Bradley Dean Joins The Glimmerglass Festival

Cooperstown, NY – The Glimmerglass Festival announces Broadway talent Bradley Dean has joined the Festival for the 2023 season. Dean takes on the role of Pangloss/Voltaire in Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. While Dean has appeared on touring and regional stages as well as 12 broadway shows, this is his first appearance at The Glimmerglass Festival.

Dean is most known for his Broadway performances, having frequented the acclaimed stages since 2000. Most recently, Dean was seen as Monsieur Andre in The Phantom of the Opera, with other notable appearances as Count Carl-Magnus opposite Bernadette Peters in A Little Night Music, as Larry Murphy in Dear, Evan Hansen, as Juan Peron in Evita with Ricky Martin, and as Sir Galahad et al in Monty Python’s Spamalot.  His best-known performance may be as Falco in Bat Out of Hell (performed in 2019 at the New York City Center). He has also worked in highly-regarded regional theater such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., appearing there as Molykov in Chess directed by Michael Mayer. Audiences may also recognize Dean from television shows like The Good Wife and Guiding Light. He is part of the Actors’ Equity Association, an organization that represents more than 50,000 actors and helps maintain benefits for those who make performing their careers.

Rob Ainsley, Artistic & General Director of the Festival, speaks his praises of Dean; “Having Bradley Dean in the pivotal role of Dr. Pangloss is a huge coup for the Festival and our production of Candide. This famously challenging role requires an extraordinary talent, and it was evident from the first rehearsal that Brad brings all his signature gravitas and experience to the part. We are honored to have Brad make his debut with us this season, adding his energy and skill to what is already a dream cast.”

“I am so excited to tackle this challenging role in Francesca and Eric’s brilliant production of this timeless show. To do so against the backdrop of beautiful Lake Otsego, surrounded by the rich history of The Glimmerglass Festival, alongside such world class talents as Brian Vu and Katrina Galka and a supporting cast of some of the most stunning voices I have ever heard is both thrilling and humbling,” said Dean when asked what he looks forward to this season.

Candide originally premiered on Broadway in 1957 and has been revived twice, with the 1973 revival winning five Tony awards and the 1997 revival taking home one award as well. Dean is set to portray a narrator of sorts in Pangloss/Voltaire, an integral part of the production. This production of Candide is a revival of former Glimmerglass Artistic & General Director Francesca Zambello’s 2015 original, remounted this year by Choreographer and Director Eric Sean Fogel.

Fogal had this to say about Dean joining the 2023 cast, “I am elated to have Bradley Dean lead our company of Candide.  I was fortunate to work alongside him in Hal Prince’s Evita,  and I know first hand what a consummate professional he is.  In our Candide rehearsals, we are entertained daily by his intellect and fresh creativity.”

Candide, running July 8 through August 20, is one of four mainstage productions being performed at the 2023 festival, with La bohème, Romeo and Juliet, and Rinaldo completing the season’s lineup. This season also features two Pavilion projects, Love and War and An Evening with Anthony Roth Costanzo, as well as the 2023 world-premiere youth opera, The Rip Van Winkles.

For ticket information, go to https://glimmerglass.org or call the box office at (607) 547-2255. All Festival performances begin July 7 and continue through Aug. 20.

About The Glimmerglass Festival

The Glimmerglass Festival is a summer destination in Upstate New York where audiences from across the country and the world come to experience world-class opera, musical theater, and cultural events in a beautiful, relaxing setting. Attracting over 30,000 people per summer, the Festival is a professional non-profit opera company dedicated to presenting new fully staged productions, including a work of American musical theater, each year. These four productions are supplemented by special performances, cabarets, concerts, lectures, and symposiums throughout the season. The company has a longstanding commitment to creating an inclusive, equitable, and diverse experience for all, including a commitment to investing in the next generation of theater professionals.

Mission Statement
Produce new, little-known and familiar operas and musical theater in innovative productions; Provide professional training and performance opportunities for emerging artists and interns; Engage important artists who inspire the highest standards of achievement; Inspire dialogue around meaningful issues of the day through song and story; Collaborate with regional organizations, schools, and businesses to enhance life in Central New York.