(Photos courtesy Winter Park Playhouse)
ORLANDO| Long-time theatre performer, Todd Allen Long will star in his solo cabaret at the Winter Park Playhouse Jan. 29-30. Playhouse Music Director Christopher Leavy will accompany on piano. The show will feature an amalgamation of songs from Long’s performances over the years, as well as comedic stories of his backstage antics.
After receiving his B.S. in Music Education from Pennsylvania State University, he began his 35-year career performing, directing and producing shows along the eastern seaboard, including The Victorian Lyric Opera Company, The Washington Savoyards, Fiddlehead Theatre Company, The Sudbury Savoyards, Theatre Factory and others.
The Winter Park Playhouse has been a theatrical home to Long for the past 20 years, performing since 2004 and officially joining the staff in 2009. The playhouse was the first theater Long auditioned for after moving to Orlando and he has been an integral addition ever since.
“I’ve thought about where I was in my life when I started here 20 years ago to where I am now,” Long said. “When I started at the playhouse and did my first main stage show I was 37 and now I’m 57, so it’s just such a different place in my life.”
In production and preparation for the show, Long found himself reflecting on his extensive career and the people he has come to know and perform for along the way. Long says the playhouse played an important role in his creative journey and his connection with the community around him.
“Now that I’m here I feel like it’s just so much more comfortable, I can’t imagine not having this place in my life,” said Long. “It’s interesting how our audiences change as well, at this cabaret compared to the first one I did, there’s a lot more representation from our [LGBT] community.”
Long expressed how profound the arts have been for his career and the way that he interacts with those that he performs for. He noted a key reason why he does not plan on retiring any time soon from the playhouse.
“I can’t tell you how many people walk out of here and have told us ‘This place means so much to me because I know I’m going to come and forget about my own life for two hours’,” said Long.
“There are very few other things that let you do that and I think that’s why I stick around.”
The Onstage and Backstage cabaret plans to feature anecdotes from Long’s time as a performer, along with both Broadway showtunes and popular standards from Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, The Gershwins and Rodgers and Hart.
“One of the things I’ve found is that those standards [Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, etc], I have been cast in those shows since I was a child,” said Long.
He describes the timelessness of these standards and expresses the hope that new generations will gain exposure to them. He says that some of his more memorable performances in his run at the playhouse include “Dames At Sea,” “I Love A Piano,” “I Got Rhythm,” “Anything Cole,” “The Musical of Musicals (The Musical),” “Forever Plaid,” “How To Marry A Divorced Man” and “Breakin’ Up Is Hard To Do” among others.
Although it is unlikely that Long himself will be performing soon after this production, he promises a bright future for The Winter Park Playhouse. He will still be an understudy in their upcoming production of “Route 66.” “Route 66” will be the last show for the Playhouse’s current season. Following that production, The Winter Park Playhouse will be under renovation while they continue productions for the following season at the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre.
General Admission tickets are $20 plus a one drink minimum. Seating is limited so advance reservations are strongly recommended. Doors open at 6:30pm for a 7:30pm show. Tickets can be purchased by calling The Winter Park Playhouse box office at 407-645-0145 or ordering online at WinterParkPlayhouse.org.
The live cabaret will be filmed and available to enjoy virtually Feb. 14-17. A private link will be sent at 5:00 p.m. Feb. 14 and will be valid for three days. Virtual tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or by calling the box office.
