Home » Tenderly, The Rosemary Clooney Musical, Music Theatre of CT, Norwalk, USA

Tenderly, The Rosemary Clooney Musical, Music Theatre of CT, Norwalk, USA

by Debra C. Argen and Edward F. Nesta
MTC - Tenderly - The Rosemary Clooney Musical
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Tenderly, The Rosemary Clooney Musical at the Music Theatre of Connecticut (MTC) in Norwalk, Connecticut is a stunning smash! Written by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman, directed by Kevin Connors, and starring Susan Haefner and John Treacy Egan, the musical tells the tale of the sensational Rosemary Clooney and her rollercoaster life of ups and downs. Luxury Experience attended on opening night, and it felt fabulous to be back in the beautiful MTC theatre. The play runs from September 17 – October 3, 2021.

 

Background information on Rosemary Clooney

Born in 1928 in Maysville, Kentucky, American singer and actor, Rosemary Clooney charmed audiences throughout her lengthy career. She made many films and one of her most memorable is the 1954 film White Christmas, which she made with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Vera Allen, which lives on and has become a classic tradition for many families (including for us), who faithfully watch it each year as part of the holiday festivities.

Susan Haefner - Tenderly - The Rosemary Clooney Musical - MTC - photo by Alex Mongillo
Susan Haefner (Rosemary Clooney)
Tenderly – The Rosemary Clooney Musical

As a singer, she recorded many iconic songs including the 1951 song, Come On-a-My House, Botch-a-Me, Tenderly, the 1953 songs Hey There and This Ole House, followed by 1954 Mambo Italiano to name but a few. She fought depression and drug addiction for many years, however she renewed her career in 1977 after appearing with Bing Crosby on a special show honoring his 50th anniversary of working in the business. She continued to record until 2002, when she succumbed to lung cancer.

About the Actors

Susan Haefner (Rosemary Clooney) brings her extensive Broadway experience to the musical as well as touring nationally and internationally. She originated the role of Rosemary in Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical for the world premiere held at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and has performed this role at other theatres as well.

John Treacy Egan (The Doctor and other characters) has extensive Broadway experience and has toured nationally and internationally.

Susan Haefner - Tenderly - The Rosemary Clooney Musical - MTC - photo by Alex Mongillo
Susan Haefner (Rosemary Clooney)
Tenderly – The Rosemary Clooney Musical

The Musical

We had the pleasure of experiencing Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical on opening night, Saturday, September 18, 2021, complementing the performers was a three-piece band. For the past 35 years, founders Kevin Connors and Jim Schilling have brought high-caliber live theatre with impressive casts to their stage and Tenderly, was another success story.

Susan Haefner - Tenderly - The Rosemary Clooney Musical - MTC - photo by Alex Mongillo
Susan Haefner (Rosemary Clooney)
Tenderly – The Rosemary Clooney Musical

Although we were familiar with Rosemary Clooney (1928 – 2002) from watching the film White Christmas throughout the years, we did not know her backstory. The play delves into her life and takes place in 1968 with flashbacks to earlier years in her life, which was every bit as dramatic and tumultuous as a Hollywood movie. A small-town girl, Rosemary "Rosie" Clooney rose to fame, married a successful Hollywood actor, had five children, and battled the demons of a philandering husband, the emotional and physical drains of acting, recording, and performing, depression, and addiction to pills.

Susan Haefner, John Treacy Egan - Tenderly - The Rosemary Clooney Musical - MTC - photo by Alex Mongillo
John Treacy Egan (The Doctor and others)
Susan Haefner (Rosemary Clooney)
Tenderly – The Rosemary Clooney Musical

Susan Haefner embodied Rosemary Clooney as she delivered a powerful and poignant performance and held the audience captive as she sang the songs that made Rosemary famous including Hey There, Count Your Blessings, Tenderly, Botch-A-Me, and many more, that were interwoven into the fabric of her life.

