*Appearing through an Agreement between the Hippodrome Theatre and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. ^ Member of the Hippodrome Theatre’s company of actors.
I grew up watching “I Love Lucy”. As a kid I had no idea about how groundbreaking the series was. I loved seeing a Latino on my TV in a major role in a funny sitcom. Especially in black and white! When I discovered that the original inspiration for “I Love Lucy” were a series of radio plays called “My Favorite Husband” I was on pins and needles to listen to it! When I did, however, I was shocked because Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnez) was not in it. Upon further research I discovered that Lucille Ball had to fight very hard to just get Desi Arnez to be the husband on the “I Love Lucy” TV show because executives didn’t think America was ready for a mixed-race couple on TV. They even gave Desi’s character a job in the entertainment industry because they didn’t think it would be believable for a Hispanic character to work in a bank. I can’t imagine “I Love Lucy” without both Lucy and Desi. Their chemistry, timing, and hilarious antics would not exist without each other on that show. They were a creative force that not only was innovative in creating the modern-day sitcom, but also in becoming part of American pop culture. “My Favorite Esposo” is my love letter to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez. A reimagining of the original “My Favorite Husband” radio show if they had Desi Arnez. What would it had been like to have had that spice in the original seed of what became the “I Love Lucy” show. The second act is a modern-day imagining of the radio show. How a fun family radio show might be like in 2022. This show is dedicated to Lucille Ball: a woman who fought to get her husband, an immigrant, as a performer on the TV show she was leading. A woman who unknowingly helped pave a path for Latino entertainers like me in the film and television industry. Thank you Lucille Ball. I will always love Lucy. ~ Alberto Bonilla
Alberto Bonilla*(Director and George/Ricky)
Alberto Bonilla* (George/Ricky) Selected Film credits: The God Committee, The Sunlit Night, Youth in Oregon, Sleep Walk with Me, Cop Out, Pride and Glory, and My BestFriends Girl. Selected television credits: Russian Doll, Iron Fist, Gotham, Blue Bloods,Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Person of Interest,The Sopranos, andLaw & Order:Criminal Intent. Alberto made his Broadway debut understudying Dr.Wally and Bob for Roundabout Theatre’sproduction of Marvin’s Room. Other NYC theater creditsinclude: The Diorama, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, The Cherry Orchard, The Laramie Projectand Raft of the Medusa. Alberto Bonilla* (Director and George/Ricky) MFA: Rutgers University (William Esper / Maggie Flanigan/ Lenard Petit) AEA / SAG-AFTRA www.albertobonilla.com
Benny Cannon (Foley Artist)
Benny Cannon is thrilled to be back at The Hipp in support of such a great showcase of important voices. He is excited to get back to performing after what has been a very long and painful year for artists and venues everywhere. For those of us fortunate enough to seemingly be on the other side of this pandemic, it is truly a blessing to be able to return to what can sometimes feel like the only place that understands everything about you, the stage. He wants to thank everybody here for continuing to
support your local artists and encourages you to make sure you’re looking for those artists who might need a little boost to help their voice be heard. He’d like to thank his Mother, Kathleen Leigh, for always encouraging him to just be himself, his fiancée, Shaina Wallach, for being the best friend and partner anyone could ask for, his bandmates in The Savants of Soul and Locochino, for sharing him with the theatre world, and his sweet puppy Miss Althea Bedelia Puppypants, for always getting him up for their morning walk.
Melissa Macleod* (Liz/Lucy)
Melissa recently made her Hipp debut in Living on Love. Other regional credits include PlayMakers Rep (Richard II, Luminosity), Theatre Raleigh (Into the Breeches, Struck), Playhouse on Park (Proof), Cortland Rep (Rumors, The Hollow), Broward Stage Door (Bell, Book and Candle) and Seven Angels Theatre (The Crimson Thread). Melissa received her MFA from The Shakespeare Theatre Company's Academy for Classical Acting at George Washington University, where she played Viola and Isabella. www.melissa-macleod.com
Matthew Lindsay*^ (Announcer/Boss/Brad/Louis)
After a long hiatus, Matthew is thrilled to be back on the Hippodrome stage in this production of My Favorite Esposo with such a talented cast! Other past Hipp credits include: As You Like It, Hamlet, Clybourne Park, Don't Dress for Dinner, Defiance, Shear Madness, Women In Jeopardy, Slasher, Dracula, The Tempest, Mr. Burns, A Christmas Carol, and A Tuna Christmas. Matthew holds an MFA in Acting
from UF and is currently a professor of theater at Santa Fe College, where he teaches acting, theater history, and improvisation. Matthew is a proud member of Actors’ Equity. Thank you for your support of local arts!
Elaina Walton (Katy/Iris/Brittany/Lexi)
Elaina is an actor, director, producer, and theatre maker with a B.A in Theatre from the University of West Florida, and an MFA in Acting from the University of Florida. She is also the co-founder of "NonarBeth Entertainment", an organization dedicated to the upliftment of Black voices and representation in arts and entertainment. Some of Elaina's other credits include; Is God Is, WHITE, Hills On Fire, Chasing George Washington, and RENT. Instagram: @itselainawalton
Anthony P. Pennino (Co-Author) Anthony P. Pennino (co-author) wants you to know that while you are enjoying tonight’s show in balmy Florida that he’s succumbing to frostbite in the New Jersey. Pennino is the author of numerous plays, articles, and one scholarly book on the Britain theatre. He has an MFA from Columbia University and a PhD from the University of London. He served as visiting professor at Kadir Has University in İstanbul through the Fulbright Program and is now an associate professor of literature at Stevens Institute of Technology.
The Hippodrome Theatre recognizes and acknowledges that it resides on the historic territories of the Timucua and Seminole peoples who long inhabited this land. Actors’ Equity Association Actors’ Equity Association (“Equity”), founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 50,000 actors and stage managers. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. #EquityWorks
Hippodrome programs are sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts & Culture; Visit Gainesville Alachua County, and by the City of Gainesville, Dept. of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs. Playbill by Franziska Raeber.
Please do not use the entrances and exits during the performance. The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
