Tommy Tune Led Costume Parade

USA Today / Poughkeepsie Journal

In Tommy Tune, Tonight! – Broadway’s tallest tapper takes to the stage – dancing, singing and tale telling.  The 10 time Tony Award winner takes an autobiographical stroll, celebrating 50 plus years of big time showmanship! From his arrival in New York City as a fresh-faced kid from Texas, through his most popular roles on stage and screen, to his ascension as one of Broadway’s most accomplished director-choreographers. Accompanied by Michael Biagi, his music director for nearly four decades, the evening features Tune’s personal renditions of standards by Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Burt Bacharach, the Gershwins, Carole King, Green Day and more.

Tommy Tune has enchanted audiences for decades with his charisma, vision, and innovation. He has been honored with 10 Tony Awards recognizing him as an outstanding performer, choreographer, and director: Best Actor in a Musical for My One and Only, Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Seesaw, Best Choreography for A Day in Hollywood/ A Night in the Ukraine, My One and Only, Grand Hotel and The Will Rogers Follies, and Best Direction of a Musical for Nine, Grand Hotel and The Will Rogers Follies. Tune is also the recipient of the National Medal Of Arts and in 2009 the New York Landmarks Conservancy designated Mr. Tune as a Living Landmark. In 2015 he was the recipient of the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre and he is currently touring around the country with Chita Rivera in Chita & Tune – Just In Time.

A native Texan, Mr. Tune began his career as a dancer in the Broadway shows Baker Street,  A Joyful Noise and How Now Dow Jones. He has received Tony Awards for The Will Rogers Follies (Direction and Choreography), Grand Hotel (Direction and Choreography), My One and Only (Actor in a Musical and Choreography) Nine (Direction), A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine (Choreography) and Seesaw (Featured Actor in a Musical). Tune received two Tony nominations (Direction and Choreography) for The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. Tommy has been has been invited to sing and dance for three United States Presidents, the Queen of England and the Royal Family of Monaco.

Film credits include Hello Dolly, The Boy Friend, and Mimi Bluette…fiore del mio giardino, and in 1999, he made his Las Vegas debut as the star of EFX at the MGM Grand Hotel.  Tune is the recipient of the National Medal Of Arts, the highest honor for artistic achievement given by the President of the United States, and he has been honored with his own star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into The Theater Hall of Fame by Gwen Verdon.

In 2009 the New York Landmarks Conservancy designated Mr. Tune as a Living Landmark. In early 2015 Tune received rave reviews for his tap dancing and singing role in the Encores! production of Lady, Be Good! at New York City Center. In addition to touring with Chita Rivera in Chita & Tune, Tommy is also touring the country in his one-man show, Tommy Tune Tonight! 

Joni Michelle Lanza, starred on Broadway as Peggy Sawyer in the Tony Award winning revival of “42^nd Street” with, Christine Ebersole, as well as in the Tony award winning Broadway production of Thoroughly Modern Millie with Sutton Foster and Leslie Uggums. Joni’s first professional gig was the Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes at the age of 18 for which she performed for 5 Christmas seasons.

She toured the country in Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana”, and was chosen as the only American female Broadway tap dancer to travel to Tokyo, Japan for an arts- media industrial for the high end jewelry company, Mikimoto. Joni’s dream came true when performing her first original tune, “Your Love”, last spring with the world famous violin virtuoso and friend, Daisy Jopling, and a full orchestra, at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. Joni has her own production company, Kentucky Girl Productions, through which she enjoys producing and appearing in shows and music festivals including the Bluegrass & Country music festival, “Nashskill”, to benefit charities including Habitat for Humanity, and Hope’s Door for domestic abuse survivors. Earlier this year she produced an all -female talent search called “Femme Fabulous” through which three promising female performers were awarded scholarships from the Lanza Family Foundation toward pursuing their talents.

