Cast and Creative
NEIL CANDELORA – Six years old – the age Neil Candelora would have his life forever changed by seeing a VHS of The Beatles on "Ed Sullivan." Six and a half – the age in which he decided to learn to play left handed – just like his new favorite Beatle. It is many teenaged years later, and he’s rightly (or should I say leftly) stuck with his decision. Hey, it’s a good story right? Originally born and raised in Orlando, Neil was literally raised in a dinner theater by actor parents Bettie-Ann and Joe. Nowadays, Neil resides in sunny Chicago. When he’s not moptopin’ it onstage you can most likely find him rehearsing and recording with his band, The Ivorys, at their very own Seven Levels Studios. Having traveled a decent amount of North America to portray “the cute but bossy one,” sources close to Neil say that he’s supposedly “very excited” and “happy” to be playing with such a great cast in Let It Be. He would like to thank his friends, family, and Mark Ferrera.
JT CURTIS – was actually born on John Lennon’s birthday. He has been playing guitar since he was eight years old, and his formidable fretwork has been compared to the likes of Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, and of course, George Harrison. He has performed with several Beatles tribute acts from Los Angeles to New York, where he made his Broadway performance debut in Let It Be. JT's exhilarating new album, One Last Stand, a high-energy progressive rock/funk concept album, is available on his website. His first album with 7th Sun, From the Beginning, which he produced himself, was nominated Best Independent CD by South Bay Music Awards. His YouTube series, "One Man Band," features JT covering classic rock songs as he sings all the vocals and plays all the instruments. The series includes a captivating performance of The Beatles classic “Come Together.” JT has also written and produced music for CBS, ABC, Fox, The Super Bowl and for the NCAA’s March Madness. JT is thrilled to reunite with his Broadway castmates for Let It Be. jtcurtismusic.com
MICHAEL GAGLIANO – Michael grew up in Woking and knew he wanted to be a musician from a very early age. He taught himself to play the guitar by age seven and formed his first band at 13. As a life-long Beatles fan and aficionado, Michael contributed his knowledge and his own personal collection of Beatles instruments and equipment to The Beatles Gear book and toured the UK with the author promoting the book. Michael has spent 15 years perfecting his performance as a Beatle on some of the world’s biggest stages: from Liverpool’s Cavern Club to the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan and on television all over the world. He also starred in an Abbey Road-style television commercial for Hyundai, aired all over South East Asia. He has performed by personal request for Mick Avery (The Kinks) and at an intimate party at Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher’s house. Michael is an accomplished singer/songwriter. He was signed to Sony Music label in 2000 and went on to release three original albums under the name The Sails. His own music reflects the retro rock and psychedelic influences of his favourite bands: The Beatles, The Who and fellow Woking man Paul Weller (The Jam). The Sails’ albums have received critical acclaim with five-star reviews from Mojo Magazine, iTunes, The Sunday Times and Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. In 2011, The Sails’ single “I’m Only Bleeding” was voted by listeners of USA radio as “the coolest song of the year,” with a further nomination for “Liar” the following year.
CHRIS MCBURNEY – Originally from Madison, WI, Chris was seduced by the Beatles at around age six when he stumbled across his brother’s White Album. It set him on a musical journey for life. Now living in New York City, he has had the opportunity to record in some amazing studios and tour all over North America, Europe, and Asia with a number of different acts. He has toured the U.S and Japan as the drummer for Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles, and has performed in several productions of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story across the U.S. Highlights to date include playing The Beatles old stomping ground, the Cavern Club in Liverpool, and playing in the Broadway production of Let it Be. McBurney also earned his MFA from The American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and has acted in productions Off-Broadway and in many regional theaters across the U.S., including The Guthrie, Cleveland Playhouse, American Conservatory Theater, Virginia Stage Company and The Fulton Theatre. As a life-long Beatles fan, he is honored and proud to spread the music of The Beatles to audiences all over the world.
