Music by Henry Mancini
Additional Music by Frank Wildhorn
Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
Book by Blake Edwards
Based on the 1982 Blake Edwards film
Directed and Choreographed by Donald E. Birely
Musical Direction by Stephanie Gaumer and Dan Koch
"Victor/Victoria" contains adult situations and some language that may not be suitable for all audiences
Synopsis: The place and time is Paris during the 1930s. Men who can sing as women
are all the rage. Desperate for a gig, Victoria, a woman, disguises
herself as a man pretending to be a woman. She is all the rage in Paris,
as audiences fully believe that she is a he who is just pretending to
be a she. Things get even more complicated after the gangster, King
Marchan, happens upon a show with Victoria. To his dismay, King Marchan
finds that he is falling in love with this man Victor. Meanwhile, King's
tough bodyguard, Squash, falls in love with Victoria's truly male
friend, Toddy. In the end, Victor reveals that he is really Victoria
meaning that King Marchan is not homosexual, as he feared.
Distinctions: Nominated
for 3 Drama Desk Awards and 1 Tony Award (Julie Andrews,
Outstanding Actress in a Musical - she declined the nomination).
Julie Andrews and Rachel York won the Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding
Actress and Featured Actress in a Musical respectively.
Songs:
Act 1
Paris by Night ...........................................Carroll Todd and Les Boys
If I Were a Man .........................................Victoria Grant
Trust Me ..................................................Carroll Todd and Victoria Grant
Le Jazz Hot ...............................................Victor and Jazz Hot Ensemble
The Tango ................................................Victor and Norma Cassidy
Paris Makes Me Horny .................................Norma Cassidy
Crazy World ..............................................Victoria Grant
Who Can I Tell?..........................................Victoria Grant
Act 2
King's Dilemma ..........................................King Marchan
Apache ...................................................Les Boys
You & Me ................................................Carroll Todd and Victor
Paris by Night (Reprise) ..............................Street Singer
Almost a Love Song ...................................King Marchan and Victoria Grant
Chicago, Illinois .........................................Norma Cassidy and Norma's Girl
Living in the Shadows
(Music By Frank Wildhorn)............................Victoria Grant
Victor / Victoria .........................................Victoria Grant, Carroll Todd and Company
Photos by David Henningsen
FULL SYNOPSIS (from Musical Heaven.com)
ACT I Carroll Todd ("Toddy" to his friends) is tenuously employed as
the resident performer at Edith Labisse's Left Bank gay club, Chez Lui. Toddy and Les Boys entertain the small but appreciative audience -Paris By Night. Toddy insults a group of customers which includes his ex-boyfriend Richard. Labisse threatens to fire him.
A penniless
English soprano, Victoria Grant, auditions unsuccessfully for Labisse.
Toddy tries to help, but Labisse rejects her and fires him. Toddy
befriends Victoria, and offers her shelter from the wet wintry night in
his tiny apartment. They become instant buddies and confidantes. Toddy
wishes he were a woman, like Victoria, while Victoria believes that
there are far more advantages to being a man -If I Were A Man.
Richard,
the ex-boyfriend, arrives at Toddy's unexpectedly to collect his
things. Victoria is by now wearing his hat and pajamas. Richard
mistakenly thinks she is Toddy's new boyfriend and insults Toddy.
Victoria punches Richard and kicks him out. Toddy is impressed. Richard
actually thought Victoria was a man! And at that moment The Inspired
Idea strikes Toddy right between the eyes. Why not? Victoria could
indeed be a man - Europe's greatest female impersonator! Victoria says
he's crazy. Toddy pursues his argument, and dreams up Count Victor
Grazinsky - a gay Polish aristocrat and Toddy's new lover -Trust Me.
"It will work," he assures Victoria. "It will not!" says Victoria.
They'll never accept a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a
woman! - "They'll know he's a phony!" "Exactly," says Toddy. "They'll
know he's a phony!"
Toddy
drags the reluctant Victoria to meet Andre Cassell, Paris's leading
impresario, who is dubious about "Count Victor Grazinsky" until he hears
"him" hit a glass-shattering high G-flat. "Victor" is in business.
