William Shakespeareβs epic tales of comedy, romance and tragedy will be reinvigorated with a jazzy twist at βShakespeare Swings!ββ a cabaret-style production premiering next week at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Celebrates the Arts 2015 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
The English playwrightβs masterpieces have been translated into many languages, but the arrangements of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs Flying Horse Big Band with vocals coordinated by the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre reinforces that music is the universal language.
βShakespeare Swings!β will give the bardβs time-tested lyrics and sonnets a new sound at 8 p.m. April 11 as part of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs free April 10-15 arts festival. The weeklong event of artistic presentations by university students, faculty members and partners will showcase studio art, music, theatre, dance, gaming, animation, photography and film in one venue for the first time.
The Flying Horse Big Band, formerly the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Jazz Ensemble I, is composed of students from the universityβs jazz studies program under director Jeff Rupert. Rupert, whose range of talents includes saxophonist, composer, record producer and recording artist, said it was a great opportunity to bring together the mash-up with the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre.Β Β
βOur collaborative production of jazz-music-meets-Shakespeare came together naturally because many composers and musicals already embody Shakespeare and/or are inspired by Shakespeareβs works,β Rupert said. Β βIn our performance of βSuch Sweet Thunderβ for ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Celebrates the Arts, as it relates to the famed balcony scene of βRomeo and Juliet,β the tenor saxophone will represent Romeo and the alto saxophone will represent Juliet.β
When ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ announced the arts festival, community partners were asked to help develop some collaborative ideas.
βI had been dreaming of doing some sort of Shakespeare cabaret production to showcase the love songs of Shakespeare,β said Jim Helsinger, artistic director at Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, which has been a ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ partner for 26 years. Helsinger credits Jeff Moore, chair of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Music Department, with suggesting a Shakespeare program with the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ jazz studies program.Β
The world-premiere revue will hit a high note with a variety of original compositions, swing music and Broadway standards.
βWith much of Shakespeare we have the lyrics but not the music so our performance will have new interpretations, such as for βThe Two Gentlemen of Veronaβ and βThe Wind and The Rainβ from βTwelfth Night,ββ said Helsinger.
Rupert said developing the program was a fun project for the jazz students.
βThe band even helped to come up with the title of βShakespeare Swings!,ββΒ he said.
The singers for the show will be local performers Michael Andrew and Andrea Canny, with guest artist Sisaundra Lewis, a fan favorite on the sixth season of NBCβs βThe Voice.β
βShakespeare Swings!β is one of several musical collaborations planned for ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ and select partners during ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Celebrates the Arts. Some other partnerships include ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Choirs providing vocals for the Orlando Repertory Theatreβs production of βCivil War Voices,β which uses diaries and letters to tell the true stories of people who lived through the war, and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra rehearsal for βToscaβ with an instructional class for voice students.
All events to ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Celebrates the Arts 2015 are free, but tickets are required for many of the programs, including the performance of βShakespeare Swings!βΒ The April 10-15 festival will feature studio art, music, theatre, dance, gaming, animation, photography and film at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., Orlando.Β Visit Β for more information, ticketsΒ and updated scheduling.