It Had To be You by Renée Taylor and Joseph Bologna

Nominated for a Kevin Kline Award-Outstanding Scenic Design
And they lived happily ever after...until last Thursday about four o'clock, but that's another story...
Close-up of the paint treatment for the floor
Da-Dee...Da-Dee...Father, Father...Bube, Bubele.
I miss you Al, and I think I've been a bad father. I'm sorry and uh...I love you, son.
Did you know caviar is a fish eggs. It would be absolutely wrong for my diet. It's all toxic...Oh, this is great!
Nominated for a Kevin Kline Award-Outstanding Scenic Design
Nominated for a Kevin Kline Award-Outstanding Scenic Design
Special skills?....Oh absolutely! Uh...you name it, I can do it!
I've got three good ideas for your play. This one! This one! And This one!
Oh, Vito, you said you liked the way I boodled so much more than DiDi.

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Reviews

By Chris Gibson – BroadwayWorld.com, July 20, 2010
“Director Sydnie Grosberg Ronga draws fine work from this cast, and keeps the action moving.”

By Dennis Brown – Riverfront Times, July 21, 2010
“…the laughs seem to flow naturally, of their own accord. The performers, Stellie Siteman and Jerry Vogel, never assault or harangue us; they are pleasant…”

By Jerry Berger – Bergersbeat.com, July 24, 1010
“One of the top stage achievements this summer has to be the production of the two-act play, “It Had to be You,” now on board at the Marvin and Harleen Wool Theater at the JCCA”

By Judith Newmark – St. Louis Post-Dispatch – July 22, 2010
“These producers sniff out comedy! The latest troupe on the St. Louis theater scene, Max & Louie Productions, takes its name from a pair of newcomers…”

By Mark Bretz – Ladue News, July 22, 2010
“Christopher Waller’s messy, cluttered set fits Theda’s scatterbrained personality and is handsomely lit by Glenn Dunn’s lighting, most appealing in its late-night illumination, with sound…”

BY Richard Green – TalkingBroadway.com, July 20, 2010
“Ms. Siteman is a remarkable comic talent”

Radio

KWMU Cityscape with Steve Potter
Guests:
Sydnie Grosberg Ronga –  Director 
Stellie Siteman  - Actress
Jerry Vogel –  Actor

Synopsis

It Had To Be You is an absurd, fast-paced comedy that tells the story of Theda Blau (Siteman), a zany, eccentric, ex-Hollywood B movie actress and wannabe playwright seeking love and/or a writing partner in New York City. She meets TV producer-director Vito Pignoli (Vogel), when she (unsuccessfully) auditions for one of his commercials. Vito is charmed by her offbeat take on life.

After the audition, they share a cab and Vito, the nice guy that he is, helps Theda carry her Christmas packages to her door. She invites Vito in, hoping that he will read her latest “masterpiece” and help connect her to a producer. Vito happily accepts the invitation, but he has other things on his mind. What happens from there, on that fateful snowy Christmas Eve in Theda’s East Village apartment is the basis of this laugh-out-loud, madcap comedy.

Sydnie Grosberg Ronga, the director with St. Louis roots, has directed extensively in New York, St. Louis, and regionally, staging plays such as Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Design For Living, and Hayfever. Sydnie Grosberg Ronga and Stellie Siteman have collaborated throughout their careers, both having attended Ladue High School, where they first became fast friends and later at Webster University and in New York. Their latest collaboration is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Cast

Stellie Siteman* – Theda Blau
Jerry Vogel – Vito Pignoli
Scott James Smith – Freddy

Production Staff

Sydnie Grosberg Ronga – Director
Sarah Johnson – Stage Manager
Christopher M. Waller – Set Designer
Glenn M. Dunn – Lighting Designer
Rusty Wandall – Sound Designer
Jerry Russo – Technical Director
Bess Moynihan – Master Electrician
Kaitlyn Breen – Board Operator

Play Times and Venues

Opening Day: July 14, 2010
Closing Day: August 01, 2010

Wool Studio Theatre
(314) 432-5700
2 Millstone Campus Drive
St. Louis MO 63146
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