Monte Amundsen
Encyclopedia
Monte Amundsen was an American opera
and musical singer who appeared on Broadway
in Marc Blitzstein
's musical Juno
in 1959.
was reportedly so delighted with her voice that he expanded her role in Juno (musical)
to include three major songs: I Wish It So, For Love, and My True Heart, as well as a duet with Shirley Booth
, The Bird Upon The Tree. The show was a flop, but her performance is preserved on the original cast recording. In 1964 she appeared in another ill-fated musical, Cafe Crown, which closed after two performances.
She made many appearances at The Muny
, including Rosabella in The Most Happy Fella
(1969); Marie Esterhazy in Blossom Time (1966); Gretel in Hansel & Gretel (1966); Barbara in Milk and Honey
(1964); Anna Belle in Robin Hood (1961); Resi in The Great Waltz
(1961); Gretchen in The Red Mill
(1960) and Adele in Die Fledermaus
(1958).
and later married opera star Giorgio Tozzi
.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
and musical singer who 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 Marc Blitzstein
Marc Blitzstein
Marcus Samuel Blitzstein, better known as Marc Blitzstein , was an American composer. He won national attention in 1937 when his pro-union musical The Cradle Will Rock, directed by Orson Welles, was shut down by the Works Progress Administration...
's musical Juno
Juno (musical)
Juno is a Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Marc Blitzstein and book by Joseph Stein, based closely on the 1924 play Juno and the Paycock by Sean O'Casey. The original Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre, New York, on March 9, 1959.Despite light moments, the musical,...
in 1959.
Biography
Composer Marc BlitzsteinMarc Blitzstein
Marcus Samuel Blitzstein, better known as Marc Blitzstein , was an American composer. He won national attention in 1937 when his pro-union musical The Cradle Will Rock, directed by Orson Welles, was shut down by the Works Progress Administration...
was reportedly so delighted with her voice that he expanded her role in Juno (musical)
Juno (musical)
Juno is a Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Marc Blitzstein and book by Joseph Stein, based closely on the 1924 play Juno and the Paycock by Sean O'Casey. The original Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre, New York, on March 9, 1959.Despite light moments, the musical,...
to include three major songs: I Wish It So, For Love, and My True Heart, as well as a duet with Shirley Booth
Shirley Booth
Shirley Booth was an American actress.Primarily a theatre actress, Booth's Broadway career began in 1925. Her most significant success was as Lola Delaney, in the drama Come Back, Little Sheba, for which she received a Tony Award in 1950...
, The Bird Upon The Tree. The show was a flop, but her performance is preserved on the original cast recording. In 1964 she appeared in another ill-fated musical, Cafe Crown, which closed after two performances.
She made many appearances at The Muny
The Muny
The Muny, short for The Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis, is an outdoor musical theatre, located in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri...
, including Rosabella in The Most Happy Fella
The Most Happy Fella
The Most Happy Fella is a 1956 musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Frank Loesser. The story, about a romance between an older man and younger woman, is based on the play They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard...
(1969); Marie Esterhazy in Blossom Time (1966); Gretel in Hansel & Gretel (1966); Barbara in Milk and Honey
Milk and Honey (musical)
Milk and Honey is a musical with a book by Don Appell and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. The story centers on a busload of lonely American widows hoping to catch husbands while touring Israel and is set against the background of the country's fight for recognition as an independent nation...
(1964); Anna Belle in Robin Hood (1961); Resi in The Great Waltz
The Great Waltz
The Great Waltz is a musical conceived by Hassard Short with a book by Moss Hart and lyrics by Desmond Carter, using themes by Johann Strauss I and Johann Strauss II. It is based on a pasticcio by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Julius Bittner called Walzer aus Wien, first performed in Vienna in 1930...
(1961); Gretchen in The Red Mill
The Red Mill
The Red Mill is an operetta written by Victor Herbert, with a libretto by Henry Blossom. It premiered on Broadway on September 24, 1906 at the Knickerbocker Theatre and ran for 274 performances, starring comedians Fred Stone and David Montgomery. It was revived on October 16, 1945, opening at the...
(1960) and Adele in Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée.- Literary sources :...
(1958).
Personal life
She was briefly married to her Juno co-star, dancer Tommy RallTommy Rall
Thomas Edward "Tommy" Rall is an American ballet dancer, tap dancer and acrobatic dancer who was a prominent featured player in 1950s musical comedies...
and later married opera star Giorgio Tozzi
Giorgio Tozzi
Giorgio Tozzi was for many years a leading bass with the Metropolitan Opera, as well as playing lead roles in nearly every major opera house worldwide.-Career:Tozzi was born George John Tozzi in Chicago, Illinois...
.
Sources
- Daniel Cariaga. "Tozzi: At Home in a House of Music", Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, 28 May 1985. - Thomas S. Hischak, The Oxford companion to the American musical: theatre, film, and television, Oxford University Press US, 2008. ISBN 0195335333
- Arleen Jackson, "Monte Amundsen Favors Theater-in-the-round", Schenectady Gazette, 31 Jul 1959
- Time Magazine, The Theater: New Musical on Broadway, Mar. 23, 1959, 23 March 1959
- John Vacha, The music went 'round and around: the story of Musicarnival, Kent State University Press, 2004, p. 60. ISBN 0873387988