Acadiana will experience a night of sophisticated, sultry, soulful music when jazz trumpeter Chris Botti takes the stage at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 20, 2011 at the Heymann Performing Arts Center in Lafayette.

Chris Botti’s performance is sponsored, in part, by Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, River Ranch Development, Lafayette General Medical Center, Lofton Staffing Services and Centennial Wireless, the official wireless provider for PASA.

Since the release of his 2005 critically acclaimed CD “When I Fall in Love” Chris Botti has become the largest selling American jazz instrumental artist. His success has crossed over to audiences usually reserved for pop music and his ongoing association with PBS has led to four #1 Jazz Albums, as well as multiple Gold, Platinum & Grammy Awards.

"Chris Botti is master jazz trumpeter whose distinctive sound reaches audience of all ages," says George Graham, CEO of The Graham Group."His ability as an artist to connect through his music is what audiences have come to know and love about his live shows. The Graham Group is proud to partner with PASA to present Chris Botti in concert. The audience is in for a night of incredible music."

Over the past three decades, Chris Botti has recorded and performed with the best in popular music; including, Frank Sinatra, Sting, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Joshua Bell and Aerosmith’s own Steven Tyler. An international music star, Botti and his incredible band have performed with many of the finest symphonies, at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including performances at the World Series and the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. In addition to being a sought after musician/collaborator, People Magazine voted Chris one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in 2004.

“Chris Botti's musical genius shouldn't be missed,” says Shanna Higginbotham, PASA Executive Director. “Personally, I have been a fan for more than 15 years, his sound is soulful, beautiful and honestly just amazing, this concert is the perfect date night experience or a great night of live music for a group of friends.”

Tickets are available for this show through the Heymann Center by calling 1(800) 745-3000, online at www.pasaonline.org or through all Ticketmaster outlets.

For more information about PASA please visit us online at www.pasaonline.org or call (337) 237-2787.

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 (in the chorus room) 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. 

Editor's Note

I'm back after the holidays!  2011 looks to be an exciting year for local theatre!  Please keep sending me notice of what's going on in the area, so that it can receive the publicity it deserves.

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 are 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. 

         

Please join us for 

A concert of Advent and Christmas music performed by

The Bayou Harp Circle of Lafayette

and the St. Cecilia Children’s Handbell Choir

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

7:00 p.m.

Affiliated School for the Blind

409 W. St. Mary, Lafayette, LA

Donations will be accepted for Affiliated School for the Blind

After last year’s fundraising success, The Bayou Harp Circle is together again to host their 6^th Annual Christmas concert, “Harps and Handbells for the Holidays.” On Wednesday,

Dec. 15, 2010, at the Affiliated School for the Blind Training Center on 409 West St. Mary, all are welcome to escape the hustle and bustle to enjoy peaceful Holiday melodies. The concert starts at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to benefit the Affiliated Blind of Louisiana, Inc.

The Bayou Harp Circle is a group of local harpists that formed in 2004 and are now under the direction of Bette Vidrine. Joining the harpists this year will be the St. Cecilia Bell Choir, 4 vocalists, and a variety of talented musicians that includes Special Guest, Dr. Kimberley Houser, harp professor at LSU. Bringing a unique sound to traditional Holiday music, the artists hope to draw in a crowd that not only enjoys the music but takes the time to learn more about ABL.

“With the help of the attending crowd, we were able to raise $1,800 for ABL. We know times were hard for everyone last year, and it remains the same in 2010, so we appreciate every cent that’s given,” says Bette Vidrine. “We hope this year’s concert will be as much or more of a success.”

ABL was founded in 1983 as a private, non-profit organization dedicated to providing special services and training to Louisiana's visually-impaired, blind and deaf-blind populations. The Training Center is used to teach people who are blind and deaf-blind the skills that lead to independence, employment and community integration. They have four chapters and approximately 190 members throughout Louisiana, and over sixty employees throughout its various operations.

With the help of such fundraising events like “Harps and Handbells for the Holidays” and the giving spirit of those who attend, ABL is able to continue their services and increase their awareness to the public. Learn more about the non-profit and their schedule of events at http://www.affiliatedblind.org.

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 Sopranoshas 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 inThe 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