Santino Fontana to lead NINE: IN CONCERT

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 4/19/23 at 9:16am

Transport Group will present Nine: In Concert as the next installment in its Anne L. Bernstein Concert Series on Monday, June 26, 2023, at 8pm in Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67 Street.

The concert features Tony Award-winner Santino Fontana (Tootsie, Cinderella) who stars as Guido, the role created by Raul Julia, as well as a 25-piece orchestra performing the original orchestrations, interspersed with backstage stories and theatre lore about the original Broadway production. Transport Group Artistic Director Jack Cummings III directs the evening, which is written by Transport Group Artistic Producer Hannah Oren with musical direction by Joey Chancey who conducts the orchestra. The evening's cast and other guests will be announced at a later date.

Nine features a book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, and was adapted from the Italian by Mario Fratti. Tommy Tune directed the Tony-winning Best Musical, which opened at Broadway's 46th Street Theatre in 1982 and ran for 748 performances.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Santino-Fontana-Will-Lead-NINE-IN-CONCERT-This-Summer-20230419

Updated On: 4/19/23 at 09:16 AM

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 4/19/23 at 9:37am

I've been thinking Santino should play Guido. He’ll be a rare actor of Italian descent to be taking on the role of the Italian filmmaker in the musical.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 6/7/23 at 9:13am

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Lili-Cooper-Christine-Ebersole-Julia-Murney-and-More-Will-Lead-NINE-IN-CONCERT-20230607

Transport Group has announced that Klea Blackhurst (Party Face), Lilli Cooper (Encores' Oliver), Christine Ebersole (Grey Gardens), Jessica Fontana (Cinderella), Julia Murney (The Wild Party), Alexandra Silber (Fiddler on the Roof), Emily Skinner (New York, New York), Elizabeth Stanley (Jagged Little Pill), Jessica Vosk (Wicked), and Vanessa Williams (POTUS) will join Santino Fontana in Nine: In Concert, the next installment in the company's Anne L. Bernstein Concert Series, on Monday, June 26, 2023, at 8pm in Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67 Street.

The cast also includes Benjamin Pajak (Encores' Oliver) who plays Young Guido, joined by Ethan Joseph (Tina), Matthew Lamb (NYTW's Merrily We Roll Along), and Jayden Theophile (Caroline, or Change) as the Young Boys

[forfivemoreminutes]

Posted: 6/7/23 at 2:01pm

Are more tickets for this likely to go on sale? The seat map shows as sold out. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/7/23 at 2:24pm

Exciting casting! But hard to figure out who will be playing which roles.  

I'd assume that Vanessa Williams is doing Follies Bergere?

Julia Murney as Louisa?

Klea Blackhurst doing Germans at the Spa or maybe Be Italian?

Christine Ebersole as Guido's Mother?

Hard to guess Carla (A Call From the Vatican) and Claudia (Unusual Way)?

 

 

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 6/7/23 at 2:26pm

Will he be there lol? Still a have a weird feeling about him being announced and promoted for goodbye girl and then never actually performing lol.

[heybaby]

Posted: 6/7/23 at 2:35pm

Why would they list all of these actresses and NOT say what roles they're playing? Ugh. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 6/7/23 at 2:35pm

Lol! Yeah, because getting Covid was super fun for him. Let's mock him once again for getting sick. Lololol. 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 6/7/23 at 2:57pm

I would guess: 

Vanessa Williams is Liliane

Lili Cooper is Saraghina

Jessica Vosk is Carla

Elizabeth Stanley is Claudia

Christine Ebersole is Guido's mother

Julia Murney is Luisa

Emily Skinner is Stephanie

Alexandra Sillber Lady of the Spa

 

Updated On: 6/7/23 at 02:57 PM

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 6/7/23 at 3:28pm

Jessica Vosk posted on her Instagram story that she is no longer able to take part in the concert due to the rehearsal schedule for Chess at the Muny. 

BTW, I would post a screenshot, but I still have no idea how to post a picture on this board that is from my computer/phone, and not a URL. Anyone?

[Voter]

Posted: 6/7/23 at 3:58pm

The cheapest ticket is currently $279 rip 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 6/7/23 at 8:29pm

QueenAlice said: "I would guess:

Vanessa Williams is Liliane

Lili Cooper is Saraghina

Jessica Vosk is Carla

Elizabeth Stanley is Claudia

Christine Ebersole is Guido's mother

Julia Murney is Luisa

Emily Skinner is Stephanie

Alexandra Sillber Lady of the Spa

"

LOL Jessica Vosk Carla? Jessica is not sexy.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 6/7/23 at 8:51pm

Voter said: "The cheapest ticket is currently $279 rip"

Merkin only holds around 400 seats and this sold out fairly quickly!

[heybaby]

Posted: 6/8/23 at 11:19am

My thought was Elizabeth Stanley as Carla. I'd say Lilli Cooper was Luisa, Julia Murney as Saraghina. Who knows? Sort of a fun guessing game though... 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/26/23 at 11:41am

Anyone going tonight?

Can't wait to see who sings which part(s)?

