“David Sabella and Amanda Reckonwith are a couple made in Heaven. He is a consummate entertainer, and she is his adorable creation. David brings all his experience as an operatic and Broadway singer and loads of comic invention to this outrageous and loveable character “
Charles Busch, (actor, playwright, screenwriter, director, drag legend)
DAVID SABELLA (Amanda Reckonwith) is best known for his time on Broadway as the original “Mary Sunshine,” in “CHICAGO, the musical” (1996 revival), and as a leading countertenor in classical music. Along with colleagues David Daniels, Brian Asawa, and Mark Crayton, Sabella is cited as one of the “originators of the American countertenor sound,” and the only one working in the popular music genres of Broadway and Great American Songbook.
Sabella toured Europe, South America, and the US as one of the reigning “divas” in La Gran Scena Opera Company (1987-93) as Mirella Frenzi, singing opera scenes and duets from Die Walkure, Madama Butterfly, Lakme, and many more, including Aida (in front of Leontyne Price at Town Hall, NYC). Sabella also made history winning the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition when Maestro Pavarotti, so moved by Sabella’s performance, stopped him before the end of his audition and publicly declared him a winner saying “I don’t have to hear to the end. This is excellent! Not good, excellent!”
Soon after that, Sabella originated the starring role of “Mary Sunshine” in the 1996 revival of CHICAGO with Bebe Neuwirth, Ann Reinking, and Joel Grey. He remained in that show for the better part of ten years, both on Broadway and on the national tour (Las Vegas), performing with a host of luminaries including Chita Rivera, Hall Linden, Melanie Griffith, Patrick Swayze, Linda Carter and Marilu Henner, just to name a few. On hiatus from CHICAGO, Sabella performed in opera houses and concert halls around the country, including several performances as soloist at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. His voice can be heard on the Koch International live recording of Julius Ceasar, in which he played the title role, for Virginia Opera.
As a voice-over artist he has worked for both Disney (“Teacher’s Pet” with Nathan Lane), and Fox Animation (“Peter Pan and the Pirates” with Tim Curry) playing the evil villainess “Frau Brumhilde Broomhandle,” terrorizing Peter and the Neverland kids with arias from Die Walkure, Carmen and Aida.
Recently, he has starred Off-Broadway in Jules: The Julian Eltinge Story, and The Phillie Trilogy, for which he won the Fresh Fruit Festival award for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play.” He is also the 2022 MAC Award winner for “Major Male Artist,” and a 2023 MAC Award nominee for Major Artist. He continues to perform as both Amanda, and himself, in concert venues throughout the US, Europe, and South America.
Meet Amanda and David’s Music Director, Mark Hartman (aka Maestro Marco Carouomo)
Mark Hartman (Music Director/Maestro Marco Carouomo) is a New York-based pianist, coach, conductor, arranger and composer working in theater, cabaret, and concerts around the world. Mark was the Associate Conductor of Sondheim On Sondheim and Avenue Q on Broadway. Off-Broadway, he was the Music Director for The Streets Of New York (2022 Drama Desk Award Nominee, Best Orchestrations), Pageant, Silence! The Musical, Ernest In Love, After The Ball, Finian’s Rainbow, and The Irish…and How They Got That Way (also Nat’l Tour), Avenue Q (Vineyard) and The Fantasticks (Sullivan St. and Orbach Theater productions). Regional credits include Asolo Rep, Broadway In Chicago, Goodspeed, Guthrie Theater, Old Globe, PlayMakers Rep, In cabaret, Mark has enjoyed a long-time partnership with 13-time MAC Award winner Natalie Douglas. He is one of the music directors for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s Cabaret Conference. Mark is the winner of 3 MAC Awards and the Backstage Bistro Award for Music Direction.
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