January 28 – February 13, 2022

“I loved the show. It was the soundtrack of my life. Everyone should go see it!” 
~ Patti LaBelle

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244

January 12, 2022

DELRAY BEACH, FL:  From Lillie Langtry to Cyndi Lauper and Betty Boop to Tina Turner, or from Rosie the Riveter to Britney Spears, female singers and pop stars and their music provide a vivid reflection of how much has changed for women since the beginning of the 20^th century. Respect: A Musical Journey of Women, which has evolved from a one-woman dissertation by Columbia University Professor Dorothy Marcic to an international hit musical revue, is an entertaining, exuberant, and exhilarating look at the lives of women as reflected in the popular music of the times.  Respect will run at the Delray Beach Playhouse from January 28^th through February 13^th.

Featuring an ensemble cast of eight and a live band, and combining excerpts of 60 songs including “I Enjoy Being a Girl,” “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” “I Wanna Be Loved By You,” “As Long As He Needs Me” and “Whatever Lola Wants” along with such modern standards as “Where the Boys Are,” “It Must Be Him,” “The Greatest Love of All,” and “Stand by Your Man” with women’s own stories about finding dreams, lost love, relationship issues, entering the workforce, gaining independence, and more, Respect has resonated with audiences around the world. Men as well as women will have no trouble at all identifying with the messages of encouragement and empowerment that Respect portrays.

“The show has changed a lot since it premiered in South Florida in 2003,” says Respect’s director Suzanne Dunn. “That’s why we’d encourage anyone who’s seen it before to come out and enjoy it again, because it has been updated with different songs and dialogue and will be a new experience. I’m thrilled to be working with the great team at the Delray Beach Playhouse (I first performed on stage there when I was in college at FAU, directed by Randy DelLago in See How They Run) and with this incredible group of actors.

“These very talented women, who are well-known throughout the theatre community, have been rehearsing under the strictest of COVID guidelines – singing and dancing with KN95 masks on every night!” she continues. “They have such a huge amount of enthusiasm and commitment, and audiences are going to have a blast taking this trip down memory lane with them.”

Dunn’s cast includes Kelley DiLorenzo, Spensyr Bach, Sara Hope Tripp, Amanda Gomes, Lissen Ellington, Rachel O’Hara, Jacynth (J.B.) Brown and Patricia Sotolongo.

Respect’s Music Director is Karen Nagy and the show’s Choreographer is Jeannie Krouch.  Stage Manager is Michele Popken, Technical Director is Andre Lancaster, Set Design is by Cindi Taylor, Lighting is by Sonia Buchanan, and Props and Costumes are by Susan Rose.

Respect:  A Musical Journey of Women will run from January 28 – February 13 at the Delray Beach Playhouse.  Tickets are $38 and can be purchased online at delraybeachplayhouse.com/, or by phone at 561-272-1281.The Delray Beach Playhouse is located at 950 NW 9^th Street, in Delray Beach (33444).

For more information about Respect: A Musical Journey of Women contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.

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Respect:  A Musical Journey of Women
By Dorothy MarcicJanuary 28 – February 13, 2022
Tickets: $38
Performances:Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
Saturday & Sunday at 2 pm
For tickets:  https://tinyurl.com/2cywthjx
Or call 561-272-1281
Delray Beach Playhouse
950 NW 9th Street
Delray Beach, FL 33444

Who’s Who in Respect: A Musical Journey of Women:

Spensyr Bach (Eden) “One of the best things that ever happened to me is that I’m a woman.  That is the way all females should feel.” – Marilyn Monroe.  When she’s not performing, Spensyr is an attorney practicing entertainment and intellectual property law in Boca Raton, FL at The Lomnitzer Law Firm, P.A. Spensyr has a BA in Music from Rollins College, and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.  Previous DBP credits: Annie Get Your Gun, The World Goes Round,1940’s Radio Hour, Showtune, See How They Run, and Take Me Back to Manhattan. 

