Opera House Players Commentary

Show Commentary

Songs for a New World officially moves into the history books. It was a wonderful run with great responsive audiences. It would be hard not to be affected by this music. The cast is going to be humming these tunes for a long time.

It was interesting to hear people continually come up with other venues where this show should be performed. It isn't often that you can get a troupe of musicians together with this level of dedication and talent. It was a pleasure to be part of it from beginning to end.

If you weren't able to experience the show, talk to someone who did. Then, the next time we tell you long in advance this is one you really need to see, perhaps you will remember and believe us. Thanks to Guttenberg for the wonderful reception. Thanks to all of you who shared this inspiring music with us.

You have one chance left to participate in this wonderful musical event. The weather is beautiful. The Guttenberg Municipal Building is air conditioned. I understand there will be desserts and beverages sold there as well.

We have the place setup and ready to go. One long day, and we moved set, sound, and lights from one building to another. Special thanks to all those that helped out!

Come and enjoy the Grand Excusion 2004 in Guttenberg, but save enough energy to stay awake for the 8pm final performance of Songs for a New World in Guttenberg. Tickets are still available and will be available at the door.

- We're all ready for you. Voices are in good shape. The band is sounding wonderful. The Opera House is cool. It's time for you to take an evening and join us for a fantastic musical experience. Because the music *is* the show, I felt I could share the show pictures with you early. We want you comfortable with the setting. Come to our little Jazz club, and join in as we share the power of this music with you. It will be an evening that you won't soon forget.

Things are beginning to meld very nicely. Voices are getting stronger every night. They have to, this music is some of the most demanding that I have sung. It is a pleasure to sing, and that makes every rehearsal enjoyable. All the little nuances we hoped to get to, are fitting together as well. We are definitely in the tweak mode. Two more nights of rehearsal, and then audiences. Both orchestra and cast are ready and waiting. Lights and sound are ready as well. These two nights will let us fine tune it to perfection. Come and enjoy an evening of fun and inspiring music. We?ll turn the air-conditioning on and make sure it?s a beautiful evening.

I've been looking back over the commentary for this show and realized that I haven't gone "on and on" nearly enough about the quality of the sound the orchestra is producing for this show. One of the reasons is that this music is so difficult to describe. I could tell you how complex the harmonies are, or that the rhythms and tempo changes are incredibly intricate, but to be honest with you, I have been afraid to do just that. You see, I don't want to scare people away from this show because they think the music won't be something that you can go out humming, or just simply enjoy. It is all of that and more. This show can be taken on in several different levels, as we are finding out as we bring it to production.

Perhaps the best thing I can do is go back to how this production all started. I attended a variety show at Loras College in Dubuque. Most of the songs that were being sung were from well known musicals. Then there was this song that I had never heard before; "Stars and the Moon". Not only was the melody beautiful and haunting, but the lyrics were such that they both made you smile, and left you thinking. After the show, I asked where that song came from. It was the first time that I had heard of Songs for a New World and Jason Robert Brown.

On the strength of that one song alone, I ordered a CD and a song book from the musical. The other songs exceeded my expectations and I began to share them with others. Since that time, "Stars and the Moon" has been sung at two different variety shows, and two other songs from the show have shown up at variety shows, contests, auditions and the like. No less than three other song books have been purchased by others as well as many CDs. Once you hear this music, if you are a vocalist, you want to sing it. If you enjoy music, you want to listen to it.

Since last summer, we've been working on assembling the best cast and musicians we could to put this musical on for the area. It's happening in the summer because half the cast demanded to be involved if we ever did this show, and since they are off in college, it dictated the timing. One cast member wanted to be involved badly enough that she drives an hour and a half each way to the rehearsals. It is just that kind of show.

People who have heard this music, and heard any portion of the rehearsals we have done for these past four months, have stated, "Every musician in the area should attend this show!" We all hope that they do. This is NOT however a show just for musicians. It is for anyone and everyone who enjoys music of any type. You don't have time to wait for the reviews from those that see it first however. There are only three performances. Two in Elkader (Friday and Saturday June 25 & 26) and one at the Guttenberg Municipal Building on Tuesday June 29th. All shows are at 8pm. Please come. We want to share this with you. You'll want to share your experience with others once you have heard this music too.

The Opera House Players production of "Songs for a New World" is in final stages of rehearsal as we approach the June 25^th opening date. This special musical performance chronicles moments in the lives of four strangers who become close friends by the end of the production. It uses the beautiful music of Tony award winning composer Jason Robert Brown to tell their stories. The songs range from those that will make you smile, to those that can bring tears. All of them are beautifully complex, yet easy to listen to. The cast, featuring Beth Hamlett, Cheri Strutt, Jonathon Moser, and Craig Strutt, have been hard at work on this music for four months. They are anxious to share these fun and inspiring songs with an audience that they hope to make feel part of the show.

The show is set for a very limited engagement of three performances. It opens in the Elkader Opera House on Friday and Saturday June 25th & 26th, with one additional performance in association with the Grand Excursion Event at the Guttenberg Municipal Building on Tuesday June 29th. Tickets are still available by calling (563) 873-2378 or at Moser Family Pharmacy in Elkader. Tickets for the Guttenberg show are also available by calling Michele VonHandorf at (563) 252-3118.

Songs for a New World cast rehearses for June 25th Opening at the Elkader Opera House.

Okay, so I was wrong. Not everyone was there on Sunday night. Suzie joined us last night, and hopefully everyone will be there tonight as least for part of the practice! Some wonderful sounds from the orchestra last night. A little frustration here and there as we work out the details in this music. We want to do it right! It is not often we play and sing music this complex. I promise you we will make it sound easy by opening night. You should feel nothing but pure listening pleasure on a summer evening.

