"Let Me Call you Sweetheart"; L to R, Kim Shahbazian, Sean Pflueger, Jennifer Weingartner, Anthony Vargas, Melody Prochazka and Felice Fava
Phil Erickson and Penny Hauffe as Nelson and Jeanette
REVIEW
"If you are among the many people who like music but have never been to an opera because it has seemed too serious, this is a wonderful opportunity to hear what you have been missing. Romance gives the audience a chance to zero in on the amazing sound that operatic singers produce without being concerned about spending a couple of hours not understanding a story in Italian or French. The singing in Romance will astound you.
"Meredith Bean McMath has tied together the vocal pieces with a clever script, in English, echoing the musical theme of love..."
- David Sackrider
Purcellville Gazette, August 2010
A comedy that gathers two music experts, their agent, and a group of unforgettable songs to create a night of pure entertainment.
AUGUST 1966 — Opera Expert Nelson Eddington and Broadway Music Expert Jeanette McAvoy share marriage and a love of music... but not much else at the moment.
The couple has been hired to present an evening of romantic songs - from Broadway to Opera - as a tribute to the soon-to-be-open Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. But, try as they may to rehearse, it's clear the two aren't going to be able to stay on topic.
Kim Shahbazian as Mary, singing Bizet's "Habanera"
This light opera was written by McMath on behalf of The Loudoun Lyric Opera Company and uses public domain Broadway and Opera music to take you from Vaudeville to Grand Opera... with lots of merry stops along the way.
The opera premiered in February of 2010 at The Franklin Park Performing Arts Center, Purcellville, VA - Directed by Meredith Bean McMath, Musical Director Cuong Hung Van
ORCHESTRA: Piano
SET: 1965 living room
CAST:
NON-SINGERS:
Nelson Eddington, Opera Musicologist
Jeanette McAvoy, Broadway Music Expert
Jackie, Producer and Stage Manager
SINGERS:
Susie (Lyric Soprano)
Doris (Soprano)
Mary (Mezzo-soprano / Sopran)
Frank (Tenor)
Ernest (Tenor)
Richard (Baritone)
Copyright-free Music:
For Me and My Gal - Composed by George W. Meyer; lyrics by Edgar Leslie & E. Ray Goetz
You Made Me Love You - Composed by James V. Monaco; lyrics by Joseph McCarthy
Where Has My Hubby Gone Blues - V. Youmans
Let Me Call You Sweetheart (lead duet with ensemble) - L. Friedman
Quando Men Vo from La Boheme - G. Puccini
How'd You Like to Spoon with Me (duet) - J. Kern
The Jewel Song - "Ah! je ris de me voir si belle en ce miroir" from Faust
Ain't We Got Fun (duet) - R.A. Whiting
Dove sono i bei momenti - W.A. Mozart
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life (Duet) - Victor Herbert
Habenera - G. Bizet
I'm Falling in Love with Someone - Victor Herbert
La Ci Darem La Mano - W.A. Mozart
How You Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm - Walter Donaldson
A Magnet Hung in a Hardware Shop (chorus) - Richard, Ernest & Frank
Quanto è bella, quanto è cara (L'Elisir D'Amore) - G. Donizetti
Ah Sweet Mystery of Life (duet as tenor) - Victor Herbert
Let Me Call You Sweetheart (ensemble) - L. Friedman
RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes
FOR PERFORMANCE RIGHTS AND SHEET MUSIC, contact Meredith Bean McMath by emailing her at 571-209-7386,
The opera premiered in February of 2010 at The Franklin Park Performing Arts Center, Purcellville, VA - Directed by Meredith Bean McMath, Musical Director Cuong Hung Van
ORCHESTRA: Piano
SET: 1965 living room
CAST:
NON-SINGERS:
Nelson Eddington, Opera Musicologist
Jeanette McAvoy, Broadway Music Expert
Jackie, Producer and Stage Manager
SINGERS:
Susie (Lyric Soprano)
Doris (Soprano)
Mary (Mezzo-soprano / Sopran)
Frank (Tenor)
Ernest (Tenor)
Richard (Baritone)
Copyright-free Music:
For Me and My Gal - Composed by George W. Meyer; lyrics by Edgar Leslie & E. Ray Goetz
You Made Me Love You - Composed by James V. Monaco; lyrics by Joseph McCarthy
Where Has My Hubby Gone Blues - V. Youmans
Let Me Call You Sweetheart (lead duet with ensemble) - L. Friedman
Quando Men Vo from La Boheme - G. Puccini
How'd You Like to Spoon with Me (duet) - J. Kern
The Jewel Song - "Ah! je ris de me voir si belle en ce miroir" from Faust
Ain't We Got Fun (duet) - R.A. Whiting
Dove sono i bei momenti - W.A. Mozart
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life (Duet) - Victor Herbert
Habenera - G. Bizet
I'm Falling in Love with Someone - Victor Herbert
La Ci Darem La Mano - W.A. Mozart
How You Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm - Walter Donaldson
A Magnet Hung in a Hardware Shop (chorus) - Richard, Ernest & Frank
Quanto è bella, quanto è cara (L'Elisir D'Amore) - G. Donizetti
Ah Sweet Mystery of Life (duet as tenor) - Victor Herbert
Let Me Call You Sweetheart (ensemble) - L. Friedman
RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes
FOR PERFORMANCE RIGHTS AND SHEET MUSIC, contact Meredith Bean McMath by emailing her at 571-209-7386,