For Immediate Release: January 26, 2006
Media Contact: Tyler Melchior, 1812 Productions, 215.592.9560

1812 Productions presents a theatre experience of melodious proportions. Perfectly Marvelous, a repertory festival of up and coming cabaret artists will show at The Adrienne Theatre from February 24 to March 26, 2006. Tickets range from $15 to $32 and can be purchased by contacting 1812 Productions' administrative office at (215) 592-9560 or on-line at www.1812productions.org.

Perfectly Marvelous will feature three Philly-based cabaret performers: Sarah Bolt, Kimberly Rehfuss, and Amorika Amoroso. Each of these ladies will perform a selection of songs and stories from her own repertoire, creating her own signature evening. The musical styles explored in their respective cabarets are as varied as the ladies themselves. "My inspiration is all over the map," says Kimberly Rehfuss. "I have a dying devotion to rock & roll, heavy metal, and gospel as well as a great love for Sesame Street and all things Disney." The ladies share some common ground, however, in the themes that they explore. Tales of vanity, men, race, gender, and the ever-present call to "sing out Louise!" are but a few of the stopping places on each lady's journey. Amorika Amoroso says, "What I love about cabaret is that it reminds me of my very first jazz show. I was a kid and I made my way to NY and snuck into the Blue Note to hear the late Carmen McRae sing. It was such an amazing, intimate, and unforgettable show. Even now, when I see a good cabaret, my mind immediately goes back to that first night."

While each of these ladies has extensive performing credentials, a uniting factor between them is their newness to the genre of cabaret. All have gained their chops on Regional, International and Broadway stages for many years and are now eager to take on the spotlight of the one-woman-show. "I came to a point last year where I would get to the very end of a casting call and, for whatever reason, just couldn't book it," says Sarah Bolt. " I didn't seem "fit in" anywhere. So finally I decided that I would put on my own damn show...just me. And despite the sometimes terrifying prospect of carrying a show all on my own, what a wonderful experience it is to be able to get up on stage and just sing, share, and laugh with the audience."

Perfectly Marvelous was conceived by Jennifer Childs as a celebration of the First Lady of cabaret, the late Jilline Ringle. It was Jilline's signature style to weave stories from her life into classic and varied musical material. Her masterwork Mondo Mangia epitomized this method, as she recounted the stories of her mother to the music of her heritage and upbringing. Perfectly Marvelous seeks to continue this tradition by placing Sarah, Kimberly, and Amorika in the spotlight-giving them the floor to tell their stories with the music that accompanies each of their individual worlds.

In addition to its dedication to Ms. Ringle, Perfectly Marvelous also coincides with the unveiling of the vision statement and program activities of the Jilline Ringle Solo Performance Program, an initiative established to provide assistance to solo performers. Ms. Ringle was very clear in her wishes to start such a program at 1812 Productions and entrusted the project to her dear friend, Jennifer Childs. "After she passed away, donations to the program came in very quickly," says Ms. Childs, "but it was such an emotionally charged time that I had to step away for a while. I needed to heal a little so that I could see clearly and craft a program that honored her wishes and her spirit and that made sense both financially and artistically. On the opening night of Perfectly Marvelous, it will be almost a year to the day since her passing. It felt right to honor that anniversary with the announcement of a program which will be a joyous legacy for an amazing woman."

Perfectly Marvelous is a collaborative representation. It brings to the spotlight a succession of women contributing to the genealogy of this most intimate of theatre forms. Under the direction of Deborah Seif, Perfectly Marvelous, takes on the lives of these amazing ladies-performance by performance. "I am thrilled and honored to be a part of Perfectly Marvelous," says Ms. Seif. "Not only because I have the opportunity to work with these three incredible, talented women and explore their artistic visions, but also because it is created in memory of Jilline Ringle. As I go through the exciting process of helping Sarah, Kimberly, and Amorika create their individual shows, I feel connected to that remarkable energy that was so much a part of the work that Jilline did. Her kindness, strength and generosity of spirit, both on and off stage, continue to be a source of inspiration."

Cast & Crew

Deborah Seif (Director)- Deborah most recently directed Trojan Wars at Second Stage for Eternal Spiral Project. Previous directing credits include Hands Across Veronica for Eternal Spiral Project, Black Palace Pink Party for Reliant Projects and Live Arts Festival, (co-director), Valparaiso for Theatre Exile (assistant director), Whores for InterAct Theatre Company (assistant director). Deborah also assistant directed the film Cellar, starring 1812's own Peter Pryor, which was the opening night film of the Festival of Independents at the 2005 Philadelphia Film Festival. Deborah has been an actor in the Philadelphia area for the past ten years. Some past productions include Wrong For Each Other at The Walnut Street Theatre, Burkie, Big Blonde, and Live at The Apollo Diner for Theatre Exile, On The Razzle and Escape From Happiness for The Wilma Theatre, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night for Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, and Much Ado About Nothing and Company for The Arden Theatre Company. Deborah also does voiceovers, which run on radio and television around the country.

