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  • HOLLYWOOD BOWL FEATURES MUSIC AND DANCE INTERPRETATIONS OF SHAKESPEARE'S CLASSIC LOVE STORY "ROMEO & JULIET"
  • Aug. 15, 2003
  • Tony-winner Audra McDonald and David Miller Are Featured Vocalists In Selections From Bernstein's West Side Story

    Pittsburgh Ballet Debuts New Choreography for Prokofiev's Ballet Romeo And Juliet

    FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, AUGUST 15 & 16 AT 8:30 PM

    Media sponsor for August 15: K-EARTH 101

    Media sponsor for August 16: KTWV 94.7 FM The Wave

    John Mauceri leads the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra through musical, song and dance interpretations of William Shakespeare's tragic love story Romeo & Juliet on Friday, August 15 and Saturday, August 16 at 8:30 p.m. Special guest vocalists Audra McDonald and David Miller (in his Bowl debut) perform timeless favorites from Bernstein's West Side Story, a contemporary interpretation of the favorite Shakespearian classic. The Pittsburgh ballet also debuts exclusive new choreography for Prokofiev's ballet Romeo & Juliet.

    The program begins with the Overture-Fantasy from Tchaikovsky's Romeo & Juliet, followed by Leonard Bernstein's Suite No.1 from West Side Story. Three-time Tony-winner Audra McDonald serenades her "Tony" (Miller), who starred in the recent Broadway production of Baz Luhrmann's La bohème, with the classic songs "Somewhere," "One Hand, One Heart," and "Tonight."

    The audience will also enjoy the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, which returns to the Hollywood Bowl for the first time since their Bowl debut two summers ago. Narrated in Shakespearean dialogue, a rarity for ballet performances, the troupe dances the world premiere of new choreography for Prokofiev's ballet Romeo & Juliet, designed exclusively for this program by the Ballet's artistic director Terrence S. Orr.

    AUDRA MCDONALD, three-time Tony Award winning actress and singer, balances film, television, and stage work with a major concert career. This fall she will return to the Lincoln Center Theater as Lady Percy in "Henry IV" opposite Kevin Kline, Billy Crudup, and an all-star cast. She won rave reviews for her work on the recent NBC series "Mister Sterling". Throughout her career she has maintained a high profile on the world's concert stages, including a solo evening at Carnegie Hall and appearances with all the major U.S. orchestras, the BBC Symphony and the Berlin Philharmonic led by conductors such as Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Leonard Slatkin, and Michael Tilson Thomas. The soprano came to the public's attention in Lincoln Center's 1993 Nicholas Hytner production of "Carousel", winning her first Tony for her portrayal of Carrie Pipperidge. Besides the stage and screen, this Tony winning, Peabody Award-winning, Emmy nominated talent has also released three studio albums. Her debut album, "Way Back to Paradise", featured songs by music theater composers of her generation and was named Adult Record of the Year by the New York Times.

    DAVID MILLER is recognized as one of the finest young American tenors. Miller first came to attention after his highly acclaimed Washington Opera debut in March 1997 as Alfredo in La traviata. Since then he has performed with leading opera companies throughout North America in roles which have included Des Grieux in Manon, Romeo in Romeo et Juliette, the title role in Werther, Alfredo in La traviata and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. In 2000 he also made his highly praised debuts with the Australian Opera and the Teatro alla Scala. Miller just appeared as Rodolfo in the Broadway production of La bohème directed by Baz Luhrmann. He is currently appearing at the Teatro Municipal de Santiago de Chile as Tebaldo in their production of I Capuleti ed i Montecchi, which will tour to the Savonlinna Festival in August. Miller performed the role of Tony at La Scala in their 2000 acclaimed production of West Side Story. This program is Miller's Bowl debut.

    Widely acclaimed for its classical ballet masterpieces as well as innovative explorations of contemporary dance, PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE is currently recognized as one of the world's leading ballet companies. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's repertoire is a distinctive blend of ballets by 20th century masters, including Paul Taylor, Alvin Ailey, Agnes de Mille, and George Balanchine, new works by today's most passionate choreographers, and acclaimed versions of the 19th century classical ballets Coppelia, Don Quixote, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre last performed at the Hollywood Bowl in 2001.

    JOHN MAUCERI's accomplishments extend nationally and internationally, not only to the world's greatest opera companies and symphony orchestras, but also to the musical stages of Broadway and Hollywood, before large television and radio audiences, and in recording studios and major publications. Mauceri has received substantial recognition for his work as one of the principal forces behind the movement to preserve two of America's great art forms, the American musical and music for the American cinema. He is equally at home conducting artists ranging from Plácido Domingo (during a live broadcast of the Grammy Awards) to Madonna (with whom he recorded the soundtrack to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita), from Garth Brooks (an inaugural inductee into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame) to the Smashing Pumpkins (for the 1996 MTV Music Awards). Carol Burnett, Chicago, John Denver, Rodney Gilfry, Jonathan Pryce, Jane Eaglen, Jennifer Larmore, Patrick Stewart, Tito Puente, Charlotte Church, and Trisha Yearwood are among the multitude of artists who have performed with Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Mauceri's first recordings with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra reached the "Top Ten" in Billboard's crossover chart, and one received Germany's highest award, the Deutsche Schallplatten Prize. To date, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra has made four successful tours to Japan and one to Brazil. Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra have presented an astonishing number of premieres, and under Mauceri's tenure, opera and ballet returned to the Bowl's stage. In addition to his Hollywood Bowl position, Mauceri has served as music director for the Pittsburgh Opera since June 2000. The only American ever to have held the post of music director of an opera house in Great Britain and Italy, he served as music director of the Scottish Opera, and recently completed his three-year tenure as music director (direttore stabile) of the Teatro Reggio in Turino.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    Friday, August 15, at 8:30 PM

    Saturday, August 16, at 8:30 PM


    Romantic Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet

    HOLLYWOOD BOWL ORCHESTRA

    JOHN MAUCERI, conductor

    AUDRA McDONALD and DAVID MILLER, special guest vocalists

    PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE, Terrence S. Orr, Artistic Director


    Tchaikovsky: Overture-Fantasy, Romeo & Juliet

    Bernstein: Suite #1 from West Side Story

    Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet


    Media sponsor for August 15: K-EARTH 101

    Media sponsor for August 16: KTWV 94.7 FM The Wave

    Tickets ($3 - $92) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations). Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Elizabeth Hinckley, 323.850.2047; Rachelle Roe, 323.850.2032; for photos: Beth Norber, 213.972.3409