The cast of Man of La Mancha includes some of the finest talent in The Villages including:
Role | Actor | Bio |
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| Cervantes/Quixote | Alex Santoriello | Alex Santoriello is a professional actor, singer & producer best known for originating roles in three Broadway musicals: “Les Miserables”, “Chess” & “Three Penny Opera”; & as a producer on the Broadway musical, “A Tale of Two Cities”. He made his equity debut at the Paper Mill Playhouse & his New York debut at AMAS Repertory Theater. He played Gus the Theater Cat in a Broadway tour of “Cats” & Pontius Pilate in two major touring productions of “Jesus Christ Superstar”. Alex produced & directed the world premiere of “A Tale of Two Cities” in concert at the Circle Theater in Indianapolis that included a cast of Broadway veterans along with Richard Kiley who narrated the action, a fifty-voice choir & a forty-piece orchestra. Alex appeared in the TV soap opera “All My Children” & in the Academy Award nominated film “Far From Heaven”. A successful concert career brought Alex to Barbados. After several returns Alex moved there & taught singing to young people & served as the first musical director of the Barbados National Boys Choir. He fronted the popular rock ‘n roll band “GetBak” & performed at over one-hundred charity events including the reopening of the historic Kensington Oval in Bridgetown & the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Gala. He founded Lexy Piano Bar, which was rated by Zagat as one of Barbados’ top five night spots. Alex is a licensed commercial pilot, an active flight instructor & an avid sailor who has logged thousands of miles at sea. Alex performed and worked with Sirs Sting, Cliff Richard, Tim Rice, Cameron Macintosh & Trevor Nunn; Benny Anderson & Bjorn Ulveaus (ABBA); John Caird, John Dexter, Andrew Wilk, John Lodge, Dennis Quaid, David Cassidy, Richard Kiley, Michael Crawford, Maureen McGovern, Georgia Brown, Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson, Colm Wilkinson, Claude Michel Schoenberg, Alain Boublil, John Clifton, Neil Berg & his sister Jill Santoriello. |
| Sancho | Sam Rosalsky | Sam Rosalsky’s early theatrical experience began with the works of Gilbert and Sullivan in off-Broadway venues, and many rewarding experiences in community theater. He has been seen most recently as Thenardier in Les Miserables, Laser Wolff in Fiddler On The Roof, Smee in Peter Pan, The Governor of Texas in The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, Andrew Carnes in Oklahoma, Dr. Einstein in Arsenic And Old Lace, Mr. Bumble in Oliver, and the Sultan in Aladdin among many others. He has been active in all phases of the theater including acting, directing, stage managing, lighting design, and helping extensively with costuming, set design / construction, sound, promotion, and publicity. |
| Aldonza | Dawn Dinome Wetzel | Originally from NY, where she studied Musical Theatre, Dawn is an accomplished Actor, Singer, and Dancer. She has performed in various theatrical productions both nationally and internationally. Some of her prior roles include Reno in Anything Goes, Polly in Crazy For You, and Charity in Sweet Charity. She is currently living in Central Florida where she is the Musical Director at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Wildwood. She sings for most of the masses every weekend, and directs the choir. She performs for many local venues throughout The Villages. She also performs periodically as a guest singer with her dad’s 50’s & 60’s Rock and Roll band Flashback. |
| Governor/Innkeeper | Dave Olsen | Dave’s acting career began with him playing King Alfonso at Medeival Times for over 500 performances before moving to The Villages. Since that time his done many plays here including: Neil Simon’s Rumors, The Miracle Worker, Beckett, Edward Albee plays, as well as Miracle on 34th St. as Santa. He has also performed in the musicals Any Get Your Gun, 42nd Street, White Christmas and of course most recently Lay Miz. Dave has been in many event shows and productions. Most proudly for the Martin Luther King’s scholarship Award ceremony. He’s performing many musical genres from Elvis to Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers, Englebert Humperdinck, Johnny Mathis just to name a few. |
| Padre | Tim Casey | “Up North” Tim appeared as the lead in Deathtrap, A Thurber Carnival and Dracula and in appeared number of musicals including Guys and Dolls, Peter Pan, and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. Recently in The Villages he was in Les Miserables and Company. |
