[NEohioPAL]Berko commentary: ARACA Broadway Producers: Clevelanders

[Roy Berko]

BROADWAY’S ARACA GROUP MAKES THEIR HOMETOWN PROUD

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association, Dance
Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	


Twenty years ago years ago while was I directing ‘THE
MUSIC MAN’ at Huntington Playhouse three young men,
Matt Rego, Michael Rego and Hank Unger  were involved
in the production.  Little did I realize that they
would someday be the “wunderkinds” of Broadway
producers.  

Today, the three make up the Araca Group, an
independent production company that has been
responsible for on-Broadway productions of ‘WICKED,’
‘URINETOWN THE MUSICAL,’ ‘’FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE
CLAIR DE LUNE,’ ‘MATCH,’ ‘NIGHT MOTHER,’ and ‘THE GOOD
BODY.’  Their off-Broadway shows include ‘DEBBIE DOES
DALLAS,’ ‘THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES,’ ‘THE LARAMIE
PROJECT,’ and ‘SKYSCRAPER.’  That would be a career
total for most producers, but Araca achieved this in 8
years.  Not bad for three guys who range in age from
34 to 36.

Matt and Michael, who are from Rocky River,  are
members of the family who founded the Rego supermarket
chain.  Matt graduated from the  Western Reserve
Academy in 1988.  Mike is an ‘86 St. Ignatius grad.  
Unger went through the Bay Village schools and
graduated in 1986.   

They all got their theatre shoes wet at the Beck
Center’s Children’s School.  They also appeared on
stage at Lakewood Little Theatre, Berea Summer
Theatre, Huntington Playhouse, and Bay, Magnificat and
St. Ignatius High Schools.  

The Araca Group’s name is not a series of secret
letters.  It was the surname of the Rego’ s
grandfather, Charlie, a Sicilian immigrant.  Like the
trio he was a gambler who parlayed $300, which he won
in a game of craps, into a supermarket chain.  The
young men are not only gamblers, but have lots of
guts.  With limited initial success for their
theatrical ventures, they continue to plot and plan
and have succeeded beyond normal expectations.    

I recently did a telephone interview with Unger from
his New York office.  We covered the trios past hits,
present activities and future aspirations.

‘WICKED,’ their most recent smash hit is still running
on Broadway. It is the untold story of the witches of
Oz, made famous in ‘THE WIZARD OF OZ.’  It features
music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (‘GODSPELL,’
‘PIPPIN,’ Academy Award winner for ‘POCAHONTAS’ and
‘THE PRINCE OF EGYPT’) and book by Winnie Holzman
(TV’s ‘MY SO CALLED LIFE,’ ‘ONCE AND AGAIN’ and
‘THIRTYSOMETHING’).   ‘WICKED’ is directed by 2003 and
2004 Tony Award winner Joe Mantello.

According to Unger, ‘WICKED’ is “the first musical in
many years that was born on Broadway.”  He also
indicated that, “The longer it runs the longer people
want to see it.”  It has a 30-million dollar advance
sale so it appears that this is going to be a long
running show in the Big Apple.   The touring
production is in a sold-out run in Toronto.  It will
then go to Chicago, where “tickets sales are also
excellent,” and then to LA.

Is Cleveland on the ‘WICKED’ tour?  Contracts haven’t
been signed, but “hopefully it will appear on the
North Coast sometime in 2006.”

Since ‘WICKED’ opened, ARACA has produced Eve Ensler’s
‘THE GOOD BODY,’ which had a short run.  Ensler, who
is the author of ‘VAGINA MONOLOGUES,’  is discussing a
national tour.  ‘NIGHT MOTHER,’ which starred Edie
Falco, had a successful limited season run.  Their
show ‘MATCH’ ran last spring and “received good
reviews.”

The ARACA team is working on a movie of ‘DEBBIE DOES
DALLAS’ as well as a film version of  ‘WICKED.’  They
have several other projects under development.

As for their personal lives, Mike is getting married
in the Fall, Matt is married, and Hank is “having a
good time.”  Most importantly, being well brought up
midwestern guys, “We are trying to keep our lives in
balance.”

Yes, in balance and yet streaking toward the head of
the pack as successful Broadway producers, and making
Clevelanders proud.


Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.


		
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