The stage at Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall became the set for a French revolution, the mystical Land of Oz and an angsty teen drama when the Bob Cole School of Music held its biannual Beach Café this weekend.
In contrast to previous years, this semester’s Beach Café took on a Broadway spin, featuring beloved music from Broadway hall-of-famers including “Les Miserables,” “Wicked” and “Dear Evan Hansen.” A Broadway-themed Beach Café was a first for many students as it hadn’t been done in 15 years.
“This semester’s show is special because all of the repertoires came from the musical theater tradition,” Jonathan Talberg, director of choral, vocal and opera studies. Talberg added that due to the musical theater focus, they invited Joanne Gordon, former chair of LBSU theater arts to direct the show.
Friday’s Beach Café performance nearly hit full capacity, pushing several members of the university and chamber choirs into the aisles to open up more space for the audience.
Student performers dedicated countless hours in order to ensure a successful two-night run. According to Gordon, student performers attended four-hour rehearsals over the span of three weeks, working to perfect every aspect of the production.
“I love these students intensely,” Gordon said. “They’re passionate and they’re talented and they work incredibly hard.”
In previous years, Beach Café was run by students who auditioned with individual acts of their choice from any genre, from classical to rock n’ roll. However, recognizing the need for music education students to get more exposure to musical theater as a style and tradition, Gordon and Talberg took on this semester’s program as directors to produce one cohesive show with stage direction and lighting.
“It was important to me that we do some Broadway in our repertoire for the season,” Talberg said. “I decided this would be a fun way to change it up.”
The show was filled with both high-energy and emotional numbers from different musicals, one seamlessly melting into the next to create one big story.
Student performers in the main ensemble embodied a variety of characters, using emotion and mannerisms to convince the audience of their respective roles.
Sophomore choral music education major Emily LaSalle played the role of Genevieve from “Baker’s Wife” in her performance of “Meadowlark,” an impassioned song about a woman torn between two men she deeply loves.
“It was exciting to be able to put all of myself into performing each role to the best of my ability,” LaSalle said.
The biggest act from the program was “One Day More” from “Les Miserables.” The number started with several solos sung by the main ensemble before combining with the university and chamber choirs for a grand final chorus.
Senior opera performance major Thomas Murphy O’Hara led the chorus of voices in the glorious anthem, playing the role of Jean Valjean.
“I grew up loving and performing in musical theater, so this show has felt like revisiting my roots in a lot of ways,” O’Hara said. “This show being more of a revue and less of a talent show has given the cast a really cool opportunity to work as a family.”
The next Beach Café will be held in the Spring semester of 2019. The Bob Cole Conservatory of Music will upload more information on their website as the event approaches.
