LIGHTING DESIGNERTODD O. WREN***ensemble member

This entire season sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. Florida Repertory Theatre is a fully professional non-profit LOA/LORT Theatre company on contract with the Actors’ Equity Association that proudly employs members of the national theatrical labor unions. *Member of Actors’ Equity Association. **Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. ***Member of United Scenic Artists.

Anonymous • The Fred & Jean Allegretti Foundation • Naomi Bloom & Ron WallaceBruce & Janet Bunch • Gholi & Georgia Darehshori • Ed & Ellie Fox • Dr. & Mrs. Mark & Lynne Gorovoy

John & Marjorie Madden • Sue & Jack Rogers • Arthur Zupko

STARRINGJOE BIGELOW* • DAVID EDWARDS* • JULIE KAVANAGH* • JAMES DAVID LARSON*

MICAHEL McASSEY* • SOARA-JOYE ROSS*

DIRECTED BYensemble member

ROBERT CACIOPPO**

SOUND DESIGNERJOHN KISELICA

COSTUME DESIGNERDINA PEREZ***

2 0 1 5 - 1 6 G R A N D S E A S O N S P O N S O R S

SPONSORED BY THE GALLOWAY FAMILY OF DEALERSHIPS AND MADELEINE TAENI

FLORIDA REPERTORY THEATRE

2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6 S E A S O NARTSTAGE STUDIO THEATRE • FORT MYERS RIVER DISTRICT

ROBERT CACIOPPO, PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

P R E S E N T S

ASST. STAGE MANAGERGRACIE DOD

PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGERAMY L. MASSARI*ensemble member

Featuring the Lyrics of JOHNNY MERCERMusic by JEROME KERN, HENRY MANCINI, DUKE

ELLINGTON, HAROLD ARLEN, & MoreConceived, Written and Directed by ROBERT CACIOPPO

MUSIC DIRECTORMICHAEL McASSEY

SET DESIGNERTIM BILLMAN

CHOREOGRAPHERARTHUR D’ALESSIO

JOE BIGELOW* DAVID EDWARDS* JULIE KAVANAGH*

JAMES DAVID LARSON* MICHAEL MCASSEY* SOARA-JOYE ROSS*

Bartender: Kyle Ashe Wilkinson/Ryan Gallerani

TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS: A SALUTE TO JOHNNY MERCER will be performed with one 15-minute intermission.

The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited.

Swings: Caroline Clay • Kyle Ashe WilkinsonWardrobe: Camille Lerner

Lighting & Sound Board Operator: Rachael Smith

The Actors & Stage Manager employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

JOHNNY MERCER’S main claim to immortality is his incredible songwriting output, penning the lyrics or music and lyrics to roughly 1,500 songs. Marked by a sophisticated, occasionally whimsical mastery of language and rhymes, many of Mercer’s songs have become standards regularly covered by jazz artists. Yet he was also a successful singer, with a relaxed, Southern-accented, jazzy, rhythmically agile delivery that resulted in several major hits in the 1940s. At first, he was torn between acting and songwriting, but having failed to land a part in Garrick Gaities in 1930, he ended up writing his first hit, “Out of Breath, Scared to Death of You,” for the show. His first charted songwriting hit was Ted Lewis’ 1933 recording of “Lazybones.” By 1938, he was recording duets with Bing Crosby for Decca and the following year, he was on Benny Goodman’s Camel Cavalcade radio program as a featured singer. In 1942, he, Glenn Wallichs, and Buddy DeSylva founded Capitol Records, which would eventually become an industry behemoth, and Mercer reeled off a string of hits for his label, including “Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe,” “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” “Candy,” and “Personality.” “Atchison” is an especially good example of his flip, catchy, vocal style. While running Capitol, Mercer the talent scout attracted the likes of Nat King Cole, Stan Kenton, Jo Stafford, Peggy Lee, and Margaret Whiting to the label, where they had their greatest successes. Among Mercer’s most durable lyrics -- a highly abbreviated list -- are those for “One for My Baby (And One More for the Road),” “Blues in the Night,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “My Shining Hour,” and “Early Autumn,” and his many collaborators have included Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern, Gordon Jenkins, and Harry Warren. He also contributed to the scores of seven Broadway musicals and films. Following an album with Bobby Darin and collaborations with Henry Mancini in the early ‘60s, Mercer’s career slowed down under the onslaught of rock & roll, but time has since reconfirmed his status as an American popular music giant.