Le Jazz Hot! introduces Victor to Paris café society. His show-stopping performance
at once makes him the toast of Gay Paree. The only doubter of Victor's
authenticity is a dashing American business-man - cum gangster figure,
King Marchan, visiting Paris with his brassy girlfriend Norma and his
loyal bodyguard Squash. King is convinced Victor is a woman, and
determined to prove it. At Cassell's opening night party for Victor,
King invites Victor to tango with Norma, hoping to prove his point -The "Paris By Night" Tango.
Victor's tango is a sensation. Norma is thrilled. King is thwarted, and
starts to doubt himself. He finds Victor attractive as a woman...but
what if he's a man?
By
an unwelcome coincidence, King and Norma and Squash find themselves in
the adjoining hotel suite to the newly successful Toddy and Victor.
Norma tries to seduce King -Paris Makes Me Horny. She
succeeds only in making him impotent. Next door, Victoria bemoans to
Toddy that in King she thinks she has finally found the man of her
dreams, but here she is trying to convince him that she is a man, too! - Who Can I Tell?
ACT II
Victor continues to take Paris audiences by storm. Norma complains to
Victor and Toddy that King is shipping her back to Chicago because he
fancies Victor - a man!
King confronts his doubts about himself and Victor -King's Dilemma.
Is it possible that he, King, is falling for a man? He invites Victor
and Toddy to dinner to try and find out. After dinner they visit Chez
Lui, where Labisse also has her suspicions that Victor is a woman. She
invites her/him to sing. Victor and Toddy oblige -You and Me.
Richard's
group arrives noisily in mid-song. Victor trips Richard and starts a
major brawl in the club. The police arrive to break it up. Outside the
club, King says he doesn't care if Victor is a man, and kisses him.
Victoria admits she's not a man. King says he still doesn't care, and
kisses her again -Reprise: Paris By Night.
Back
in the hotel, Squash barges into King's bedroom and finds King and
Victor in bed together: He apologizes profusely: "Sorry, guys!" King
tries to explain. Squash admires King for coming out of the closet, and
stuns his boss by revealing that he, too, is gay!
Victor and King examine their potential problems if they are perceived publicly as two men. It won't work. -Almost a Love Song
Back in Chicago, Norma is performing in a night club -Chicago, Illinois.
She informs King's gangster partner, Sal Andretti, that King has dumped
her for another man - and is living with "a gay Polish fairy." Sal is
aghast, and says they're all going to Europe.
Two
weeks later, Toddy and Squash have become happy partners. Not so for
King and Victoria, unable to be seen together in public -Living in the Shadows. Victoria tells Toddy she doesn't want to be a man anymore. Toddy understands. Neither does he.
Sal
and the spurned Norma arrive in Paris. King admits he loves "Victor,"
keeping the secret. Sal, disgusted, ends their business relationship.
Victoria reveals herself to Norma as a woman. Norma is horrified.
Labisse witnesses this moment of naked truth. Victoria is horrified.
Toddy tells her not to worry. "Trust me!" Dissolve to Victor's farewell
appearance -Victor/Victoria. Labisse tries to expose him/her as a fraud.
Toddy,
thrilled to be back in drag, replaces Victoria in a blink, to thwart
Labisse and leave the way clear for a happy ending for our two loving
couples -King and Victoria, and Toddy and Squash.
Cosmetics President's Husband: Mike Lozier (New Milford)
Cosmetics President: Meredith Walker (Wilton)
Chambermaid/Ensemble: Dr. Barbara Kessler (Danbury)
Dancer/Dance Captain: Amanda Eventoff (Newtown)
Dancer/Ensemble:
Hilary Currie (New Milford), Caitlin Keeler (Ridgefield), Charity
Ferris, Monica Gallagher, Melanie Romano (all of Danbury)
Waiter: Luke Garrison (Millbrook, NY)
ABOUT MUSICALS AT RICHTER'S PRODUCTION:
Le Jazz Hot!
