Asolo Rep to Present LIVING ON LOVE

Asolo Rep proudly presents the regional premiere of two-time Tony Award-winner Joe DiPietro's effervescent music-infused comedy, LIVING ON LOVE, which premiered on Broadway in the spring of 2015. Directed by Peter Amster, who helmed last season's box office record-breaking production of The Matchmaker, previews are January 13 and 14 at 8pm, the production opens on Friday, January 15 at 8pm and runs in rotating repertory through Thursday, February 25 in the Mertz Theatre.

Like a fine vintage champagne, celebrity opera diva Raquel and her egotistical maestro husband Vito De Angelis bubble over with much more than just musical prowess. The drama of any opera is no match for the melodrama of their marriage. When Raquel discovers that Vito has eyes for the young, beautiful ghostwriter hired to write his autobiography, she doesn't get mad, she gets even and hires an equally young and attractive scribe to pen her own autobiography. A pair of playful butlers and Raquel's Pomeranian pooch "Puccini" round out this glamourous world where all might just be fair in love and war.

"When I sat down to read LIVING ON LOVE for the first time, I started laughing on page one, and didn't really stop until right near the end, when its sentiment and depth of feeling surprised and moved me," said Director Peter Amster. "I have a special place in my heart for stories about performers who are larger than life, behaving badly, full of passion, full of insecurities, and full of themselves. And I have another special place in my heart for opera, and the fact that Raquel, the leading lady, is an opera diva, and snippets of La Bohème, Carmen, The Magic Flute and The Pearl Fishers, among others, float on the air throughout the show, gives the play 'extra credit' in my book."

Globally renowned opera and West End sensation Rebecca Caine stars as dramatic diva Raquel De Angelis. Ms. Caine originated the role of Cosette in the 1985 world premiere Royal Shakespeare Company production of LES MISERABLES and the role of Christine in The Phantom of the Opera in Canada. Chicago-based actor Karl Hamilton, who was recently seen in The Goodman Theatre's production of The Jungle Book, stars as her maestro husband, Vito De Angelis. Mr. Hamilton also plays Senator Hubert Humphrey and Senator Strom Thurmond in Asolo Rep's production of All the Way.

Playwright Joe DiPietro received two Tony Awards for writing the book and lyrics for the 2010 Broadway hit musical Memphis. He was nominated for a Tony Award for penning the book for the musical Nice Work If You Can Get It. On Broadway, he also wrote the book for All Shook Up. LIVING ON LOVE is based on the 1985 classic play Peccadillo by Academy Award-winner Garson Kanin.

"We are thrilled to present the regional premiere of LIVING ON LOVE - a brand new American comedy," said Michael Donald Edwards, Producing Artistic Director of Asolo Rep. "Tony Award-winner Joe DiPietro's outrageously over the top characters somehow tap into the most basic human needs in this hilarious and hugely touching production filled with lots of laughs and love."

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