NAPOLEON by Stanley Kubrick (The Greatest Movie Never Made) is to be presented for the first time in a staged version adapted by David Serero starring Napoleon.
On August 20th and 23rd at 8 pm, the wish of legendary film director Stanley Kubrick will finally become reality during this stage adaptation of his most documented and largest film project: Napoleon. David Serero is adapting the screenplay, written in 1969, by Stanley Kubrick for the first time on the stage. Serero will also star as Napoleon Bonaparte. This film project is often qualified as the Greatest Movie Never Made. The staged-reading performances, in authentic costumes, will take place at the unique decor of the Orensanz Foundation located in the Lower East Side on 172 Norfolk Street, New York NY 10002.
French opera star and actor David Serero has become a New York audience favorite by bringing creative and eclectic Off-Broadway productions with World Premiere adaptations such as Cyrano de Bergerac (Featuring Jazz Standards), Don Giovanni (Presented in a Theater and Opera adaptation), Othello (Adapted in a Jewish Moroccan style), The Merchant of Venice (Adapted in a Sephardic style), as well as bringing to life forgotten stage works such as The Yiddish King Lear by Jacob Gordin (one of the most important Yiddish plays of all time) or lesser performed classics such as The Jew of Malta by Marlowe. Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most preferred historical characters by Serero. « This is an opportunity for me to bring to life one of the greatest screenplays ever written by one of the most important film directors of all time: Stanley Kubrick (for whom we have just celebrated his 90th birthday anniversary). The story and dialogues are very rich and unique to Kubrick’s writing. The addition of the Narrator embarks the audience on the historical journey of Napoleon. The historical facts and character studies tell us that Kubrick spent years of research» said Serero, who will also feature songs from the Napoleonic era in his adaptation.
The cast of Napoleon by Stanley Kubrick includes David Serero (Napoleon), Ron Barba (Narrator), Melissa Mars (Josephine), Bart Philly (Tsar Alexander), David Mohr (Barras, Talleyrand), Mickey Abbate (Joseph Bonaparte), Joe Naimoli (Hippolyte Charles, Rostopchin), Kyle Primack (Junot, Kutusov) and Jojo Cottle (Marie-Louise).
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE (1769-1821), also known as Napoleon I, was a French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century. Born on the island of Corsica, Napoleon rapidly rose through the ranks of the military during the French Revolution (1789-1799). After seizing political power in France in a 1799 coup d’état, he crowned himself emperor in 1804. The shrewd, ambitious, and skilled military strategist, Napoleon successfully waged war against various coalitions of European nations and expanded his empire. However, after a disastrous French invasion of Russia in 1812, Napoleon abdicated the throne two years later and was exiled to the island of Elba. In 1815, he briefly returned to power in his Hundred Days campaign. After a crushing defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, he abdicated once again and was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena, where he died at 51.
STANLEY KUBRICK (July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most influential directors in cinematic history. His films, which are mostly adaptations of novels or short stories, cover a wide range of genres and are noted for their realism, dark humor, unique cinematography, extensive set designs, and evocative use of music. Among his masterpieces: “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “A Clockwork Orange” and “The Shining.”
THE CAST:
DAVID SERERO - Napoleon and Adaptor/Director
Actor and baritone, David Serero, has received international recognition and critical acclaim from all over the world. At 37 years old, he has already performed more than 1,500 concerts and performances throughout the world played in over 100 films, and recorded 20 albums. He entered the prestigious WHO'S WHO AMERICA for demonstrating outstanding achievements in the entertainment world and for the betterment of contemporary society. David Serero is a member of the RECORDING ACADEMY - GRAMMYs.
He has given concerts in Paris at the PARIS OPERA GARNIER, OLYMPIA, EIFFEL TOWER; in New York at the LINCOLN CENTER, CARNEGIE HALL, TIMES SQUARE; in London at the ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC, WEMBLEY STADIUM; and in Moscow at the TCHAIKOVSKY HALL; in Amsterdam at the CONCERTGEBOUW, the BUDAPEST OPERA conducted by PLACIDO DOMINGO and more. He made his sold-out WEST END debuts at the Dominion Theatre. He has sung more than 30 lead roles in Opera, Operetta, and Musical Theater. In 2012, David Serero performed Don Quixote from MAN OF LA MANCHA in Paris and the title role from the revival of Duke Ellington's only musical: BEGGAR'S HOLIDAY, and also starred in the cast album recording. In 2013, David performed with JERMAINE JACKSON in YOU ARE NOT ALONE, a musical written, directed, and produced by David Serero. He has also produced and arranged I WISH YOU LOVE an album of Jazz standards for Jermaine Jackson. In December 2013, David shared the cover of Theatre & Performances with Barbra Streisand in London, made his BROADWAY solo debut at the Snapple Theatre in New York, and released his first studio album ALL I CARE ABOUT IS LOVE. In 2014, he released The Broadway Baritone featuring Broadway classics, and toured in the UK with a performance on WEST END. During the summer of 2014, he recorded the entire love letter correspondence of NAPOLEON to Josephine and released his new studio album THE CROONER BARITONE, The FRANK SINATRA Classics for the 100th anniversary of Sinatra. In 2015 and 2016, he played Off-Broadway the lead roles of SHYLOCK (MERCHANT OF VENICE) and OTHELLO's title role with both critical acclaims. In 2015, he performed two open-air concerts on TIMES SQUARE (New York) for BEST OF FRANCE in the presence of French President Mr. Francois Hollande. He released SEPHARDI, an album of Sephardic music in the Ladino language, and recorded the title role of RICHARD III in French. In 2016, he released ALL MY LOVE IS FOR YOU, a Pop Rock album, entirely composed, performed, arranged, and produced by himself. He also played NABUCCO (Nabucco) in New York; and the title roles of DON GIOVANNI and RIGOLETTO at the CARNEGIE HALL. In 2017, David entered the prestigious WHO'S WHO AMERICA for demonstrating outstanding achievements in the entertainment world and for the betterment of contemporary society. In the summer of 2017, he released BARITONE OPERA ARIAS, singing opera classics such as Toreador (Carmen) and from operas Tosca, Nozze di Figaro, Fanciulla del West, and Barbiere di Siviglia. In 2018, David Serero became a member of the Recording Academy - Grammys and a voting member for the Grammy.