Jacynth Brown (Ensemble) This is Jacynth’s debut performance with the Delray Beach Playhouse and she is thrilled to join the cast of RESPECT.   After many years as a “Theatre Mom” Jacynth has finally decided to step out from behind the scenes.  Jacynth played Blanch Ethels Pracket in the short film “Walk On” and most recently performed with Torch and Trumpet Theatre Company in The Gospel According to Scrooge. A long-time resident of Palm Beach County, Jacynth is a mental health professional who enjoys volunteering, singing and actively serving in her local church.

Kelly DiLorenzo (Janet) Originally from Los Angeles, Kelly has enjoyed a 30+ year career in “the biz”.  Roles she’s extremely proud of are Fantine in Les Miserables (Broadway National Tour), she originated the role of Princess Jasmine in Aladdin at Disneyland and went on to portray Belle in Beauty and the Beast and every other Princess imaginable!   Other favorites include The Narrator (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Miss Hannigan (Annie), Mary Magdalene (JC Superstar) and Eva Peron (Evita).   For almost a decade, she was the lead singer of South Florida’s popular band, The Fabulons. She’s entertained on cruise ships and on stages around the world in Canada, Europe and Southeast Asia.   Love and gratitude to her husband Rick and two amazing kids, Austin and Bella. “Thank you for always being my cheerleaders”.

Lissen Ellington (Ensemble) Lissen is excited to be back at the Delray Beach Playhouse with RESPECT. Last season, Lissen made her DBPH debut in Take Me Back To Manhattan. She has been seen around the state performing in a variety shows including Into the Woods (Witch), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Drood), The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Lin), A Funny…Forum (Gymnasia), Flora the Red Menace (Maggie), Spelling Bee (Rona), You Can’t Take It With You (Penny), Alice In Wonderland (Queen of Hearts), No, No, Nannette (Flora). Lissen is a proud EMC candidate. During the day you can find Lissen at Santaluces High School where she is the Director of Theatre Arts for the award-winning Tomahawk Theatre Company. When not performing, Lissen runs Disney marathons and volunteers with JLPB. Thank you, Suzanne for this opportunity! For my guardian angels Bubba and Matty!

Amanda Gomes (Rosa) Amanda is making her Professional Debut as Rosa in Respect. Amanda is a recent graduate of FAU. She is well-versed in several areas of Theatre from singing and acting, to directing, writing, stage managing, wardrobe, and theatrical makeup. Some previous performance credits include Golde in Fiddler on the Roof, and Charlotte in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. She’d like to thank her friends, family, and the Cast & Crew of Respect for all their support. 

Tricia Sotolongo Mundarain (Ensemble) Tricia is a Palm Beach County native and lifelong music lover.  She began singing as a toddler and later in her middle and high school choirs. She is the proud mother of two vocally gifted daughters who inspired her to pursue her passion again in 2018 when she performed the role of the haughty ballet company headmistress in Flashdance at the Lake Worth Playhouse. Respect: A Musical Journey of Women is only her second foray into musical theater and her first for the Delray Beach Playhouse. She is inspired by her female cast, crew, and director and hopes to continue to entertain in the future.

Rachel O’Hara (Ensemble\Dance Captain) Rachel is thrilled to be back on stage at the Delray Beach Playhouse after two years away from the theater due to the pandemic. Since moving back to her hometown in 2017, Rachel has performed in two other shows at Delray Beach Playhouse; Annie Get Your Gun in 2017 and 1940’s Radio Hour in 2019, and as Blue Girl in Maplewood Playhouse’s SHOUT! The Mod Musical. She is the Communications Associate at Gulf Stream School and a freelance photojournalist for The Coastal Star. She would like to thank all her friends and family for being so supportive of her love of theater and she hopes everyone enjoys the show! 

Sara Tripp (Samantha) Sara Hope Tripp is happy to return to the Delray Beach Playhouse, where she last performed in A Doll’s House Part 2 and Take Me Back to Manhattan. A native New Yorker, she’s performed as Anna in the King and I and Maria in the Sound of Music at Dicapo Opera Theatre; Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Vertical Players Repertory; the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, Charlotte Malcom in A Little Night Music, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, and most recently Mrs. Anderssen in A Little Night Music at the Manhattan School of Music, where she earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in vocal performance.

