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Detroit Free Press - Arts - A CREATIVE GAMBLE: 'Father Bingo' takes a risk
BY MARTIN F. KOHN
FREE PRESS THEATER WRITER
With God in his cast and little musical experience, Dearborn Heights man will debut his show at Music Hall
This is the difference between Bill Nilsson and everyone who swears that when they retire they'll write that novel, paint that masterpiece, master that concerto or otherwise undertake the creative something they'd have managed already if they'd had the time.
Nilsson, of Dearborn Heights, retired in 1990. Then he wrote that musical.
Former Clio resident debuts among leads in Detroit show
Former Clio resident Michelle Hooks-Stackpoole just wanted to be part of the company for the staging of the new musical comedy "Father Bingo."
She ended up landing one of the lead roles for the Detroit-set show, to premiere at the Music Hall Center in four performances Friday through Sunday.
Grosse Pointe News - North teacher to take center stage at Music Hall
01/26/2006 - Mary Jane is single. She wants a husband and sets down a few specifications. He must be rich and famous and want to end her loneliness. She is Catholic. She is a member of St. Agnes Parish in Detroit where Father O'Neal, Father Bingo, is the priest. Mary Jane will be brought to life in four performances through the singing and acting talents of Grosse Pointe North's Michelle Stackpoole in the production "Father Bingo," an original musical about risks and miracles and written by Bill Nilsson.
'Father Bingo' backer calls all the numbers
DEARBORN HEIGHTS -- Businessman Rick Beyer was surprised at the similarities between getting his stepfather's musical comedy off the ground and starting a company.
'Father Bingo' features Vandellas, local actor
BY LINDA ANN CHOMIN
STAFF WRITER
The world premiere of the musical Father Bingo brings to life the politics that surround gambling in Detroit while finding lots of humor in it.
"It's mostly a comedy," script writer William Nilsson said of the two-act musical, playing Feb. 10-12 at Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts in Detroit.
Father Bingo Bets on Motown
HOUR Detroit Magazine February 2006
When the curtain rises at Detroit’s Music Hall on Feb. 10, theatergoers will witness a moment not seen in a long while: the Motor City debut of a full-scale musical production. So the toe-tapping comedy Father Bingo may not have a Broadway run scheduled (as did Fiddler on the Roof and Hello, Dolly! when they premiered here in the 1960s), but it does boast a writer from Dearborn, a Detroit story line and a pair of Motown stars. It also has an ambitious local production team that, if not aiming for the Great White Way, is looking to make a musical mark.
Everything's new about world premiere
Observer Eccentric
Sunday, January 8, 2006
When Eric Gutman landed the role of God in the world premiere of Father Bingo, the 28-year-old Livonia actor thought his greatest challenge would be mastering the commanding voice. Gutman soon realized he was facing bigger problems. Gutman had always researched the originating role even before portraying Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors at Harrison High School in Farmington Hills in his senior year.
Press Releases
FATHER BINGO ANNOUNCES CBC GROUP OF WINDSOR AS OFFICIAL BINGO HALL
Detroit, MI, Nov. 28, 2005...Producers of the musical comedy Father Bingo took their message international today when they named CBC Bingo Group of Windsor, Ontario as the Official Bingo Hall of the world premiere debuting in Detroit on February 10, 2006.
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Motown Legends Join Original Cast of Father Bingo
Detroit, MI, Nov. 2, 2005… Riding a heat wave of sales success, producers of the musical comedy Father Bingo announced the addition of the Original Vandellas to the cast of the World Premiere, debuting February 10-12, 2006 at Detroit's Music Hall.
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DREAMS COME TRUE WHEN DETROIT HOSTS WORLD PREMIERE OF FATHER BINGO FEBRUARY 10-12, 2006
Detroit, MI, July 26, 2005…The poet Langston Hughes asked, "What happens to a dream deferred?" The dreams of youth are often deferred for practical reasons- earning a living or raising a family. But on February 10, 2006 one man's dream will take center stage when the musical comedy Father Bingo makes its World Premiere with a limited engagement at Detroit's Music Hall Center.
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AUDITIONS FOR WORLD PREMIERE OF FATHER BINGO WHICH OPENS ON FEBRUARY 10-12, 2006 WILL BE HELD ON OCTOBER 15, 2005.
Detroit, MI, August 9, 2005 … Metro area actors are invited to become part of next season's hottest ticket when Father Bingo holds open auditions on October 15. Father Bingo is a musical comedy making its World Premiere with a limited engagement at Detroit's Music Hall Center.
Auditions for cast will take place on October 15 at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. The Ford Community and Performing Arts Center is located at 15801 Michigan Avenue in Dearborn. No appointment necessary for open auditions.
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Contact:
Melissa Bunker
marketwrite@comcast.net
(313) 886-9074
Photos
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David Pulice - Todd Kevin Marton - Moon Armond - Mayor Anthony Provenzola - Bill Robert Doyle - Aide to the Mayor www.detroitip.com |
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Betsy Bronson - Maggie Barbara Bloom - Sister Andrea www.detroitip.com |
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David Pulice - Todd Michelle Stackpoole - Mary Jane Mark Vondrak - Joseph www.detroitip.com |
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Dan Morrison - St. Peter Michelle Stackpoole - Mary Jane Eric Gutman - God www.detroitip.com |
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Barbara Bloom - Sister Andrea Rosalind Holmes (Original Vandellas) - Bingo Mama Annette Helton - (Original Vandellas) - Bingo Mama www.detroitip.com |
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Paul Miles - Pallini Armond - Mayor www.detroitip.com |
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Joe Lannen - Father O' Neil Barbara Bloom - Sister Andrea Rosalind Holmes (Original Vandellas) - Bingo Mama Annette Helton - (Original Vandellas) - Bingo Mama www.detroitip.com |
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Standing - Dan Morrison - St. Peter Kneeling - Eric Gutman - God Joe Lannen - Fr. O' Neil www.detroitip.com |
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Dan Morrison - St. Peter Eric Gutman - God Joe Lannen - Fr. O' Neil www.detroitip.com |
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Upper: Rosalind Holmes of the Original Vandellas Annette Helton of the Original Vandellas Eric Gutman Dan Morrison Lower:Joe Lanne Barbara Bloom www.detroitip.com |
Father Bingo Synopsis
Father Bingo- a musical comedy about risks and miracles- makes its world premiere with a limited engagement of four performances at Detroit's Music Hall Center, February 10-12, 2006.
In Father Bingo everyone is looking for salvation. A parish priest fights to save his church and rejuvenate the congregation. A mayor tries to win the hearts of the voters in support of gambling- his idea of the city's winning ticket. A woman searches for the perfect match to end her loneliness.
Everyone believes the next number to come up is theirs. The characters take on risks- some with comical outcomes. The stakes are raised with the introduction of Bingo- one of the most popular games in the world - personified by The Bingo Mamas.
Overseeing these foils is the Big Guy Upstairs. When political intrigue and mistaken identity come into play, even God has to smile watching these mortals figure it all out.
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