Opera Workshop presents "All That Jazz" Broadway revue

Mention the word “opera” to casual music lovers, and their image would conjure up a person singing in a foreign language (think Luciano Pavarotti).

But don’t tell that to the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University Opera Workshop, which is breaking “the opera norm” with four upcoming performances at the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU.

The cast of 27 CSB and SJU students will present a revue of Broadway show tunes at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 26 and Friday, March 27, and 2 p.m. Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29.

Br. Paul-Vincent Niebauer, OSB, is the director of the production. In addition to serving as vocation director for Saint John’s Abbey, he has directed shows for Saint John’s Preparatory School, Collegeville, and the St. Cloud Civic Theater after having worked as a ringmaster/performance director for a number of circuses throughout North America for 13 years.

Niebauer has compiled a musical revue consisting of scenes from a variety of shows, including Chicago, Cabaret, Anything Goes and Into the Woods, as well as a scene from Love Sonnets of a Hoodlum, a newer jazz opera by James McKeel, professor of music-voice at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.

“The opera workshop normally performs standard operatic fare, in English,” said Carolyn Finley, Opera Workshop music director and professor of music-voice and opera at CSB and SJU. “However, we have broken from the norm a few times with Broadway fare. This revue provides more opportunity for dance and to sing musical selections that are vocally less extreme in range, allowing a greater variety of students to participate.”

Some of the scenes include dance. They are choreographed by Meredyth Johnson, a local dance and yoga instructor.

“Meredyth spoke of her desire to perform several difficult dances within the work to give our students a chance to delve into the mechanics of dance, exploring creative possibilities that each body has in expression,” Finley said. “With only a few students with a dance background, it has been amazing to see the progress these avocational singers are making in combining acting, singing and dance.”

Among the selections to be performed include “All That Jazz” and “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago; “I’ve Never Been in Love Before” and “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat” from Guys and Dolls; and “Greased Lightnin’ ” and “Beauty School Dropout” from Grease.

The Opera Workshop is an annual event at CSB and SJU. It is conducted as a scheduled class, with rehearsals in the evenings as needed. CSB and SJU students audition for either solo or chorus roles within the opera.

Tickets are $8 for adults, and $5 for students with I.D., faculty and senior citizens. Tickets are available in advance at the box office at the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater or at the Benedicta Arts Center of the College of Saint Benedict. Tickets are also available at the door.

The performances are funded in part by a CSB and SJU Faculty Development Curricular Grant.