| Duke/Carrasco | David Thoreson | David moved to the Village of Dunedin with his wife Kathy about a year ago. He has recently appeared in ‘The King and I’ and ‘A Murder is Announced’ at The Melon Patch in Leesburg. |
| Antonia | Mia Reeves | Mia has been acting for over 25 years in stage, screen and film, both in NYC and Washington, DC. Representative roles include several times of playing Aldonza in “Man of LaMancha”, Beauty in a national tour of “Beauty and the Beast”, “Lady Macbeth”, Rosalind in “As You Like It” in an off-Broadway production, Queen of the Night in “The Magic Flute”, Morales in “A Chorus Line”, Lily in “The Secret Garden”, and Julie in “Showboat”, as well as a wanna-be-cheerleader in the film “The Replacements”. In the Villages, she has performed several times in the Showcase of Talent, and played the Factory Girl in “Les Miserables”, Sarah in “Company”, and performed with and directed for the Off Broadway Players. She is a published author, having three books and a chapter in a textbook (“Death and Bereavement in the World’s Religions”) still in publication. She is currently working on two novels and a short story, and writes at least one poem a day. |
| Housekeeper | Billie Thatcher | Billie Thatcher is a multiple award-winning actress over a thirty-plus year involvement in community theatres in NJ, PA and FL. She has played parts from chorus girl to leading lady. Some of her most memorable roles include Dolly Levi, Auntie Mame, Golde, Miss Hannigan, Nellie Forbush, and her “signature” Mama Rose. Billie is a featured vocalist with The Red Garter Jazz Band and The Villages Swing Band. She performs in variety shows and does solo performances for area clubs and organizations. She is also actively involved in fundraising. “I have loved MOLM since seeing the original Broadway production, and am thrilled to be involved in this one!” |
| Barber/Ensemble | Ralph Dowell | Ralph moved to The Villages and got the acting bug. He has appeared in numerous musical productions with The Off-Broadway Players and also that The Villages Musical Theater Company productions. He’s appeared in “45 seconds from Broadway”, “12 Angry Jurors”, and “Einstein and the Polar Bear”. He also performs with the VTC Shows To Go and Mistletoe To Go. He is looking forward to being a part of Man of La Mancha. |
| Guitarist/Ensemble | Matt Ouimet | Matt was born,married, and with his wife Rita, raised their family in Taftville, Connecticut. He is a retired clinical psychologist having been employed in a psychiatric hospital and in private practice. As a teenager, Matt won a singing contest sponsored by RKO movie studios in conjunction with the reintroduction of the Snow White movie. The contest was broadcast throughout the New england area by the Yankee Radio Network. He subsequently performed at the RKO Keith Memorial Theater in Boston Mass. Matt has performed as a vocalist on stage, radio, and tv. He lead a four piece combo that for many years played in numerous clubs, hotels, and private affairs throughout the tri-state area. For five years he lead the congregation of two churches in learning and singing hymns for Sunday services. Matt is currently a member of the Villages Jazz group, the Shao Lin Kempo Karate group, and the Advanced Acoustic Guitar group. |
| Pedro/Ensemble | Bob Petrucelli | This is Bob’s, (or Bobby’s) first time working with KC Productions. He has, previously, performed with: Broadway Bound Players, B & B Productions, M&M Productions, Lake Miona Theater, Shaka Crew Dance Company and the Villages Theater Company. He is a board member of the VTC and has performed in many of their productions, the Shows To GO traveling Comedy show, as well as coordinating and performing in the Traveling Holiday Show, Mistletoe To Go. He is looking forward to being Pedro. |
| Anselmo/Ensemble | Jim Kitzler | Jim has been in over 50 productions in Ohio and this is his second in the Villages, having been in Le Mis last year. Some of his favorite shows are Guys and Dolls and Titanic the Musical. Jim also plays Softball and Baseball as well as golf and is an ordained Deacon in the Catholic Church |
| Jose/Ensemble | Howard Kirschenbaum | Howard moved to The Villages ten years ago with my wife Sue. I was last seen as Babet in Les Miserable’s at the Savannah center. Some of my previous roles are Indian Jones in Indiana Jones and the search for the Temple of Shalom at Temple Shalom, as Alf Scrag in Little Abner at Parker Playhouse, Ft. Lauderdale, Fl., The Scare Crow in a Halloween show in Weston, Fl. |
