Richard Russell News

Contra Costa Civic Theatre (CCCT) presents All the Way, directed by CCCT Artistic Director Marilyn Langbehn. Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Schenkkan's "action-packed, thoroughly gripping…jaw-dropping political drama" (Variety) about the first year of Lyndon Johnson's presidency plays April 12 through May 5 at CCCT. For tickets and information visit the theatre's website at www.ccct.org or call 510.524.9012.

The Sarasota Opera House, in conjunction with the Florida Holocaust Museum and the Tampa Jewish Community Centers & Federation, will present a reading of The Soap Myth, starring Ed Asner and Tovah Feldshuh on Tuesday, April 16th at 7:00pm. Originally presented off-Broadway in 2012, The Soap Myth, written by Jeff Cohen and directed by Pam Berlin, is set more than 50 years after the end of World War II, and dramatizes the warm friendship that develops between a young Jewish journalist and a cantankerous Holocaust Survivor on a crusade about including "soap" in Holocaust museums - Did the Nazis make soap from the corpses of murdered Jews? Along the way the play grapples with the pernicious evil of antisemitism masquerading as Holocaust denial. The Soap Myth asks provocative questions like "Who has the right to write history?" and "How does a survivor survive surviving?"

Contra Costa Civic Theatre (CCCT) today announced the cast for its upcoming production of All the Way, directed by CCCT Artistic Director Marilyn Langbehn. Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Schenkkan's "action-packed, thoroughly gripping…jaw-dropping political drama" (Variety) about the first year of Lyndon Johnson's presidency plays April 12 through May 5 at CCCT. For tickets and information visit the theatre's website at www.ccct.org.

On Friday April 5, 2019, Sarasota Opera will present a concert and dinner in commemoration of their 60th season of bringing world-class opera to Florida's Gulf Coast.

On this day in 2014, the current star of Network, Bryan Cranston opened on Broadway in his Tony-winning role of Lyndon B. Johnson in the hit drama All The Way. 

Amidst a setting of ancient times, Nabucco-king of Babylon-conquers the Hebrews, destroys their holy temple of Solomon and takes them into captivity. Meanwhile, his daughters Fenena and Abigaille both yearn for the forbidden affection of the Israelite Ismael. Her love unrequited, Abigaille is obsessed with vengeance. In the ultimate act of hubris, Nabucco declares that he is God and is struck mad by a thunderbolt. Will he regain his reason, repent, and return the Jews to their homeland?

Executive Director Richard Russell and Artistic Director Victor DeRenzi have announced that bass baritone Kevin Short will return to Sarasota Opera this season to sing the role of Zaccaria in Sarasota Opera's production of Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco, opening Saturday, March 2, 2019.

On Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 7:30pm, the curtain will rise on Rita (Two Men and a Woman) and Susanna's Secret, two one-act operas that are sure to bring a smile to the audience. The light evening of comic story lines and beautiful music is perfect for the first-time goer, while the rarity of the pairing and authenticity of the production will satisfy even the most sophisticated opera lover. A playful look at marital discord is at the heart of both Donizetti's Rita and Wolf-Ferrari's Susanna's Secret, but the conflicts resolve themselves in very different ways, both musically and dramatically. The darkly comic Rita (originally titled Two Men and a Woman) is about a mercurial and domineering woman who has re-married after mistakenly thinking her first husband has died. When he reappears unexpectedly, a showdown arises between her two husbands to decide the outcome-who has to remain married to Rita, and who gets to leave the exasperating situation. In Susanna's Secret, a jealous husband smells tobacco on his wife's clothes and is convinced that she is having an affair. He searches and searches but can't seem to catch her in the act. What could her secret be?

Sarasota Opera Celebrates 60th Diamond Anniversary Opening With A Brilliant Production of Turandot

Amidst a setting of ancient times, Nabucco-king of Babylon-conquers the Hebrews, destroys their holy temple of Solomon and takes them into captivity. Meanwhile, his daughters Fenena and Abigaille both yearn for the forbidden affection of the Israelite Ismael. Her love unrequited, Abigaille is obsessed with vengeance. In the ultimate act of hubris, Nabucco declares that he is God and is struck mad by a thunderbolt. Will he regain his reason, repent, and return the Jews to their homeland?

Sarasota Opera announced its 2019-2020 Fall and Winter Festival Seasons today at a press conference held on the Sarasota Opera House main stage in Sarasota, Florida. Artistic director and principal conductor Victor DeRenzi and executive director Richard Russell presided over the event and were joined by principal artists performing selected arias from the upcoming seasons' works.

Three noble chords begin the Magic Flute, followed by a playful melody that frolics through the orchestra in one of Mozart's most popular overtures. Enchantment awaits as the noble Prince Tamino accompanied by only a magic flute and a bumbling birdcatcher is sent by the mysterious Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter, a princess held captive by a sorcerer. However, nothing is quite as it appears, and the dazzling musical adventure takes many twists and turns along its way to happily ever after. Last seen in 2010, The Magic Flute opens Saturday, February 16, 2019 at 7:30pm as the second opera in the Winter 2019 Festival.