CAST

****

†Member of Florida Repertory Theatre’s Ensemble of Theatre Artists. See page 23 for the entire ensemble.

**

ABOUT JOHNNY MERCER

DRAMATURGICAL NOTES

JOHNNY MERCER’S LEGACYEven if you’re not aware of it, you’re probably already familiar with the

music of Johnny Mercer. His songs, with their wide range of musical styles, have been heard by millions of people all over the world on recordings, radio, films, television programs and Broadway shows over the past century.

Throughout his acclaimed career, Johnny:• Wrote over 1,400 songs• Wrote songs for 100 motion pictures.• Won four “Best Song” Academy Awards

and was nominated 18 times.• Wrote 23 theatrical productions, including

St. Louis Woman and Li’l Abner.• Was a top radio personality and

recording artist.• Was the co-founder and President of

Capitol Records.• Nurtured the talent of artists like Margaret

Whiting, Jo Stafford, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Nat “King” Cole.

• Established the Songwriters Hall of Fame with Abe Olman and Howie Richmond.

CAPITOL RECORDSIn 1942, the major record labels (Decca, RCA and Columbia) were all located on the East Coast and there wasn’t a label of note on the West Coast. One day, Johnny Mercer and the owner of Glenn Wallichs’ Music City store were discussing their displeasure with the current state of the recording industry. Johnny felt that recording artists were seldom presented at their best, and Glenn voiced his frustration with the out-dated distribution methods. As a result, Johnny and Glenn reached out to Buddy DeSylva, songwriter and producer at Paramount Pictures, for financial backing, and with $25,000 a record label was born.

ACADEMY AWARD NOMS & WINSJeepers Creepers, 1938I’d Know You Anywhere, 1940Love Of My Life, 1940Blues In The Night, 1941Dearly Beloved, 1943My Shining Hour, 1943The Old Black Magic, 1943Accentuate The Positive, 1946 On The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe, 1946 In The Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, 1951Something’s Gotta Give, 1955The Facts of Life, 1960 Moon Rover, 1961 Days of Wine and Roses, 1962Charade, 1963The Sweetheart Tree, 1965Whistling Away The Dark, 1970Life Is What You Make It, 1971

TIMELINE OF EVENTS1909- Born in Savannah, Georgia, November 18Late 1920s- Moves to New York City to become an actor1930- Writes first song, “Out of Breath” for Garrick Gaieties1931- Marries actress/dancer, Ginger Meehan1933- Has first hit, “Lazybones”1938- With Richard Whiting, writes “Hooray for Hollywood” for the film Hollywood Hotel.1939- Co-founds Capitol Records and serves as first president1953- Begins hosting his own show for the CBS radio network: the Johnny Mercer Show, broadcast nightly five days a week.1962- Back River in Savannah is renamed “Moon River”1971- Eighteenth Academy Award nomination for “Life Is What You Make It” written with Marvin Hamlisch1976- Dies July 25 after complications from brain surgery.

SOURCES:The Johnny Mercer Foundation / AllMusic.com

Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini at the 1962Oscars

JOE BIGELOW* graduated from the University-of-Minnesota/Guthrie-Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program. Previous regional credits include: The Guthrie Theater (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, My Fair Lady, Roman Holiday,

H.M.S. Pinafore), New York City Center (CTFD 29th Anniversary Gala), Luna Stage (Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story), Hope Summer Repertory Theatre (All Shook Up, Romeo and Juliet, The Light in the Piazza), and Black Dirt Theater (Arsenic and Old Lace).

