Paul Sorvino Is NYCO’s Most Happy Fella

Paul Sorvino will star as Tony Esposito in the upcoming New York City Opera revival of Frank Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella, March 4-22. The production will be directed by Philip Wm McKinley (The Boy From Oz) and will feature choreography by Peggy Hickey, sets by Michael Anania, costumes by Ann Hould Ward, and lighting by Robert Wietzel. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Based on the play They Knew What They Wanted, by Sidney Howard, The Most Happy Fella tells the story of a middle-aged Italian winemaker in Napa, California who tries to lure a much younger San Francisco waitress into marrying him by sending her a photo of his young, handsome ranch foreman. The show first opened in Broadway in 1956; it ran more than 675 performances and garnered six Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.

Loesser’s score for the show includes such well-known tunes as “Standing on the Corner,” “Big D”, “Somebody, Somewhere,” and “My Heart is So Full of You.” The Most Happy Fella has been revived several times in New York, both on Broadway and at City Opera, with such singers as Giorgio Tozzi, Louis Quilico, and Spiro Malas playing Tony.

Sorvino’s Broadway credits include Bajour and That Championship Season, for which he received a Tony nomination as Best Actor in a Play; he also starred in the original production of The Baker’s Wife, which closed before reaching Broadway. His film credits include Goodfellas, Dick Tracy, Reds, and Nixon.

For tickets and information, call 212-721-6500 or visit www.nycopera.com.