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“ Doug Elkins’s FRÄULEIN MARIA, is a parody of, and a love letter to, The Sound of Music. ”
- Joan Acocella, The New Yorker
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| Fräulein Maria is made possible through the generous support of The Vapnek Family Foundation, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and DanceNow [NYC], the original producers of this show. Thank you to Dianne and Dan Vapnek; Ted Chapin, Bert Fink and Robin Walton of RNH; Robin Staff, Tamara Greenfield and Sydney Skybetter of DanceNow [NYC].
This production came to be through a thousand favors. Former and alternate cast members and guest artists who helped shape the show include: Arthur Aviles (the first “Maria”), Ephrat ‘Bounce’ Asherie, Archie Burnett, Alberto Denis, David Dorfman, Mo Felican, Niles Ford, Keely Garfield, Halley Gerstel, Mark Gindick, Jeffrey Kazin, Malcolm Low, Lindsey Dietz Marchant, Jennifer Miller, Yuriko Miyake, Johnnie Moore, Alexis Murphy, Jennifer Nugent, Alethea Pace, MiRi Park, David Parker, Hunt Parr, Fritha Pengelly, Lisa Race, Christina Reaves, Charemaine Seet, Allison Smith, John Sorensen-Jolink, Jennifer Sydor, Nicole Wolcott and Yin Yue. Hats off to The Bang Group |
Every once in awhile, magic happens. Doug Elkins’ idea to create his version of the timeless movie classic, The Sound of Music, is one of those instances. A love letter to his young son Liam and daughter Gigi, Elkins’ Fräulein Maria debuted at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater in December 2006 as part of DanceNOW[NYC]’s dancemopolitan series. Due to popular demand and critical acclaim, the show was reprised at Joe’s Pub in December 2007. Encouraged by arts impresario Bill Bragin, Fräulein Maria moved uptown and expanded for Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors in August 2008. Co-directed by Barbara Karger and Michael Preston, the cast of 23 wowed nearly 3000 fans in a single starry night. In September 2008, Doug was honored with a coveted Bessie Award. The citation reads: For creating a tender, rollicking excursion at Joe’s Pub called Fräulein Maria, which took us from the snow-capped peaks of Hollywood through the worlds of “downtown” dance, Martha Graham, Willi Ninja, Balanchine, hip-hop, voguing, stepping, stomping, whirling, and flying like wild geese with the moon on their wings, a NEW YORK DANCE AND PERFORMANCE AWARD is presented to DOUG ELKINS.
Fräulein Maria, again directed by Barbara Karger and Michael Preston, was presented for a third dancepolitan season at Joe’s Pub in December 2008. Now a holiday tradition for many New Yorkers, Fraulein Maria moved to the larger Dance Theater Workshop in 2009 for a Holiday Extravaganza presentation in partnership with David Parker and The Bang Group’s “nut/cracked.” To the delight of fans and critics, Fraulein Maria will continue to tour nationally through winter 2011. |