Robert Cuccioli
Encyclopedia
Robert Cuccioli is an American
actor
and singer born in Hempstead, New York
. He is best known for originating the lead dual title roles in the musical
Jekyll and Hyde, for which he received a Tony Award
nomination and won the Joseph Jefferson Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award
, and the Fany Award.
in Manhasset, New York
and college at St. John's University
in Jamaica, New York, earning a degree in Finance. Before moving into theatre as a career, he worked as a financial consultant at E. F. Hutton for three years. Cuccioli has been in a relationship with actress Laila Robins
since 2000.
in 1987, with Richard Harris
. He first appeared on Broadway
as Javert in Les Misérables
in 1987 and continued to appear in the musical as a replacement until early January 1995, when he began rehearsals for the pre-Broadway national tour of Jekyll and Hyde. In 1997, Cuccioli received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the dual title roles in the musical Jekyll and Hyde, also winning the Joseph Jefferson Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award
and the Fany Award for that role. On September 26, 2005, he starred as Dr. Johnson in the special benefit performance of On the Twentieth Century
at the New Amsterdam Theatre
.
at the Light Opera of Manhattan
, starting out in the chorus, quickly moving up to smaller featured roles and then playing leading roles, such as Count Danilo in The Merry Widow
, the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance
, and Captain Corcoran in H.M.S. Pinafore
. His other notable off-Broadway appearances include Nathan in the long-running revival of The Rothschilds (1990); the highly successful 1991 Kander and Ebb
revue
, And The World Goes 'Round
, which garnered him the Outer Critics Circle Award
in 1991; and he played the title role of in the Maury Yeston
and Arthur Kopit musical, Phantom
, at the Westchester Broadway Theater in 1992-93, a role that he has repeated. In 2000, he played Macheath in The Threepenny Opera
. He was also seen as Karl Streber in Temporary Help in 2002 and in Mirette (a new musical by Harvey Schmidt
) with York Theatre Company in 2005.
Cuccioli's U.S. regional theatre credits include Ankles Aweigh at the Goodspeed Opera House in 1988, Jud Fry in Oklahoma! at the Paper Mill Playhouse
in 1992, Archibald Craven in the Sacramento Music Circus production of The Secret Garden
(1999), The Actor in Enter the Guardsman at the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival (1999 and again off-Broadway in 2000), King Marchan in Victor/Victoria
at the Paper Mill in 2000, Nick Arnstein in Funny Girl (musical) at the Paper Mill in 2001, Antony in Antony and Cleopatra
at the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival (2002), Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music
at the Paper Mill in 2003, and Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls at the Paper Mill in 2004, with Karen Ziemba
and Kate Baldwin
. His 2005 theatrical credits include Alexander di Medici in Lorenzaccio at The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC, and Capt. von Trapp in The Sound of Music at the Bendedum Theatre in Pennsylvania. He has also starred in shows at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (where he has played the title role in Macbeth
(2004), Brutus in Julius Caesar
(2005) and Antonio Salieri in Amadeus (2008), among others), at the New York's Equity Library Theatre and in regional theatres around the United States.
Cuccioli's recent stage appearances include the off-Broadway revue, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
in 2006. In June and July 2007, he played Claudius in Hamlet
at The Lansburgh Theatre in Washington, D.C.
with the Shakespeare Theatre Company. In September and October 2007, he appeared in pre-Broadway tryouts of Lone Star Love
in Seattle, starring Randy Quaid
, but the Broadway run was cancelled. He then played the title character in Man of La Mancha
at the White Plains, New York
Performing Arts Center until December 2007. Cuccioli reprised the title role of the Maury Yeston
and Arthur Kopit musical, Phantom
, at the Westchester Broadway Theater From December 2007 to February 2008. He notes that he enjoys playing this character because the Yeston-Kopit version is "a very human take on the legend". He also is heard on a concept album for a new musical, The New Picasso, which was released in January 2008. He returned to the White Plains Performing Arts Center in the autumn of 2008 to play King Arthur in Camelot and next starred in Conor McPherson
's The Seafarer
at George Street Playhouse in New Jersey. In 2009, he has starred in Thom Thomas's A Moon to Dance By, at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and at the George Street Playhouse, with Jane Alexander
, and played John Dickinson
in 1776
at the Paper Mill Playhouse.