DAVID EDWARDS* Broadway: By Jeeves, The Rothschilds. National Tour: The Producers. Off-Broadway: last El Gallo in the record-breaking run of The Fantasticks, Room Service, That’s Life, The Disputation, What’s a Nice

Country Like You…? Zion, Company, What’s That Smell?: The Music of Jacob Sterling, Ionescopade. Regional: Man of La Mancha (Quixote), La Cage aux Folles (Albin), Camelot (Arthur), Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Max Prince) The Foreigner (Froggy), A Little Night Music (Fredrik), Irma Vep, Little Me (Star Ledger Award – Best Musical Actor), Ragtime, 1776, A Few Good Men, and The Cripple of Inishmaan at such theatres as The Ordway, Eugene O’Neill Center, Westchester Broadway, Old Globe, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Portland Stage, Geva, Gateway Playhouse, Florida Studio, Orlando Shakespeare and Syracuse Stage. Film & TV: Belly, The Fantasticks: Try to Remember, Meshuggah-Nuns TV Special, The Good Wife. Recordings: cast albums Bittersuite, Kings, and solo album David Edwards Giving Voice (available from ITunes and Amazon). He is also an award-winning director, and directed The Seafarer this season at Florida Rep. www.davidedwardsonline.com.

JULIE KAVANAGH* is thrilled to make her Florida Rep Debut! National Tour: La Cage Aux Folles. Favorite Regional: The Drowsy Chaperone (Janet Van De Graff, The Cape Playhouse), 42nd Street (Peggy Sawyer, Weston

Playhouse, Merry Go Round, Forestburgh), La Cage Aux Folles (Anne, Sacramento Music Circus), Avenue Q (Kate Monster/Lucy, Theatre Aspen), Annie (StarToBe, The Maltz Jupiter Theatre), The Little Mermaid (Dallas Summer Musicals/TUTS), and Hairspray, In Concert! (Penny Pingleton) with the

Indianapolis/Baltimore Symphony Orchestras. Proud CCM grad and AEA Member! Special thanks to Bob and everyone at Florida Rep! Love to DGRW, Mom, Dad, and Honey!

JAMES DAVID LARSON* was recently seen in Roundabout Theatre Company’s acclaimed revival of Into the Woods. And recently seen in the area in Asolo Repertory Theatre’s Luck Be a Lady. National Tours / Off-Broadway:

Spamalot, The Buddy Holly Story, Atomic, and Bunnicula. New York: TV’s I’d Kill For You episode 305 which airs March 12, 2016 on ID: Investigation Discovery, Julius Caesar (Smith Street Stage,) Pope! An Epic Musical (NYMF, 2015,) Gary Goldfarb: Master Escapist (NYMF, 2013,) Are You There, Zeus? It’s Me Electra (Planet Connections Theatre Festivity,) and a national Burlington Coat Factory commercial. Regional: Oregon Cabaret Theatre (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Smithtown Performing Arts Center (My Way), Millbrook Playhouse (The Buddy Holly Story, Annie, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Odd Couple), Oregon Stage Works (Little Women, Tales of Fannie Keenan: Better Known as Dora Hand), Mock’s Crest Productions (Ruddigore). www.JamesDavidLarson.com

MICHAEL McASSEY* is excited to be back at Florida Rep after appearing in last season’s Fascinatin’ Gershwin. He made his Broadway debut in the ill-fated musical Late Night Comic. In New York he’s worked on and Off-Broadway (A Hard Time to Be Single, Sex Tips

for Modern Girls, In Gay Company & more) and at Lincoln Center. He recently co-starred as Herbie in Gypsy (with Tony nominee Sally Mayes), Sondheim’s Putting it Together, Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, and as Max Bialystock in three different companies of Mel Brooks’ The Producers. In Chicago, Michael starred in the hit comedy Shear Madness, co-starred as Banjo in The Man Who Came to Dinner (with Andre de Shields) and as Guy Proclo in Terrence McNally’s The Ritz (with Transparent’s Alexandra Billings). Soap fans may remember Michael as blind pianist-singer George Baldwin on CBS-TV’s Guiding Light. He appeared with Barbara Cook and Patti LuPone in Paris and toured with Ms. LuPone in her nightclub act, The Argentina Turner Revue. An accomplished conductor & music director (including the shows here at Florida Rep), Michael divides his time between onstage and off including conducting the Broadway National Tours of Avenue Q and Titanic: the Musical. Proud member of Actor’s Equity since 1977 and SAG/AFTRA since 1981.www.michaelmcassey.com

