Theatre--Master Class/Workshop

 Caroline McGee (see biographical information below)is coming home to Louisiana for another acting method acting workshop scheduled for December 29th through January 5, 2011at Cite des Arts in downtown Lafayette.  The workshop will focus on exercises, improvisations and scene and monologue work from the modern classics---Chekhov, Williams, Albee, Sam Shepard, Mamet and others.  

The class will be designed to suit all actors from beginning to advanced, and ages 7 through adult are welcome to apply.   When applying, please be sure to include availability during the days/evenings of the workshop. This winter session includes five workshop days for 3 hours each.

On a personal note, former Method Workshop member Savannah Des Ormeaux has been accepted into the NYU Tisch School of the Arts BFA acting program.  Congratulations to Savannah!

Bio:

Director Caroline McGee's recent production, "Revolting Women/Woman Bomb," for the United Solo International Festival, Theatre Row, NYC, won the Best Acting Award for Jelena Stupljanin's portrayal. Caroline's training includes: Yale Drama, Stella Adles, Wynn Handman, Bill Esper, Michael Howard, Robert Lewis, and the National Conservatory in France. She has served as Associate Professor/Director, Catholic U. MFA Acting Program, Director/Producer for NYU TischDrama/Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute, the professional program at NYU’s Stonestreet Studio for Film & TV, and, currently teaches at The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Art in Film & TV. She has produced and performed theatre extensively in the US and Europe, and appeared in films with/by Gregory Peck, Woody Allen, Gena Rowland and others. Her theatre reviews have appeared in Slavic & Eastern European Performance and Western European Stages.Since 1997, she has been a panelist for the New York State Council of the Arts, Individual Artists awards. Caroline is a member of all 3 actor unions, AEA, SAG and AFTRA.

Theatre

This is not technically about Acadiana theatre, but it is a very sad story about one of Louisiana's theatre institutions, Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre having to cancel the rest of this season and lay off employees.  Local theatres need everyone's support--all local arts do.  Perhaps that can be one of the New Year's Resolutions that theatre lovers make for 2011.

Theatre--Performance (Musical Theatre)

The Performing Arts Society of Acadiana (PASA) has announced the appointment of Shanna Higginbotham as its new executive director.

Higginbotham, a native of Lafayette, assumes the leadership role currently held by Jacqueline Lyle on January 3, 2011. Her professional experience includes over 18 years in various leadership roles with Cox Media, and most recently as the owner of Professional Consulting Partners.  As a consultant Shanna has focused on helping numerous companies in Louisiana and Texas markets identify problems, make recommendations and help with organizational development efforts. Her most recent appointment was as an internal consultant with Bizzuka, Inc.

“I am extremely excited about the opportunity to lead such a tremendous organization,” says Higginbotham.  “The tradition of PASA, and the many years of great performing arts in the community, is something I hold very dear.  My goal as executive director is to preserve what has been built by Jackie and her team, but to also begin to build a new and different organization that will continue to grow and solidify Lafayette’s reputation for its tremendous capacity for the arts.  I am so pleased and thankful that the board has allowed me this honor and look forward to serving the community for years to come.”

Higginbotham will be the second Executive Director in the organization’s history. Lyle, who is departing PASA to pursue personal interests, was a founding board member when the organization was founded in 1988.  In March 1989, she assumed the role of executive director and launched PASA’s first fundraising drive and its first season in July 1989.

 “Jackie has brought PASA from its earliest days as fledgling organization to the influential, respected organization that it is today.” says PASA Board President Don Johnson.  “Under her leadership, our community has enjoyed 22 years ofgreat performances.”

The Performing Arts Society of Acadiana is a non-profit organization that presents live entertainment at the Heymann Performing Arts Center and other local venues, creates in-school arts activities, offers daytime performances for students and, initiates outreach programs such as the Hill Bonin Jr. Scholarship, PASA Stageside and Play It Again, Lafayette. PASA presents annual performances of opera, dance, drama and a variety of musical acts

 “Since my earliest memory, I have loved performing arts,” says Lyle. “I can’t imagine a better way that I could have spent the majority of my professional life.”

Opera--Auditions

The UL Lafayette Opera Theater will hold auditions for its spring production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta, The Mikado.  The auditions will take place in Angelle Hall (room TBA) on January 14th beginning at 3 pm.    Appropriate audition material would be any song by Gilbert and Sullivan, a light operatic aria, or a classic, lyric musical theatre piece.  Try to keep it comic if possible. 

