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Home , On the Town (musical), Wonderful Town

... LEON WILSON CLARK .. OPERA SERIES . . •

'!I SHEPHERD SCHOOL OPERA • presents ,\,. SOMETHING'S COMING A RETIVE OF THE MUSICAL THEATER WORKS OF

4 (1918-1990)

Debra Dickinson, director Susan Lorette Dunn, musical supervision Andy Einhorn, musical director •

.., September 28, 29, and 30, 2003 7:30 p.m. Wortham Opera Theatre

- ' ~~ RICE UNNERSITY School ofMusic PROGRAM • I Hate Music! Lyrics by the composer (A Cycle ofFive Kid Songs) (1943) • Chanel Wood •

Something's Coming Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim • from (1957) .. Alejandro Mendoza, Beau Gibson, Chanel Wood

New York, Lyrics by from (1944) and .,,

What a Waste Lyrics by Betty Comden from (1953) and Adolph Green

Christopher Green, Max Wier, IV, Sasha Cooke

Ohio from Wonderful Town Sara Crain,JenniferMoore

Lonely Town from On the Town .. Christopher Green

Somewhere from West Side Story Chanel Wood, Christopher Green '

America from West Side Story Company

Dream with Me Lyrics by the composer from (1950) Jennifer Moore

What a Movie! Libretto by the composer from (1952) Sasha Cooke .. Alejandro Mendoza, Jennifer Moore, Christopher Green Lucky to be Me from On the Town Andy Einhorn, Jennifer Moore, Company

Carried Away from On the Town Chanel Wood, Max Wier, IV

OHappy We Lyrics by John La Touche, from (1956) Dorothy Parker, Stephen Sondheim and Richard Wilbur Sara Crain, Alejandro Mendoza

One Hand, One Heart from West Side St01y Jennifer Moore, Beau Gibson

Quintet from West Side Story Christopher Green, Max Wier, IV, Sasha Cooke, Beau Gibson, Jennifer Moore

Glitter and Be Gay ' from Candide I • Sara Crain

Make Our Garden Grow from Candide Sara Crain, Alejandro Mendoza, Company

Pianists: Andy Einhorn, Sasha Cooke Cellist: Elise Pittenger

ARTISTIC AND PRODUCTION STAFF

Director . . Debra Dickinson Musical Supervision and Vocal Coaching . . Susan Lorette Dunn Musical Director. . Andy Einhorn Rehearsal Pianist . . Andy Einhorn Stage Manager . . Alex Stutler Lighting and Set Design . GrafImhoof Technical Director . Graflmhoof Costume Design. Debra Dickinson Followspot Operators . Emily Motherwell, Wendy Hunt DIRECTOR'S NOTES

Leonard Bernstein is one of the most celebrated musical artists of the last century, known for his tremendous power and charisma as a conductor, as a com­ poser of diverse classical works, as a lecturer, and as leading proponent of music education. He also greatly enriched the musical theater world of Broadway, com­ posing scores of unusual complexity that have retained their popularity through many revivals. On the Town (1944) evolved from the scenario of , a ballet com­ posed by Bernstein and choreographed by , in which three sailors find themselves with twenty-four hours ofshore leave to spend in the most exciting place in the world, . The musical opened shortly after Bernstein's dramatic substitution for conductor Bruno Walter with the New York Philharmonic made him the darling of the classical music scene, and its jazzy, contemporary score ensured his popularity in Broadway circles as well. On the Town teamed Bernstein up for the first time with lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who would become life-long friends. They collaborated together on Bernstein's next musical as well, Wonderful Town (1953), which was based on the play . It tells the story of two girls from Ohio who move to New York to pursue their dreams, and the score captures perfectly the mood of the big city during the swing era: the beatniks in , the hard-nosed city beat reporter, the hustle and bustle of New York traffic. Between these two musicals, Bernstein wrote a one-act opera, Trouble in Tahiti (1952), which is an ironic view of the "American dream"; the story of an affluent suburban couple who are miserable with one another. As the couple sings of their disillusionment, a trio performs satirical lyrics to comment on the action, rather like a Greek chorus, but in the musical idiom ofpopular song. The opera opened on Broadway as part of a triple bill in 1955, played in tandem with a dance piece and a Tennessee Williams play. Bernstein returned to this work later in life, writing its sequel, , in 1983. Candide has undergone many reincarnations since it first opened in 1956, when it ran for only seventy-three performances. Most of the blame for its initial failure was placed on Lillian Hellmann's book, which was heavy-handed and ser­ ious, and did not match the witty, eclectic score. The revival in 1974 was directed by Hal Prince, with smaller orchestrations, a rewritten book, and a less "oper­ atic" directorial concept, and it proved to be a tremendous success. The musical has been reorchestrated and rethought several times since then by opera compa­ nies who have also achieved major success with it. Candide is based on the satire by Voltaire, in which young Candide learns through an astonishingly large num­ ber of unfortunate incidents that things do not always happen for the best in this "best of all possible worlds." With its dark view of racial prejudice and its heart-breaking ending, West Side Story is considered by many to be the greatest tragedy ever written for the American musical theater. It first opened in 1957, and when the movie version appeared in 1961, the musical achieved the widespread recognition it so richly deserves. A seamless, cohesive integration of music, lyrics, book and dance, it set the standard of excellence by which modern musicals are measured. As in On the Town, Bernstein collaborated with director/choreographer Jerome Robbins, whose original vision inspired both pieces. West Side Story introduced lyricist Stephen Sondheim to Broadway, who, as a composer, was to take over the chal­ lenge of carrying on the tradition ofa musical theater that was something more than mere musical comedy when Bernstein returned to the world ofclassical music. In 1958, as Leonard Bernstein turned forty, he was appointed principal con­ ductor of the New York Philharmonic, and began devoting his time to the "Young People's Concerts"which did so much to introduce a generation to the joys of classical music. His only return to the Broadway stage was in 1976, when he com­ posed 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with the lyricist of , Alan Jay Lerner. The musical tells the story of the White House, from George Washington to Theodore Roosevelt, through the eyes of its servants. Though con­ taining some beautiful music, the musical was not well received and closed after only a week ofperformances. A great proponent ofAmerican music, Bernstein made contributions to the Broadway stage that are so unforgettable that they are still being performed all over the world half a century later. Composing during the heyday of Broadway, when show music was at the forefront of the popular music scene, Bernstein challenged the public with his intricate, jazzy scores and infused the genre with an elegance and sophistication that has never been equaled. We celebrate his genius.