ALLAN SLUTSKY (Music Director) is a Grammy Award-winning musician and author whose musical journey has taken him from the orchestra pits of some of Broadways most celebrated shows to the world’s great concert halls to movie theaters across the world. His guitar, banjo and mandolin playing have been featured in dozens of theatrical productions including Chicago, Dreamgirls, Mamma Mia, The Color Purple, The Book Of Mormon, Newsies and Grease, as well as concert performances with artists as varied as Luciano Pavarotti, Don Rickles, Steve Winwood, Ben Harper, Billy Preston, Bootsy Collins, Joan Osborne, Chaka Kahn and Little Anthony and the Imperials. In 1983, Allan became a household name to guitarists when he penned the Dr. Licks guitar transcription series. In 1989, he wrote and published Standing In The Shadows of Motown, a biography that chronicled the life and music of legendary Motown bassist James Jamerson and the storied label’s studio band, the Funk Brothers. A movie version of the same book hit the big screen in 2002, winning Best Non-Fiction Film Awards from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics, as well two Grammys for the soundtrack. For his work as the film’s producer, Allan was awarded the Recording Academy's “Heroes Award” in April of 2004. In recent years, Allan has kept busy writing arrangements for TV shows like BET, "President Obama’s 2009 Inauguration Ceremony," "American Idol" and the "Primetime Emmys" and playing mandolin in his trio The Night Cafe (www.nightcafetrio.com). He’s currently co-writing the biography of ‘60s teen idol, Bobby Rydell.
DANIEL A. WEISS (Music Supervisor) is a New York City based musician, most recently seen music directing and arranging for a sold out performance of West End Recast in London, a concert featuring many of the West End's finest singers. He was the Music Supervisor, Orchestrator and Musical Director for Anthony Rapp's one-man show, Without You (Edinburgh Fringe, Menier Chocolate Factory, South Korea, Toronto). His most recent composing credits include original music for the show Happily After Tonight by Mateo Moreno and Dedalus Lounge by Gary Duggan (co-written with Anthony Rapp). Daniel was the Assistant Musical Director and Associate Conductor for the original Broadway company of RENT. He has a multitude of Broadway credits for both conducting and/or performing, including Let It Be, Motown The Musical, Godspell, Hair, Taboo, Hairspray and Brooklyn. Daniel also appears on many original cast recordings including RENT, Taboo, Brooklyn and Without You, and has toured with artists including Joan Osborne, Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Daphne Rubin Vega, Valerie Carter, Jeffrey
Gaines, Neshama Carlebach and Cassidy (Antigone Rising). Recent Discography: Without You, Wool&Grant, Ina May Wool, Katrin Roush, Rachel Millman, Denise Marsa, Elisa Korenne, Bri Reitano, Jill Stevenson, Andrew Cohen, Rebecca Everett, Roman Klun, Rachel Bay Jones, Bryce Ryness, Jenna Marotta, Martin Rivas, Fred Arcoleo, James Durst, Vicki Genfan, Brooklyn Women's Choir, indie film Camp, Starcraft II by Blizzard Software.
MATHIEU ST-ARNAUD (Original Video Design) Founded in 2009, TURBINE is a visual workshop based in Montreal whose members have been active in the field of projection and LED video since 2001. They offer their clients a turnkey solution: from video system design to custom video content production and integration. TURBINE has done work for Cirque du Soleil, Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, Linkin Park, the Pan Am Games, The Killers and Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience,
among others.
DARREN MCCAULLEY (Original Video Design) has a background in television production as well as stage and theatrical productions. He toured internationally as stage manager and video designer for several years. Darren has done work for Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and "American Idol," among others. He is currently with Cirque Du Soleil in Las Vegas.
