Tony Award Winner Faith Prince to Perform at UF

Legendary musical theatre performer Faith Prince, winner of both the Tony and Drama Desk awards for Best Actress in a Musical for her unforgettable portrayal of Miss Adelaide in the 1992 revival of “Guys and Dolls,” will perform on Sunday, Sept. 17 as part of the University of Findlay’s Donnell Broadway Concert Series. She will be accompanied by Phil Reno, a Grammy-nominated Broadway conductor and musical director who is currently the musical director and vocal arranger for the Tony-nominated smash hit, “Something Rotten!”
The 7:30 p.m. performance will be held at Winebrenner Theological Seminary’s TLB Auditorium. Tickets are $28 for adults, $23 for senior citizens and $11 for non-UF students. They can be purchased at the Marathon Performing Arts Center’s box office at 200 W. Main Cross St., or online at www.marathoncenterarts.org. They can also be purchased at the door on the night of the concert. Admission will be free for UF students, faculty and staff with a valid University ID.
Prince, a University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music graduate, made her Broadway debut in 1989 in “Jerome Robbins’s Broadway,” which was followed by the ill-fated musical, “Nick & Nora” in 1991. After her resounding success in “Guys and Dolls,” she was also nominated for Tony and Drama Desk awards for her rendition of Ella Peterson in the 2001 revival of “Bells are Ringing.”
Some of her other 13 Broadway credits include the 1996 revival of “The King and I,” James Joyce’s “The Dead,” the 2001 revival of “Noises Off,” “A Man of No Importance,” “A Catered Affair,” for which she again received 2008 Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations, and Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” in 2009.
After touring in the national tour of “Billy Elliot: The Musical,” Prince returned to Broadway, where she replaced Jane Lynch as Miss Hannigan in the 2012 revival of “Annie.” In 2016, she originated the role of Shirley in “Disaster!,” the Broadway musical parody of 1970s disaster films.
Prince’s professional credits also include dramatic and comedic roles on big and small screens. In film, she appeared in such hits as “The Last Dragon,” “Dave,” “Picture Perfect,” “It Had to Be You,” and “Material Girls.” On television, she has had featured regular roles in “High Society,” “Now and Again,” “Spin City,” “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,” “Huff, “Drop Dead Diva,” “Melissa & Joey,” and “Modern Family.” Her guest appearances have been seen in “Remington Steele,” “Frasier,” “House,” “Monk,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Mad Men,” “Ugly Betty,” “Galavant,” “Scream Queens,” “Chicago Justice,” and many more.
Prince works often with the Boston Pops, Utah Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, and Philly Pops.
When not performing on set or stage as one of America’s most dynamic and memorable leading ladies, Prince enjoys offering personalized coaching and guidance for aspiring and working actors who are seeking to expand their skills sets. She will be teaching a master class for University of Findlay theatre students.
For more information on Faith Prince, visit her website at www.faith-prince.com.
Reno is originally from Tiffin, Ohio. Prior to “Something Rotten!” his work included “The Producers” (2001-2007), the Broadway revival of “Promises, Promises” (2010), “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Thou Shalt Not,” Cats” and “Dame Edna: The Royal Tour.” He has also contributed orchestrations for the television show, “Broadway Under the Stars” (CBS, 2002-2006) and the film adaptation of “The Producers” (2005).
Prince and Reno’s UF performance will feature Prince singing various musical theatre songs, accompanied by Reno on the piano.
Thomas (’70) and Kathleen Donnell established the Thomas and Kathleen Donnell Broadway Concert Series Endowment Fund in conjunction with the Give Voice to Your Values campaign. The Donnell Broadway Concert Series enables Broadway artists to visit campus each academic year in the fall, in addition to the annual spring semester performance. The series provides entertainment for students and community members in concert, as well as opportunities for UF musical theatre students to learn from accomplished professionals in master classes.