Auditioners may also be asked to do a cold reading.

 

Rehearsals will be Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 – 8 pm with 4 performances from April 14th through the 16th in Ducrest-Gilfry Auditorium in Angelle Hall on the UL Lafayette campus. 

 

The cast have 5 females and 5 males with a chorus.  The role of the Mikado is pre-cast.

 

Cast Breakdown:

 

The Mikado, bass

Nanki Poo,  tenor

Yum Yum, soprano

Koko, baritone (Patter role)

Katisha, mezzo or contralto

Poo Bah,  baritone or bass

Pish Tush, baritone or bass

Peep Bo,  soprano or mezzo

Pitti Sing,  mezzo

 

 

Contact Shawn Roy at 482-5939 or srr3023@louisiana.edu for more information about the auditions or performances.

 

The operetta is being accompanied by the UL Lafayette Wind Ensemble conducted by Dr. William Hochkeppel.  The show is being directed by Shawn Roy and choreographed by Kenneth Jenkins.  Sets are by Duncan Thistlethwaite and Lighting Design by Ken Harrelson.  Costumes are by Malabar Costume rental, Inc. 

Theatre--Presentation

Join members of AcA in their new café at the Acadiana Center for the Arts for their first discussion as participants examine collaboration. Connect with Artistic Director of L’Enfant Terrible, Justin Zsebe, Artistic Director of Acting Up (in Acadiana), Amy Waguespack and Anna Marquardt, educator at Carencro High. The panel will discuss collaboration with theatre in the classroom and the discovery of contemporary themes in the works of Shakespeare.

Coffee + is a series of discussion with artists, educators and community members in opening the dialogue and taking a more in-depth look into the arts. Through conversation, we reach to push beyond art as product and take a closer look into process. 

For more information or to secure a spot, please call 337.233.7060 or email paige@acadianacenterforthearts.org. 

This event is free and open to the public thanks to a generous grant from the Dana Foundation.

Theatre--New Website

Cite Des Arts has updated their website with a brand new look.  Check it out here.

Theatre--Reading

Cite Des Arts is excited to have a first reading
of a new musical by Bill Fontenot called Alrite!
Bill is a well known naturalist in Lafayette, as
well as a former UL professor and former head of 
the Nature Station.  Luckily for all of us, he 
is also a musician and is testing the waters as 
a playwright.  The purpose of a reading/workshop
for a new play is to let the writer hear the 
play aloud and discover things about the script,
and also to get feedback from a small audience
of readers.

Theatre--Performance

Looking for a Seasonal Comedy for all ages? Bring the family to “Rough Night at the North Pole”  brought by the students of Sandra Broussard & Shane Guilbeaux.  A naughty little boy and his reluctant companion come to the North Pole to get even with Santa. Noodle wants revenge because Santa put coal in his stockings.  (He must have been really bad because he was wearing them at the time!)  The kids frame Santa and get him thrown in the North Pole jail.  With Santa out of the way, the boy plans on taking his place and putting coal in everyone’s stockings.  Will Santa get out in time to set things straight and ensure a Merry Christmas for one and all? 



WHERE:  109 Vine Street, Downtown
WHEN:  December 10, 11, 17 & 18, 8:00 pm
December 21 (Tuesday) 9:00 am, 11:00 am & 1 pm
Admission $5.00 for Children, $8.00 for Adults

Theatre--Review (Acadia Players)

Ray Blum's review of the Acadia Players' production of A Christmas Story appears in the Friday, December 3rd issue of the Daily Advertiser.

Theatre--Auditions

The Abbey Players have announced open auditions for their winter production of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit.  Auditions will be held at the Abbey Players Theatre (200 South State Street) from 1pm to 4pm on Saturday, December 11th and from 1pm to 4pm on Sunday, December 12th.

They need 5 women and 2 men 20's to late 30's.  All are welcome to audition and they are always excited to see new faces.

Auditions are not just for actors.   Each production requires numerous and varied tasks. The Abbey Players are interested in any time or skills you might be willing to give in order to support your local community theatre. 

Theatre--Auditions (Variety)

The Opelousas Little Theatre is holding open auditions for their Showcase 2011 at the Opelousas Little Theatre (behind the Opelousas Central Fire Station, next to Donald Gardner Stadium in the Opelousas South City Park) on Saturday, December 4th from 3 pm to 5 pm.  There will be another day of audition on Saturday, December 11th from 3 pm to 5 pm.