SOONER ROUTHIER (Lighting Design) is a native of the Northeast Kingdom in Northern Vermont. She is a production designer and co-owner of SRae Productions. Throughout her career she has also worked as a lighting designer and lighting director for various productions and events including modern dance, theatre, and concert touring. She spent the beginning of her career working in southern New Hampshire as a lighting director and technician for Rainbow Concert Productions while moonlighting as a creative director for the non-profit Tandem Dance Company. After being hired on her first tour as lighting designer for the band Chevelle, she has continued to tour for various rock and pop artists including The Weeknd, Rage Against the Machine, The All American Rejects, Rhianna, and Bon Jovi. As a production designer, Sooner has created video, scenic, pyro, and lighting designs for many artists including Motley Crue, Imagine Dragons, Pentatonix, and, most recently, The Lumineers.
JEFF PARRY (Producer and General Manager) started Jeff Parry Promotions over 35 years ago which saw considerable success from promoting a wide range of shows throughout Canada that included: David Copperfield, Lord of Dance, Walking with Dinosaurs, Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Dora the Explorer, Cats, Grease, My Fair Lady, Jay Leno, Tina Turner, BB King, Burton Cummings, Whitney Houston, Engelbert Humperdinck, Meatloaf, and many more. The success from promoting shows throughout North America, which started off as a one-man operation, inspired Jeff to bring together his passion for music and knowledge from the promoting industry to produce shows of his own. More than ten years ago he expanded the company into a producing role, hence Annerin Productions was formed. Jeff discovered the opportunity to produce shows that could bring together high quality elements from theatre in the form of concert-style entertainment. Annerin’s current productions include Let It Be – A Celebration of the Music of The Beatles, the infamous West End Beatles show that performed in London from 2012-2015 as well as internationally and on Broadway; PFX – The Pink Floyd Experience, which has been Annerin’s longest touring show; Rock the Nation; and Dancing in the Streets – Motown’s Greatest Hits! Past productions include: Bjorn Again, Barrage, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience, The Australian Bee Gees Show and RAIN – A Tribute to The Beatles, which had a successful Broadway run in 2010/2011. Annerin Productions is represented worldwide with offices in Calgary, Alberta (Canada), Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) and London, England. www.annerin.com
SCOTT CHRISTENSEN (Producer and General Manager, Annerin Productions) originally began his career as a professional musician in his hometown of Calgary, Canada, and has worked with numerous artists and toured extensively in North America, Europe and Australia. During his career as a musician, he earned a CCMA Music Award working with recording artist Jason McCoy. Scott first shook hands with Annerin Productions as a fill in drummer with one of their touring shows, which eventually lead him to Road Manager/Stage Manager and Creative Director with numerous productions. Scott has worked in Design, and Production/Tour Management for such diverse projects as PFX – The Pink Floyd Experience, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience, Cats, BB King, Lord of the Dance, Dora The Explorer, Rock the Nation, Dancing In The Streets and Bjorn Again among others. Scott has also had the opportunity of working on Broadway (2010-2011) with RAIN - A Tribute To The Beatles, which won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play in 2011. He has toured extensively on an international level from South Africa to Sweden, as well as having creative oversight of RAIN’s multiple TV appearances including their PBS documentary, RAIN - A Tribute To The Beatles. Scott has been part of the creative team that conceived and produced Let It Be, which is enjoying a successful run in London’s West End with over 110 weeks and over 1,000 performances, as well as touring internationally with performances in Japan, Russia, New Zealand, Germany.
TRACEY MCFARLAND/INHOUSE BOOKING InHouse Booking is a boutique theatrical booking agency dedicated to bringing the best of live touring entertainment to theatres across North America. Led by Tracey McFarland, a 20 year veteran of the industry, InHouse Booking is pleased to represent the national tours of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer The Musical, Let It Be, Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella, PostSecret: The Show, Cirque Éloize’ Saloon and The Hip Hop Nutcracker featuring Kurtis Blow, to name a few. www.inhousebooking.com
BRIAN RICHARD (Tour Manager) has spent his entire life working in the music industry. He has been a bass player, bandleader and soundman with over 50 years of experience. Fortunate enough to have toured with two major Canadian acts, he has been on stages all over the world. The last 12 years have seen Brian move into the management aspect of touring, where he is able to use his experience and pass on said experience to a wide range of tours.
