SEASON OPENER PROMISES BIG LAUGHS AND BOLD FLAVORS!
SEASON OPENER PROMISES BIG LAUGHS AND BOLD FLAVORS!
FORT MYERS, FL – Florida Repertory Theatre is pleased to announce the opening of its 2015-2016 Season with the one-woman tour-de-force, I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti starring Florida Rep ensemble member and audience favorite, Michelle Damato.
Adapted by Jacques Lamarre from the memoir by Giulia Melucci, I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti plays in Florida Rep’s intimate 120-seat ArtStage Studio Theatre Oct. 9 to Nov. 1 with four nearly sold-out previews on Oct. 6, 7, and 8.
I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti is a completely unique theatre experience that invites audiences into Giulia’s kitchen as she recounts a string of botched romances and failed love affairs while preparing a home-cooked, three-course, Italian dinner. During every performance, eight patrons with upgraded tickets will savor antipasto, salad, scratch-made pasta, and wine. Between preparing food and waiting on her guests, Giulia dishes about the string of men in her life and about the food she prepared to win their hearts.
“I couldn’t be more excited to open our season with this play,” said Producing Artistic Director and amateur Italian chef himself, Robert Cacioppo, “it is a perfect vehicle for Michelle Damato, and it is really something totally new and different to get to watch an actor work and cook an entire meal! It is always a pleasure to watch a play in our ArtStage Studio Theatre because you’re so close to the actors and the action, but this will add a new layer…dinner! I like to say it’s a bit like Rachel Ray meets Sex and the City, and it will truly be a special treat – and for eight people every night it will be a feast! Those dinner seats are going fast, so be sure to call early if you want dinner and a show.”
The saucy and witty one-woman comedy is based on Giulia Melucci’s debut book of the same title, a memoir of her love life that is filled with recipes for more than just romantic disaster. Chef and author, Mario Batali called Meucci’s book, “a delightfully irresistible memoir…a foodie’s dream version of Sex and the City.”
Florida Rep ensemble member, Michelle Damato, is an audience favorite in Southwest Florida who garnered national attention and local acclaim with her 2010 portrayal of title canine in Florida Rep’s nationally lauded production of A.R. Gurney’s Sylvia.The Wall Street Journal, praised the Spaghetti star’s work, saying, “Ms. Damato is entirely delightful…her frisky body language and dead-sure comic timing couldn’t be bettered.” Damato’s recent appearances with Florida Rep include last season’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, the regional premiere ofHeart Song in 2014, and many other hit comedies, including Miracle on South Division Street, Bedroom Farce, Rumors, and many more going back to 2007.
Veteran regional theatre actor and director and Florida Rep regular, Michael Marotta, directs the production after helming the 2014 Rodgers & Hammerstein revue, A Grand Night for Singing as director and choreographer, and a recent appearance in 2013’s The Fantasticks. Marotta, also an amateur Italian chef, is joined by lighting and sound designer, John Kiselica, costume designer, Alexandria Vazquez, stage manager, Amy L. Massari, and set designer Bruce R. Bailey.
I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti plays in the ArtStage Studio Theatre Oct. 9-Nov. 1 with discounted previews on Oct. 6 at 8pm, Oct. 7 at 2pm and 8pm, and Oct. 8 at 8pm. Regular performances are Tues-Sat at 8pm with matinees on Thursday, Sunday, and selected Saturdays.
Priced at $49/$45 and $29/$25 for discounted previews, single tickets are now on sale through the box office at 239-332-4488 and online at www.floridarep.org. Dinner upgrades can be purchased for an additional $35 per seat, and subject to availability. Subscriptions for the 2015-2016 season offer the best seats and the biggest savings, and packages start as low as $145 for 6 plays and offer up to 43% off single ticket prices.
Florida Repertory Theatre performs in the Historic Arcade Theatre and the ArtStage Studio Theatre on Bay St. between Jackson & Hendry with limited free parking in the Fort Myers River District. Visit Florida Rep online at FloridaRep.org, and by following the company on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.