Initial guesses would be Vanessa Williams is doing Follies Bergere

Julia Murney (or Lili Cooper?) as Louisa

Christine Ebersole as Guido's Mother?

 

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 6/26/23 at 12:05pm

Did they announce who’s replacing Vosk?

[TNick926]

Posted: 6/26/23 at 12:36pm

Anyone else going tonight? Sad to hear Jessica Vosk has announced she won’t make this because of conflict, but I’m sure whoever we get will be great! 
 

What a dazzling all star Broadway cast! And the original 25 piece orchestrations! And Yeston himself and original cast member Karen Akers will do a Q&A with the audience after!

I can’t wait!

Updated On: 6/26/23 at 12:36 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/26/23 at 12:58pm

They didn't announce who's playing which part?

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 6/26/23 at 10:53pm

Sadly Santino was a bit “at sea” during this performance. Bum notes aplenty - backing away from the mic and trying to disappear when he would lose the harmony - and lyrics often playing catch-up as he lost his place in the script. 
Would have really appreciated some piano dynamic to his voice. All we got was f or ff with no variation to complement the brilliant score and suggest anything like an Italian male with simmering passion. If I’d paid the 300 plus bucks some of the seats sold for over the last couple of days, I’d be p!ssed. Yes it’s a barely-rehearsed concert (often sounding vocally more like a guesstimate table-read) but to have such visible unfamiliarity with the material was quite unbecoming.  
 

He was completely outdone by the female performers, especially Karen Akers who sang My Husband Makes Movies splendidly but particularly by Klea Blackhurst with Germans at the Spa - she knew every note and dynamic and comedic beat and she DELIVERED!!! Ironically, on a stage full of Broadway performers, she - with no Broadway credits - gave the most Broadway-calibre performance. Will never forget that. 
 

Alexandra Silber did a rousing and exciting Call From the Vatican.

Christine Ebersole was touching and often hilarious as the Mother.

The orchestra was EXCELLENT. The harp was astounding and perfect. And the female chorus was just great, and all who did cameos such as Reporters were right on the money. Special mention to the soloist who sang the Lady of the Spa(?) line - beautifully done. 
 

The dialogue was basically all eliminated except for lines that occur over music. Stage direction highlights/scene summaries were read by a narrator on the side.

Apparently there was meant to be a talkback with Maury Yeston (he was there) but the lights came up and people started to leave with no mention of any talkback. Guess it was cancelled.

Updated On: 6/26/23 at 10:53 PM

[Owen22]

Posted: 6/27/23 at 7:36am

Yeah, I would have to agree with Santino's very obvious disconnect from what he was performing.  I mean, he is consummate enough of a musical theatre actor to sorta make the layman THINK he was giving his all, but to me it was obvious he had not rehearsed enough to completely understand the complex character he was portraying.  I mean, he was sporadically chewing gum DURING his performance--while singing! (drymouth?). Obviously, there were times when something would grab him and he would become 100% engaged, demonstrating what a formidable Guido Contini he would be. 

I concur about Klea Blackhurst, the concert started off, well, off for some reason. Mic levels weren't good, Santino's lackluster Guido's Song and then all of a sudden with The Germans At the Spa the evening came alive.   And I've never been an Alexandra Silbert fan...but after her Call To the Vatican, I will probably now follow her anywhere.  Christine Ebersole really shown in her last dialogue with Guido as Mama in Heaven. And a total standout was Elizabeth Stanley's Be Italian! A complete performance (as too was the 10 year old boys who played her Little Italian Devils).

The all female chorus and orchestra was fantastic, even with Santino's mid performance, I burst into tears during The Bells of Saint Sebastian.  This is one of the great musicals, deserving of another revival.  Give Santino Fontana another chance/crack at the role? Yes.  Because when he is at the top of his game, he is peerless.

[Anshel2]

Posted: 6/27/23 at 8:26am

Wasn’t that Emily Skinner doing Be Italian?  I though the show was grossly unrehearsed.  Why wasn’t there a microphone for the women on stage left during their introductions?  Follies was a train wreck.  Couldn’t hear Vanessa Williams and Lilli Cooper was late on her lyrics throughout.  And where was half the cast at the curtain call?  Who was singing Simple?  I felt bad for Maury Yeston.  No introduction or bringing him up on stage.  This concert reading deserved better.

[Owen22]

Posted: 6/27/23 at 12:25pm

Oops, sorry. I meant Emily Skinner.

[Alessio2]

Posted: 6/27/23 at 1:31pm

The theater messaged me the day before saying seats opened up at $299 each...so glad I passed on this based on these comments.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 6/27/23 at 9:50pm

A friend attended saying it was such an expensive ticket and all they got was a mess of a concert version of Nine but such a beautiful score richly played by a 25 piece orchestra. Santino was unrehearsed and disconnected from the material but should have been amazing. He has it in him but not tonight. Also, it was poorly directed but featured some amazing talent that delivered. Tommy Tune would have been devastated if he was there. 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 2:28am

When are we getting another Broadway revival of Nine? How has it been 20 years already since the last one?