Whether on campus, at home or on Broadway itself, there is a certain appeal to musical theater and opera in today’s world. Nothing speaks to that more than seeing students perform their favorite songs and challenge themselves to give a fun rendition of classic songs that we can enjoy listening to.
The Winthrop Department of Music hosted a special event called “A Night of Musical Theater: A Walk through Time” on Nov. 11 in Barnes Recital Hall, with performances by students in the Winthrop Opera Theatre. Students performed songs from musicals such as “South Pacific” and “Little Women,” allowing students such as senior musical theatre major Maggie Goldin to share how musical theater can be impactful.
“Theatre shows you life on stage, and teaches you lessons. Musical theatre gives you songs to remember those lessons,” Goldin says.
Sophomore vocal performance major Rachel Strait performed “Simple Joys of Maidenhood” from the musical “Camelot,” noting that students had to audition the songs they wanted to perform.
“The criteria was to bring a memorized, musical theatre piece to the audition,” Strait says.
Students in the Winthrop Opera Theater worked with director of opera studies Jeffery McEvoy and Lannia Broñola-Dickert on the piano to practice their songs before the performance.
“I have a weekly voice lesson with Dr. McEvoy where we are able to progress with the rep that I am working on,” Goldin says.
As the semester went on, students were able to work with McEvoy to learn how to perform in the recital hall and how to be confident when singing to the audience, either naturally or with operatic voices.
“When we went through our dress rehearsals, he told us where to stand and how to address the audience and the pianist who helped us so much. Shout out to Lannia,” says freshmen musical theatre major Ian Latham.
Some of the songs at the performance included “Somewhere That’s Green” from “Little Shop of Horrors,” “I Know Things Now” from “Into the Woods” and “Corner of the Sky” from “Pippin.” These performances gave students the chance to express emotional moments in songs and convey them on stage through their voices and body language.
“Typical shows have a sort of cadence that all actors can feel as the show goes on, and while that’s not a bad thing, sometimes it’s important to break that and convey such strong emotion to the audience through song,” Latham says.
Sophomore vocal performance major Lauren Pace sang the song “Breaking Down” from the musical “Falsettos,” chronicling a woman losing her nerves. Pace used the jolly tempo of the piano and props such as a flask to convey humor to the audience, while using her voice to show the pressure on her.
“I chose this song because it makes me feel really good to just be goofy on stage, and what college student doesn’t feel like they are breaking down at some point,” Pace says. “I honestly think there were two big challenges, remembering the words and finding a place to hide the flask.”
The song “Girl in 14G,” chronicled a new tenant caught between an opera singer and a fan of acapella music. Goldin was able to balance the different types of music, create contrast in the music and compliment the piano.
“It is a challenge for me, I have to access my entire range throughout the song, and those transitions can be tricky. This performance is a perfect opportunity for me to work on the song with the added pressure of an audience,” Goldin says.
“I am so happy that I could be a goofball on stage and receive positive feedback! I love performing and performances like this remind me that this is what I am supposed to be doing,” Pace says.
Photos: Mason Foster/ The Johnsonian