Showcase is the theatre's variety show which invites all local talent to perform--singers, dancers, bellydancers, musicians, actors, poets....This is the place to share talent with the Opelousas community.

Dance--Auditions

Sheridan Productions will hold auditions for solo and demi-solo dance roles Saturday, December 4th at 9:00am.  Auditions for all other dance parts, as well as choir, solo vocalist and acting roles will be held on January 8th, 2011.  This is in preparation for our latest original multi-discipline theatrical production to be presented in March of 2011.  Saturday's soloist audition is for dancers age 12 through adult and the January 8th audition includes ages 9 through adult.  Proceeds from these productions are donated to local charities.  Participation is open to the public.  Auditions are held at the Sheridan Productions Studio, 316 Bechet Road in Carencro.  

For more information, please contact Meghan at www.excellencethroughthearts.com or (337) 896-1874.

Theatre--Performance

The Lafayette High School Performing Arts Academy is presenting several shows over the next few weeks at Cite Des Arts.


The Introduction of Theatre class will perform a vaudeville show written by the class on Friday, December 3rd.  The show is directed by Blaine Peltier, and opens at 7:30 pm.  Tickets are $10.


The sophomore performance class will perform short plays adapted from Jon 

Stewart's Naked Pictures of Famous People on Saturday, December 4th.  

The show opens at 7:30 pm and tickets are $10.  

Warning:  This performance may contain some suggestive materials.

Theatre--Performance

Iberia Performing Arts League’s production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, directed by Charlee Halphen Swain opens this Friday for 3 consecutive week-ends. Friday and Saturday performances (December 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 17th, and 18th) are at 7:30 pm.  Sunday matinées (December 5th, 12th, and 19th) are at 3:00 pm.  

It was no secret that the Herdman kids were the worst kids around. They stole everything that they could get their hands on. They lied, cheated, hit little kids and talked dirty. The Herdman girls even smoked cigars! The only safe place to be was Sunday School because the Herdmans never went there--until the day the Herdman's learned that Sunday School offered free food. To the dismay of everyone, the Herdmans show up looking for free chocolate cake, and bully their way into the main roles of the Annual Christmas Pageant. Although everyone looks at this as a disaster, the Herdmans bring their own interpretation to the Christmas story which they had never heard before. The Best Christmas Pageant is a delightful story which brings a true Christmas spirit to all who witness.

Ticket outlets are Delaune’s Pharmacy, Paul’s Flowers, and Accentrics in New Iberia. Please call 338-354-6114 for further information.  Purchase tickets now and begin the Christmas season with the IPAL cast of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

The cast for the IPAL production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever includes:                                
  
Paul David                                       Mary Lancon
Ellen Rogers                                     Hannah Pommier
David Arceneaux                              Sydney Lancon
Susan Clark                                      Maddy Weber  
Marissa Ramsey                               Joycelyn Peer
Max Rogers                                     Stephanie Pommier
Nicholas Phillips                               Alyssa Bird
Maggie Landry                                 Joseph Phillips
Madeline Breaux                              John Cole Broussard
William Lambert                               Clare Phillips
Mary Beaullieu                                 Corey Camille
Emma Beaullieu                                Eleanor Cowan
Katie Lancon                                    Nanine Cowan
Katelyn Regard

Editor's Note

Please forgive the lack of updating this week, as the family was preparing for Thanksgiving.  I hope that you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and a joyful beginning to the 2010 Holiday Season.

Theatre--Master Class

The Acadiana Center for the Arts is sponsoring a Master Class for experienced actors interested in stretching themselves and beginners wanting to try acting in a creative, supportive environment?  Master theatre artist Justin Zsebe coaches participants to explore the emotions that blur the relationship between fact and fiction Wednesday December 8, 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Zsebe is an experienced storyteller and has worked with theater companies across the country and the world including The Geffen Playhouse, The Shanghai Experimental Theater, Theater X, Acting Up (in Acadiana). He has recently began serving as an artistic director for the newly formed L'Enfant Terrible, committed to creating theater for all ages.

Enrollment is limited so please contact us to register.  Class is open to high school students and adults. 

Please call 337.233.7060 or email paige@acadianacenterforthearts.org  $15 for non-members $10 for members and students.

