Grand Romance

Three years ago, actor and choreographer David Costa almost didn't audition for a part. It's a good thing he reconsidered, because it wound up to be one of the most important roles of his life.

"I kept rethinking whether to audition," explains Costa. Dejected that he wasn't cast in the latest show for a Boston theater group, Costa was hesitant about trying out for a role in Fiddlehead Theatre's upcoming production of "The King and I"; after all, he had started in professional theater and the Norwood based organization - then a community theater - seemed like it might be a step in the wrong direction. He took the step, anyway.

"I knocked on the door of the theater, and on the other side I hear this voice say [gruffly], 'Hello? What do you want?'"

The door opens.

Cue: butterflies, fireworks, sweeping orchestral arrangement.

"I thought, maybe I was glad I decided to audition, after all," says Costa.
Standing on the other side of the door was Stacey Stephens, Fiddlehead's artistic director. His reaction was equally excited, if for different reasons.

"I thought, 'Great! I need a good-looking guy who can sing, because we're starting rehearsals tonight and I'm down one person,'" laughs Stephens. "I had just ended a long term relationship, so I wasn't really in that mode."

"I e-mailed him rather shamelessly, because he didn't have my contact information," recalls Costa. "So I e-mailed him my phone number."

"It had a wink to it," interjects Stephens. "The e-mail back had a wink to it, too."

Three years later, Costa and Stephens still work and love together: their latest collaboration, "A Grand Night for Singing" (directed by Stephens and choreographed by Costa) opens at Fiddlehead on Friday, Jan. 30 for six performances only. The show is a revue of beloved favorites by Rodgers and Hammerstein, the beloved songwriting duo behind American classics like "Oklahoma!", "The Sound of Music", "South Pacific" and the show that first brought Fiddlehead's own dynamic duo together, "The King and I".

Most tellingly, the grand scope of Rodgers and Hammerstein's work pays tribute to the capabilities of Fiddlehead, a theater that is not unfamiliar with mounting impressively scaled shows. The Fiddlehead's historic Norwood Theatre is a 1927 proscenium with a full orchestra pit, providing the ability to host 15-piece orchestras, a comparative rarity in New England. Before joining with Fiddlehead, Stephens was a former wardrobe supervisor on Broadway and toured with mammoth shows like "Les Miserables" and "The Lion King". The magnitude of the theater's offerings may surprise those who, like Costa initially did, doubt the credibility of suburban productions.

"The problem with the term 'community theatre,' is that it can mean such a range of things," says Costa. "It could be two people in a church basement with folding chairs."

Those types of presumptions should fall by the wayside now, since Fiddlehead became a professional theater company in 2007, the same year it won two IRNE awards for its production of "My Fair Lady". But there are still some barriers to overcome.

"The stigma of 'suburban theater' does hurt us," admits Stephens. "But the fact is, Stoneham Theatre is further north of Boston than we are south; our highest ticket price is in the $30 dollar range; we have a proscenium theater with a full 15 piece orchestra, whereas due to limitations in town they can't always have that; we do the big musical titles that you're not seeing at theaters in Boston... taking those classics and making them a little different and palatable to a modern audience. The value that you're getting is quite wonderful, and something you're not always seeing in town."

The surprises inside the theater reflect the surprise of a romantic relationship that has developed, at least in part, from (and occasionally despite) their professional work together.

"It's wonderful 97 percent of the time," laughs Stephens of living and working with the one he loves. "We work in a business of egos. We both put a lot of our heart into things ... and there were some hairy moments in the first year. We might get into a show, and when I get nervous I pull into myself and focus on the work. I'm not always the nicest person if I'm in the middle of something."

"I, on the other hand, am perfect," interrupts Costa with a laugh.

"So it gets a little hairy," continues Stephens without missing a beat. But he echoes the sentiment of Michelle Gabow and Michelle Baxter, a lesbian writing/directing team from Roxbury Repertory Theater interviewed in last week's Bay Windows (See "Team Play," Jan. 15), noting that with time, personal rapport translates into a professional work approach. "We've developed a good understanding, to listen to one another and not step on each other's toes. We help one another, but don't overshadow [one another]. We don't always succeed. At least, I don't."

Still, so far, so good. For Costa and Stephens, it seems that every unexpected knock on the door has the potential for both personal and professional growth.

"It was probably 10 o'clock at night when she knocked on our door," says Stephens, recalling a young woman, Crystal, who moved in next door to his and Costa's unit. "We ended up becoming best friends. She had moved up with her husband, but now she was by herself; the day they moved in, Obama had named his vice-presidential pick. Her husband was Joe Biden's personal assistant."

Months went by, and before long Stephens - who creates by hand the elaborate, ornate sets and costumes used for Fiddlehead productions - was putting together an inauguration gown for his fast friend.

"I finished it about twenty minutes before she left [for Washington, D.C.]," laughs Stephens. "I'm told it got great compliments."

Anything is possible when opportunity knocks.

A Grand Night for Singing, produced by Fiddlehead Theatre, will play Jan. 30 through Feb. 1 and Feb. 6 through Feb. 8 at 109 Central Street, Norwood. For show times and to purchase tickets, visit fiddleheadtheatre.com or call 781.762.0528.