Three riddles stand between love and death in Giacomo Puccini's last and most majestic opera, as Turandot returns to the Sarasota Opera House on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at 7:00pm. The passionate tale of intrigue and mystery is based on an age-old Persian fairy tale and set in legendary Peking. The Princess Turandot, sung by Kara Shay Thomson, is so desirable that men come from all over the world to win her love, and yet underneath her royal beauty beats a cold heart, turned bitter by desire to avenge the honor of an ancestor. The fearless prince Calaf, played by tenor Jonathan Burton, takes on the challenge posed by the three questions he must answer to win her hand in marriage. If he errs, he will lose his head just like countless princes before him. Will he outwit her, or will he face a gruesome death? Soprano Anna Mandina will play the faithful Liu, a slave girl loyal to Calaf's father Timur, sung by returning Sarasota Opera favorite, bass Young Bok Kim. The most outspoken of the three royal ministers, Ping, will be sung by baritone Filippo Fontana, returning after his celebrated performance as Figaro in Fall 2018's The Barber of Seville. Stephanie Sundine is the stage director of this critically acclaimed production of Turandot, which premiered in 2013, with Maestro Victor DeRenzi conducting. Turandot is one of the grandest operas to ever play the stage of the Sarasota Opera House, with 74 performers on stage and one of the largest orchestras assembled in opera house history.

On Saturday, February 2, 2019, Sarasota Opera will present the 2019 Opera Gala "A Jeweled Affair - An Evening of Glamour and Glitz," a jewel-themed event which kicks off the 2019 Winter Opera Festival. The black-tie evening at the Ritz Carlton-Sarasota will begin with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, during which two silent auctions will take place, featuring curated jewelry from donors' private collections and a selection of exotic travel packages. After the cocktail hour, there will be a performance by Sarasota Opera principal artists, followed by a four-course dinner created by the Ritz Carlton culinary team. The ballroom will be decorated in hues of gold, with towering jewel-toned flower arrangements. After dinner, guests will light up the dance floor to the music of the Scott Blum Band. Tickets for the event are $325 per person. All proceeds benefit Sarasota Opera.

Sarasota Opera will celebrate its 60th Season when the 2019 Winter Opera Festival opens on February 9th with Puccini's Turandot. The festival will continue with Mozart's The Magic Flute, Verdi's Nabucco, and the premiere of a rare and delightful comic double bill: Donizetti's Rita (Two Men and a Woman) and Wolf-Ferrari's Susanna's Secret. Special events, lectures, recitals, and concerts continue through the season. Capping off the festivities will be the Diamond Anniversary recital and dinner on April 5th.

Richard Rawlings has built an empire as the owner of Gas Monkey Garage in Dallas, TX, and last year he set out on a new venture - investing in the transformation of struggling garages across America. Joined by project manager Russell J. Holmes and auto shop consultant Chris Stephens, Richard travels the country to find more shops in need of restoration in an all-new season of Discovery Channel's hit motor series, GARAGE REHAB, premiering Tuesday, January 8 at 8PM ET/PT. New episodes will continue to air Tuesdays at 9PM ET/PT.

Sarasota Opera has been awarded a $50,000 Arts Appreciation Grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The grant offers unrestricted funding to area arts organizations in support of their artistic mission. This year's Arts Appreciation Grant will help support Sarasota Opera's 2018/2019 Season, which marks the company's 60th year of presenting world-class opera on the Southwest Florida Gulf Coast.

Sarasota Opera will open its 11th fall season on October 26th with the return of Gioachino Rossini's comic opera The Barber of Seville, last seen in 2014. Dr. Bartolo plans to marry his ward Rosina, but she has other plans for her future. Figaro, the barber, comes to the rescue and assists Rosina in sneaking, scheming, and plotting to marry her beloved Lindoro. With a comic plot and Rossini's most recognizable melodies, The Barber of Seville is one of the most performed operas in the world. Here in Sarasota, the opera was first performed at the Historic Asolo Theater in 1963, and has been a mainstay in the repertoire over the past 60 years. 

Sarasota Opera is pleased to announce the appointment of Lana Mullen as Communications Coordinator. With a lifelong love of opera and classical music, Ms. Mullen is combining her many years of experience in the communication arts and non-profit worlds with the art form she loves so well. The former Art Director of Metropolitan Life Insurance in New York left the corporate world in 2007 to serve in various functions of Disaster Relief for the American Red Cross, deploying to national disasters in addition to supporting the 24/7 disaster relief operations in Greater New York. In 2010, she undertook an eight year assignment managing people-to-people educational and humanitarian programs for Road Scholar in Cuba, where she acquired extensive knowledge about everyday life, the economy, agriculture, arts, education, and healthcare.

Victor DeRenzi, Artistic Director, and Richard Russell, Executive Director, are pleased to announce the casting for Sarasota Opera's new Recital Series. The new series, which was inspired by the rich operetta and song traditions from around the world, will feature favorite artists performing opera, operetta, and art songs with piano accompaniment.