Joni is raising her three young boys in Garrison, NY with her husband, Louie Lanza, on their maple syrup farm, Lanza Farms. Joni continues her vocal coaching with the talented, Adrienne Angel, who also coaches Bernadette Peters and Cher. She is preparing to record a new song she has co-written with Emmy award winning composer, Art Labriola, called “I Need to Know”, and will record with Bob Dylan’s bass player and long -time musical director, Tony Garnier. She has been dreaming of returning to her Broadway stage home, and she is beyond thrilled to perform the role of Dolly Levi with Tommy Tune and the rest of the amazing cast for the festival parade for Hello Again Dolly!

A native New Yorker, Suzi began her dance career with the Windemere Ballet Theatre in Queens. Her passion for dance lead her to study many international folk dance styles, including Irish Step, Scottish Highland, Middle Eastern, Latin Dance, and WestAfrican. An actor as well, she studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and improv at Chicago City Limits in New York City. As a member of AllNations Dance Company, she traveled to such exotic locations as Central and South America, Eastern Europe, China, and Brooklyn sharing a message of global understanding through the arts. She has performed in many regional musicals and plays, including Brigadoon, Damn Yankees, Over the River and Through the Woods (at the Emelin Theatre and Queens Theatre in the Park), and Children Of…, the first full-length production to be performed at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. You may also catch her on Law and Order, Sex and the City, Ed, and numerous other films and television shows. She has taught Latin and International Dance and Zumba for SUNY Purchase, and has stage managed and worked backstage at such Off-Broadway theatres as the Ensemble Studio Theatre and Manhattan Theatre Club. She has choreographed a number of regional theatre productions, and has been a guest teacher for companies throughout New York City. She has written, produced and performed sketch comedy. She is co-founder and Company Manger for World Dance Theatre, a not-for-profit professional dance company dedicated to the promotion of cross-cultural understanding through the arts. She currently performs with World Dance Theatre and with Pat Cannon’s Foot and Fiddle Dance Company. She is a rostered Teaching Artist with Arts Westchester, Arts Horizons, and Purchase College, and teaches dance and movement classes for students with special needs for the Steffi Nossen Dance Foundation. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild. She graduated summa cum laude from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a BA in International Criminal Justice.

Originally from Reading, PA, Justin Wingenroth comes from an extensive training and performing background. At 18, he left Reading, where he trained at the Marie Shaw School of Dance and was on scholarship at the Academy of Berks Ballet Theatre. His career took off with contracts at an array of theme parks around the world. His theater credits range from regional productions of Music Man, King and I, and White Christmas to national tours of 42nd Street and, most notably, the role of Mr. Mistoffelees in Cats. Justin has also danced with a variety of contemporary companies in New York City, including Chase Brock Experience, Christopher Caines Dance Company and C. Eule Dance, and he has trained under scholarship with the River North Chicago Dance Company. He is currently the Owner/Director of The Dance Conservatory in Cotlandt Manor, NY and also guest teaches throughout the tri-state area.

Linda Speziale – Director and Vocal Coach

Linda has worked as a singer, director, and actress, throughout the Midwest and New York in professional opera and musical theatre companies.

Most recently, Linda was Director of the sold-out runs of The Music Man (Director and Vocal Coach), HMS Pinafore (Director and Music Director), and Jesus Christ Superstar (Director and Music Director), at the regional Philipstown Depot Theatre.

Linda has been teaching singing technique and performance to Broadway and HVSF actors, professional speakers, aspiring performing arts students, and those that just want to sing for fun, for over 15 years.

William Speziale will be a senior at Haldane High School, and has most recently appeared in their production of “Les Misérables” as Jean Valjean, as well as the trombone player in the pit orchestra of “The Music Man” at the Depot Theatre, and Dr. Coppelius in the ballet “Coppélia.”

The Brasiles Ensemble

https://thebrasilesensemble.wordpress.com/

As a member of a professional opera company, Madeleine was on stages regularly in major productions, including Suor Angelica, Don Pasquale and The Merry Wives of Windsor. She was also very honored to have been chosen to perform in rare works, including Riders to the Sea, as well as special opportunities to perform in honor of Queen Anne and Princess Sophie of Romania. Proficient in sacred and early music, Madeleine was also one of eight members of an elite madrigal group for several years. In late 2012 Madeleine had a role in The Beggar’s Opera performed at The Philipstown Depot Theatre and in 2016, she founded The Brasiles Ensemble. As a side project, she and Kimberly Hiss have created a new vocal duo called The Mary Powell. Madeleine is the proud owner of Garrison Concierge. She and her husband have two adult children and one grandchild.

