Riverwalk takes on 'Amadeus'; MSU Opera to perform Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'
Act 1: Mozart commands area stages with play, opera
Mozart is coming to town in March in two dramatic presentations at Riverwalk Theatre and the MSU College of Music.
Riverwalk Theatre is bringing Peter Shaffer’s “Amadeus” to its mainstage.
Directed by Amy Rickett, "Amadeus" is a fictional account of the very real composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri.
The play supposes a rivalry between the two in which Salieri sets out to destroy Mozart because, while he finds his music sublime, he believes the man to be a boorish fool.
The play premiered in 1979 at London’s Royal National Theatre and then went on to win the 1981 Tony Award for Best Play when it came to Broadway. In 1984, it was adapted to a film of the same name.
The play witnesses the premieres of several of Mozart’s operas, including “The Abduction from the Seraglio,” “The Marriage of Figaro,” “Don Giovanni” and “The Magic Flute.”
The Riverwalk production runs March 14-17, 21-24 and features Jeff Magnuson as Salieri, Lewis C. Elson as Mozart and Taylor Haslett as Mozart’s lover, Constanze Weber.
The two gossips who inform Salieri of Mozart’s deeds and act as a Greek chorus to the audience, Venticelli #1 and #2, are played by Laura Croff and Lauren Spadafora. Eric Vincent plays Joseph II, the holy Roman emperor who frequently intervenes on Mozart’s behalf.
Tickets are $17 for adults, $14 for students, seniors and military, and $12 for children under 12.
If the Riverwalk production inspires you to learn what all the fuss about Mozart’s elegant and timeless creations is, then you can head over to the MSU Auditorium’s Fairchild Theatre on March 20, 22, 23 and 24. On those days, the MSU Opera Theatre will be presenting “Don Giovanni,” one of Mozart’s most famous operas.
A story of love, betrayal and consequence, the opera follows the story of libertine Don Juan, an arrogant and sexually promiscuous nobleman who commits murder and lies to everyone around him.
The MSU production is directed by Melanie Helton, an MSU professor of voice, and conducted by Katherine Kilburn.
Tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors and $7 for students.
It’s a rare opportunity to see a modern take on the composer followed by a full theatrical production of one of the artist’s most performed works.
Act II: Step Afrika! to perform at Wharton Center
Percussive sounds of stomping and clapping will fill the halls of the Wharton Center this Saturday.
Step Afrika Is coming to town performing their self-titled work, “Step Afrika!” which showcases stepping through traditional and contemporary lenses.
Step Afrika, the country’s first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping, was founded in 1994 and has since toured more than 60 countries and ranks as one of the top 10 African American dance companies in the US.
Tickets start at $25.
Encore!
The MSU College of Music is well into its spring season with nearly daily concerts and events. Some highlights include an organ recital accompanied by dancers from the Greater Lansing Ballet Company, “Organ Dances, ‘Laudes’” at 3 p.m. March 10 at the Alumni Memorial Chapel; a Symphony Band concert on March 14, a Symphony Orchestra concert on March 15 (performing dances from “West Side Story”); a celebration of Director Leonard Falcone’s 125th birthday with the MSU Wind Symphony and Alumni Band on March 17; the rescheduled Happy Birthday, Bach on March 19 and a faculty recital of video-game music on March 16.
“Small Island, Big Song” comes to the Wharton Center at 7:30 p.m. March 21. This musical journey combining song, spoken word and cinematic visuals filmed during a multi-year voyage across 16 island nations features First Nation artists from across the Pacific and Indian oceans.
Evolve Theatrics has revealed that it is moving its home to Stage One Performing Arts Center. They have not yet announced their upcoming shows.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Riverwalk takes on 'Amadeus'; MSU Opera to perform Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'
