Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music Presents RENT And LA BOHEME, Ends 2/27

The Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music will continue to break ground with in-repertory productions of the opera La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini and the Tony Award winning musical RENT by Jonathan Larson February 15-27 at the Kleist Art & Drama Center, 95 E. Bagley Rd., Berea. Larson based RENT on the story of La Bohème and used a number of melodic themes from the opera for his musical. The productions will alternate on week nights at 7:30 p.m. During the weekends, both shows will be performed; one at 2 p.m. and the other at 7:30 p.m.

The weekday production schedule is as follows:
Rent will be performed February 15, 17, 18, 22, 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m.
La Bohème will be performed February 16 and 23 at 7:30 p.m.

The weekend schedule is:
Saturday, Feb. 19, Rent, 2 p.m. and La Bohème 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 20, La Bohème at 2 p.m. and Rent at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 26, La Bohème at 2 p.m. and Rent at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 27, La Bohème at 2 p.m. and Rent at 7:30 p.m.

Victoria Bussert, director of the music theatre program, will serve as the stage director for both La Bohème and RENT, utilizing the talents of music theatre and voice performance majors on stage and student instrumentalists in the orchestra. To our knowledge, these two pieces have not been performed together previously said Bussert who has directed La Boheme for Piedmont Opera and Puccini's Madame Butterfly for Cleveland Opera among others. She has directed seven national tours of musicals and two international tours. She also is on the board of the National Alliance of Music Theatres.

Constantine Kitsopoulos, guest conductor for La Bohème, has built an international reputation spanning opera, symphony and musical theatre. The music director of the Queens Symphony Orchestra, he also is the general director of Chatham Opera, which he founded in 2005. He has guest conducted the Baltimore, Detroit and San Francisco symphonies as well as the Blossom Festival Orchestra. He has conducted opera in the U.S. and in China and was the conductor of the highly acclaimed Broadway production of La Bohème as well as the 2008 Tony-nominated musical, A Catered Affair.

Bussert is particularly interested in illuminating the connections between the two pieces and celebrating the work of Puccini and Larson. Using a single set for both productions, La Bohème will be set in the ‘30s and Rent in current times. The creative team for both productions includes Greg Daniels, choreographer; Jeff Herrman, set design and Charlotte Yetman, costumes, all members of the B-W faculty. Ryan Garrett, a junior music theatre major is the music director for RENT.

Tickets may be reserved by calling the B-W Theatre Box Office at 440-826-2240. Box office hours are noon - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For directions to Kleist Center for Art & Drama, visit http://www.bw.edu/quickfacts/directions/kleist.
$25 (general admission, single ticket)
$45 (Saturday/Sunday-one ticket for both shows on same day)
$20 (senior citizens ages 62 and older)
$20 (students from other schools having a valid school ID

 

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