CREATIVE TEAM

SOARA-JOYE ROSS* is a native New Yorker and a graduate from The American Musical & Dramatic Academy and J. Beckson Studios in NYC. This Type 1 Divabetic and classically trained songbird, just starred in a world premiere

musical The First Noel at the Apollo Theater to sold out houses every night. She recently starred in the off Broadway musical comedy Disenchanted, as The Princess who Kissed the Frog, and the Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess National Tour. New York highlights include: Les Miserablés & Dance of the Vampires on Broadway, Jerry Springer: The Opera (Carnegie Hall), Dessa Rose (Lincoln Center), Single Black Female (The Duke & Playwrights Horizons), and Cross That River (2009 NYMF, Award for Outstanding Individual Performance). Soara-Joye has multiple regional theatre & touring credits, played the Handi-World cashier in feature film, Garden State, and in 2013, This Is My Life, Gotta Fly! marked her solo cabaret debut at The Laurie Beechman Theater in New York. “Much love & gratitude to my mom, family, friends, my agent Renée & Father God.” www.soara-joye.com

RYAN GALLERANI (Bartender) got his start with theatre in high school and has been doing it ever since. He’s from Greensboro, North Carolina and graduated last year with a B.A. in Performing Arts from Marshall University. Some

of his roles include Hero in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Tranio in The Taming of the Shrew, Ernst in Cabaret and Jim/Tom in Clybourne Park. He spent the summer of 2014 working at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg, West Virginia where he acted in such shows as Man of La Mancha, Lucky Stiff and Stuart Little. He is having a great time at Florida Repertory Theatre and is excited to see what the rest of the season has in store for him.

KYLE ASHE WILKINSON (Bartender) is thrilled to be one of Florida Rep’s five acting interns this year, appearing in Becky’s New Car (Chris) and Too Marvelous For Words: A Salute to Johnny Mercer. By day, he and his fellow interns are

touring local schools, performing A Year With Frog and Toad (Snail, Man Bird, Father Frog, Lizard) and The Red Badge of Courage (Jim). Other professional theatre credits: Tarzan (Ensemble), Joseph...Dreamcoat (Asher), and All Shook Up (Dean). He

also sings as a guest entertainer for various cruise lines and events with Entertainment Central Agency, and has worked as a stunt performer/tuba player for RWS & Associates. BFA Musical Theater/dance minor from University of Central Florida.

TIM BILLMAN (Set Designer) joined the Florida Rep family in 2014 as the Technical Director and has recently become the Production Manager. Tim’s scenic design credits include productions for Blowing Rock Stage Company (NC), Temple Theatre (NC), Ensemble Stage (NC), Riverside Theatre (FL), Gardner-Webb University (NC), and the Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival. He has served as the Technical Director for the Hayes Center of Performing Arts, Blowing Rock Stage Company, Troy State University at Montgomery and Riverside Theatre. In 2009, Tim was a founding member of Ensemble Stage, a professional theatre in Blowing Rock, NC, now in its seventh season. Tim also spent time supervising rigging installation and upgrades for theatres all across North and South America and is a charter member of the Mormish Council. He resides in Fort Myers with his wife Jamie and three children: Brooklyn, Jack, and Bridget.

ARTHUR D’ALESSIO (Choreographer) is thrilled to be a part of this exciting production. He has worked as a dancer, actor, and choreographer in the theatre for the past 36 years. Mr. D’Alessio has done numerous productions at Florida Repertory Theatre (Company, Dream, Fascinatin’ Gershwin, I Love You, You’re Perfect… Now Change, Red, White and Berlin, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) and at The Old Schoolhouse Theatre on Sanibel Island (Take Me To Broadway, Godspell, and The Richard Rodgers Songbook). Also on Sanibel: The Pirate Playhouse (Two By Two and Cole!). On the east coast Mr. D’Alessio choreographed Fascinatin’ Gershwin for Florida Stage in Manalapan. Other regional and New York credits include Bye, Bye Birdie, Grease, Anything Goes, Hello Dolly!, Cabaret, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Funny Girl, Annie Get Your Gun, Annie, Peter Pan, Guys And Dolls…just to name a few!

GRACIE DOD (Asst. Stage Manager) is a recent graduate from Samford University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and a concentration in stage management. While studying at Samford, she stage managed many shows including Macbeth, The Wizard of Oz, and Moon Over Buffalo. Over the past two summers, Gracie has worked with The Berkshire Theatre Group in Massachusetts where she worked on shows such as Mary Poppins, Cedars, Seussical, and A Hatful of Rain. She also stage managed Shrek and The Little Mermaid in her hometown at Suwanee Academy of the Arts. Gracie would like to thank her friends, family, and her new and amazing Florida Rep family.

