Arts & Entertainment
Premiere sells out; 'Letter from Italy, 1944' adds performance
The Greater Middletown Chorale has turned the Letter from Italy dress rehearsal into a performance with full orchestra. Tickets are on sale today.
A "preview performance" of Letter from Italy, 1944 has been added for Friday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. following the sell-out of the Greater Middletown Chorale's world premiere performance on April 28.
Letter from Italy, "a soldier's story told through music," is an original work commissioned by the Chorale. Connecticut composer Sarah Meneely-Kyder and poet Nancy Meneely collaborated on the true story of their father, Dr. John Meneely. The GMC will perform it with a full orchestra, staging, and multimedia projection at the Performing Arts Center at Middletown High School.
Artistic Director Joseph D'Eugenio has been working with the Meneely sisters for over two years to bring the commissioned piece to the stage. He is collaborating with the Chorale's Drama Director in residence, Dr. Sheila Garvey, to tell the story using all the tools of the modern theater.
The Performing Arts Center with its professionally-equipped theater and beautiful audience sections is an ideal showcase for this production. The 600 seats available for the world premiere performance sold out three weeks before the opening date of April 28—a record ticket sellout for the Chorale.
There has already been strong demand for the added "preview performance." This Friday evening show will be presented in its entirety, with full orchestra, although the audience may see some breaks to correct technical problems.
Tickets for the April 26 performance are available through the production's Web site, where further background on Letter from Italy, 1944 is also available.
