Elisa Matthews, a Pottstown resident who portrayed Eliza Doolittle in The Media Theatre’s acclaimed production of My Fair Lady, returns to Media with a concert Saturday night June 27. Elisa is attracting attention in the musical theater and opera worlds for her sweet soprano and compelling stage presence. Neal Zoren, when referring to her performance in My Fair Lady in his review for the Delaware County Daily Times, stated "Her voice is lovely, and her phrasing divine.”

The Media Theatre’s Artistic Director Jesse Cline said, “Elisa is a brilliant talent. Her interpretation of Eliza in My Fair Lady this past October was memorable, as was her performance as Nancy in Oliver! I had the pleasure of directing her in both of those shows. Audiences will truly enjoy her concert here on Saturday June 27, which is part of our Spotlight Series.”

The Spotlight Series at The Media Theatre is sponsored by the Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Memorial Fund and is intended to showcase rising musical theater performers from the Philadelphia/ Wilmington region. “We are the only professional music theatre in Delaware County and one of the most popular theatres in the Philadelphia area according to the Philadelphia Cultural Alliance,” Cline explained.

Elisa Matthews' website states that her other musical theatre roles include Johanna in a Barrymore-winning production of Sweeney Todd with Arden Theatre Company and Belle in A Christmas Carol with People's Light & Theatre. She has premiered numerous musical theatre works, most recently Grammy winner Frank London's A Night in the Old Marketplace with Prince Music Theater, Winesburg, Ohio, and Cafe Puttanesca with Arden Theatre Company.

Last season, Elisa wowed Opera Delaware audiences with her touching portrayal of Beth in Little Women and returned to play Susanna in their 2009 production of Le Nozze di Figaro. The News Journal raved "Soprano Elisa Matthews is a perfect Susanna. She has a clear, lovely voice, nowhere more effective than in her Act IV aria [Deh Vieni non Tardar]." Other opera roles include Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Annina in La Traviata. She has performed roles with The Opera Company of Philadelphia, Center City Opera Theater and Bard Music Festival.

On the concert stage, she has performed with the Immaculata Symphony as soprano soloist in Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate, the Delaware Valley Chorale for Donald McCullough’s Holocaust Cantata, the Williamsport Civic Chorus for Brahm’s Ein Deutches Requiem, and in various concerts with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops.

Prior to her concert at 7pm June 27, Elisa Matthews will conduct a free workshop for teens who have an interest in music theatre. The workshop will begin at 1pm.

For tickets to The Elisa Matthews Concert Saturday June 27, call The Media Theatre at 610-891-0100 or visit www.mediatheatre.org.