About the performance
New York City Opera’s summer series continues with Broadway Comes to Milford, a charming review of songs, duets, and ensembles that takes the audience on a musical journey through the 20th century. Featuring the Broadway stars of Sweeney Todd, Company, The Light in the Piazza, Carousel, Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Phantom of the Opera, this will be an evening of world-class storytelling and unforgettable performances.
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A charming town 70 miles north west of New York City, Milford, Pennsylvania is a destination for shops, antiquing, eateries, and history, all while allowing you take in the beauty of the town in its natural surroundings.
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Since the 1920s, the Milford Theater has served as the community’s moviehouse and sanctuary for performing arts. A staple of the community and historic fixture, the Milford Theater is a home for live music, plays, classic film, and more. Located in a vibrant borough with a rich history, the theater provides entertainment that lies at the intersection of modern comfort and nostalgia. Enjoy a classically art deco stage updated to accommodate a wide variety of performances.
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In partnership with the Milford Theater and as a part of our annual Pride Initiative, we're thrilled to announce that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each ticket will be donated to TriVersity.
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TriVersity is a Pride Center committed to serving the LGBTQ+ Community & our allies (i.e., our family or “fam”) living in or visiting the TriState region of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. They offer events, educational programming, a media center & lending library, support groups and more.
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Learn more about
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The Cast
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Creative Team
Location
Milford Theater
114 E Catharine St., Milford, PA 18337
Biographies
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Glenn Seven Allen
Tenor
Glenn Seven Allen is garnering critical acclaim on theatre, opera, and concert stages throughout the United States as a consummate performer. Allen recently performed with New York City Opera in All is Calm; created the role of John in Southern Crossings at Barnard College; and sang Roldolfo in Soo Theatre’s La bohème. Mr. Allen also recently starred with New York City Opera as Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain and Freddy in Dear Erich. Known for his work on Broadway and in leading theatres throughout the country, Mr. Allen appeared as Giuseppe in the Tony-winning Broadway run of Adam Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza. Other theatrical credits include Girl Crazy at City Center as part of their Encores season, Casino Paradise with Lincoln Center, Lancelot in Camelot at the Arvada Center, Rutledge in 1776 at Goodspeed, Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar at North Carolina Theatre, Carousel with the NY Philharmonic for PBS Great Performances, and Clifford Bradshaw in Cabaret at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.
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Richard Koons
Baritone
Richard Koons is an actor, singer and teacher who has performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe in operas and musicals. He holds a MM in vocal performance from Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is currently a professor of voice at Syracuse University in the Department of Drama. National and International Tours include: Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, Love Never Dies, Titanic the Musical, A Christmas Carol, Phantom of the Opera, and Amahl and the Night Visitors. Other performance highlights include: Les Miserables, Fiddler on the Roof, Hairspray, Cats, The Secret Garden, Beauty and the Beast, Carousel, Man of La Mancha, Jospeh and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita, The Magic Flute, Madama Butterfly, The Rakes Progress and Dwight/God in the American Premier of Jerry Springer the Opera. Richard recently released an album called “A Voice Your Heart,” which is available on download and streaming services.
Parris Lewis
Mezzo-Soprano
Parris recently concluded a critically acclaimed run as Tina Turner in the first national tour of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, having previously performed as Alline/Ikette while understudying Tina. Prior to Tina, she performed as Pearl in the National Tour of Hairspray. Parris made her national tour début in The Color Purple, where she showed off her incredible upper register as Church Lady, as well as understudying the role of Shug Avery. She is also a champion of new works, performing in the workshop of Jubilee 11213 at Betty’s Daughter Arts Collaborative. Other musical theatre credits include Sister Anne Bertha in Pray at Ars Nova, a workshop of Bars at The Public Theatre, and in the Seattle International Dance Festival. Parris’ opera credits include performances as Clara in Porgy & Bess at Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, STONEWALL at New York City Opera, La bohème at Kaye Playhouse, The Elixir of Love, and Mile Long Opera.
