Enzo Stuarti
| Enzo Stuarti | |
|---|---|
2000.jpg)
Enzo Stuarti publicity photo (circa )2000
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lorenzo Scapone |
| Also known as | Larry Laurence, Larry Stuart |
| Born | March 3, 1919 |
| Origin | Rome, Italy |
| Died | December 16, 2005 (aged 86) |
| Years active | 1945–2004 |
| Labels | Jubilee, Epic, Columbia, Roulette, Diplomat, Spin-O-Rama |
Enzo Stuarti (born Lorenzo Scapone; March 3, 1919 - December 16, 2005) was an Italian American tenor and musical theater performer. After performing on Broadway under the stage names Larry Laurence and Larry Stuart, he changed his name again and began a recording career in which he released several successful albums. He made regular stage and television appearances, and was featured in commercials for Ragú spaghetti sauce.
Stuarti was born Lorenzo Scapone in Rome, Italy. His parents fled Italy for the United States when Benito Mussolini came to power, but he was left behind with an aunt who placed him in the Monte Cassino Abbey, where he was raised by monks. He joined his family in Newark, New Jersey in 1934, where he finished school and worked with his father, a baker by trade.
In 1940, Stuarti joined the United States Merchant Marine and was assigned aboard the Liberty ship SS Charles Pratt, a Panamanian-based tanker. On December 21, 1940, the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat. He survived the attack and after his service in the Merchant Marine, he returned to Italy for voice training in order to pursue his ambition of singing professionally. He studied for a time at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome.
Stuarti's first Broadway show was Hollywood Pinafore followed by Nellie Bly. Then in 1946, he was cast in the role of Passepartout in the Cole Porter/Orson Welles musical Around the World. The production was not considered a success though, closing after a run of just seventy-five performances. Additional Broadway credits included As the Girls Go,Two on the Aisle,Me and Juliet, and By the Beautiful Sea. During this time he was performing under the stage names "Larry Laurence" (sometimes spelled "Lawrence") and "Larry Stuart". In 1955, the tenor performed under the name Enzo Stuarti in the Marc Blitztein "folk opera" Reuben, Reuben.
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