In the 2017/2018 season in New York, David Serero starred as CYRANO DE BERGERAC (Rostand), DON GIOVANNI (Mozart), BARABAS (Marlowe's Jew of Malta), and KING LEAR (Jacob Gordin's The YIDDISH KING LEAR).
For the 2018/19 season in New York, David will star as Napoleon's title role from Napoleon by Stanley Kubrick, Eugene Onegin's title role, Hermann (Queen of Spades, World Premiere adaptation), Nabucco's title role, Romeo (Romeo and Juliet, World Premiere adaptation), Figaro (Mozart's Marriage of Figaro) and Stanley (Streetcar Named Desire, World Premiere adaptation featuring Jazz standards).
In American Television, he has appeared in: The Hunt with John Walsh (CNN), Mysteries at the Museum (Travel Channel), Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall (NBC), Six Degrees of Murder (Discovery Channel), Checked Out, On The Case with Paula Zhan (Discovery ID), Rabid Beast (Animal Planet TV), Suddenly Rich (TLC TV), Whistleblowers (Spike TV), Blood Feuds - Gangs of New York (Discovery Channel), We Speak NYC, Crimes of Fashion (Discovery ID).
In American Films he starred in Alice in America, Tango Shalom, Winter Has No Sun, Most Beautiful Island, Paisanos in Paris, Following Phil, Terminal 5, Sheepshead, Again, Overload Rock or Die, The Redemption, Kingdom of the Alley, Ring Ring, Laundry Day, Capicola, Make it Work, There Will Come Soft Rains, Amarena, When I Sing, Hatikvah.
He starred in several commercials for Sotheby's & eBay, Bank of America, Don Julio Tequila, Khiel's, Volkswagen, BJ's, Pepsi, Mitsubishi Cars, and more.
Full biography on www.davidserero.com
RON BARBA - The Narrator
Ron Barba is a film and theater actor and producer from Greenwich, CT. He has produced TV speculative pilots: King of the List, about a Craigslist Talent Agent; The Ron Show, about a wealthy divorcee living in Manhattan; Thank Your for Coming, a fish-out-of-water comedy about a new strip club owner; and a feature film, I Killed Last Night, about a Serial Killing Comedian.
Ron has been in over 100 youtube videos, hosts stand-up comedy shows, and acts in plays and musicals in New York. He is “OD” or “the Original Dante” Donati in the Dinner Theater Show, Truffles.
MELISSA MARS - Josephine de Beauharnais
International actress and French singer-songwriter, Melissa Mars received major notice in the United States and around the world after appearing alongside John Travolta in From Paris With Love produced by Luc Besson (Nikita, Lucy), winning a best-supporting actress award for her performance in The Cabining, and having her song “Beautiful” be included in Coca-Cola's “52 Songs of Happiness” worldwide music compilation.
She is well-known in France for her pop music career. She released 3 solo albums with Universal Music and featured on many duets, including “1980”, a duet that reached number 5 in the charts. She is also well known for her leading role in the successful musical Mozart the Rock Opera, a smash hit with more than 1,500,000 tickets sold.
Melissa Mars has been traveling between New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, moving between the worlds of music and film. She just had her American TV debut on Lifetime in Deadly Delusions, a thriller alongside Haylie Duff (Napoleon Dynamite), and Teri Polo (Meet the Parents, The Fosters...). Several other features are soon to be released, among which is the four-part series Texas Zombie Wars.
BART PHILLY - Tsar Alexander 1st
Bart Philly was born in Poland. His parents escaped heroically communist Poland and settled in south Germany. There, in the city of Nurnberg Bart received his first education in school. His parent has been very selective as to books, movies, and TV shows that he was allowed to watch, but a lot of times on his desk he could find books about America. Reading about the country made him believe that some day he would also be there. Bart Philly was able to move to the USA 5 years after graduation from college.
