Energy and Satire Pepper the
Lyric Opera Theatre 2006-2007 MainStage Season
Patrons of the upcoming Herberger College 2006-2007 MainStage Lyric Opera Theatre (LOT) season can expect shows filled with diversity, energy and comedy. Opera and musical theatre students in the School of Music will have opportunities to showcase their exceptional talents in four shows: Godspell and The Scarecrow during the fall; Ariadne auf Naxos and the "Chelsea" version of Candide during spring 2007.
"People can expect a high energy, user-friendly season," said William Reber, artistic director of the Lyric Opera Theatre. "The shows we're doing will enable the actors to develop individual characters in ensemble casts."
The season will begin with the immensely popular Godspell - a story that follows the last seven days of the life of Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel of St. Matthew.
"This showcase piece will be a great launching pad for our younger undergraduate students," Reber said.
Casting began at the end of the spring 2006 semester. A tight production schedule is expected; however, according to Reber, the show doesn't require a lot of work in terms of sets and costumes, which will help ease the production schedule.
Godspell is directed by Richard Leigh with music direction by Courtney Andrews. Both students are enrolled in the music theatre master's program. The choreographer is by Lauren Margison. The musical is appropriate for all ages. The shows are scheduled for Sept. 29, 30 and Oct. 1, 4, 6-8, 2006.
During the late fall, audiences can experience The Scarecrow. This operatic Nathaniel Hawthorne adaptation is about a living scarecrow who finds out what it is to be human, experience love, and have a hand in his own fate.
Composer Joseph Turrin conducted the world premier performances in February at the University of Texas at Austin.
He designed the show specifically to showcase the voices of performers who are in their mid to late 20s, Reber said. "He orchestrated it for wind ensemble in part to cut down on production costs; it doesn't require a chorus, which also lessens the demands on the choral program performers."
The Scarecrow was underwritten by an exclusive, 12-school consortium. Some of the other institutions involved include: Yale, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, The Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester and the University of North Texas, Reber said.
The Scarecrow is guest directed by professional stage director Graham Whitehead. The music director is Gary Hill, director of bands. The opera is appropriate for audiences age 13 and up. The performances are set for Nov. 17-18 and Dec. 1-2, 2006.
Moving into spring 2007, Ariadne auf Naxos will grace MainStage and is sure to be a top-tier performance. The opera intertwines both comedy and drama. The plot follows a dance troupe that is forced to improvise within a classical opera. The performance is split between onstage and backstage settings.
The two-hour opera is sung in German (with English supertitles). There is no chorus and Reber describes the music as "difficult." Despite all of these complexities, audiences can expect the cast to produce an exceptional show.
"This piece requires a lot of dedication and discipline - the performers will spend most of the fall working on the language," Reber said. "It's an opera that's difficult for most universities to perform."
The opera is directed by professor Dale Dreyfoos, with music direction by Reber, and is appropriate for audiences age 13 and up. The shows are scheduled Feb. 23-24 and March 2-3, 2007.
The LOT MainStage season will draw to a close with the "Chelsea" version of Candide. The musical runs just under two hours, but there are more than 250 roles that are played by an ensemble cast of about 20-25 performers.
Candide, the hero, ventures through every ridiculous hardship conceivable with outrageous optimism.
"The story is absolute satire and is written from a teenage perspective, which lightens it up considerably," Reber said.
Reber believes the rewrites of the book and lyrics are what make the Chelsea version work so well, adding that he feels the original Voltaire version of Candide is too serious.
"Leonard Bernstein's musical score, here slightly adapted by Stephen Sondheim, is, and always has been, brilliant," Reber said. "This piece has one of the most beautiful finales in the history of musicals."
Graham Whitehead directs this performance with music direction by Reber. Candide contains sexual innuendo and is appropriate for audiences age 13 and up. Candide runs April 20-22, 25, 28-29, 2007.
The 2006-2007 MainStage LOT lineup includes shows for every type of audience. Though different in language and theme, each opera and musical delivers a wonderful sampling of satire, complexity, intelligence and vigor. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://mainstage.asu.edu.
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