MUSIC

Shepherd School Opera and the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra present  A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim. Richard Bado, conductor; Debra Dickinson, director.

Promises, lies, love triangles and a parade of beautifully hand-painted costumes will be on display for all to see at the Shepherd School of Music when the opera program and chamber orchestra present Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music." Conducted by Richard Bado, director of opera studies, and directed by Debra Dickinson, artist teacher of opera studies, the musical will be presented in Alice Pratt Brown Hall's Wortham Opera Theatre March 25, 26, 28 and 29. Sunday's performance will be at 2 p.m.; all other performances will be at 7:30 p.m.

The complex plot with intertwined stories and themes is set in Sweden at the turn of the 20th century. Fredrik Egerman is a successful middle-aged lawyer with a teenage wife, Anne, and an unconsummated marriage. He rekindles an affair with an old flame -- glamorous, aging actress Desiree Armfeldt -- who is already having an affair with another married man. Complicating matters is Egerman's son -- a seminary student -- who is in love with his young stepmother. Ultimately, love triumphs during a romantically complicated weekend in the country.

This is the first musical at the Shepherd School since Bado took the helm of the opera program in 2005. As such it introduces the students to a new element: dialogue. Opera is generally entirely sung, with dialogue replaced with recitatives, music intoned in a way that resembles speech; musicals have dialogue interspersed with songs.

"I see this as part of the education of our singers," Bado said. "They must be prepared to do dialogue also in opera, especially in some of the operas of Mozart, such as 'The Magic Flute.' The students seem excited by the challenge."

Graduate student Mary-Jane Lee, who plays Desiree, has been a part of several productions at the music school said it's a new experience with all the dialogue, "but I'm not afraid of the challenge … sometimes.

"There are definitely more speaking lines in this show than any other I have done. It's really intimidating because we study singing most of the time, not straight acting. Considering this, I feel that my colleagues and I have really worked hard, and we have learned a great deal through the process."

"A Little Night Music" offers another change of pace for the student performers: the number of costume changes. "We've had the great fortune to be able to use the Houston Grand Opera's hand-painted costumes from their production," Lee said. "The only problem with all the beautiful costumes is I have about eight costume changes! That doesn't happen too often in opera."

Bado agreed, "Due to the large number of costumes in this production, we're bursting at the seams, so to speak, using numerous practice rooms as dressing rooms, etc."

The production also has more elaborate lighting and sets, including moving trees that reveal new scenes, hide exits and reveal entrances. "Ms. Dickinson's staging is really exciting, but it definitely keeps you on you toes," Lee said. "You can’t be thinking about your next lines or your next song because you're more likely thinking about your next hat to pin on or your next scene change."

Bado said all of it is done with the goal of "preparing our students realistically for a career as an opera singer."

Lee hopes to audition in the fall for a young artist development program, which helps young singers continue to develop and sharpen their talent so that they can be ready to sing professionally. "They can bridge the gap between the academic and the professional world," Lee said. "Being at Rice has definitely prepared me for future opportunities."

Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students and senior citizens. To reserve tickets, call 713-348-8000.

A Little Night Music is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
 

Pictured:  Graduate student Mary-Jane Lee as Desiree in Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music." Photo by Tommy LaVergne.