Manatee Players Announces Extended Holiday Season

A touch of Broadway is coming to the Manatee Players to bring us an extended holiday season!  The high-energy song and tap duo "Two On Tap" will return to the Manatee Players just in time to celebrate the New Year.  "Two On Tap" are Melissa Giattino and Ron DeStefano. 

Melissa Giattino began her professional performing career at the age of 17 in the National Tour of A Chorus Line and hasn't looked back since. While appearing in the all-Gershwin musical Crazy for You at the famous Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia, Ms. Giattino auditioned for the Hal Prince/Susan Stroman production of Show Boat and soon found herself singing and dancing alongside an all-star cast on London's West End. Her talents as a true "triple-threat" performer eventually led her back to her home state of New York, where she made her Broadway Debut as an original revival cast member of the tap-dancing spectacular, 42nd Street.

Her incredible talents have been featured as a member of the most well-known kick-line in history, the Radio City Rockettes, and she has assisted and dance-captained for some of the most famous tap choreographers in the business, including Tony Award winner Danny Daniels and Tony Award nominee Randy Skinner. Gifted with a beautiful voice as well, Ms. Giattino has starred in musicals on stages around the world, including the title role in the International Tour of Peter Pan, Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, Esther Smith in Meet Me in St. Louis, and Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun.  Currently, she is helping to shape the next generation of theatergoers and performers as the Creative Coordinator of Long Island'sEngeman Theater Studio for the Performing Arts. More information on Ms. Giattino can be found at her website: www.missytaps.com.

Ron DeStefano has garnered rave reviews and awards for his performances around the world, from the hottest cabaret venues of New York City to the lavish opera houses of Europe.  Originally from South Florida, Mr. DeStefano spent his college years balancing classical vocal performance studies at Florida State University with professional musical theatre roles at Seaside Music Theater in Daytona Beach.  Following graduation, he made his way to Manhattan, began auditioning for the Broadway stage, and only months later found himself making his international debut with the Tony-Award winning musical Evita.

Since then, he has crisscrossed North America, singing and dancing at some of the most historic and well-reputed venues in the United States, including New York City's Lincoln Center (Babes in Toyland), Connecticut's Goodspeed Opera House (No, No, Nanette) and New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse (Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella).  Mr. DeStefano appeared opposite Academy Award nominee Theodore Bikel in the National Tour of Fiddler on the Roof, and he has lent his lyric tenor to song-and-dance roles in many shows including 42nd Street, Anything Goes, and Sugar Babies.  No stranger to the New York City nightclub circuit, he received the coveted Back Stage Bistro Award for his cabaret work and has multiple studio recordings to his credit, including his most recent release - a solo album of romantic songs from the theatre entitledWhere Is Love..., now available on iTunes, Amazon or his website: www.rondestefano.com.

"Two On Tap" will be performing at the Manatee Players on Friday December 28 at 8 pm, Saturday December 29 at 8 pm and Sunday December 30 at 2:00 pm.  Tickets are now on sale for these shows!  Tickets are $26 for adults and $13 for students with ID.  Tickets can be reserved by calling the box office at 941-748-5875 Monday – Friday 9 am-5 pm. 

There will also be a special New Year's Eve show on Monday December 31 at 9 pm.  Your ticket includes the show, desserts, party favors and watching the ball drop from NYC along with a champagne toast at midnight!  A cash bar will be available through-out the evening!  The tickets are $60 per person or $100 per couple.  Tickets for this special evening are now on sale at the box office or online at www.manateeplayers.com.