Page 6 - Pink Power Newsletter

F E A T U R E D T A L E N T
John Cudia
John Cudia is equally at home on Opera, Theater and Concert stages. A lyric
tenor, he proudly made his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as Curly in their production
of Oklahoma! For Vancouver Opera, John most recently sang Count Danilo in The
Merry Widow. Previously for Vancouver Opera he sang Cassio in Otello and Juan
Peron in Evi- ta. For Indianapolis Opera, he created the role of Dr. Woodly in the
World Premiere of Happy Birthday Wanda June by Richard Auldon Clark with
Libretto by Indiana’s own Kurt Vonnegut. For Lyric Opera of the North he sang the
Duke in Rigoletto and Alfredo in La Traviata.
John holds the distinct honor of being the first and only actor to have performed
both as the The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera and Jean Valjean in Les Mis-
érables on Broadway. John’s most recent Broadway run counted him as only the 12th
performer to play the Phantom in its historic, record-breaking 30+ years. John played
Jean Valjean at the Marriott Theater in Chicago where his performance earned him
the Joseph Jefferson Award for “best actor in a musical.” John made his Broadway
debut in Les Miz and worked extensively in both Les Miz and Phantom. Also on
Broadway; Evita with Ricky Martin as Che. John toured the United States and Canada
as the Phantom and also has the role of Raoul on Broadway and the North American
tour to his credit. Re- gionally, both Emile Debecque and Lt. Cable in South Pacific,
Jesus in ‘Superstar,’ and Tony in West Side Story and Master Class. John has helped
develop new works for the theatre with Roundabout Theatre, the Banff Theatre
Centre, Paper Mill Playhouse, com- posers Jonathon Dove,
Frank Wildhorn and Maury Yeston.
John earned his BA and MSL from Fordham University and Fordham Law. He currently
studies voice with Metropolitan Opera Baritone Mark Oswald. He and his wife,
Broadway actress Kathy Voytko, reside in New Jersey with their two daughters Alena
14, and Evelyn 12, and their dogs Kingsley and Fajita. www.johncudia.com
FOURPHANTOMSINCONCERT.COM , broadwaytenors.com
Kathy Voytko
Kathy Voytko made national news when Hugh Jackman praised her in a curtain
speech that went viral, for jumping into the lead role of Marian Paroo (played by
Sutton Foster) with only a few hours’ notice on the fourth Broadway preview of THE
MUSIC MAN. Her Broadway debut was in the original cast of the OKLAHOMA! revival,
starring Andrea Martin and Patrick Wilson. She then performed in the Tony Award-
winning NINE starring Antonio Banderas and Chita Rivera. Kathy originated the role of
Ariadne in Stephen Sondheim’s THE FROGS opposite Nathan Lane at Lincoln Center.
She appeared on Broadway in THE PIRATE QUEEN, the Pulitzer Prize-winning NEXT TO
NORMAL, the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO
LOVE AND MURDER, and the original Broadway cast of TUCK EVERLASTING.
Kathy toured the United States as Christine in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and was
chosen by the legendary Hal Prince to play Eva Peron in the 25th anniversary tour of
EVITA. She is a frequent soloist in Boublil and Schonberg’s dream concert DO YOU
HEAR THE PEOPLE SING? on its international tour, alongside Lea Salonga and Terence
Mann. She was also a soloist in THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER on its USA
tour. At Carnegie Hall, Kathy sang in Oscar Hammerstein & Jerome Kern’s SHOWBOAT,
and also in the live concert recording of KRISTINA by Benny Andersson and Björn
Ulvaeus. The company then reprised the concert live at
the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Kathy is a featured soloist with symphonies across the United States, Mexico, and
Canada. She has portrayed Clara in PASSION, Fantine in LES MISERABLES, and Fiona
in BRIGADOON. She was honored with her first Joseph Jefferson Award for Best
Actress in a Musical as Polly in CRAZY FOR YOU, and her second as Francesca in THE
BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY. Kathy earned a BFA in Musical Theatre from
Shenandoah Conservatory and grew up in lovely Johnstown, PA. She is married to
Broadway and opera singer John Cudia; they are the
proud parents of Alena and Evelyn.
October 12, 2023