OXFORD,
Miss. – Opera Theatre and Showstoppers at the University of Mississippi
are partnering for a special show that opens at 8 p.m. Friday (Oct. 24)
in Meek Hall Auditorium. “From the Met to Broadway and Back Again” is a
collection of scenes from musical theatre and the operas that inspired
them.
“The theme of the production is ‘great operas inspire
great musical theatre,’ so it’s going back and forth between an opera
excerpt and its companion in musical theatre,” said Julia Aubrey,
director of Opera Theatre and of the production. “For instance, we’ll
go from ‘La Boheme’ into ‘Rent’ and then back into ‘La Boheme’ again.”
Encore performances are set for 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $11 for adults, $10 for children and seniors, and $9 for UM students with a valid ID. They are available in the UM Box Office in the Student Union or by calling 662-915-7411.
Other paired scenes that will be performed are “La Traviata” and “Phantom of the Opera,” “Madama Butterfly” reinvented in “Miss Saigon,” “Romeo and Juliet” resonating in “West Side Story” and the fairy tale of “Cendrillon” in the musical “Cinderella.”
The collaboration between opera and musical theatre at Ole Miss will be year-round. Showstoppers plans on working with Opera Theatre again in spring semester on a production of “Carmen.”
Aubrey said she enjoys working with both the opera and musical theatre students. “It’s delightful. I have 40 people, and it’s wonderful to have that much sound. You have the strength of the singers, and then the strength of the acting or dancing. They’re all learning from each other, which is a wonderful way to broaden their educational experience.”
“Combining musical theatre and opera together in this way is really wonderful from an education standpoint,” said Pep Speed, a senior musical theatre major from Meridian. “It teaches the opera students who may not have had as much knowledge, training or history in musical theatre, and at the same time, it teaches the theatre students who may not have had that same education in opera theatre,” he said.
Speed, like many other cast members, is playing multiple roles in the production, including Mark in the scene from “Rent” and Firmin in the scene from “Phantom of the Opera.”
The cast has been working on the show for about eight weeks now. “There are so many different styles of music in the production,” Speed said. “It’s a really interesting, fun challenge to go from singing something very classical like ‘La Traviata’ to blasting it out and rocking out to something like ‘Rent.'”
The show promises a wide range of quality entertainment, Aubrey said.
“You will get to see a little bit of everything, both opera and musical theatre,” she said. “If you want to talk about Top 40s music, this is it. ‘La Boheme,’ ‘Butterfly,’ ‘Traviata’ – those are the big operas that everybody knows, and it’s the same with musical theatre scenes as well.”
“You’re going to learn a lot,” Speed said. “If you know a lot about musicals or opera, you might find a thing or two you didn’t know in seeing a show and another show as a counterpoint. Even if you don’t know anything about opera or musicals, it’s just a whole lot of fun with some great music and a lot of talented kids working their hardest and having a good time.”
For more information on the production, contact Aubrey at 662-915-1280 or jaubrey@olemiss.edu. For assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-7411.