JAMES ABBOTT (Keyboard Programmer) Jim Abbott's 27 year Broadway career has included positions as Musical Director for Broadway/National Tours of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Rent, Aida, Bombay Dreams, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Disney’s Tarzan; Dance Arrangements for Tarzan, Aida, Bombay Dreams, Sweet Charity, Guys and Dolls, Flashdance, Women on the Verge and Wicked; Synthesizer Design for Something Rotten, On the 20th Century, Spamalot, The Boy from Oz, Avenue Q, The Addams Family and Big Fish; Contributing Orchestrations to Aida, Bombay Dreams, Wicked, The Addams Family, Andrew Lloyd Webber: Music of the Night, On the 20th Century and The Nutty Professor. He has performed with Aretha Franklin, Dennis DeYoung of Styx, Shirley Bassey, Bob Hope, Vanessa Williams, Phil Collins, Melissa Manchester and with Elton John in "Greatest Hits Live" at Madison Square Garden.
BRIAN J. SWASEY (Associate Producer) Brian is originally from South Portland, ME, and is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire. After moving to NYC in 1995 and focusing on pursuing a career as an actor, he changed focus and became the Founding Artistic Director of The Astoria Performing Arts Center, followed by the Associate Producer position at Queens Theatre in the Park in Flushing, NY. There he was involved in producing the 20th Anniversary Revival of Closer Than Ever starring Sally Mayes and Lynne Winterstellar. Prior to coming to Ogunquit, he was the Managing Director for The New York Theatre Barn. NYC developmental projects have included: the rock musical The 12 and a new holiday musical entitled Tim and Scrooge. As a Director/Choreographer, Brian has had the pleasure of directing such shows as Pump Boys and Dinettes, Hairspray, Chicago, A New Brain, and Altar Boyz. He was the Assistant Director for the NYC Revival of Die, Mommie, Die! starring Charles Busch. At The Playhouse, Brian directed the TYA productions of The Berenstain Bears and The Cat In The Hat. In addition, Brian has been involved with booking cabaret entertainment at The Triad in NYC, as well as bringing such artists as Christina Bianco and Bruce Vilanch to MaineStreet in Ogunquit, ME.
TIMOTHEY SULLIVAN (Production Manager) 2016 marks Tim’s third season with the Ogunquit Playhouse. Prior to joining the OP team, he worked for several years as a producer for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, producing Broadway staples such as Broadway Backwards and Broadway Bares. Previous to his time at BC/EFA, Tim was the Production Director for the Tony Award-winning Intiman Theatre in Seattle. He has also served as Production Manager for the Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA Program as well as the Drama Desk Award-winning Mint Theater. He has worked on production teams for several Broadway shows and national tours, as well as the American Repertory Theatre, Trinity Rep, The Public, Lucille Lortel and New World Stages. He is also the Associate Director and Production Stage Manager for Charles Busch’s annual Off-Broadway production of Times Square Angel. As an Educator, Tim has taught at Bridgewater State University, Brown University and Harvard University’s Institute for Advanced Theatre Training, as well as teaching courses and seminars at various high schools and colleges throughout the United States.