Susan Haefner - Tenderly - The Rosemary Clooney Musical - MTC - photo by Alex Mongillo
Susan Haefner (Rosemary Clooney)
Tenderly – The Rosemary Clooney Musica
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John Treacy Egan demonstrated his depth of range as he moved from playing the role of Rosemary’s Doctor to other important people in her life, and delivered a performance that was engaging, compassionate, and when singing the duet Sisters with Rosemary is downright delightful and hilarious.

Susan Haefner, John Treacy Egan - Tenderly - The Rosemary Clooney Musical - MTC - photo by Alex Mongillo
John Treacy Egan (The Doctor and others)
Susan Heafner (Rosemary Clooney)
Tenderly – The Rosemary Clooney Musical

Both Susan and John nail their roles as they take the audience on a wild rollercoaster ride of emotions that was Rosemary Clooney’s life, from the lofty highs to the rock bottom lows, to finding success again as a jazz singer recording on the Concord record label until the time of her death. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Rosemary Clooney’s story as told by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman, directed by Kevin Connors, and performed by Susan Haefner and John Treacy Egan, is absolutely riveting theater and a must-see. Bravo!

Susan Haefner, John Treacy Egan - Tenderly - The Rosemary Clooney Musical - MTC - photo by Alex Mongillo
John Treacy Egan (The Doctor and others)
Susan Heafner (Rosemary Clooney)
Tenderly – The Rosemary Clooney Musical

Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical, performance schedule: September 17 – October 23, 2021, Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 2:00 pm.

Until next time, keep enjoying and supporting the arts!

Cast:

Susan Haefner
Rosemary Clooney
John Treacy Egan
The Doctor and others

The Creative Team:

Janet Yates Vogt
Playwright
Mark Friedman
Playwright
Kevin Connors
Director
Jim Schilling
Stage Manager
Lindsay Fuori
Scenic Design
Diane Vanderkroef
Costume Design
RJ Romeo
Lighting Design
Will Atkin
Sound Design
Sean Sanford
Prop Design
Mollie Danenberg
Wig Design
Chris McNiff
Choreography
Musical Direction
David Wolfson

For information on the play, upcoming plays, or to purchase tickets, please call the box office at +1-203-454-3883 or visit them on the website at www.MusicTheatreofCT.com

Upcoming Performances – 2020 – 2021

2021-2022 Season
Dates Running
Tenderly, The Rosemary Clooney Musical
September 17 – October 3, 2021
Falsettoland
November 5-21, 2021
Who’s Holiday
December 10-19, 2021
The Mountaintop
February 4-20, 2022
Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story
March 18 – April 10, 2022

MTC Safety Protocols (Updated September 17, 2021)

REQUIRED COVID-19 VACCINATION

"Guests will need to be fully vaccinated in order to enter MTC and must show proof of vaccination at their time of entry into the theatre with their valid ticket. "Fully vaccinated" means the performance date you are attending must be at least 14 days after your second dose of an FDA or WHO approved two dose COVID-19 vaccine, or at least 14 days after your single dose of an FDA or WHO approved single dose COVID-19 vaccine."

MASKS

"At this time, all patrons are required to wear masks inside MTC regardless of vaccination status."

About MTC

"Music Theatre of Connecticut is the premier provider of musical theatre performance and training. Founded in 1987, we produce an annual series of Equity productions featuring New York professionals (MTC MainStage), numerous annual student productions, and a conservatory-style School of Performing Arts with curriculum-based training for students ages four through high school, including the nationally-recognized College-Bound in the Performing Arts program for performance career-focused high school students."

The Music Theatre of Connecticut (MTC) was founded in 1987 by Kevin Connors (Artistic Director and Co-Founder) and Jim Schilling (Co-Founder), where MTC’s focus is musical theatre performance and training.

Music Theatre of Connecticut - Norwalk, CT

Music Theatre of Connecticut
509 Westport Avenue
(Enter the Bright Beginnings parking lot and look for MTC’s orange awning)
Norwalk, Connecticut 06851
United States
Box Office: +1-203-454-3883
Fax: +1-203-557-0496
Website: www.MusicTheatreofCT.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicTheatreCT
Instagram: @musictheatrect
Twitter: @musictheatrect

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