1993

Sault Opera presented two first-time live presentations of two new titles in Sault Ste. Marie: "Evita" by Rice and Webber the end of April and Ebb and Kander's "Zorba" in September. Richard Howard directed both shows and Diane Wysynski produced both of them as well.

"Evita" had a cast of eight leads and 74 people (including 14 junior cast members) in the ensemble, starring Judi Travaglini in the title role of Eva Duarte-Peron, Keith Waldie as Juan Peron, Will Gartshore as Che, Mark Swift as Magaldi, Patti Pulcine as the Mistress, Barb Rajnovich as Eva's Mother, Maria Burgess and Jeannine Jefferson as Eva's sisters, and Carrie Apostle and Steve Rutti as the Tango Dancers. Besides, there were "attention-getter" character groups of the 10 Aristocrats, 9 Soldiers, 5 Generals, and 4 Eva's Dressers. Susan Barber directed the music accompanied by a seven-piece rock combo along with Bonnie Forsell coaching the vocals, choreography by Richard Howard and Nadia Scornaienchi, lighting design by Paul Sawchyn, costumes co-ordinated by Scarlet Marenger, hair and make-up by Cheryl Ogg, props by Maureen McGillivray, and stage management by Don Palmer with three assistant stage managers. This large-cast show with a large and well-organized production crew broke all of Sault Opera's attendance and box office records and was received enthusiastically by everyone, including the reviewers of the local media.

Judi Travaglini received special mention by Sault Star theatre reviewer Robin Waples for giving a "dazzling, dazzling performance" whose "Evita shines like a multi-faceted diamond"; whose "performance is quite similar to the real Evita's". Will Gartshore's Che was also very well received as well as Keith Waldie, Mark Swift, and Patti Pulcine for their "outstanding performances". "The entire cast combines talents to provide some powerful moments of theatre, as do the musicians and technical people. This is truly a theatrical feat that shouldn't be missed." Ms. Waples did give credit where credit was due when she called director Richard Howard "Sault Opera's chief magic-maker ... who deserves so much appreciation for elevating theatre standards in a community where standards were already tremendously high ... What he brings to Evita, is a professionalism throughout, an always surprising sense of inventiveness, and a searching-for-answers kind of humanity that touches everyone".

"Take your bows, Sault Opera, you deserve them!" ... "Without a doubt, the opera company's production of Evita establishes a new standard of musical theatre in Sault Ste. Marie, and that's saying a lot." (Sault Star, April 29, 1993)

Financially, this record-breaking show earned the company a net surplus exceeding $10,000.

Sault Opera opened its 1993/94 theatre season with Ebb and Kander's "Zorba", again directed by Richard Howard and produced by Diane Wysynski. Lorraine Smith directed the music and assembled a five-piece pit band to augment the keyboard she was playing herself. Also, she deserves much credit for beautifully arranging the voices and accompaniment of two big chorus numbers and a vocal solo which were not available from the score the company received from the Canadian office of the publisher. Kim Sadler Davis coached the vocals and Nicole Thibodeau and Richard Howard choreographed the dance numbers. In addition to producing the show, Diane Wysynski also took the stage management with three assistants. John Patterson realized the set design and scenic artistry from the concept by Richard Howard and Brent Krysa. Other people working behind the scenes included: Scarlett Marenger co-ordinating the costumes, Maureen McGillivray on properties, make-up by Rutger Becker and Dave Walsh, hairstyling by Johanne Mackey, lighting design by Kevin Cameron, Rob Singleton operating the lighting board, Jeff Gray operating the sound board, Guy Coutu constructing the set, and numerous other assistants in various departments.

Sault Opera's founder and president Arno Ambel was back on the stage and in the spotlight in the title role of Zorba, joined by Lise White as Madame Hortense, Will Gartshore as Niko, Francine Ubriaco as the Widow, and Teresa Caughill as the Leader of the Chorus, with Mark O'Donoghue as Mimiko, Keith Waldie as Manolakas, Jason O'Brien as Pavli, Vinnie Greco as Mavrodani, Shane Halpin as the Priest, Arlene Bovingdon as the Old Lady, Adrian Gabrylewicz as the Constable, Robert Creedon as Katapolis, and Jean Morrison as the Belly Dancer (in the Khania café scene) and Don Currie as the Turkish Dancer (in the Piraeus café opening scene). Also, the cast consisted of the groups of 4 Admirals(Don Currie, Shane Halpin, Todd Scarfone, and Miguël Cormier) and 3 Dancers (Monica Dottor, Rita Dottor, and Tiiu Sillavere), with an ensemble of 50 (including 10 children).

In spite of the high expectations the company had for this show, the financial figures showed a net loss of about $1000. Probably the time of the performances was too early in the fall or the audience that was looking for more "upbeat" entertainment tended to associate the show with the dramatic and tragic impact of the movie "Zorba the Greek" starring Anthony Quinn and Oscar-winning Lila Kedrova, unaware about the positive concept of the show by the talented director Richard Howard: "While baring the realities of death, he is only reminding us of the inevitable, still savouring life to the fullest". Attendance did rise sharply in the last days of the show, however, after the publication of the up-beat review "Sault Opera's Zorba Is As Potent As Ouzo" (headline of the review by Robin Waples in the Sault Star, September 16, 1993).

In addition, the show was a profound emotional experience not only for the audience but for the cast and crew as well, especially for Arno Ambel:

On a personal note, I can say that it was an honour and a privilege to work behind the scenes in this production of "Zorba" in running the box office, assisting with the photography, and providing the DJ entertainment at the cast party, but most important of all being there to support my father in the role of his lifetime. Also, this inspired me to go on stage as well. Upon returning to Sudbury (where I was living at the time), I auditioned for Theatre Cambrian's production of "Evita" which was presented in the May of 1994 where I played one of the Generals (in "The Art of the Possible"), one of the Aristocrats, and a member of the chorus. -- Fred Ambel, web developer