Theatre--Reading

There’s no slab of Lab cooking at The Roadkill Diner; only  Alabama’s royal Nutt family is being toasted on the grill. The Roadkill Diner is the epicenter of the twists and turns of the dysfunctional Nutt family. Some of the Nutts rise to the occasion while others have never sunk so low.

This comedic avalanche is a satirical exposé of life in a small southern town where your swerve might be the Roadkill diner’s curve and KARP roadkill alerts inform the locals where vehicle and animal “meat and greet”

Music and lyrics are by the incomparable blues/jazz singer songwriter, Roddy Barnes.

A reading of The Roadkill Diner will take place at Cite Des Arts on November 29th at 6:30 pm.  After the reading will be a talk-back session to workshop the show.

Theatre--Performance

A Christmas Story, the underground classic holiday film, comes to life on stage thanks to the Acadia Players.

Humorist Jean Shepherd's memoir of growing up in the Midwest of the 1940's follows 11-year-old Ralphie Parker in his quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB gun under the tree for Christmas in Hohman, Indiana. Ralphie pleads his case before his mother, his teacher and even Santa Claus himself, at Goldblatt's Department Store. The consistent response: "You'll shoot your eye out." All the elements from the beloved motion picture are here, including the family's temperamental exploding furnace; Scut Farkas, the school bully; the boys' experiment with a wet tongue on a cold lamppost; the Little Orphan Annie decoder pin: Ralphie's father winning the lamp shaped like a woman's leg in fishnet stockings; Ralphie's fantasy scenarios and more.

The show runs November 26th and 27th at 7 p.m. and November 28th at 3 p.m. at the Grand Opera House in Crowley. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children and students. For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit www.acadiaplayers.com.

Theatre--Review (Louisiana Women series)

The Duchamp Opera House in St. Martinville hosts three more playlets in the Louisiana Women series by Carolyn Woosley.  This group pays tribute to African-American women: Marie-Therese Coincoin Metoyer, Clementine Hunter and Nellie Lutcher.  I mentioned to an African-American friend that I was looking forward to seeing the sketch about Mme. Metoyer and my friend had never heard of her or the Cane River Free People of Color.  That, alone, would be a good reason to see this production

As with the other productions by this company, there are three monologues in which each woman tells the audience something about her life.  The plays are not deep or exhaustive--they run about 40 minutes and are little more than a People magazine piece on stage.  Please don't read that as negative criticism.  The scripts are meant to be an introduction with the goal of getting the viewer to do some follow up work.  I immediately came home and spent an hour online reading up on the ladies because I was intrigued by the glimpses offered on stage.  They are presented as ladies who have a little time and a few good stories.  We get a feel for them as people we might want to know better.

Once again, the physical production is simple but effective.  A large mural photo of an oak tree forms the backdrop for a cemetery, a cabin and a business office.  Furniture and dressings change to give a snapshot of each woman's world and the costuming sets each woman in her period.  It is both expeditious and effective.

The performers are all competent and appealing.  They move the pieces along at a good clip so each monologue seems shorter than it actually is.  They are all comfortable speaking to an audience as if to a friend.  The direction is not fussy and makes good use of each setting.

No one wants to read a long review so I will be brief.  These shows introduce or renew the acquaintance of women of significant accomplishment in a pleasing way.  There are facts and themes to discuss afterward.  Personally, I would never miss the chance to see any Louisiana Women production and I say that as a person who makes his living in theatre.  

I wish more people had been in the audience tonight but there is still time to catch this show in St. Martinville before it ends its run on Sunday.  This is a show celebrating African-American women of accomplishment but it is not a Black show.  It is a universal show which demonstrates the strength, resilience and generosity of the human spirit. 
---Walter Brown

Dance--Review (UL-Lafayette Department of Music and Performing Arts)

UL’s School of Music and Performing Arts presents its fall State of La Danse November 11th through the 14th. The show consists of seven dance pieces, plus a tribute to UL alumnus “Pi” Keohavong. Every one of them was a winner.

As “theater”, the show was excellent. There was a flow, an excitement, and a movement that grabbed one’s attention from the very beginning to the very end, even though the numbers were unrelated. The show opened with a big “theatrical number” (“Sequins and Glitter”) and then progressed to a grand finale (“Risk of Return”). In between there was drama, humor, and tons of great dancing. “Sparrow (Part I and II)” was an amazing pair of pieces which could compete with the choreography in The Lion King! Without elaborate costumes, or set, or movie-preview, the audience was transferred to Africa. Did the dance represent a hunt, a nature observation, a political statement? That’s for talking about over coffee or in the quad! What’s not open to question is that it was a stunning number! “A Wetland’s Journal” was a three-part traditional ballet … danced to Cajun flavored music (BeauSoleil and Michael Doucet). What a surprising “turn of events”there was in the plot of this dance drama! “Spirit Shelter,” an evocative piece which was a large ensemble number brought to mind religious experiences, emotions, and perhaps a Jungian recollection or two.

