anthem for the Baltimore
Orioles. In a previous life she appeared as a roller-skating nun in Do
Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up.
EMILY MACNEIL (Chorus) - Emily has been
performing for the past 8 years and currently attends middle school in
Palm Harbor. She has appeared in Babes in Toyland and in the World
Premier of The Spoiler (TSPAC).
KATHLEEN MCCORMICK (Chorus) - Kathleen is a
seasoned G&S Player and a very welcome addition to this production of
The Gondoliers.
SHARON MURRAY (Inez) - This is Sharon's 4th
production with the G&S Players. She enjoys her time with them and
hopes to continue being on stage.
DIRK T. RATT (Rat) - Made his stage debut
here at FWP, he's happy to be back. Dirk has performed many times with
the G&S Players including, The Grand Duke, The Pirates of Penzance(TSPAC),
Yeoman of the Guard and HMS Pinafore (FWP).
DR JOHN PATRICK SMITH (Duke of Plaza-Toro) -
John has appeared in Cliffhanger and Sunshine Boys (FWP) and in no less
than 6 G&S Players productions. He says "Thank you, Gilbert & Sullivan"
for material that's so much fun. Thank you Jamie and cast members and
love to Angie, my wife.
SHA'ULA SPERRY (Chorus) - Sha'ula has
appeared in Fiddler On The Roof, Crazy for You and with the G&S Players
in The Grand Duke. She is happy that her son, John Austin, has joined
her on stage for this performance.
BRUCE P. TAYLOR (Don Alhambra) - Bruce is
playing another "bad guy", deep voices just seem to go with the part,
but he plays "good guys" well too. He received a Lary nomination for
Much Ado About Nothing and played T. Jefferson in 1776 (TSPAC). Soon
he'll play the Wizard of Oz! at TSPAC.
DAVID URSCHEL (Chorus) - David is appearing
for the 1st time with the G&S Players.
FAITH VAN BUSKIRK FELDT (Gianetta) - Faith
is doing her 5th show with the G&S Players. This fall she will be a
music major at FSU. Faith feels that she has learned a great deal
performing with this cast and asks that they take good care of Eric.
Keep up the great work!
ERIC WEBER (Chorus) - Eric is a sophomore at
Clearwater HS and this is his 2nd G&S Players appearance. He thanks the
cast, his friends and family for their support; and thanks his lovely
girlfriend, Faith, for all the support, laughs and love.
KAYLEIGH WEBER (Vittorio) - Currently a
student at St. Petersburg College, Kayleigh hopes to join the University
of Northern Colorado's musical theatre program. This is her 2nd G&S
Players production. She has also performed in The Magic Flute and Guys
and Dolls.
LAUREN M. WEBER (Fiametta/Tessa*) - This is
Lauren's 2nd G&S Players production. She studies vocal performance at
St. Petersburg College and is active locally as a soprano soloist. She
has performed just recently in the SPC Opera Workshop production of
Hansel & Gretel.
IRMA WEHLE (Chorus) - Irma has been a chorus
member for G&S Players since the end of the Dark Ages, when she appeared
in Ruddigore. She says, "They have promised me those crazy ancestors
will cycle through again soon, Oh rapture!"
DAVID WLADAVER (Francesco) - David is
especially happy to be appearing in The Gondoliers, one of his favorite
G&S Operettas. You've seen him recently in 1776 (TSPAC) and in Pirates
of Penzance (TSPAC). "Thanks, Jamie, for these opportunities to perform
Gilbert & Sullivan." The entire Cast and crew of
The Gondoliers dedicate this production to Ted
Grame Eight O'Clock Theatre
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