Meghan Picerno
Soprano
With a far-reaching repertoire, Ms. Picerno has enjoyed particular success as Cunegonde in Candide. After debuting in Hal Prince’s final production at New York City Opera, she recently reprised the role in Barcelona, San Francisco, and Cincinnati. She has also debuted at Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Kennedy Center, The National Center of Performing Arts in Beijing, and Theatro Municipal de São Paulo. This season, Ms. Picerno debuts with the Detroit Symphony in concerts with conductor Jader Bignamini. Hal Prince handpicked Ms. Picerno to sing the role of Christine in The Phantom of the Opera for its historic Broadway reopening. She also performed as Christine in the First National Tour of Phantom’s sequel Love Never Dies, which led to a special invitation to perform the role at the Royal Albert Hall, marking her debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Ms. Picerno has also enjoyed a diverse career on operatic stages including Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and a series of successful role debuts throughout the United States including Gilda in Rigoletto, La fée in Massenet's Cendrillon, Olympia in Les contes d'Hoffmann, Adele in Die Fledermaus, and Lucia di Lammermoor.
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Sami Sallaway
Soprano
Sami Sallaway was most recently seen in St. Bart's Players production of "The Laramie Project" as Reggie Fluty. Other performances with St. Bart's Players include "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," and multiple cabaret shows. She was also a soloist in New York City Opera's "From Vienna to Broadway!" in Bryant Park last summer. She has previously been seen in other productions with New York City Opera, including the world premiere of “The Garden of the Finzi Contini” and a “Concert for Sugihara” at Carnegie Hall, as well as Village Light Opera's "Night at the Tonys!" Other work includes leading roles in “Seussical: The Musical,” “The Robber Bridegroom,” “RENT.”
Todd Thomas
Baritone
Recognized by opera companies and critics alike as one of the true Verdi baritones gracing stages today, Todd Thomas continues his tenure as one of America’s most sought-after artists. Last season, Thomas returned to the Shanghai Opera House for his captivating portrayal of Der fliegende Holländer, reprised his signature role of Rigoletto with Amarillo Opera, and performed the role of Scarpia in Tosca with Florida Grand Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera on the James, and Charlottesville Opera, as well as Amonasro in Tulsa Opera’s Aida. This season, Thomas returns to China for concert performances of Roméo et Juliette with the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra. Recently, Mr. Thomas performed the title role in Nabucco with Theater Erfurt in Germany, the title role of Rigoletto for both Florentine Opera and Florida Grand Opera, and Michele in Il tabarro with Opera Santa Barbara. Additionally, he sang Rigoletto for Tulsa Opera and Shreveport Opera, Michele/Schicchi in Il trittico with Pacific Opera Victoria, Tonio/Alfio in Pagliacci/Cavalleria rusticana for Opera Omaha, the title role of Gianni Schicchi with Opera Memphis, and Scarpia in Tosca with New Jersey Festival Orchestra.
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Jessica Tyler Wright
Mezzo-Soprano
Jessica’s most recent NYCO appearance was as Herta in the world premiere production of Dear Erich. Other NYCO appearances include Vera Donovan in the New York City Premier of Tobias Picker's opera Dolores Claiborne, based on the Stephen King novel of the same title, and the critically acclaimed 2017 production of Candide, reprising the role of Paquette from the 2008 production, (both directed by Hal Prince). Her Broadway credits include John Doyle’s Sweeney Todd and Company, MTC’s LoveMusik (Hal Prince), and Lincoln Center’s War Horse. Off Broadway, Jessica earned a Lucille Lortel nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Marjorie Taylor in Allegro (Classic Stage Company). Also at CSC, Jessica shared the stage with Jim Parsons in A Man of No Importance as Mrs. Patrick and recently, she was in Dear World with City Center Encores! Jessica toured the U.S. and Canada with Sweeney Todd and had a turn as Mrs. Claus in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in Atlanta and Dallas. Regional favorites include Marian in Music Man and Lilli in Kiss Me Kate (MTWichita), KT in Merrily We Roll Along (Cincinnati Playhouse), Grace in Annie (North Shore MT), Irene in Crazy For You (MTWichita and CA Music Circus), Mary Jane in Big River (Papermill), and Kost in Cabaret (CA Music Circus). Her television appearances include Blue Bloods with Tom Sellek and a national commercial for Nexium.
