Press

Young performer in costume on stage, sitting on a box, with orchestra in the background.

“It is always difficult to expect young actors to carry a full-length musical, but Manganello and Heisey are more than up to the challenge. Manganello perfectly embodies Oliver’s initial innocence and naivety, which encapsulate Oliver’s persona. The beauty of his angelic vocals moves the audience to tears in his first solo ‘Where Is Love?’”

Logo of DC Theater Arts with the tagline 'Your Next Theater Destination.'

—Christine Maxted with DC Theater Arts

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Person in a police officer costume with hat and fake mustache

“Patrolling the resort on his mall-cop scooter, Mauro Manganello played Dogberry, the cunning and stern policeman. Dogberry provides comic relief during the more emotionally charged portions of the show, and Manganello’s use of comedy was spectacular as he bossed his security team around. Manganello also did a remarkable job at engaging with the audience; he would point at people and ask them questions throughout his scenes, engrossing them and making them feel as if they were living in the show. Dogberry's character wouldn't have been complete without his iconic Segway. Manganello used the Segway as an extension of his character, and it was a principle comic element.”

The Cappies logo featuring comedy and tragedy masks on a book, surrounded by stars and a purple ribbon.

— Sabrina Stefanik with the Washington DC Cappies

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Person in period costume holding suitcase on stage with group in background
The Cappies logo featuring comedy and tragedy masks on a book, surrounded by stars and a purple ribbon.

“Also to be applauded is the ethereal Mauro Manganello, whose harmonious a capella rang throughout the otherwise silent stage in ‘Stay, I Pray You.’ Throughout his stunning solo, he conducted the ensemble behind him with perfect pitch, an incredible feat for a vocalist singing without accompaniment.”

-Sienna Lardizabal with the Washington DC Cappies

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“Junior Mauro Manganello won the Cappie for Comic Actor in a Male Role in a Play for his role as Dogberry, a comically-inept constable who oversees his police force from a segway.”

“The FX Players, Fairfax High School’s theater troupe, won three Cappies awards for its fall production of Much Ado About Nothing. The modern take on the Shakespeare classic set in a Greek island resort, with revisions by Director Chris Whitney, and received 11 Cappies nominations in all.”

— Michael O’Connell with the Patch

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Photo Credits: Cindy Decarlo