Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW 'Sorry About That' book expands ... Fallen tree debris at Howard Prairie is being used to create habitat for infant wild coho ... Ashland to purchase Acid Rock Castles ... 'Sorry About That' book expands ... Fallen tree debris at Howard Prairie is being used to create habitat for infant wild coho ... Ashland to purchase Acid Rock Castles ... REVIEW Shakespeare and Britt combine to make classic cabaret Comment By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 9, 2016 at 2:00 AM By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 9, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Social News It’s a natural. Many Oregon Shakespeare Festival actors are accomplished singers, so why not bring them together with the Britt Orchestra just up the road in Jacksonville for Britt’s classical season? That’s what Britt Music Director Teddy Abrams must have been thinking when he conceived Monday night’s Britt program, and he took it a step further by building the show around Shakespeare-inspired orchestral works by Berlioz, Tchaikovsky and other composers as well as songs from recent OSF productions. He said the goal was to meld the two worlds with a cabaret-like feel. Mission accomplished. Joining the Britt Orchestra were actors Kate Hurster, Jeremy Peter Johnson, Michael Sharon and Britney Simpson. The evening began not with a vocal number but with Arthur Sullivan’s overture to “Macbeth,” which sprang to surprisingly festive life considering the three Weird Sisters are about to foretell the thane’s bloody fate. Hurster, whom OSF patrons will recognize as Sarah Brown from last year’s “Guys and Dolls” and Marion in 2013’s “The Heart of Robin Hood,” turned in a sharply focused vocal of “Tis Done! I Am a Bride,” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Yeomen of the Guard,” a country-and-western themed version of which is playing all season at OSF. Johnson, who has appeared on TV’s “All My Children” and “As the World Turns” as well as such OSF productions as “Guys and Dolls” and 2014’s “Into the Woods,” followed with a dramatic take on the whimsical “Giants in the Sky” from Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods.” Then it was back to orchestral fare, with Abrams leading the orchestra through the fairy-tale realm of the Queen Mab Scherzo from Berlioz’s “Romeo and Juliet.” The piece is an delicate fantasy that lasts considerably longer than its inspiration, Mercurio’s soliloquy on the fairy queen. In a night headlined by singers, there was plenty of orchestral music. Twentieth-century composer William Walton’s brief “Touch Her Soft Lips and Part” was written for the 1944 Laurence Olivier film of Shakespeare’s “Henry V” for the scene in which the soldiers say good-bye to their sweethearts before setting off for France. Abrams and the orchestra filled it with sweet sadness. Debussy’s “Fanfare” from “King Lear” was bold if brief. Tchaikovsky’s “Hamlet” overture was listed but dropped from the program, Abrams said, because, “It didn’t seem to be about Shakespeare at all.” The English Renaissance composer William Byrd’s “Miserere Mei” was the earliest song on the program. Although Byrd is best known for religious music, there is a Shakespeare connection. The theory is that “the bird of loudest lay” in Shakespeare’s poem “The Phoenix and the Turtle” is a reference to the composer, who was well-known in Shakespeare’s day. The first half of the program ended with Simpson delivering a lovely “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and remarking, “Oh man, that’s a good song,” and then singing the Good Witch’s “Believe in Yourself,” from “The Wiz,” which is playing now at OSF. Hurster and Simpson, who plays two characters in OSF’s “The Yeomen of the Guard” as well as Glinda in “The Wiz,” teamed up on an innovative “Come On Get Happy,” (sung by Simpson) the Judy Garland standard, and “Happy Days,” (sung simultaneously by Hurster) the theme song of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1932 campaign. Johnson sang a rueful “This Nearly Was Mine” from “South Pacific,” and Sharon, a theater veteran who can be seen this season in the OSF’s “The Yeomen of the Guard” and “Richard II” delivered a heartfelt version of “Lonely Room” from “Oklahoma,” a cowboy’s ode to hopes for a better life and a girl of his own. In the program’s finale, all four vocalists sang “Make Our Garden Grow” the last song in Leonard Bernstein’s brilliant “Candide.” The song underscores the title character’s disillusionment and final acceptance that life is just life. By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 9, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501