(1999) and Baywatch Hawaii
(1997). He played Chief Franklin on The Guiding Light. He also appeared on All My Children
and One Life to Live
. His has appeared in several film, including in Woody Allen
's Celebrity
(1998), Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target (1999), Heroic Times and an independent film entitled The Stranger.
in 2003 at The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey. He has also directed productions of Jekyll & Hyde at Houston's Theatre Under The Stars, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and The Westchester Broadway Theatre.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and singer born in Hempstead, New York
Hempstead (village), New York
Hempstead is a village located in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 53,891 at the 2010 census.Hofstra University is located on the border between Hempstead and Uniondale.-Foundation:...
. He is best known for originating the lead dual title roles in the musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Jekyll and Hyde, for which he received a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination and won the Joseph Jefferson Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
, and the Fany Award.
Life and career
Cuccioli attended St. Mary's High SchoolSt. Mary's High School (Manhasset, New York)
St. Mary's College Preparatory High School is a private Catholic high school in Manhasset, New York. Located on the north shore of Nassau County, also known as the gold coast, the campus is just a few blocks from the Miracle Mile. St...
in Manhasset, New York
Manhasset, New York
Manhasset is a hamlet and neighborhood in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 8,080....
and college at St. John's University
St. John's University (New York City)
St. John's University is a private, Roman Catholic, coeducational university located in New York City, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1870, the school was originally located in the borough of Brooklyn in the neighborhood of Bedford–Stuyvesant...
in Jamaica, New York, earning a degree in Finance. Before moving into theatre as a career, he worked as a financial consultant at E. F. Hutton for three years. Cuccioli has been in a relationship with actress Laila Robins
Laila Robins
-Personal life:Robins was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Latvian American parents Brigita and Janis Robins, who was a research chemist. She attended the Yale School of Drama, and received her undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, . Robins has been in a...
since 2000.
Broadway and national tours
Cuccioli starred as Lancelot de Lac in U.S. and Canadian national tours of CamelotCamelot (musical)
Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe . It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King....
in 1987, with Richard Harris
Richard Harris
Richard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer....
. He first 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...
as Javert in Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
in 1987 and continued to appear in the musical as a replacement until early January 1995, when he began rehearsals for the pre-Broadway national tour of Jekyll and Hyde. In 1997, Cuccioli received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the dual title roles in the musical Jekyll and Hyde, also winning the Joseph Jefferson Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
and the Fany Award for that role. On September 26, 2005, he starred as Dr. Johnson in the special benefit performance of On the Twentieth Century
On the Twentieth Century
On the Twentieth Century is a musical with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Cy Coleman. Part operetta, part farce, part screwball comedy, the story involves the behind-the-scenes relationship of a temperamental actress and a director.-Background:Comden and Green based...
at the New Amsterdam Theatre
New Amsterdam Theatre
The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater located at 214 West 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Theatre District of Manhattan, New York City, off of Times Square...
.
Off-Broadway and regional theatre
Early in his career, Cuccioli spent several years learning the ropes off-BroadwayOff-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
at the Light Opera of Manhattan
Light Opera of Manhattan
Light Opera of Manhattan, known as LOOM, was an Off-Broadway repertory theatre company that produced light operas, including the works of Gilbert and Sullivan and European and American operettas, 52 weeks per year, in New York City between 1968 and 1989....