GEOF DOLAN (Technical Director) is excited to be returning for his tenth season as the Ogunquit Playhouse's Technical Director and Scenic Coordinator. Immediately prior to Ogunquit he served as Technical Director for Worcester Foothills Theatre. He has done supplemental design work for several shows and received a 2014 BroadwayWorld Award for Best Scenic Design in Maine for his work on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Robert Kovach original design). He is also the Technical Supervisor for the Children's Theatre program. Geof began his technical career working backstage for both of his parents who are theatre directors and began his professional career at Sierra Repertory Theatre in California. For five years he split his seasons between Maine and Florida, working the same technical areas for the Orlando Shakespeare, but now stays with the Playhouse year-round. His wife Cheryl (Scenic Charge Artist at the Playhouse for nine seasons) has designed award-winning parade floats and designs many of the Children’s Theater shows. His "born-in-a trunk" 15 year old daughter Ashlynn is an aspiring actress, musician and artist who can definitely call the Playhouse her second home.
RICHARD LATTA (Resident Lighting Designer) created the lighting for last season's Sister Act, Victor Victoria, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Million Dollar Quartet, Saturday Night Fever and White Christmas (Music Hall, Portsmouth), Recent work: Sister Act (North Shore Music Theater), Ain't Misbehavin' (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), El Posada Nunca Se Termina (projections, Chicago Lyric Opera), A Christmas Story, Hasbro Toy Fair 2016 and Newark Arts Ballet 2016. Previous work includes: Cabaret (Engeman Theatre, Maltz Jupiter, Ogunquit) projection research for the opera Moby Dick (Houston, SF, Sydney, Kennedy Center), Thurgood, The People In The Picture (Broadway), Fiddler on the Roof (Engeman, Ogunquit) He proudly salutes all his Ogunquit friends who helped make the Playhouse what it is today.
CHERYL DOLAN (Resident Scenic Charge) is excited to be returning to the Ogunquit Playhouse for her ninth season. After taking over as Resident Scenic Charge seven years ago, she has designed several Children's Theatre sets, as well as added her artistic eye to many of the main stage productions. In the off-season, Cheryl is a Scenic Charge and Prop Master for The Good Theater in Portland, Maine. Since falling in love with the Ogunquit Playhouse, Cheryl, her husband Geof Dolan (the Ogunquit Playhouse Technical Director) and their daughter Ashlynn, who is a budding writer, have made the Seacoast their home year-round. Cheryl considers the staff at OP her family and hopes that her love and passion for theater is translated through the productions to all of you.
BRADFORD T. KENNEY (Executive Artistic Director) is an artistic director, producer, stage director and artist. Since joining the Ogunquit Playhouse in 2005, the Playhouse has tripled its audience growing from a single season summer stock theatre into one of the Northeast’s pre-eminent regional theatres with a three-season performance schedule. During his stewardship, the Playhouse has garnered a number of awards and honors including the Moss Hart Trophy, Regional Theatre Award for Outstanding Achievement in the American Theatre from the New England Theatre Conference, multiple IRNE Awards and a number of BroadwayWorld Awards including Best Musical and others. Mr. Kenney is also noted for his work at Carnegie Hall including directing the holiday special The Christmas Rose starring Jane Seymour and producing An American Christmas Carol with Tim Janis. Mr. Kenney’s film work includes the upcoming movie musical Buttons starring Dick Van Dyke, Jane Seymour, and Charles Shaughnessy. In New England, Mr. Kenney has been proud to be associated with a number of different theatre companies. Ogunquit highlights include Damn Yankees starring Carson Kressley, Sunset Blvd starring Stefanie Powers, Charles Shaughnessy and Rachel York in Monty Python’s Spamalot, Jefferson Mays in My Fair Lady, Lorenzo Lamas in The King and I, Rue McClanahan in Crazy for You, Sally Struthers in Hello, Dolly!, Andrea McArdle in Cabaret and Valerie Harper in Nice Work If You Can Get It. He was also formerly the Artistic Director of the Foothills Theatre and Wachusett Theatre Companies in Massachusetts. He is a fourth generation plein air landscape artist, having studied with Beth Ellis and at Rhode Island School of Design, Heartwood College of Art, and Maine College of Art. His artwork is represented by the Sea Bell Gallery, Shore Road, Ogunquit, Maine.