Michael Berresse
Encyclopedia
Michael Berresse is an American actor
, dancer, choreographer, and director. The son of artist and author Cynthia Berresse Ploski, he has appeared on Broadway
in many shows including: Kiss Me, Kate
, Chicago
, Fiddler on the Roof
, Carousel
and Damn Yankees
, and The Light in the Piazza as Giuseppe Naccarelli. Berresse was recently seen on Broadway as Zach in the revival of the musical A Chorus Line
and more recently in an L.A. production of Jason Robert Brown's "Parade" at the Mark Taper Forum.
Reared primarily in Chicago, Berresse's father was an engineer and his mother was an artist and writer. In the early 80's, he deferred his admission to college to accept a job dancing at a Walt Disney World theme park in Orlando, Florida. That fall, he was offered a year-long contract with Disney and accepted it, putting off college indefinitely. He spent several years touring with Disney, dancing in shows around the world. In 1992, he appeared on Star Search in a dance group called "The Boys Back East", winning the title of Best New Dance Group and a shared prize of $100,000. In 1996, he appeared in the sixth annual Broadway Bares, a show put on by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
to raise money to support AIDS research.
He was the director and choreographer of the Broadway musical, [title of show
] for which he was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award and a recipient of off-Broadway's Obie Award
. He reprised his duties for the Broadway mounting of the show, which starred and was co-created by his partner
Jeff Bowen
.
Berresse made his film debut as the Stage Manager in Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence, but most recently played an assassin in State of Play
, directed by Kevin Macdonald and starring Russell Crowe, which opened in theaters on April 17, 2009. He also appears as himself in the documentary film Every Little Step
, which follows the casting process of the production of A Chorus Line
in which he starred. At a Broadway talk-back event in 2009, Berresse discussed his interest in focusing more on directing, but did not discuss details of any imminent projects. While working on "Parade", Berresse gave an interview in October 2009 in which he revealed that a permanent relocation to L.A. "isn't out of the question" given that the TV show that he and collaborators have pitched to ABC takes off.
Berresse plays the cello, saxophone and piano and is of French descent. In the program for the London run of Kiss Me Kate, which ran from October 2001 to August 2002, Michael revealed that he has accidentally "tumbled into the orchestra pit" on two separate occasions while working on two separate shows. He resides in Brooklyn
, New York
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, dancer, choreographer, and director. The son of artist and author Cynthia Berresse Ploski, he has appeared on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in many shows including: Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It is structured as a play within a play, where the interior play is a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The original production starred Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang.Kiss...
, Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
, Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
, Carousel
Carousel (musical)
Carousel is the second stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II . The work premiered in 1945 and was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline...
and Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
, and The Light in the Piazza as Giuseppe Naccarelli. Berresse was recently seen on Broadway as Zach in the revival of the musical A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....
and more recently in an L.A. production of Jason Robert Brown's "Parade" at the Mark Taper Forum.
Reared primarily in Chicago, Berresse's father was an engineer and his mother was an artist and writer. In the early 80's, he deferred his admission to college to accept a job dancing at a Walt Disney World theme park in Orlando, Florida. That fall, he was offered a year-long contract with Disney and accepted it, putting off college indefinitely. He spent several years touring with Disney, dancing in shows around the world. In 1992, he appeared on Star Search in a dance group called "The Boys Back East", winning the title of Best New Dance Group and a shared prize of $100,000. In 1996, he appeared in the sixth annual Broadway Bares, a show put on by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the theatre community’s response to the AIDS crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the theatre community, on Broadway, Off-Broadway and across the country, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States...
to raise money to support AIDS research.
He was the director and choreographer of the Broadway musical, [title of show
Title of show
[title of show] is a one-act musical, with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and a book by Hunter Bell. The show chronicles its own creation as an entry in the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and follows the struggles of the author and composer/lyricist and their two actress friends during the...
] for which he was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award and a recipient of off-Broadway's Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
. He reprised his duties for the Broadway mounting of the show, which starred and was co-created by his partner
Significant other
Significant other is colloquially used as a gender-blind term for a person's partner in an intimate relationship without disclosing or presuming anything about marital status, relationship status, or sexual orientation, as it is vague enough to avoid offense by using a term that an individual...
Jeff Bowen
Jeff Bowen
Jeff Bowen is an American composer, lyricist and actor. He is best known as one of the authors and stars of the Broadway musical [title of show]. He is currently developing a new musical work titled Now. Here...
.
Berresse made his film debut as the Stage Manager in Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence, but most recently played an assassin in State of Play
State of Play (film)
State of Play is a 2009 French-British-American political thriller film. It is an adaptation of the six-part British television serial of the same name which first aired on BBC One in 2003. The plot of the six-hour serial was condensed to fit a two-hour movie format, with the location changed to...
, directed by Kevin Macdonald and starring Russell Crowe, which opened in theaters on April 17, 2009. He also appears as himself in the documentary film Every Little Step
Every Little Step (film)
Every Little Step is a 2008 American documentary film produced and directed by James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo. It follows the process of casting the 2006 Broadway revival of A Chorus Line and explores the history of the award-winning musical, beginning with the informal interviews with Broadway...
, which follows the casting process of the production of A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....
in which he starred. At a Broadway talk-back event in 2009, Berresse discussed his interest in focusing more on directing, but did not discuss details of any imminent projects. While working on "Parade", Berresse gave an interview in October 2009 in which he revealed that a permanent relocation to L.A. "isn't out of the question" given that the TV show that he and collaborators have pitched to ABC takes off.
Berresse plays the cello, saxophone and piano and is of French descent. In the program for the London run of Kiss Me Kate, which ran from October 2001 to August 2002, Michael revealed that he has accidentally "tumbled into the orchestra pit" on two separate occasions while working on two separate shows. He resides in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.