, starting out in the chorus, quickly moving up to smaller featured roles and then playing leading roles, such as Count Danilo in The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
, the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
, and Captain Corcoran in H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
. His other notable off-Broadway appearances include Nathan in the long-running revival of The Rothschilds (1990); the highly successful 1991 Kander and Ebb
Kander and Ebb
Kander and Ebb were a highly successful songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb . Known primarily for their stage musicals, Kander and Ebb also scored several movies including their most famous song, the theme song from Martin Scorsese's New York, New York...
revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
, And The World Goes 'Round
And the World Goes 'Round
And the World Goes 'Round is a musical revue showcasing the songs of John Kander and Fred Ebb. The revue takes its title from a tune the songwriting team wrote for Liza Minnelli to sing in the film New York, New York-Productions:...
, which garnered him the Outer Critics Circle Award
Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
in 1991; and he played the title role of in the Maury Yeston
Maury Yeston
Maury Yeston is an American composer, lyricist, educator and musicologist.He is known for writing the music and lyrics to Broadway musicals, including Nine in 1982, and Titanic in 1997, both of which won Tony Awards for best musical and best score. He also won a Drama Desk Award for Nine...
and Arthur Kopit musical, Phantom
Phantom (musical)
Phantom is a musical with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Arthur Kopit. Based on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera, the musical was first presented in Houston, Texas in 1991....
, at the Westchester Broadway Theater in 1992-93, a role that he has repeated. In 2000, he played Macheath in The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera is a musical by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, in collaboration with translator Elisabeth Hauptmann and set designer Caspar Neher. It was adapted from an 18th-century English ballad opera, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, and offers a Marxist critique...
. He was also seen as Karl Streber in Temporary Help in 2002 and in Mirette (a new musical by Harvey Schmidt
Harvey Schmidt
Harvey Lester Schmidt is an American composer for musical theatre. He is best known for composing the music for the longest running musical in history, The Fantasticks, which ran off-Broadway from 1960 - 2002.-Biography:...
) with York Theatre Company in 2005.
Cuccioli's U.S. regional theatre credits include Ankles Aweigh at the Goodspeed Opera House in 1988, Jud Fry in Oklahoma! at the Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theatre with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey, less than 25 miles from Manhattan. Due to its location, it can draw from the pool of actors who live in New York City. Its location, as well as its focus on producing large-scale shows, makes...
in 1992, Archibald Craven in the Sacramento Music Circus production of The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden (musical)
The Secret Garden is a musical based on the 1911 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The musical's book and lyrics are by Marsha Norman, with music by Lucy Simon...
(1999), The Actor in Enter the Guardsman at the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival (1999 and again off-Broadway in 2000), King Marchan in Victor/Victoria
Victor/Victoria (musical)
Victor/Victoria is a musical with a book by Blake Edwards, music by Henry Mancini, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and additional musical material by Frank Wildhorn...
at the Paper Mill in 2000, Nick Arnstein in Funny Girl (musical) at the Paper Mill in 2001, Antony in Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
at the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival (2002), Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
at the Paper Mill in 2003, and Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls at the Paper Mill in 2004, with Karen Ziemba
Karen Ziemba
Karen Ziemba is an American actress, singer and dancer, best known for her work in musical theatre.-Biography:Ziemba was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, and went on to attend the University of Akron , where she studied dance and joined the Ohio Ballet in her sophomore year.Her Broadway debut was in...
and Kate Baldwin
Kate Baldwin
-Biography:Born in Evanston, Illinois, Baldwin graduated from the theatre program at Northwestern University in 1997.-Career:Kate Baldwin made her Broadway debut in The Full Monty in 2000, followed by appearances in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Wonderful Town...
. His 2005 theatrical credits include Alexander di Medici in Lorenzaccio at The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC, and Capt. von Trapp in The Sound of Music at the Bendedum Theatre in Pennsylvania. He has also starred in shows at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (where he has played the title role in Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
(2004), Brutus in Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar (play)
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
(2005) and Antonio Salieri in Amadeus (2008), among others), at the New York's Equity Library Theatre and in regional theatres around the United States.
