Published: May 03, 2007
''All Her Faces, A Portrait of Dusty Springfield."
By Koen Machielse
Sean Jenness as Jesse, a young man who comes to grips with Dusty Springfield by recreating her songs. Behind: snapshot of Dusty Springfield (photographer unknown). Photo by Jonathan Slaff.
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Writer/director Anthony Inneo is not only haunted by Dusty Springfield, the legendary pop singer, but theorizes that most other modern Americans are, too. That was the inspiration for his concert theater piece, "All Her Faces, A Portrait of Dusty Springfield," which attempts to conjure the blue-eyed, white lady of soul back to life through her songs. Manhattan's La MaMa E.T.C. will present the work June 1 to 10, 2007 in its second-floor Club.
Featuring some of the singer's best and least known songs, "All Her Faces, A Portrait of Dusty Springfield" goes far beyond biography to look behind the stories and memories surrounding one of pop music's great voices and personalities. The piece seeks to unveil the musical and emotional truth underlying the woman, her music and the magic that attracted legions of fans for decades.
The author describes the show as a "romantic fantasy" that depicts a young man, Jesse, coming to grips with Dusty's magic by recreating her songs. When Jesse discovers his father's collection of Dusty Springfield 45's, he puts down his iPod and he and his dad embark on a journey that will bring them closer to her than either one could have ever imagined.
Fans of Dusty Springfield, as well as those who've only heard of her legendary contributions throughout the 60's and 70's, will not want to miss this opportunity to take a closer look at "all her faces."
The concert features 20 Dusty Springfield songs, to be will be performed live by a cast of four, accompanied by piano and synthesizer, percussion, acoustic and electric guitars. Selections will include Dusty's well-known hits "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," "I Only Want To Be With You," "Son of a Preacher Man" and many lesser-known songs.
The performers are Steve Bartosik, Sandra Caldwell, Lauren Echo, Amy Lou Fox, Sean Jenness, Isabel Santiago and Louis Tucci. Musical Supervisor is Jo Lynn Burks, who has toured with Gladys Knight, Roger Daltrey, and the Temptations. She currently works on Broadway's "The Color Purple." Choreography is by Greg Daniels. Sound design is by Adam Farquharson.
Anthony Inneo describes himself as "in love with Dusty's voice." He conceived this concert piece as a way to "pay tribute to her talent and recreate the innocent connection we all had in the '60s." Inneo has had a long career as an actor and is now emerging as a playwright. As an actor, he starred on Broadway as "Zach" in "A Chorus Line" and also performed the show in London, Hawaii and on tour with Donna McKechnie. Off-Broadway, his roles have ranged from Polo in "A Hatful Of Rain" to Lucky in the original production of "Dames At Sea." He has been prominently featured on "As The World Turns," "All My Children," "Guiding Light," "One Life To Live" and "Law and Order - SVU." He stars in a will-it-ever-be-released independent film, "Ingrid."
Inneo's play,"Evaluating Woody," was produced by From Now On Productions and SCRIPTS UP! Inc. at the Mint Theatre in 2002. He is presently adapting his play, "The Center Ring," successfully produced in LA, into a musical.
Performances are June 1 to 3 and 8 to 10, 2007 at La MaMa E.T.C. (The Club), 74A East Fourth Street, Manhattan. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 10:00 PM and Sundays at 5:30 PM. Ticket prices are $18. The box office number is (212) 475-7710 and online ticketing is available at www.lamama.org.
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