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Michael Capasso
Master of Ceremonies
Michael Capasso is the General Director of the New York City Opera. He has produced, directed, and toured opera and musical theater productions in the U.S. and abroad for over 30 years. In June of 2014, along with philanthropist Roy Niederhoffer, he led the successful effort to bring the New York City Opera out of bankruptcy, laying the artistic, administrative, and fiscal groundwork for the company’s upcoming seasons. The revitalized New York City Opera returned to the stage in January 2016 with a celebratory production of Tosca. The company is once again on solid financial footing and producing a 2016-17 season of six fully-staged productions.
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He began his career producing and directing while still in his late teens and early twenties. In 1981, he, along with Diane Martindale, founded New York’s Dicapo Opera Theatre. In 1995, Capasso conceived and designed a permanent home and performance space for the company, repurposing the lower level of the St. Jean Baptiste Catholic Church on Manhattan’s East Side, and transforming the large, unused space into a 204-seat “jewel-box” theater. Drawing on his background in construction, he was involved in every facet of the project, even personally manning heavy equipment to dig the orchestra pit. Over the 30 years of his leadership, Dicapo Opera Theater presented a diverse programming to the New York public, and, in co-operation with the Armel Festival, premiered three productions of contemporary American operas in Europe.
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In addition to his work with the Dicapo Opera Theatre, Mr. Capasso has directed operas at l’Opéra de Montréal; Mallorca Opera, Spain; Toledo Opera; Connecticut Opera; New Jersey State Opera; Opera Carolina; and Orlando Opera among others. Mr. Capasso founded the National Lyric Opera in 1991, a touring company that has brought fully staged operas to communities in the American Northeast that would otherwise not have the opportunity to experience live opera.
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In celebration of the 75th anniversary of George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Capasso mounted a production which began touring in the United States in February 2010. The production continues to tour and was most recently hosted in Mexico City’s famed Palacio de Bellas Artes.
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As an author, his writing credits include: a staged adaptation of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol; Opera Senza Rancor, a satire on the world of opera; ##Puccini’s Passion##, a biographical play with music on the life and career of Puccini; a new book and libretto for La Périchole; English librettos for Die Fledermaus and The Daughter of the Regiment; and a concert/lecture series for the New York Historical Society. Capasso’s film on the life and career of Enrico Caruso, which he wrote and produced, aired on the A&E Network’s Biography series in 1998. Other film credits include his direction of scenes from Nabucco for the feature film The Secret Lives of Dentists.
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In 2016 Capasso was awarded an honorary Doctorate from the College of Mount Saint Vincent and the “Legends of the Arts” award from the Harvard Club. He has received New York City’s Ellis Island Medal of Honor, The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Leonardo Da Vinci Award for Cultural Achievement from the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York. In 2004, he was named “Man of the Year” by the Italian Welfare League and in 2009 received a Special Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts from the Order Sons of Italy in America.
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Victoria Casella
Music Director
Victoria is an actor/singer, musical director/pianist, composer/arranger. Recent musical directing credits: “Beehive” for Florida Repertory Theatre (FL Rep), “Master Class” and “The Fantasticks” for Bergen County Players. MD/Arranger for "Night and Day" at Elmwood Playhouse (Broadway World Award ‘23 Best Musical Direction and Orchestra). MD/Arranger credits: “Night and Day” (Broadway World Best Musical Direction for Regional Theater (Fort Myers/Naples, FL), “Let’s Fall In Love”, "Fascinatin' Gershwin”(FL REP), "The Green Crow Caws" at the Irish Repertory Theatre, NYC. Previous MD credits: "A Gentleman's Guide To Love and Murder”, "Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical", "Spelling Bee". Other credits: "Elliot & Me" (Hudson Theatre Works, streamed for Laguna Playhouse and Sonoma Arts Theatre), “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, "The "Full Monty". Acting credits: Susanna in "Daredevil" (Netflix, Season 2), Marie (understudy) in "The Most Happy Fella" (Goodspeed). Book writer/ Arranger for "Where The Time Goes" (staged reading PlayLab 2019 FL REP and Hudson Theatre Works 2022). Opera Credits: Leading roles with Lake George Opera Festival, Virginia Opera, Opera at Florham, Dicapo Opera and Light Opera of Manhattan. Concert: Soloist with Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and Portland Symphonies, the National Chorale (Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center).
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