Cuccioli's recent stage appearances include the off-Broadway revue, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is an American musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel.-Original Off-Broadway Production:...
in 2006. In June and July 2007, he played Claudius in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
at The Lansburgh Theatre in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
with the Shakespeare Theatre Company. In September and October 2007, he appeared in pre-Broadway tryouts of Lone Star Love
Lone Star Love
Lone Star Love, or, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Texas is a musical based on Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. The score is by Jack Herrick , and the book is by John L. Haber and Robert Horn...
in Seattle, starring Randy Quaid
Randy Quaid
Randall Rudy "Randy" Quaid is an American actor perhaps best known for his role as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, as well as his numerous supporting roles in films, including his Oscar nominated performance in The Last Detail, Independence Day, Kingpin and Brokeback Mountain...
, but the Broadway run was cancelled. He then played the title character in Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote...
at the White Plains, New York
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
Performing Arts Center until December 2007. Cuccioli reprised the title role of the Maury Yeston
Maury Yeston
Maury Yeston is an American composer, lyricist, educator and musicologist.He is known for writing the music and lyrics to Broadway musicals, including Nine in 1982, and Titanic in 1997, both of which won Tony Awards for best musical and best score. He also won a Drama Desk Award for Nine...
and Arthur Kopit musical, Phantom
Phantom (musical)
Phantom is a musical with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Arthur Kopit. Based on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera, the musical was first presented in Houston, Texas in 1991....
, at the Westchester Broadway Theater From December 2007 to February 2008. He notes that he enjoys playing this character because the Yeston-Kopit version is "a very human take on the legend". He also is heard on a concept album for a new musical, The New Picasso, which was released in January 2008. He returned to the White Plains Performing Arts Center in the autumn of 2008 to play King Arthur in Camelot and next starred in Conor McPherson
Conor McPherson
Conor McPherson is an Irish playwright and director.-Life and career:McPherson was born in Dublin, . He was educated at University College Dublin, McPherson began writing his first plays there as a member of UCD Dramsoc, the college's dramatic society, and went on to found Fly By Night Theatre...
's The Seafarer
The Seafarer (play)
The Seafarer is a 2006 play by Irish playwright Conor McPherson. It is set on Christmas Eve in Baldoyle, a coastal suburb north of Dublin city. The play centers on James "Sharkey" Harkin, an alcoholic who has recently returned to live with his blind, aging brother, Richard Harkin...
at George Street Playhouse in New Jersey. In 2009, he has starred in Thom Thomas's A Moon to Dance By, at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and at the George Street Playhouse, with Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander is an American actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts. Although perhaps best known for playing the female lead in The Great White Hope on both stage and screen, Alexander has played a wide array of roles in both theater and film and has committed...
, and played John Dickinson
John Dickinson (delegate)
John Dickinson was an American lawyer and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware. He was a militia officer during the American Revolution, a Continental Congressman from Pennsylvania and Delaware, a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, President of...
in 1776
1776 (musical)
1776 is a musical with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. The story is based on the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence...
at the Paper Mill Playhouse.
Television and film
Cuccioili's television appearances include SlidersSliders
Sliders is an American science fiction television series. It was broadcast for five seasons, beginning in 1995 and ending in 2000. The series follows a group of travelers as they use a wormhole to "slide" between different parallel universes. The show was created by Robert K. Weiss and Tracy Tormé...
(1999) and Baywatch Hawaii
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
(1997). He played Chief Franklin on The Guiding Light. He also appeared on All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
and One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
. His has appeared in several film, including in Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
's Celebrity
Celebrity (film)
Celebrity is a 1998 comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. The screenplay focuses on the divergent paths a couple takes following their divorce.-Plot:...
(1998), Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target (1999), Heroic Times and an independent film entitled The Stranger.
Directing
Cuccioli directed The Glass MenagerieThe Glass Menagerie
The Glass Menagerie is a four-character memory play by Tennessee Williams. Williams worked on various drafts of the play prior to writing a version of it as a screenplay for MGM, to whom Williams was contracted...
in 2003 at The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey. He has also directed productions of Jekyll & Hyde at Houston's Theatre Under The Stars, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and The Westchester Broadway Theatre.