Christiane Noll is captivating, extraordinarily talented and in demand on Broadway, by concert orchestras and for up-close and personal cabaret performances – and she will be at Coachella Valley Repertory on Thursday, June 22 at 7pm as part of its 2023 Summer Cabaret Series. Her special program is titled Old Friends, and, as she explains, “songs that have become like old friends, who grow and change and become more meaningful with age, experience and reflection.” This will be Noll at her very best. Conductor, pianist, actor and writer Richard Carsey will be Noll’s accompanist.
Noll was seen in Dear Evan Hansen, Chaplin (Drama Desk Nomination) and played Mother in the 2010 revival of Ragtime at the Neil Simon Theatre for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. Her extensive Broadway and National Tour appearances include Elf, Urinetown, The Mambo Kings, It Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues, Jekyll & Hyde, Grease, Miss Saigon, and South Pacific (Australia/Thailand).
Jason Mannino had an opportunity to chat with Ms. Noll for Stage and Cinema about her career and this show. He tells us that her charm and sincerity are apparent, and this show promises to be a fun, intimate evening as Christiane shares her “old friends.”
- How did the show at CV Rep transpire?
This show has been coming together since the beginning of the pandemic. It has taken on a couple of iterations and there are still a handful of pieces from that original program. The show I will do on Thursday is its next phase. My wonderful Musical Director Richard Casey played a key role in offering feedback and fine tuning the program.
- Have you performed in Palm Springs?
I have performed a handful of times in Palm Springs with the symphony and doing cabaret. Another layer of my Old Friend’s theme is the number of friends and connections I have in the desert. So many who have been in the industry reside there. For instance, David Zippel, composer of City of Angels is there. Starring in the tour City of Angels was my first big show contract. Also, I went to college with Adam Karsten, CV Rep’s Artistic Director. The Old Friends in this show are both people and these songs.
- What would you like the audience to know about your show before they see it?
The show is fun, it is silly, and it is sincere. It is a priority for me to ensure that my shows are intimate. I like to think of it as if we are sitting in my living room where I have invited the audience to come on a little journey with me and have a good time along the way.
Tickets for CHRISTIANE NOLL are $45 and are on sale now. They may be ordered online at www.cvrep.org, by calling (760) 296-2966, ext. 201, or at the CVRep box office located at 68510 East Palm Canyon Dr., Cathedral City. Box office hours are Monday-Friday from noon to 5:00 p.m. and two hours prior to performances. In order to better serve audiences, patrons requesting accessibility assistance are encouraged to contact the box office at least 24 hours prior to their ticketed performance.
“… sometimes, the tiny details that others may or may not notice, that you figure out for yourself, that make it yours, that no one else tells you what to do, can be the biggest joys of creating any moment on stage.” – Christiane Noll
CHRISTIANE NOLL received a Tony ® Award nomination and Drama Desk Award nomination for her performance in the Broadway revival of the Kennedy Center production of Ragtime and winning the Helen Hayes Award for her portrayal of Mother. Her extensive Broadway and National Tour appearances include Dear Evan Hansen, Elf, Chaplin (Drama Desk Nomination), Urinetown (Ovation Award), The Mambo Kings (Broadway Try- Out), It Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues, Jekyll & Hyde (FANY award), Grease, Miss Saigon, and South Pacific (Australia/Thailand).
Noll is a frequent guest soloist with symphony orchestras around the world, including multiple appearances with Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Eastern CT Symphony Orchestra and with orchestras in almost every state of the USA. International appearances include Sinfonica Brasileira in Rio, China Philharmonic with concert pianist Lang Lang, and orchestras in Hong Kong, Czech Republic, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson in his last Pops performance with The New York Pops and, more recently, sang there with Steven Reineke for Stephen Sondheim’s 80th Birthday Celebration. She made her Hollywood Bowl debut singing with Julie Andrews and her opera debut with Plácido Domingo in The Merry Widow, as well as City Center Encores! The New Moon, The Student Prince, Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado.
She was selected to appear in the world premieres of Kid Victory, The Witches of Eastwick, Frankenstein, Ace (Helen Hayes nom), Call the Children Home, Little by Little, Kept and Lizzie Borden (Goodspeed Opera House).
Additional credits include God of Carnage (Theatre Breaking Through Barriers), Fun House, Next To Normal (TheatreWorks), Mack & Mabel, The Baker’s Wife (Goodspeed), and Take Flight (Eugene O’ Neill Theatre Center), Encores! 1776. Television/Film: Evil, Law & Order: Organized Crime, The Bite, Madam Secretary, The Good Fight, Sound of Music- Live NBC, The King & I (providing the voice for Anna in the Warner Brothers animated feature).
Noll has made appearances with Town Hall’s Broadway by the Year, Lincoln Center American Songbook Series, 92nd Street Y, Feinstein’s, Joe’s Pub, 54 Below and Birdland. She can be heard on her solo recordings: A Broadway Love Story, Live at the West Bank Café, The Ira Gershwin Album, My Personal Property and Gifts: Live at 54 Below.
RICHARD CARSEY brings a wealth of musical expertise and experience to the stage. He has conducted Broadway musicals, National Tours, film with live orchestra, rock tribute shows with symphony, world premiere operas, PBS broadcasts and more. He is currently the conductor for Disney on Classic, a concert tour by The Orchestra Japan. For many years, he was artistic director and principal conductor of Skylight Opera Theatre in Milwaukee. As an actor Carsey has performed Shakespeare and Shaw, and has appeared in over 400 performances of the play 2 Pianos, 4 Hands. He works regularly as pianist and vocal coach for opera and musical theater. www.richardcarsey.com