To this reviewer, the most moving number was “As We Lay”, a duet featuring Gracey Domingue and Wesley Mata, and choreographed by Jennifer Birou Lakampt. Stunning! With but simple props (two mattresses) a story was developed: two people sleep, they wake up individually, dance separately. Only at one point do they noticeably touch, that being a moment in which they rise from the floor held up only by their backs touching as though against a wall. Strangely, after that there is a “change” in the feel of the piece though they continue the dance separately. The number concluded with an extended dance after the actual score ended, but the piece was so entrancing the music seemed to continue in the mind. What was this dance about? Was it a “double dream,” was it a statement about human separation, was it a celebration of spring (after all the musical selection was Einaudi’s Primavera) … guess I’ll have a caffeine high from talking about that one! Whatever, it was riveting. I wanted to stand and give the number a standing ovation … but figured if I did that on the SECOND piece of the evening, I’d be exhausted by the end!

“Tech” is an important element of any show. State of La Danse had it all. Maestro Travis Johnson’s lighting added to the show, and was ever changing. I personally get caught up by lighting effects and there were many in this show: silhouetted dancers against background washes, beautifully changing colors on a background or on the dancers themselves, “rooms” created on stage with nothing but light. This lighting was dramatic! Costumes go with dance, and  the ones in this show fitted each of the numbers (no pun intended). They had a loose, free flowing feel that somehow unified the seven dances. To be sure the Music and Performing Arts Department at UL has a limited and maybe shrinking budget (as does all of UL--but that is another matter for discussion over coffee or in the quad). These costumes, though, were beautifully done despite the budget. As tribute to departed UL alumnus “Pi” Keohavong was nice addition to the show, and Michael Cato’s video montage was excellent.

Those in the community interested in Dance, or just in “theater,” should take the time to get down to Angelle Hall this weekend to see the performance:  Evening performances at 7:30 Friday and Saturday, and the Sunday Matinee is at 2:00. You won’t soon forget it. Kudos to all involved in State of La Danse 2010.

---Donald Voorhies

Theatre--Performance

The actors at Eunice Players' Theatre are preparing to end their successful 41st season with a Christmas comedy, The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of A Christmas Carol, by David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Jnr.   Director Liz Bryan notes that the comedy is just as long on laughs as its title.

This delightfully light and goofy comedy has the fictitious townswomen's guild mounting their version of the Christmas classic, in the style of community theatre gone awry.  The actors enthusiastically portray a dizzy array of characters from the Dickensian favorite and engineer some novel audience participation.  Their share of mishaps, miscues and misunderstandings create an evening of entertainment and a new look at Scrooge and Tiny Tim that one will not soon forget.

Christy Faulkner of Eunice opens the show as Mrs. Reece, the guild's chairwoman, and leads the audience through the show as a variety of other characters including Tiny Tim and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.  Audiences will remember Christy's work in other EPT comedies including The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, Bathroom Humor and Jake's Women.  She also portrayed the reverend mother in Agnes of God at EPT.  

Also returning to the EPT stage is Delinda Dowell Lafleur of Eunice.  Delinda was previously seen in Steel Magnolias and The Queen of Bingo. In addition to her hilarious character acting for the latter show, Delinda also won an Irving Award for Best Costumes.  In the current play, Delinda starts off as Felicity, then pirouettes her way through other characters including some male ones, and Half of the Ghost of Christmas Present.

Former EPT actor returning to the stage is Stacy Moncla of Eunice.  She was the other half of the comedy duo for The Queen of Bingo, for which she won the Best Actress Irving Award.  Other comedic work at EPT includes Drinking Habits and The Girls of the Garden Club, and she showed her dramatic capabilities in David’s Mother.  Stacy is cast as Mercedes, who in turn plays memorable Bob Cratchit, plus a few other characters, all while wearing a neck brace as a result of her character’s car accident.