He settled in Trenton, where he decided to follow his dream from his childhood and become a working actor. His education started at the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia, where he received his first acting classes by T.J. Sokso. He got his first role immediately and explored the theater as well as the world of moving pictures. Falling in love with the craft, he continues his hard work as an actor.
MICKEY ABBATE - Joseph Bonaparte
Mickey returns to his acting career after a lengthy hiatus. His recent and current theatre credits include Chee-Chee Vivoli in Chee-Chee by Luigi Pirandello (coming in September), King Henry VI (II & III), Richard III (Clarence), Titus Andronicus (Quintas), Dracula (Renfield). Film credits include #LEAR (King Lear - coming to Amazon Prime) and Moving in 2008 ( Ravi -coming out in October). He has also written Our Lady of Jackson Heights (screenplay) and Brother and Brother (screenplay). The opportunity to play these roles in a historical drama written by the great Stanley Kubrick makes him feel like a kid in a park. All my gratitude to my director and Napoleon, David Serero. Vive la France!!
DAVID MOHR - Barras, Talleyrand, Caulaincourt
David Mohr is a New York-based actor, born and bred, except for living in Boston where he graduated from Emerson College. In addition to acting he has had many roles in “show business”: writer, producer, and editor, for such companies as HBO. He has appeared in moves such as The Sitter and TV shows like 30 Rock. As well as many commercials and web series. Also, he has appeared in many off-off and off-Broadway productions including, (in line with the French theme) As Antonio in the play The Marriage of Figaro, by Pierre Beaumarchais. David Mohr is very excited to work once more with David Serero and to help tell the story of one of the greatest figures in history.
KYLE PRIMACK - Junot, Kutusov
Kyle, a Denver, Colorado native received his BA in History and degrees in Theater and English from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He continued his training at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute and Stella Adler Studio of Acting. His most recent shows include Midsummer Nights Dream (Frog and Peach Shakespeare Company), Ajax in Iraq (LSTFI), A Midsummer Nights Dream (Alpha NYC), The Mother Fucker with the Hat (LSTFI), Over the River and Through The Woods, Good People (Talking Horse Productions).
JOE NAIMOLI - Hippolyte Charles, Rostopchin
Joe Naimoli is an American comedian and actor. Born and raised in Staten Island, he is mostly of Italian ancestry. Joe began studying acting in college at St.Johns University and joined their theatre troupe the St.Johns Stagers. Shortly after graduating, he began taking acting classes and comedy workshops to develop his craft as a comedian and storyteller. He then joined the Theatre 68 theatre company in NY. Although brief, his experience there helped lay the groundwork for future bit roles and commercials. Joe regularly performs stand-up comedy in and around NYC and New Jersey and produces, writes, and stars in his comedy shows. He also is trained in long and short-form improv and frequently performs with the improv group Project Ivy. Joe is also the entertainment host of the Staten Island Yankees, (New York Yankees minor-league affiliate). He most recently wrapped the short film Kings and Queens and is currently working on a new variety show which he will star in and produce.
JOJO COTTLE - Marie-Louise
“Originally from Sedona Arizona, this desert flower made her way to the big apple to pursue her lifelong dream of acting. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating a little over a year ago and making her way through the industry. Over the past year, she has had successes in the immersive theater company First Person Xperience’s show RED playing Eve, and other staged productions including The Importance of Being Earnest (Gwendolyn Fairfax), Blast Radius (Willa), and The Comedy of Errors (Luciana). Along with theater, she has also been involved in a handful of short films, commercials, and voiceover work."
About the ORENSANZ FOUNDATION
The Angel Orensanz Foundation for the Arts was established in 1992 as an artistic and cultural resource open to artists, writers, thinkers, and leaders from all over the world, and to the community around us. Over the years we have welcomed and been inspired by Philip Glass and Spike Lee; Arthur Miller, Alexander McQueen, Salman Rushdie, Maya Angelou and Alexander Borovsky; Elie Wiesel and Chuck Close.
We cooperate with PS1/MoMA; The Goethe Institute and the Whitney Museum, New York; the Italian Cultural Institute, New York University; Columbia University and Princeton University; the National Russian Museum of St. Petersburg and the Royal Shakespeare Company of London; The World Council of Peoples for the UN, the United Jewish Council and the American Academy in Rome. We work with independent artists from all over the world to develop educational and artistic projects. The Foundation has just opened a digital department for cultural and artistic projects with a strong educational basis in the community.
We publish a quarterly magazine, Artscape; a weekly TV program on MNN, and maintain an archive of 50,000 pictures of the work of Angel Orensanz. We run a library of social and cultural history as well as a collection of thousands of digital files and videos of Angel Orensanz.
The Foundation prides itself in maintaining the building at 172 Norfolk St., the former Ansche Chesed Synagogue (1849), in its architectural integrity and the tradition of the German Reform Movement of the mid-19th century. www.orensanzevents.com
WHAT: NAPOLEON by Stanley Kubrick adapted for the stage.
WHEN: August 20th and 23rd at 8 pm.
WHERE: The Orensanz Foundation 172 Norfolk St. New York, NY 10002.
TICKETS are $20 to $30 and can be purchased on NapoleonKubrick.bpt.me or 1.800.838.3006.