BIOGRAPHIES

DEBRA DICKINSON is Artist Teacher of Opera Studies for Acting and Movement at the Shepherd School of Music. Ms. Dickinson was a professional singer and actress in New York for f'ifteen years before starting her career as a director. She performed with Richard Burton on Broadway in Camelot and as Guenevere opposite Richard Harris in the subsequent national tour. Favorite roles she has played include Jellylorum in the German language production of at Theatre an der Wien in Vienna; Adriana in The Boys from Syracuse at the Goodspeed Opera; and Azuri in The Desert Song at Central City Opera and Chautauqua Opera. She began her directing career by serving as Assistant Director for Naughty Marietta at Beverly Sills' New York City Opera at Lincoln Center, and later she was the Associate Director of there as well. Other directing credits include Cosifan tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Die Fledermaus, Albert Herring, The Pirates of Penzance, and Amahl and the Night Visitors here at the Shepherd School; The Tender Land at the Monteux Opera Festival in Maine; A Grand Night for Sing­ ing at the Pittsburgh Public Theater; Die Fledermaus at Florida State University; and and The World Goes Round at Stages, an Equity theater in Houston. Ms. Dickinson received an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and a graduate degree from Hunter College in New York City. She has taught master classes in acting and movement for Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ebony Opera, and the Berkshire Opera; was the acting instructor for the Chautauqua Opera for four years; and was the recipient of the Shelfer Chair in Music Theater at Florida State University. She has been on the faculty of the Shepherd School for years, where she directs scenes programs and teaches Opera Workshop, Acting for Singers, Movement, and Directing. She also teaches workshops in auditioning for opera and musical theater, ballet, and waltz, and gives private aria coachings.

SUSAN LORETTE DUNN studied at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Brisbane, Australia, graduating with both a Bachelor of Music degree and a Master's degree in Voice/Opera. She made her debut with Opera Austra­ lia pe,forming the role of Tzeitel in Her Opera Queens­ land debut was as Frasquita in Carmen. Other roles in her repertoire have in­ cluded Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana, Dorabella in Cosi fan Tufte, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Earth in The Eighth Wonder, Musetta in La Boheme, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Stephano in Romeo and Juliet, Cornelia in Damascus, Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief, and Catherine in Seeking True South. Miss Dunn's international performances include the British premiere of Kurt Weill's Street Scene in London's West End, the U.S. tour of Pirates- The Ballet, an American Music Theatre Gala in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Bernstein on Broadway for Leonard Bernstein, an 80th Anniversary Celebration at Indiana University. Miss Dunn has performed major roles throughout Australia in musi­ cal theatre, which include Aspects of Love, Baby, Nunsense/I, Lucky Me, Into The Woods, , Kiss Me Kate and Leonard Bernstein's . In addition, she has both produced and performed as a soloist in concert perfor­ mances ofAspects of Romance, Broadway Showstoppers, No Tune Like A Show Tune, and Leading Ladies. She has also produced and performed in Bernstein on Broadway, a show she conceived for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. • Miss Dunn has performed and recorded as soloist with ABC Australia and • 4 with many ofAustralia's major orchestras. In 2003 Miss Dunn will sing concert performances with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony II, the ( . Grand Teton Music Festival, and Connecticut's Summer Music Festival. She has premiered Australian vocal works in concert internationally and has recorded ... Australian compositions for EMIiJade. Composers Betty Beath, Stephen Lalor, David Hush, and Paul Keelan have written works for her. Susan Lorette Dunn has been instrumental as an educator while maintaining f her full-time pe,forming career. She has held positions as lecturer at the Queens­ land Conservatorium of Music and the Queensland University of Technology, where she also devised programs in Music Theatre Skills. She is currently lec­ turing in voice at the Shepherd School of Music. J.- Miss Dunn has won many major Australian singing competitions including the State and Commonwealth Finals of the ABC Instrumental and Vocal Compe­ tition, an Opera Foundation Scholarship, an Australia Council Grant for study in the United Kingdom, an Arts Queensland Personal Development Grant, and most recently a prestigious Winston Churchill Fellowship, where she worked with the New York Festival of Song in New York City. As a result of her Chur­ J.. • chill Fellowship, Miss Dunn will launch her company Songfest with a program entitled Shades of Amber - The Songs of Leonard Bernstein. Songfest is dedi­ cated to the reinvention of the song recital with special emphasis on Australian and American s,mg.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS < •

Special thanks to the students of the Opera Workshop.

This production is made possible by a generous

endowment from the late Dr. Leon Wilson Clark. f •

SHEPHERD SCHOOL VOICE DEPARTMENT AND OPERA STUDIES FACULTY

Kathleen Kaun, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Voice Department Janet de Chambrier, Artist Teacher of Opera Studies Debra Dickinson, Artist Teacher of Opera Studies for Acting and Movement Joyce Farwell, Professor of Voice Michael Franciosi, Artist Teacher of Opera Studies Thomas Jaber, Associate Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities, and Vocal Coach Stephen King, Professor of Voice ,.

RICE