Joining the cast from Opelousas is Cindy Veillon-Mattei.  Cindy has an impressive list of credits from Opelousas Little Theater, including Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Noises Off, Steel Magnolias, and Bats in the Belfry.  Cindy plays the guild's perpetually grumbling Thelma, thereby having the ideal quality for the principal role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Stepping in as Gordon, the stage manager for the play within the play is Gabe Ortego of Eunice.  Although Gordon's duties are supposed to be offstage, he ends up on the stage as Mrs. Cratchit, Jacob Marley, and several ghost versions.  An accomplished actor in the Opelousas and Eunice theatres, with Providence, A Tuna Christmas, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to his credit, Gabe has also directed Steel Magnolias, Monky Business, and this season’s The Subject Was  Roses.

The show is suitable for all ages, and children will particularly appreciate the slapstick humor, which makes it a holiday treat the entire family can enjoy, as well as an introduction to the holiday classic.  The show opens Saturday, November 27, and is followed by other performances Sunday, November 28 at 2:00 p.m., then Tuesday, November 30 through Saturday, December 4.  All evening performances begin at 7:00 p.m.  Dinner theatre is the Tuesday, November 30 at 6:00 p.m. at Nick's on Second St. , with the performance immediately following.  Ticket information is upcoming.

For more information, call 337-546-0163 or 337-457-2156, or look for EPT on Facebook and at www.euniceplayers.blogspot.com.

Theatre--Auditions (Musical Theatre)

Auditions for IPAL’s South Pacific will continue on Sunday, November 14 at 2:00 p.m. at the Essanee Theater in New Iberia. This audition is primarily for young children (ages 9-15) interested in the roles of Jerome and Ngana.  Additionally, auditions for those interested in the chorus roles of sailors, nurses, and islanders will be open to adults and physically mature teenagers 13 years and older. For further information contact the director at ipal@cox.net or call (337) 364-1975.

Opera--Review (UL-Lafayette Opera Theatre)

For a soprano, getting to Heaven means going through Hell.

At least that's the idea in Too Many Sopranos, an affectionate send-up of opera, produced by the UL Opera Theater.

Edwin  Penhorwood's Too Many Sopranos sends four opera divas to Heaven – each a particular brand of opera soprano ripe for parody – and serves them one final injustice: they must audition for a spot in Heaven because there are too many sopranos and not enough tenors in basses upstairs. The foursome reluctantly audition, and when St. Peter is unable to decide who stays, the angel Gabriel gives the ladies an out. If they travel to Hell and perform a selfless act, they can bring as many male singers to Heaven as they want, ensuring their places in the forever after. The ladies agree, descend to Hell and make a go of it.

Everything works out in the end – this is a comic opera, after all, and tears aren't the business of the day. But Too Many Sopranos has more on its mind.  Sopranos is a playful introduction to opera as a medium, gently ribbing the styles, modes and performers that have made the medium great. It never takes itself too seriously, and wins you over with its mischievous spirit and generous heart.

Penhorwood's score is an always-accessible and tuneful creation, giving playful nods to a whole array of operatic traditions and styles. The opera also benefits from a clever libretto by librettist Miki L. Thompson, delivering a rich and abundantly entertaining show. Opera buffs will revel in the many in-jokes that litter the show, but the piece remains wholly accessible to neophytes as well. The show is smart, quick, affectionate and clever.

The cast is filled with capable and confident student performers. All four sopranos were delights to watch. Lana Carver's Miss Titmouse was a deliciously flirty creation, and her audition aria was simply terrific. Jessica Wiltz scored some big laughs as Madame Pompous – particularly owning the moment late in Act One when the ladies assume their disguises as missionaries. And Meghin Taylor delivered a sweetly adorable Just Jeanette, delivering some subtle but effective comic moments in her Act Two stretch with Nelson Deadly (Kevin Credeur).

Of the sopranos, I was particularly fond of Alex Hollerman's Dame Doleful, a boozy, morose dark stormcloud of a soprano that practically vibrated with self-seriousness. In Hollerman's hands, the role was a riot. She's got comic chops and knows how to use them. I kept seeing Hollerman as a cross between Beth Leavel's fierce grandiosity in The Drowsy Chaperone, and Katie Finneran's hilarious physical comedy in Promises, Promises.

The men all acquit themselves nicely. Holden Greene (Enrico Carouser) has one hell of a voice, and his big moment at the start of Act Two was a delight. Jared Price as the Unnamed Bass also delivered some nice moments. Jonah Slason's St. Peter and Nicholas Manzo's Orson and Jenee Luquette's Sandman are less showy roles, but the actors scored nicely with them.

