Press Releases

Father Alphonse Stephenson to Conduct "Cole Porter & Friends" As 2012-13 Orchestra Series Opens at Algonquin Arts Theatre on Nov. 4

EVENT INFORMATION
What:
"Cole Porter & Friends"

Who:
The Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea conducted by Father Alphonse Stephenson

Date & Time:
Sunday, Nov. 4 - 3 p.m.

Location:
Algonquin Arts Theatre
173 Main Street, Manasquan, N.J.

Tickets:
Premium: Adults: $48, Seniors: $46, Students: $35
Regular: Adults: $42, Seniors: $40, Students: $30
Algonquin Arts Box Office: 732-528-9211 or algonquinarts.org
Limited seats remain. All tickets subject to $2 processing fee.

MANASQUAN, N.J. (Oct. 26, 2012) � Father Alphonse Stephenson conducts as a series of guest vocalists join the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Seat at Algonquin Arts Theatre on Nov. 4 in a tribute to composer of the cleverest, funniest, and most romantic songs ever written for the stage or silver screen: Cole Porter.

The 2012-13 Orchestra Series presented by Novy & Associates opens at 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon with guest vocalists Brett Colby, Ali Gleason, Eric Harper, Julie Nagy, William Whitefield and Maria Zito-Kaufman AND Horace LaCagnia singing some of the best-known standards of the first half of the 20th century in a program titled "Cole Porter & Friends." Justin Ryan will the featured pianist.

Porter's hits featured in the program will include "So In Love," "Let�s Do It," "Brush Up Your Shakespeare," "Night and Day," "I�ve Got You Under My Skin," "Can Can" and more.

An extremely limited number of tickets are still available at algonquinarts.org, by phone at 732-528-9211 or at the Algonquin Box Office at 173 Main Street in Manasquan from 12-6 weekdays and 12-4 on Saturdays.

Premium tickets are $48 and regular tickets are $42. Senior and student discounts are available. A $2 per ticket processing fee is applied at the time of purchase.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Porter wrote both the music and lyrics for his songs. He brought such a unique style and wit that his compositions became known as a genre of themselves as he continued to right through from the 1920s to the 1950s. In additional to a long list of standards performed by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald and Judy Garland, the most famous of his Broadway musicals are "Anything Goes" and "Kiss Me Kate," composed 14 years apart.

Stephenson, a beloved maestro and founder the Festival of the Atlantic in Pt. Pleasant Beach, served as the music director and conductor of Michael Bennett's smash hit, "A Chorus Line", for more than 3,000 performances on Broadway. Ordained a Catholic priest by the Diocese of Paterson, N.J., in 1975, last year he was promoted to Brigadier General and serves as a Chaplain and the Air National Guard Assistant to the Air Force Chief of Chaplains at the Pentagon.

The cast of vocalists includes many veterans of the stage, including stars of recent performances at Algonquin Arts Theatre. Colby and Nagy each most recently appeared in "The Music Man" at Algonquin Arts Theatre as Harold Hill and Marian Paroo, respectively. Gleason has delighted audiences as Nancy in "Oliver!," Ginger in "The 1940s Radio Hour" and the Narrator in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."

Whitefield is the Executive Director of Algonquin Arts Theatre and is a musical theatre and concert veteran, having performed with the orchestra several times, most recently last October's "Salute to Jerry Herman." He is a principal baritone for the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players.

Zito-Kaufman features regularly with the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea and has done so for 23 years, including a 2001 appearance at Carnegie Hall.

The concert launches the 11th consecutive season in which The Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea is featured at Algonquin Arts Theatre. The Orchestra Series, sponsored by Novy & Associates, continues with two more concerts from Stephenson and his orchestra. The annual presentation of "Viennese New Year" will be Jan. 6 and the series concludes April 28 with "Greatest Hits of the 1800s" which will include the William Tell Overture and some of the other best-known musical works of all time.

Algonquin Arts Theatre was founded in 1992 as a nonprofit organization to provide cultural enrichment and educational enhancement of the highest quality for Central New Jersey residents.