A North Jersey native, Michelle grew up in the dance studio and then soon called the theatre her second home. Professionally, she has used her passion for dance and musical theatre to lead her to a fulfilling career as a performer, choreographer and an educator. She has toured the country in the First National Tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, served as the Dance Captain of the National Tour of Camelot, spent months at sea as the lead singer/dancer on board the Dawn Princess, and has been seen regionally in such shows as …Forum, Pal Joey, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, Pippin and Company. In Boston, her choreography for Pal Joey was nominated of an IRNE award. Upon relocating to Florida from New York, she choreographed the Florida Premier of Snoopy The Musical under the direction of co-creator Arthur Whitelaw as well as Urinetown and Bat Boy: The Musical at Area Stage Company in Coral Gables and was seen in Hello Dolly at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. Michelle earned her BFA in Musical Theatre with an emphasis in Dance from The Boston Conservatory and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
BWW Reviews: Slow Burn Theatre Company Attends a Chilling Tale of SWEENEY TODD April 21, 2013
Aside from having the gumption to produce the more offbeat and challenging musicals, what Slow Burn Theatre Company can accomplish with a minimal amount of outside resources is truly commendable. Surely I was in the audience of a much more seasoned, union regional house.
BWW Review: IN THE HEIGHTS Finds Second Home in Miami March 10, 2013
It seems an obvious choice for Miami to produce one of the first regional productions of In The Heights, a musical centered around Latin culture in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Theatre is meant to be relatable and hold up a mirror to its audience and, after feeling the electricity on opening night, the line between actor and audience was barely discernable.
BWW Review: THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE Makes Magic at Maltz Jupiter Theatre March 10, 2013
Thoroughly Modern Millie, a classic piece of musical theatre in its own right, brings a prohibition-era energy and crispness to the lively set while keeping focus on a simple story of a small-town girl. Whether you go to the theatre for the love of music, dance, story or spectacle, it was all there in perfect harmony on opening night March 7th in Jupiter.
BWW Reviews: Come Look at the Freaks of Slow Burn Theatre Company's SIDE SHOW February 3, 2013
Serving as Director/Choreographer for most of Slow Burn's productions, Fitzwater builds this world as a maddening circus filled with somehow completely relevant freaks of nature.
BWW Reviews: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN Brings the Motion Picture to Life at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre January 14, 2013
Recreating this iconic movie on the stage is an ever-daunting task but has been a staple of the regional theatre scene since it closed on Broadway in the mid 1980s. There are not many noticeable adaptations or deviations from the original Comden and Green 1952 film, and this may be an inherent flaw in the piece. Add to that the obvious preconceptions and expectations nearly every theatergoer has upon venturing out to experience a production, and any producer will know they have their work cut out for them. However, there is also something to be said for the ability to trust such a tried and true combination of song and dance that has the promise to delight on a presentational level, at the very least.
BWW Reviews: Love Unwinds in THE LAST FIVE YEARS at Actors' Playhouse December 11, 2012
A favorite among contemporary musical theatre lovers, Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years has been championed as one of his best. After the show opened at the Minetta Lane Theatre in 2002, its original cast recording under the new Sh-K-Boom label spread like wildfire through communities of aspiring young actors and composers, inspiring a new generation of musical theatre. Brown has been recognized as a leader in adapting theatre for modern audiences and creating pieces that are so relatable, they are almost cathartic.
BWW Reviews: Majestic MUSIC MAN Marches into The Maltz Jupiter Theatre December 3, 2012
In this retelling of Meredith Wilson's 'The Music Man,' with early 20th century Midwest slang and an almost too quick gift-wrapped resolution, director Mark Martino and choreographer Shea Sullivan were able to successfully breathe new life into a script and score that, especially for younger audiences, could so easily remain stale.
BWW Reviews: AVENUE Q Sizzles at Slow Burn Theatre Company October 29, 2012
This AVENUE Q delivers exactly what fans of the show expect: a raunchy, shocking humor neatly gift-wrapped and presented under the guise of seemingly cute puppets with dirty minds and no filter.
BWW Reviews: GODSPELL Preaches Love at Actors' Playhouse October 18, 2012
Without getting political or even all that specifically religious, Actors' Godspell places focus on the ever-growing importance of an accepting and loving community, a message well-received.
BWW Reviews: 'REAL MEN' Find Musical Masculinity at Actors' Playhouse August 5, 2012
Paul Louis and Nick Santa Maria, creators and writers of "Real Men Sing Show TunesAnd Play with Puppets," find a way to appeal to both sexes with clever rhymes, well-timed skits and the occasional shocking curveball.
The Naked Stage's THE TURN OF THE SCREW Haunts The Pelican Theatre July 30, 2012
As eerie candlelight dances across dark walls, two actors create an intensely creepy world that extends past the fourth wall and lures the audience into its chilling tale. With great use of theatrical magic, The Naked Stage manages to transform a tiny black box theatre into a grandiose haunted mansion with the use of slight shifts of light, simple blocking patterns and the dynamic believability of both actors.
BWW Reviews: THE DONKEY SHOW is a Swinging Good Time at The Arsht Center July 23, 2012
An infectious blend of Miami heat and Studio 54 spice, "The Donkey Show" brings the 70s alive by way of an over-the-top, rollicking disco extravaganza.
BWW Reviews: 'BaBY GiRL' Comes Out at Empire Stage July 16, 2012
In a cozy blackbox on the edge of downtown Fort Lauderdale and the well-known LGBT-friendly neighborhood of Wilton Manors, the world premiere of local playwright Kim Ehly's "BaBY GiRL" was welcomed among a warm and supportive audience with a penchant for raucous laughter.
BWW Reviews: Palm Beach Dramaworks' THE FANTASTICKS Shines Bright in the Moonlight of West Palm Beach July 16, 2012
Palm Beach Dramaworks christened their new space on Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach with a fresh production of the world's longest running musical "The Fantasticks" on Friday night.
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