Cuccioli Returns to 'Phantom' at Westchester Broadway Theater

Robert Cuccioli will again, don his mask as he returns to Phantom when it resumes Dec 27th and runs through February 9th, 2008. The veteran Broadway actor, who just finished a terrific run of Man of La Mancha at The White Plains Performing Arts Center, was our original Phantom when Arthur Kopit/ Maury Yeston's Phantom made its New York Premiere here at WBT on July 16th, 1992, during our record breaking nine- month run, over 120,000 people attended. Night after night, audiences rose to their feet for the stunning musical thriller and Mr. Cuccioli's breathtaking performance!

Our current production of Phantom, which opened on November 28th and took a hiatus for four weeks, allowing us to present A Christmas Carol, has mesmerized all who have seen it. Chesley Plemmons of The News Times writes: "Let's settle the debate about which of two dueling musicals is best. Phantom by Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit or Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Weber. In my book, Phantom which has returned to Westchester Broadway Theatre is the hands down winner."

Pete Kramer of The Journal News says of this production: "A magnificent Kate Rockwell, whose remarkable vocal range is equaled only by her ability to breathe life into a farm girl who arrives in Paris with a song in her heart. Rockwell is a first rate actress." "This is not Andrew Lloyd Weber's The Phantom of the Opera, this one is better."

The Cue's Judie Phillips raves: "Phantom at the WBT is a thrilling night of theatre. If you want to give yourself a treat, run, do not walk, to the box office at WBT and sign up." Phantom is haunting, poignant, musically compelling, replete with intriguing characters, fully dimensional and bursting at the seams with talent both on the stage and in the hands of the technical staff.

After his successful tenure as The Phantom at WBT, Robert Cuccioli went on star in Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway (Tony award nomination, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards) and in Les Miserables. Off Broadway, he was seen in Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Temporary Help, And The World Goes Round (Outer Critics Circle Award) Gigi, and The Rothschilds. He toured in Jekyll & Hyde and Camelot w/ Richard Harris. Regional appearances included, Hamlet, Pajama Game, Bells Are Ringing, Guys and Dolls, Lorenzaccio (Helen Hayes Award Nomination), Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Antony & Cleopatra, Carnival, The Sound of Music, Jesus Christ Superstar, Fiction, and The School For Scandal. Films included Celebrity, and The Stranger. Television viewers will remember him in: Sliders, Baywatch, and Bob portrayed Chief Franklin on the CBS Daytime Soap, The Guiding Light. In addition to his many acting skills, Bob has directed The Glass Menagerie, at the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey as well as productions of Jekyll & Hyde both here at WBT and in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Kate Rockwell, who appeared on the recent hit television reality show, "Grease: You're The One That I Want," will continue to wow audiences at WBT as Christine, in Maury Yeston & Arthur Kopit's Phantom. Rockwell, the finalist nicknamed "Serious Sandy" on the CBS show, was recognized for her extraordinary vocal prowess. Testing her comic chops, she will star as "young Samantha" in the highly anticipated movie version of "Sex and the City". She hails from Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from Baldwin Wallace College. "Recently, Kate appeared in the musical drama, Tully (In No Particular Order) at the New York Musical Theater Festival, and in the new Tammy Faye Bakker Musical, BIG TENT, at New World Stages. She was seen at North Shore Music Theater playing Sharpay, in one of the first professional productions of "High School Musical". Other recent roles include Philia in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Belle in "Beauty and the Beast", Hope in "Anything Goes" and April in "Company" at The Carousel Theatre.

Phantom was written by Arthur Kopit, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston who were the Tony Award winning collaborators for the Broadway Musical "Nine". Phantom is not to be confused with Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera", which is currently running on Broadway. Both shows are based on the same Gaston LeRoux novel, with the Webber extravaganza being more like an opera, completely sung. The Yeston/Kopit Phantom is more of a traditional Broadway Musical with dialogue and songs throughout.

The story revolves around the central character of a man named Erik, (also known as the Phantom) who was born and raised in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House. Through a series of circumstances, he takes on as a pupil a young woman named Christine, who has been a street singer. She has a natural talent and a beautiful voice, but she lacks the special training to perform in an Opera company. He agrees to take her on as a student with certain conditions, the main one being that she will never see his face. After a lot of hard work she eventually auditions for the company and is not only accepted but is given the opportunity to play a principal part in an Opera. Without realizing it, they fall in love with each other. The relationship becomes obsessive and impossible, leading to a stunning conclusion which can only be experienced by attending a performance here at the Westchester Broadway Theatre.

The music and the drama of this piece are extraordinary and should not be missed! From our show that was seen by many members of The Alliance for Musical Theatre Producers, came scores of productions around the country, some of which are on- going. Also, after seeing our production of Phantom, RCA Victor produced a CD recording of the show. Many of our cast participated in the recording, including Glory Crampton who played Christine, Meg Bussert who played Carlotta, and most of our ensemble. For those of you who have already seen "PHANTOM" we will be adding a few surprises, and if you have only seen it once, it is definitely worth seeing a second time