Laura enjoys singing in a variety of styles including musical theatre, classical and rock, as a former member of the Roy Orbison band, The Lonely. She has held acting roles in numerous productions including Jesus Christ Super Star, 1776, Beggars Opera, Much Ado About Nothing and Godspell. She has just finished her role in Music Man at the Philipstown Depot Theatre. Besides co-directing youngsters in Shakespeare Situation & Stories for the Stage summer camp, past teaching jobs include private singing coach and movement specialist in the Williamson Technique for Actors at the Actors Movement Studio in NYC. In addition to performing, Laura is a Life Coach, working with Actors, Singers & Moms Making a Difference. She lives in Cold Spring with her husband and her famous son, Alex.

Kimberly was once a member of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, touring Eastern Europe. She was also a member of the Russian Chamber Chorus of New York, which prided itself on a repertoire of ancient liturgical chants and new works from contemporary composers. As a soloist she has recorded television commercials and performed on acoustic guitar both while living in Prague in the Czech Republic, and more recently throughout New York’s Hudson River Valley. Currently, she is pleased to sing with The Brasiles Ensemble and the St. Philip’s Choir. As a side project, she and Madeleine DeNitto have created a new vocal duo called The Mary Powell. Beyond music, Kimberly is a writer and editor who has contributed pieces to a range of titles from Reader’s Digest and O the Oprah Magazine to The Prague Post. She and her husband have two sons.

After some initial music training in the Atlanta Boy Choir, Paul sang in various choirs and groups throughout a somewhat nomadic childhood. In college, he was an original member of the Oberlin Obertones. He later performed with The New York Chamber Symphony Chorus, The Juilliard Choral Union, and the Oxford University Press Choir. Paul has sung with ensembles ranging from The New York Pops, They Might Be Giants, and The Chieftains. With the Juilliard Opera, he performed in choruses for Igor Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex and Francis Poulenc’s Dialogue of the Carmelites. Paul works in the world of educational publishing, helping create English language teaching materials for children, teens, and adults. He is also the music arranger for The Brasiles Ensemble. He is married and owns a small apple orchard in the Hudson Valley.

Born in post-WWII Germany to a military family, Ed’s childhood was split between Germany and New York City. He has spent much of his time singing with various choirs, including the Manhattan Borough-Wide Chorus, the All-City High School Chorus, the Saint Augustine Chapel Choir with Trinity Parish and presently, the Saint Philip’s Church Choir since 1980. Currently retired, Ed earned a degree in mechanical engineering from The City College of New York and not only had an extensive career in control and automation system design and construction for electrical power facilities, water, and wastewater treatment plants, but is also a Vietnam Veteran and retired military NCO, a Master Sergeant with the USAF and NYANG for 22 years. Ed is also an active member of the New York Paleontological Society. He is married with five children and five grandchildren.

James Caposito is will be a Sophomore this fall at The University at Buffalo where he double majors in Music Theatre and Dance. His most recent stage credits include WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN (Young Ivan/ Ensemble), WEST SIDE STORY (Diesel/Dance Captain), and BILLY ELLIOT (Billy). James has also been involved in some film and television shows as well like 42 (42), and ROYAL PAINS: THE PRINCE OF NUCLEOTIDES (Male Dancer). Come see his performance this summer in CABARET (Hans) at White Plains Performing Arts Center, or if you’re in town PIPPIN (Ensemble) this fall in Buffalo.

Casey Dath (Dancer) is an actor, singer, dancer, and freelance jazz pianist. A rising senior at Putnam Valley High School, he has most recently performed in the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Putnam Valley Performing Arts Center, and played jazz at the Hudson Valley Paramount Theater. This summer, Casey will be performing in the White Plains Performing Arts Center production of Cabaret.

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