CREATIVE TEAM

JOHN KISELICA (Sound Designer) is a graduate of West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Lighting and Sound Design. He recently worked on the national tour, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Musical as the Master Electrician after a contract with Royal Caribbean International as a Stage Technician. Commercial theatrical work includes installing Prodigy Hoists, an automated rigging system from Electronic Theatre Controls. John spends his summers in Lynchburg, VA as the resident Sound & Lighting Designer with Endstation Theatre Company. He is extremely excited to be back at Florida Rep for his second season

AMY MASSARI*†(Production Stage Manager) is pleased to be returning for her seventh season as Florida Rep’s resident stage manager and ensemble member. Amy has been a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association for the past 26 years, working in some of the country’s finest regional theatres: the Alley Theatre (Houston, TX), the Dallas Theatre Center (Dallas, TX), Stage-West (Springfield, MA), the Pioneer Memorial (Salt Lake City, UT), and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival (Boulder, CO). Among her favorite Florida Rep productions are Split In Three, The Fantasticks, Lend Me a Tenor, August: Osage County, Sylvia, and God of Carnage. Amy has been happily married to her husband of 19 years, Michael. Michael is a terrific partner and father to their children Jesse Cheyenne and Caleb Dakota.

DINA PEREZ*** (Costume Designer) is a freelance costume designer in the greater New York City area, as well as regionally throughout the United States. This year she is also Visiting Costume Faculty at University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Recently, she received the Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Showcase grant sponsored by OPERA America, for her team’s project proposal for The Cradle Will Rock. Costume design credits include: Triassic Parq: The Musical (Off-Broadway), Around the World in 80 Days (Florida Repertory Theatre), The Foreigner and The Comedy of Errors (Texas Shakespeare Festival), The Bikinis (Broadway Rose Theatre Company), These Shining Lives (Curtain Call Theatre), Cosi fan tutte (A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute), and Super Claudio Bros. (Best Musical DC Fringe ’10). In 2011, she received the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute Fellowship in Costume Design, and her designs for Il Mondo della Luna were included in the Prague Quadrennial USA Student Exhibit. Special thank you to Murdock for constant love and support!

TODD O. WREN***† (Lighting Designer) is delighted to participate in Florida Rep’s continued growth as an ensemble member. A special thanks goes to you, the audience, for your support. Todd’s theatrical credits include: Goodspeed Musicals, Cleveland Playhouse, People’s Light and Opera Company, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Center, Merrimack Repertory, Barter Theatre, Tennessee Repertory, John F. Kennedy Center, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Charlotte Repertory, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Town and Gown Theatre, Casa Manana, and Flat Rock Playhouse. Todd is a member of United Scenic Artists, New York Local #829.

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION (AEA) was founded in 1913 as the first of the American Actor unions. Equity’s mission is to advance, promote and foster the art

of theatre as an essential component of our society. Today, Equity represents more than 40,000 actors, singers, dancers and stage managers working in hundreds of theatres across the United States. Equity members are dedicated to working in the theatre as a profession, upholding the highest artistic standards. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits including health and pension plans for its members. Through its agreement with Equity, this theatre has committed to the fair treatment of the actors and stage managers employed in this production. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. For more information, visit www.actorsequity.org.

FLORIDA PROFESSIONAL THEATRES ASSOCIATION (FPTA) is a statewide organization of professional theatre companies and theatre professionals

interested in the development and promotion of professional theatre throughout Florida. Florida Repertory Theatre is a proud FPTA member theatre.

THE NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK is the country’s alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions

the development, production, and continued life of new plays. The NNPN strives to pioneer, implement, and disseminate ideas and programs that revolutionize the way theaters collaborate to support new plays and playwrights. Florida Repertory Theatre is proud to be an Associate Member of the National New Play Network.

Florida Repertory Theatre is a member of THEATRE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP (TCG), the national organization for the American Theatre.

CREATIVE TEAM

SPECIAL THANKSAdditional vocal arrangements by Josh D. Smith

Flowers Donated by Ruth Messmer FloristHaley Ondrejka and Dillion Everett