Danbury ’s Musicals at Richter Opens 24th Season Under the Stars June 19 with Sizzling Musical Comedy Hit “Victor/Victoria”
Danbury,
Conn. – Musicals at Richter (MAR), celebrating its 24th season as the
longest-running outdoor theater in Connecticut, opens the 2008 season
with the hilarious musical adaptation of the gender-bending hit film
comedy “Victor/Victoria” on June 19. Staged on the grounds of the
Richter Arts Center in Danbury , performances take place outdoors under
the stars Friday through Sunday evenings through July 5 at 8:30 p.m.,
with a specially discounted preview the first Thursday of the run, June
19.
Adapted by
Blake Edwards for the stage from his 1982 hit film of the same name,
“Victor/Victoria” follows the fortunes of Victoria Grant, a
poverty-stricken soprano trying to find work in Paris in the 1930s. With
the help of Carroll (“Toddy”) Todd, a worldly-wise gay nightclub
singer, she invents her alter-ego Victor, a female impersonator who is
hired to sing at a fashionable night spot. As she negotiates the
challenges “being a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a
woman,” Victoria becomes the toast of Paris . Comic complications
arise when King Marchan, a Chicago mobster, sees the act and finds
himself attracted to the enigmatic star. As the play unfolds, we
discover that not everyone is exactly what they appear to be in this
wonderfully raucous battle of the sexes!
The
wildly popular movie featured Julie Andrews in the title role, with
Robert Preston as the effervescent Toddy, James Garner as King Marchan,
Leslie Ann Warren as Marchan’s brassy girlfriend Norma Cassidy and Alex
Karras as Squash Bernstein, Marchan’s fiercely loyal bodyguard.
With
an expanded score by Henry Mancini and Frank Wildhorn and lyrics by
Leslie Bricusse, the 1995 Broadway production was directed by Edwards
and choreographed by Rob Marshall. It opened on October 25, 1995
at the Marquis Theatre, where it ran for 734 performances. The original
cast included Julie Andrews (reprising her role in the film), Tony
Roberts, Michael Nouri, Rachel York, Richard B. Shull, and Rob
Ashford. Songs from the score include “Le Jazz Hot,” “Trust Me,”
“Living in the Shadows,” “You and Me,” and “Paris by Night.”
Directed
and choreographed by Musicals at Richter veteran Donald Birely of New
York City , the Richter production features MAR veterans Juliette
Garrison of Millbrook , NY as Victoria and Al Recchia of Milford as
Carroll Todd. Ms. Garrison has many leading roles to her credit,
including Sheila in “A Chorus Line” at the Warner Theatre in Torrington;
Lucy in “Jekyll and Hyde” at Thomaston Opera House; Meredith Parker in
“Batboy” and Velma Kelly in “Chicago” at Theatreworks New Milford; and
Sally Bowles in “Cabaret” at the Warner Studio Theatre. She played
opposite Robert Cuccioli in the workshop for the new musical “Elvis
Unbound” in New York City . A sampling of her ten shows at MAR
includes Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls,” Lily St. Regis in “Annie,” Elsa
in “The Sound of Music.”
A
Milford native, Mr. Recchia last appeared on the MAR stage as Julian
Marsh in “ 42nd Street .” His other Richter roles include the
title role in “Barnum” and Marcus Lycus in “A Funny Thing Happened on
the Way to the Forum.” His favorite credits include Lenny in
“Rumors,” Charles Condomine in “Blythe Spirit,” Sylvia St. Croix in
“Ruthless,” Noble Eggleston in “Little Me,” and Dr. Morris Ritz in “The
Grass Harp,” for which he won Stratford ’s Square One Theatre
Subscribers’ Award for Outstanding Featured Actor.
Wilton
residents Matt Criscuolo and Renee Kaminsky are appearing at Richter
for the first time as King Marchan and Norma Cassidy. A
professional saxophonist with two CDs to his credit, Criscuolo is also
the owner of Wilton Pizza, Piccolo’s Pizza and Toozypatza Pizza
restaurants. Kaminsky has performed in New York City at the Triad
Theater, Henry Dejur Playhouse, Producers Club, The Tank and in the NYC
Fringe Festival. She toured with American Family Theatre in
“Beauty and the Beast,” and worked on “Between the Lines” for A &
E. Her local credits include “Guys and Dolls” and “Thoroughly
Modern Millie” at Curtain Call’s Kweskin Theater in Stamford .