(And the wordless appearance by local entrepreneur Wesley Sun Chee Fore was both a hoot and a reminder that we all – seriously, all of us – need to get to the gym.)

The show's single performance oddity was Joshua Coen's Gabriel. The role is essentially a silent one (save for one line at the opera's conclusion), but Gabriel's a constant presence. Coen certainly takes the role and runs with it – his take on Gabriel is a frenetically physical one, bounding from moment to moment, all arms and legs and exaggeration – but the energy expended doesn't consistently reap comic rewards. It too soon begins to feel a little self-indulgent, and it's too quickly out of step with the more considered comic performances around him. His castmates are doing more with less, and it's the one misstep in an otherwise uniformly impressive ensemble performance.

The show benefits from some strong direction by Shawn Roy and a clever scenic design by Duncan Thistlethwaite. Roy keeps things moving, but the staging never gets in the way or becomes cumbersome. Roy knows how to put together a nice-looking musical moment with a few simple gestures and a few simple moves. And his staging always looks great on his actors. Thistlethwaite's set offers Roy an abundance of opportunities to create interesting stage pictures, and it delivers a charmingly simple but impressive Heaven-to-Hell transition. Add some smart costume choices and a few well-chosen props you've got a show that's visually as charming as the performance.

Too Many Sopranos has a lot on its mind, but what makes the show a winner is what's in its heart. The show was a boyuant, playful and ebullient romp, and it was an easy two hours in the theatre.  That's something to be thankful for.

This show was Heaven, even though it went to Hell and back.
---Cody Daigle

Opera--Review (UL-Lafayette Opera Theatre)

OPERA WITHOUT TEARS

ULL Opera Theatre presents Too Many Sopranos, an opera buffa with music by Edwin Penhorwood and libretto by Miki L. Thompson under the direction of Shawn Roy.

Opera isn't always serious.  There is a long tradition of comic--sometimes outrageously comic--opera written by greater and lesser composers.  Composers want to turn a buck and pack the house and, believe it or not, most singers have a pretty good sense of humor.  This opera has some heavy-hitting fans among stars of the opera world.  When no one is looking, they like to knock back a few cold ones and do impressions of each other.  Actually, who doesn't?

If you could imagine the writing team of any season of Saturday Night Live! having a go at the shadow operas (fake opera portions which were inserted into musicals about opera stars) of the thirties and forties with a cast composed of Tina Feys and Steve Carrells who are trained singers, you have an idea of what Too Many Sopranos is like.  It gleefully pokes fun at the world of opera with slapstick action, a melodious score which gently satirizes several composers and caricatures of operatic situations and personalities.  In other words, its primary aim is to make you laugh, whether or not you know anything about opera.

In brief, four sopranos are told that three of them must be sent to Hell until there are enough tenors to balance them out in the Heavenly Choir.  Since sopranos and tenors are natural enemies, this presents problems.  As it happens, Hell has an overabundance of tenors, however; so the girls, along with St. Peter and Gabriel go off on a fishing expedition.

This is a perfect student production in two senses.  In the first place, the music is well within the capabilities of a vocal student not yet ready for the Met but headed in that direction and in the second place student audiences will find the show tuneful and approachable.  I think even young children will follow the plot and enjoy the production.

Director Shawn Roy has a commitment to entertaining his audience and his cast is energetic and silly.  The targets include Hollywood figures with caricatures of Nelson Eddy and Jeannette MacDonald and Orson Welles.  Enrico Caruso makes a guest appearance and so does the thankless Bass character singer.  The divas represent Classical, Wagnerian and Romantic Era singers and you could pick your own real-life divas as the models.  Each of the singers is a beacon of narcissism except for the sweet young couple of Just Jeannette and Nelson Deadly whose selfless love saves everyone's bacon.

The show looks good with an impressive set by Duncan Thistlethwaite which goes from Heaven in the first act to Hell in the second act through clever lighting and painting.  Ken Harrelson's lighting is atmospheric and the costuming neatly separates the different singers by period and personality.  The action moves at a crisp pace and the performers sing and speak clearly enough to put all the jokes across.  The two musicians lend able support.  The show is fast, too--under two hours including intermission.  

Admission is ten dollars general admission but free for ULL faculty, staff and students.  It is money well spent.
---Walter Brown