| Juan/Ensemble | Glenn De Forge | Glenn is thrilled and thankful to be a part of MOLM. Since arriving in The Villages in 2007, he appeared in Bus Stop, Crimes of the Heart, and Squabbles with the VTC. As a member of the VMC he joined the casts of OKLAHOMA!, Carousel, Brigadoon, and Music Man. He appreciates being able to learn and grow from each new stage experience. |
| Muleteer/Ensemble | John Turner | John Turner-performed in high school as “Charlie” in Annie Get Your Gun” and various community theaters and the FT Knox Military Theater. He moved to The Villages in 2013 and performed in Les Miserables and Christmas Spectacular this year. He is member of Dance Fusion. |
| Muleteer/Ensemble | John Lorinc | John, a native of Pittsburgh, moved to The Villages in 2010. He’s had minor roles in, and been in the chorus of, a number of Village productions, including Oklahoma, Hello Dolly, Carousel, and Fiddler on the Roof. Other activities include Softball, Billiards, Pops Chorus, and Karaoke. |
| Fermina/Ensemble | Vanita Turner | Vanita aka “Ferminia” a native Floridian and a 2 year Villager. A veteran thespian for over 30 years. She has performed with Questar, KC Productions and currently is working with Off Broadway Players in “Rock and Roll High School. She loves dancing and performing with Dance Fusion group. |
| Tenorio/Ensemble | Milt Van Meter | Milt VanMeter is a 60 yr. amateur stage actor veteran, appearing in 17 musical productions since retiring from his dental practice in the St. Pete, Clearwater area in 2004 and moving to the Villages. He is a widowed father of three sons and 5 grandchildren who lives in Summerhill with his fiance, Barbara. Milt has had a lifetime of singing and acting experience and in addition to performing in amateur theater here, Melon Patch in Leesburg, Summer stock in North Ga., High school and college productions in Md., Pa., and Fla., he is also a member of The Villages Pops Chorus. Milt is a Cantor and his memorable roles were, Col. Pickering in My Fair Lady, Senex in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Mayor Shinn in Music Man, Abner in 42nd Street., and Norman Thayer in On Golden Pond. |
| Maria/Ensemble | Michele Topolnicki | Michele Topolnicki is best known as a chorale singer, most notably in KC Productions version of “Les Miserables”. She is also a charter member of The Villages Pops Chorus. While living in Virginia Beach, VA, she performed in the Doorway Singers, primarily for a cappella Victorian Christmas Carols, but also including period costumed repertoires of Medieval, Colonial, Old Virginia, Sea Shanty, 40’s, 50’s, Broadway and Celtic music. |
| Dancer/Ensemble | Laurie Scheben | Laurie has lived in The Villages for the past 4 and 1/2 years She is originally from New York state. She works full time, yet tries to squeeze in as many Villages stage productions as she can. Laurie has performed with KC Productions in Cabaret & Les Mis, with Questar in White Christmas, Andrew Lloyd Weber-The Magic and The Music &The 2015 Christmas Spectacular, and in Songs For The Soul, Dueling Divas, The Celebrants, Dance Fusion and with her own Dance Synergy. |
| Gypsy/Ensemble | Lee Beery | Lee Beery is a graduate of Boston Conservatory of Music and former dance instructor. She has been performing since the age of 6. She appeared in KC Production’s “Cabaret” and “Les Miserables”, and is a member of Dance Synergy. |
| Gypsy/Ensemble | Holly Jeske | Holly Jeske performed on stage dancing, singing and acting from the age of 4 though 17 dancing on the Steel Pier and singing professionally in and around South Jersey area. In high school she played Kim in “Bye Bye Birdie” and Mary in “Little Mary Sunshine”, and had leading roles in several other plays. Upon moving to Florida, she majored in Drama in College. Moved to the Villages in 2012 and has danced and sung in four Off Broadway Players productions, dances with of Dance Fusion, is currently a member of the Villages Pops Chorus and the Villages Philharmonic Chorale. She’s been in two Village Musical Theatre productions and will be a “girl singer” in their 2016 show “Crazy for You”. She is very thrilled to be a part of this wonderful KC production of “Man of La Mancha”. |
| Gypsy/Ensemble | Betty “BJ” Odendahl | BJ is happy to be included in the cast of Man of La Mancha. She has performed onstage and behind the scenes in The Villages for the past couple of years with both the Villages Musical Theatre Company and the VTC. Her most recent performance was in the Stephen Sondheim musical, “Company,” in October, 2015 at the Savannah Center. |