As long as I am admitting that I was wrong, I might as well continue. This musical is a collection of songs that are being used to tell a story. Originally as I first listened, as much as I love the music, it did indeed feel more like a collection of wonderful songs than a story. As our director puts us into "character" and as we develop, it becomes more and more obvious how they all fit together. Imagine a situation where instead of words, you found the perfect song to express how you felt at any particular moment. A song where the words and the emotion behind the words and music described what you were trying to say so much better than you could have ever done so otherwise. That is what Songs for a New World is. As we flow through the songs, it feels more natural every night. By the time you come to experience the show, it will be so obvious that you will wonder why anyone could possibly have felt differently. Get your tickets. Be part of this event. You won't be sorry.

We're now meeting in the Opera House and singing on stage as the rest of the orchestra joins us. I knew this was beautiful and powerful music before, but standing on that Opera House Stage, and with the additions of bass and drums (Phil and Colin Stiemke) to the piano of David Beck, the songs take on a whole new feeling. Second keyboard and percussion (Suzie Piper and Elaine Landis) join us on Sunday night. The orchestra will then be complete for the first time. We're all excited to hear some of these songs in their full glory.

The skill of these musicians is truly wonderful. These are not easy numbers (as I have said before). If you like music that can reach out and touch you emotionally, from humor, to angst, to joy, then this show is custom tailored for you. Spread the word. Songs for a New World opens June 25th.

People have been asking what this show is "about". It is indeed one of those shows that is hard to categorize. The show is all music, and all of the music is wonderful. That is the first and most important part to realize. For those of you wondering a bit more, here is an excerpt from the program of the upcoming show.

It?s about one moment, the moment that can change everything. Four strangers, each contemplating the challenges they?ve gone through in life, meet at a jazz club late one night. One has been stuck working in the club for many years and has never found true happiness. Another has just discovered she is pregnant and is contemplating what to do about it all. One came from a home with little, and dreams of wealth and fame. The other is a woman who has never found true love, and is unhappy with her life. They meet by chance and share the stories of their lives and misfortune. A month later they return to the club and realize happiness is possible, and they had just created one moment that will change their lives forever.

The songs tell the story, sometimes truthfully, sometimes as dreams, sometimes whimsically, but most importantly - beautifully. Come join us for this limited engagement of Songs for a New World.

Another long but enjoyable rehearsal last night. The songs are coming together better and better. They should be, of course, as hard as what we have been working on them. The rhythms and tonal balances are difficult to achieve, but they are beautiful when we do get there. Getting it right will makes it sound like it is all so easy. That's the hallmark of a great composer, orchestra, and singers. When it sounds simple, yet intricate and pleasant to listen to, you know things have come together.

It is a pleasure to let this music wash over you as you hear the harmonies and lyrics unfold. As you do, I hope you take a moment to remember that there are times of rehearsal where we spend an hour working out phrases in one particular song to achieve the timing and the sound we want. As we near 5 weeks until opening night, we are looking forward to having other orchestra members join us. The singers want to have their parts and sound down first so that we can spend the rest of the time getting the memorization and staging down as well as melding the orchestra and singers into one cohesive group.

Songs for a New World is just that kind of show. You want to do it right, and we will!

I'm pleased to announce that because of the early response to this show, we have added one additional performance! Tuesday June 29, 2004 8pm at the Guttenberg Municipal Building. This performance is scheduled in conjunction with events of the Grand Excursion as the riverboats make their way past N.E. Iowa and S.W. Wisconsin.

We're excited to be part of this event, and to take the opportunity to bring this show to a new venue. You can spend the day enjoying the events and watching the boats, then spend the evening with us in a musical experience that will leave you with chills that won't be due to the weather!

Tickets are now onsale for Songs for a New World. We usually wait until approximately 1 month before show date to begin ticket sales. The calls were starting to pile up however from people who wanted to be sure to get their tickets for this show. We decided to make them available earlier because of this.

As we approach the end of the school year, we are all anxious to get together with all the people involved in this show and to start getting our "sound" together. To say this music is a challenge is an understatement. The same understatement also applies to how much you are going to enjoy it! I'm thankful to live in an area that has this many talented musicians. It is not many areas that can put on this show.

- The music and scripts have arrived for the show. We are now in the process of gathering together our musicians for the orchestra, which will be much more like a tight combo for this show. We can't even call them the "pit" orchestra, since for this production they will be center stage. It's that kind of show. The music is everything, and we want the audience to feel that way as well.

Songs for a New World now moves into the "active" production category for the Opera House Players. Our orchestra music and other reheasal materials should arrive this coming week. The cast is ready to attack this show with the dedication familiar to all our productions.

We're excited to put this show on for you. Stay tuned as the Opera House Players prepare for Songs for a New World!

- It was a busy weekend, with a rehearsal for both Run For Your Wife and Songs for a New World. I have the wonderful privilage of being involved with both shows. The music for this production is more beautiful that I remember. It is also a great deal of fun to sing with the rest of the talented members of this cast. You can tell right from the beginning as we work on blending our voices for this marvelous collection of music, that this group is one that is going to work to make things as close to perfect as we possibly can. The harmonies are difficult at times, but even on the first run through, we proved to me that this will not only be beautiful, but it will knock your socks off! Already we are anxious to see the audience reaction to some of the songs. Although, it probably will change as we get further into the show, right now, both the opening and closing songs are ones that I'm sure will get the blood pumping in every audience member. Wonderful sounds, beautiful lyrics, and harmonies and accompaniment that leave you breathless. Chills all the way around, which will be good in late June! Set aside time this summer for Songs for a New World!

- Songs for a New World is a musical of songs to stir the soul. As one of the songs most aptly says; "It's about one moment." That moment when something changes that changes the rest of your life.

CHG