Dan Pardo - Music Director
  • Home
  • Resume
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Work Samples
  • What Others Are Saying
  • Latest News

Working at ACT of CT

3/20/2019

0 Comments

 
Last week, I came back from conducting a completely revamped production of Working at ACT of CT, a beautiful theatre in Ridgefield, celebrating its inaugural season. Led by Artistic Director Daniel C. Levine, Music Supervisor Bryan Perri, and Executive Director Katie Diamond, ACT was able to get special permission from the legendary Stephen Schwartz, who is both a Ridgefield resident and a member of their advisory board, to make serious rewrites to the book, and conduct 12 new interviews with local workers. They were beautifully integrated into the show through the use of a truly impressive video and projection design, making the musical a contemporary celebration of American Workers, instead of a time capsule period piece, which is a trap of the performing Working in its original version, written in the late 70s. 

For me, the score still holds up tremendously well, so that stayed lovingly intact, with some minor structural changes, one new arrangement, and the inclusion of two newer songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda for the 2011 London Revival. With a versatile cast of six and a four-piece rock combo, I was so pleased with how the show sounded. I was also lucky to work alongside my wife Chrissy, who served as the standby for all three female tracks.
Picture

THE NEWTOWN BEE:  ACT Production Employs Updated, Localized 'Working' to Great Effect
"The cast is uniformly strong and vocally gifted. A live orchestra, under the direction of Dan Pardo, is superb accompaniment for the skilled performers."
TALKIN' BROADWAY: Everything comes together beautifully in ACT's production of WORKING
"The off-stage orchestra sounds fabulous, led by the masterful music director Dan Pardo, and, incredibly, even the individual songs written by so many different composers form a unified whole."
NEW HAVEN REVIEW: Reworked WORKING Works at ACT of CT
"With such a range of musical collaborators, the songs are varied in their styles, but all land with a snap, and the unseen musicians pack a punch for what is essentially a rock band."
BROADWAY WORLD: WORKING at CT of CT
"The talented live orchestra is led by conductor Dan Pardo on keyboards, and also features Matt Hinkley on electric and acoustic guitars, Arnold Gottlieb on electric and acoustic bass, and Dennis Arcano on drums and percussion."
0 Comments

    Archives

    July 2021
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    August 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    January 2018
    September 2017
    July 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    July 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    July 2015
    August 2014
    March 2014
    July 2012

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.