LAMORINDA WEEKLY | The Phantom of Orinda


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Calling all "The Phantom of The Opera" fans. Franc D'Ambrosio will be preforming at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20 at the Orinda Theatre. This unique cabaret series started in Orinda this past February and the shows have quickly become the East Bay events to attend. Where else in the Bay Area can you see Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning performers in such a close-up, personal and stunning venue?

Nowhere.

"Every seat in the 190-seat auditorium makes you feel like you are having a private concert. Even the back seats are only 14 rows from the stage," states Michael Williams, producer of Live at the Orinda.

D'Ambrosio is best known as the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony Award-winning musical, "The Phantom of The Opera." Affectionately known as "The Iron Man of the Mask," D'Ambrosio was awarded the distinction as the "World's Longest Running Phantom," with over 2,300 performances of the Phantom, a title he held for a decade.

D'Ambrosio is a welcome and frequent guest artist with many major symphonies in America and Europe (Pop Series). With the success of D'Ambrosio's national and international tours, he has joined the ranks of Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman as only a handful of Phantom alumni to successfully crossover to solo careers. He celebrates 11 years of continuous touring.

D'Ambrosio's resume also includes an Academy Award-nominated film, an Emmy Award-nominated television show, four-time Tony nominated Broadway show, two Grammy considerations, and a National Theatre Award nomination.

Early in D'Ambrosio's career, Paramount Pictures talent scouts discovered him in the chorus of his first Broadway show. This ended an exhaustive two-year international search and D'Ambrosio was awarded the role as the opera-singing son of Al Pacino in Coppola's seven-time Academy Award nominated film "Godfather III." D'Ambrosio had the honor of singing the Academy Award-winning theme song, "Speak Softly Love" (Brucia la Terra), both in the film and on the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. D'Ambrosio's performances of the theme song have garnered over one million hits on YouTube.

D'Ambrosio's performance so impressed the late Luciano Pavarotti that it led to an invitation for the summer to study with the legendary tenor at his home in Italy. So began his varied and amazing career.

After his impressive run as The Phantom of The Opera, D'Ambrosio caught the eye of Barry Manilow, who personally selected him to create and star as Tony in the pre-Broadway tour of "Copacabana." The show enjoyed a successful yearlong tour. This performance earned D'Ambrosio his National Theatre Award nomination for Best Male Performer in a Musical.

D'Ambrosio tours extensively throughout the United States, Europe and South America with his critically acclaimed one-man show. "He looks and acts like Marlon Brando and sings like Mario Lanza," said Hal Prince, Tony Award-winning director of "The Phantom of the Opera."

Now is your chance to hear D'Ambrosio's amazing voice at the Orinda Theatre. It will be an event that you might never have experienced before. Tickets for the show can be purchased online at www.lamorindatheatres.com or at the Orinda Theatre box office. Seating is reserved and will be sold out soon, so get your tickets for this very unique performance as soon as possible.