Tom
Morris of Danbury takes on the role of Squash Bernstein and Elyse
Jasensky of Danbury is featured as nightclub owner Edith Labisse.
Morris is making his MAR stage debut, having previously served as
conductor and keyboardist for several past MAR productions, including “
Oklahoma !” and “The King and I.” He is principal timpanist for
the Danbury Symphony and a regular accompanist for the Spinning Wheel
Inn’s annual Christmas Show. An educator at Maimonides Academy,
Jasensky is an established area performer, with credits ranging from
Rose in “Gypsy” and Mrs. Hannigan in “Annie” at MAR, to Joanne in
“Company” at Ridgefield Theater Barn and Miss Pennywise in “Urinetown”
for Theatreworks New Milford.
Danbury
resident Joseph P. Hudson makes his Richter debut as Paris impresario
Andre Casell. Hudson is well-known to area audiences as the
director of Danbury ’s Mad Hatters Barber Shop Chorus and the choral
director at Danbury High School . A native of Stratford , Hudson
counts among his favorite roles Moonface Martin in “Anything Goes,” Sir
Joseph Porter in HMS Pinafore and the title role in “You’re a Good Man,
Charlie Brown.”
Joining
Hudson are Richter veterans Rob Sniffin of Danbury in the role of
Richard DiNardo, Toddy’s ex-lover, and Ronnie Blois of Sherman as Sal
Andretti, King Marchan’s business partner from Chicago . Sniffin
was featured as Perchik in last season’s “Fiddler on the Roof,” and
Blois appeared in the ensembles of both “Fiddler” and “ Oklahoma !"
The
balance of the 23-member cast is featured in a variety of roles. They
include Charity Ferris, Monica Gallagher, Barbara Kessler, Mensah
Robinson, Melanie Romano, and Karen Samuel, all of Danbury; Hilary
Currie and Mike Lozier of New Milford; Amanda Eventoff of Newtown;
Caitlin Keeler of Ridgefield; Amanda Blois of Sherman; and Meredith
Walker of Wilton. New York cast members include Janice Gabriel of
Brewster and Luke Garrison of Millbrook.
Stephanie
Gaumer-Klein of Norwalk and Dan Koch of Millbrook , NY serve as musical
directors for the production. Scenic design is by Andy Salom of
Danbury , with lighting design by Jeff Klein of Norwalk and costumes by
Donald Birely. Danbury residents Charity Ferris and Joyce Northrop
serve as production stage manager and producer respectively.
Musicals
at Richter’s 2008 main stage musical season continues with “Wonderful
Town” (July 10-26), Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green’s
quirky and comic musical about two sisters starting life in New York
City, directed by E. Kyle Minor of Danbury; and “The Music Man” (July 31
– August 16), Meredith Willson’s pitch-perfect musical tribute to
small-town Iowa, directed by Donald Birely.
For
the younger set, the popular children’s theater series “Fairy Tale
Theater” celebrates its tenth season of Saturday morning offerings July 5
through 26 at Wooster School in Danbury . Longtime Danbury area
performer and educator Elyse Jasensky directs a 20-member ensemble of
young performers in hour-long versions of classic tales such as “Jack
and the Beanstalk” (July 5), “The Frog Princess” (July 12), “The
Princess and The Pea” and “Puss in Boots” (July 19) and “Alice in
Wonderland” (July 26). All Fairy Tale Theater tickets are $5.
Main
stage performances are Friday through Sunday evenings at the Richter
Arts Center (next to the Richter Park Golf Course, I-84, Exit 2), 100
Aunt Hack Road, in Danbury. Tickets for the main stage productions are
$21 for adults, $16 for seniors, and $13 for students and children,
which includes $1 for the Richter House Restoration Fund. Preview
performances (June 19, July 10 and July 31) are $10 for all
tickets. Ticket reservations are available by phone and through
the Musicals at Richter website. Grounds open at 7:15 p.m. for
picnicking, with curtain at 8:30 p.m. Group rates are available with
advance reservation; chair rentals and soft drink/snack concessions are
available on-site.