Suzanne Dunn (Director) Suzanne made her professional acting debut in Eleemosynary at the Theatre Club of the Palm Beaches for which she was nominated for a Carbonell Award. Other roles include: Blythe Spirit (Edith), Proof (Catherine), Steel Magnolias (Annelle), See How They Run (Ida), Mama Drama (Morgan), Chicago (Mona/Go-to-Hell Kitty/undst. Velma), Foxfire (Holly), Bananas (House of Blue Leaves), and The Cover of Life (Weetsie). Directing credits include The Bachelorette, Death by Design, Church and State. Suzanne was last seen on the Delray Beach Playhouse stage as Nora in A Doll’s House Part 2, and recently completed the role of Anita in the independent film The Pool, directed by Anna Hozian. She was a founding member of the all-female comedy improv troupe, Big Purse…and Matching Shoes with screenwriter Kim Turner as well as a founding member of the Comedy Squad with Upright Citizen Brigade members Michael Delaney and Billy Merritt. Suzanne holds a BFA from Florida Atlantic University where she studied with J. Robert Dietz, Zoe Caldwell, and Hume Cronyn, and attended Selwyn College, University of Cambridge, obtaining certificates in British Society and 20th Century Literature, Theatre, and Poetry. Suzanne would like to thank this absolutely amazing cast of talented women – Kelly, Sara, Spensyr, Amanda, Lissen, Rachel, Jacynth, and Trish – as well as her talented friend Jeannie, Randy, Andre, Karen, Sonia, Cindi, Michelle, Susan, the band, and the Playhouse crew and staff. All the love to her family and friends, especially Mr. Pie, Mom & Dad, and Ronan.

Karen Nagy (Music Director) Karen Nagy is thrilled to be working at DBPH with such a talented cast and crew!  She has worked in professional theater in south Florida for over 30 years, as a singer, actor, music director, band member, stage manager, and in all areas of tech.  She and two colleagues developed and oversaw the longest-running play reading series in south Florida, Theatre With Your Coffee, introducing works of local playwright Michael McKeever and others.  She is a longtime adjunct professor of music at Miami-Dade College, also having taught at NSU and New World School of the Arts.  She proudly holds membership in Actors’ Equity; NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) and NSAI (Nashville Songwriters).  That said, her favorite job for the past 24 years is playing 2^nd keyboard in theatres from Jupiter to Coral Gables.  Favorite shows include: “Violet,” “1776,” “Ragtime,” and “Memphis,”  (Actors’ Playhouse); “Avenue Q,” (MNM at the Rinker); and anything rock or pop, including “Tommy,” (Entr’acte) and “Footloose” (Lake Worth and Actors’ Playhouses).  Karen is also proud to be a published author.  Her book Girlfriend of Bill (Hazelden) has helped many in the recovery community, and she is currently finishing her second book, Finding Home: The Journey to My Happy Place.  Many thanks to Suzanne, Randy, Andre, Michele and this great group of people!  

Jeannie Krouch (choreographer) Jeannie is thrilled to join the Delray Beach Playhouse family.  Jeannie has performed all over South Florida.  Her favorite roles include:  Leisl (The Sound of Music) Louise (Carousel) Snoopy (You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown) Spider (James & the Giant Peach) Joan (Dames at Sea) and Dolly (The ThreePenny Opera) Her most fulfilling role is “mom” to Zach (16) and Sydney (14) Jeannie has choreographed many shows for American Heritage School and Coral Springs Centre for the Arts including Chicago, Legally Blonde, Young Frankenstein and Into the Woods.  She would like to thank her husband, Rob for his support, Suzanne for the opportunity to dance again and last, but not least the amazing RESPECT cast and crew who have worked so hard to make this show a success.  Enjoy!     

Michele Popken (Stage Manager) – Michele is excited to be stage managing this all-female cast.  Michele has stage managed several plays at the Delray Beach Playhouse.  Some of the recent plays have been the Playwright Festival, Steel Magnolias, Lost in Yonkers, 1940’s Radio Hour.  Thanks to the wonderful women in the play, Suzanne for her great directing.  All the love to her family and friends, especially her husband, Dave for all of his support.