AUDIO PERFORMANCES
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
“That Dirty Old Man”
This show is one of my favorite musicals. No person blends the music and lyrics together better than Stephen Sondheim. He gives you the gift of making “That Dirty Old Man” a “show stopper.” In this song, Domina is telling her slave, Hysterium that even though she knows her husband Senex is “stepping out on her,” she still loves her “dirty old man divine.” Domina is a role that is just fun and a joy to sing every night.
Countess Maritza
“Luck is a Golden Dream”
Written by the master of Operetta with a Hungarian flair, Emmerich Kálmán, in this aria, Manja sings about her love for Tassilo. It is luck that makes her love a golden dream that is fickle and will fade like the sunlight’s gleam. Resigned, she understands that her love for Tassilo will never be. The material has it all with the long arching lines and vocal fireworks done Operetta style.
Candide
“I Am Easily Assimilated”
Another role that is a gem because of the great score by Leonard Bernstein and Lyrics by Richard Wilber. This is the 1989 Scottish Opera Edition of the Opera House Version. In the aria, The Old Lady is explaining to Candide and Cunegonde what has happened to her in her life and why she is still the eternal optimist. She is a true survivor. The Old Lady is also one of my favorite roles, thanks to Maestro Bernstein and Mr. Wilber. She is the perfect blend of great music and comedic timing.
The Boy Friend
“Poor Little Pierrette”
As Madame Dubonnet and Percival Brown enter the Masquerade Ball for the evening, they find Percival’s daughter Polly sitting alone and very depressed. Polly has fallen in love with Tony but he has not shown up at the Ball. She thinks he has jilted her. In the duet “Poor Little Pierrette,” Madame Dubonnet sings to her of an old French legend that tells how Pierrot loved Pierrette under a summer moon.
The Pirates of Penzance
“When Frederic Was A Little Lad”
Here we have one of the most beloved of all the Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas. Ruth is a role that encompasses it all. Ruth tells in song how she was the nanny for Frederic. His father wanted him apprenticed as a “pilot” in some career sea faring but because she was hard of hearing, she made a major mistake. The role of Ruth is wonderful to sing, fun to act and always a delight to perform. “The Pirates of Penzance” is timeless in its appeal.
