Charles Repole
Professor Charles Repole directed the highly acclaimed concert versions of Dubarry Was a Lady starring Faith Prince and Robert Morse and Call Me Madam starring Tyne Daly for the prestigious City Center Encores! series. Other Broadway directing credits include the revival of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (which originated at the Goodspeed Opera House), The Lauri Strauss Leukemia Foundation Benefit at Carnegie Hall starring Regis Philbin, Marvin Hamlisch, Judy Collins, Anne Reinking and the New York Pops conducted by Skitch Henderson, the Easter Bonnet Competition at the Palace Theatre (raising millions for AIDS research) and A Salute to Frank Sinatra at Carnegie Hall. For 7 years, Mr. Repole conceived and directed the annual fund raising gala for the 92nd Street "Y" including: Dance! featuring the works of the Alvin Ailey dance company, the Martha Graham dance company, the Cleveland Ballet, David Parsons and Stomp!; Lyrics and Lyricists 25th Year Celebration hosted by Angela Lansbury and starring Rosie O’Donnell, Joel Grey, Bebbe Neuwirth, Jerry Herman, Cy Coleman, Stephen Schwartz and Sheldon Harnick; Folk Songs USA starring Burl Ives, Pete Seeger, Art Garfunkle and Odetta, and Standing Ovations hosted by Tony Randall and starring Carol Channing, Elaine Strich, Nell Carter, Leslie Uggams and Donna McKecknie. He has also conceived and directed the MAC Awards (Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs).
More recently, Charles Repole directed and conceived two fund raising events for the Tabernacle on Martha’s Vineyard; Brian Stokes Mitchell and the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, An Evening of Conversation: with Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry Morgenthau III and Ambassador William Vanen Heuvel at the American Jewish Historical Society, N.Y.C.. An Evening with Audra McDonald and Denyce Graves, The Magic Garden, a stage version of WPIX-TV’s “The Magic Garden”, starring Carol Demas and Paula Janis, a European production of Phantom of the Opera and numerous musicals for regional theatres including, Mame, Singing in the Rain, Me and My Girl, 42nd Street and this past summer he directed a musical stage version on the movie, White Christmas, starry Stacey Keach.
Mr. Repole has also for the last two years, conceived and directed, with producer Dan Kaplan, various Galas at The American Jewish Historical Society in New York City, with such distinguished speakers as Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry Morgenthau Jr. and Ambassadir William Venden Heuvel.
Other directing credits from a very long and varied career in the professional theatre include Where’s Charley! for the premiere season of the Kennedy Center’s concert series, Words and Music, a concert version of Of Thee I Sing for the Chicago Humanities Festival at Symphony Hall, celebrating the 100th Birthday of George Gershwin, the SDC Foundation gala Twenty-One for the 21st, George M! starring Joel Grey, Zorba starring Anthony Quinn , Call Me Madam starring Leslie Uggams, Annie starring Rue McClanahan, and the San Antonio Art Festival’s La Pericole starring Angelina Reaux and Joel Grey. For his production of A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, Mr. Repole was nominated for Chicago’s prestigious Joseph Jefferson Award.
Also an accomplished on-stage performer, he has appeared before Broadway audiences starring in Doubles, Whoopee! (for which he earned a Drama Desk nomination) and Very Good Eddie (which earned him a Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award). Off-Broadway credits include Olympus On My Mind and the concert version of Magdalena. Mr. Repole was also “glimpsed briefly” on the sit-com Encore Encore!.
Mr. Repole is presently the Chairman of the Drama, Theatre and Dance Department at Queens College and was the recipient of the 2001 President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