Sarah Bolt (Featured Performer)- Sarah Bolt is absolutely thrilled to be a part of Perfectly Marvelous and working with 1812 Productions once again. Some credits include Bat Boy the Musical for 1812 Productions, The European Tour of Grease, and Grease for Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center. She has just recently previewed her one-woman show I Am Not the Girl Next Door at The Tin Angel. Sarah holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of the Arts.

Kimberly Rehfuss (Featured Performer)- Kimberly Rehfuss is making her solo cabaret debut with 1812 Productions. Currently living in New York City, Kimberly is a native Philadelphian. Kimberly recently returned from Nashville where she played Mrs. Claus in The Radio City Christmas Spectacular at The Grand Ole Opry. This marked her fourth old lady role in her (relatively) young career. Others include Granny in The Snow Queen for Prince Music Theater, Lily the Matinee Lady in Box Office of the Damned for 1812 Productions, and Widow Kathleen Lafferty in Lafferty's Wake for Society Hill. Other Philadelphia credits include Dori in Schoolhouse Rock Live! for Society Hill Playhouse, Porgy and Bess concert conducted by Bobby McFerrin for Mann Music Center, and Harry Chapin: Remember When the Music for Act II Playhouse for which she received her second Barrymore Award Nomination - the first for her roles in Box Office of the Damned. In New York, Kimberly performed on Broadway in Taboo, Off-Broadway in The Vagina Monologues, toured in Peter Pan as Captain Hook, and appeared in the Sesame Street DVD, A Magical Halloween Adventure where she danced along side a Dalmatian Muppet dressed as a fireman and Mumford the Magician.

Amorika Amoroso (Featured Performer)- Amorika M. Amoroso is venturing for the very first time into the world of cabaret with 1812 Productions. Most recently, she appeared off-Broadway in Six Women With Brain Death, a featured show in The New York Musical Theater Festival, which presents new talent and works to the New York City theater community and show investors. Prior to that, Amorika played a crazed Ally Sheedy in the off-off Broadway parody Reflections From the Breakfast Club. Amorika has also been in a plethora of plays, musicals, graduate films, independent films and TV shows. Before moving to New York, Amorika lived in Philadelphia and was a writer and singer for an original, 25 piece hip-hop, R&B, world beat, rap band that played East Coast venues before disbanding in the late 1990's. She was also a writer and performer for the sketch comedy troupe, Hazmat. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Amorika holds music and theater degrees from Temple University. Amorika currently lives and works in New York City.

Harriett Levy (Your Host, aka Todd Waddington)- Harriett was born and raised in Atlantic City. Straight out of high school she moved to New York City to pursue musical theatre. She landed a job with The Rockettes but it was short lived as she was thrown off the stage when their famous pinwheel was moving too fast. That night Cecil B. DeMille was in the front row. Harriett signed and was cast as a stuntwoman in The Ten Commandments. She briefly worked as an airline stewardess in the 1950's. Always entertaining, she was singing on a flight from Chicago to New York, doing her 'famous' Jolson medley, when the plane hit a big air pocket and she dropped a whole tray of drinks into a passenger's lap. As fate would have it, that passenger was the producer Sid Levy!! Their love blossomed and they moved to Ventnor, where Harriett still resides. Sidney died in the late 80's when he was struck by a jitney while rushing to get to Harriett's final dress rehearsal of "A Little Night Music" (She was performing Desiree: the "role of a lifetime" at the Atlantic City YMHA.) Harriett never fully recovered from Sidney's death but continues to put her best foot forward. Semi-retired, she is a karaoke hostess at the Millville Motor Lodge. Her current show is a welcome break from her routine. She occasionally performs with a few of her girlfriends, "The Levites", from The Ventnor Kabbalah Klub in the sometimes-surreal cabaret/rock concert.

1812 History: Artistic Director Jennifer Childs and Producing Artistic Director Pete Pryor founded 1812 Productions in the spring of 1998 with a goal to entertain and educate audiences through comedy, and to support and hire local artists. Philadelphia Weekly named 1812 Productions the "Theatre Company of the Year 2002-2003". At the close of the 2002-2003 season, 1812 Productions was the recipient of eight nominations and two wins at the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. Most recently, 1812 Productions received eight Barrymore Award nominations for its 2004-2005 season. Their education program, 1812 Outreach, has received four consecutive nominations and been awarded once the Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service. 1812 Productions, while continually on the search for a permanent home, continues to perform at various locations around Philadelphia.

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