Singers bring out their musical style

Once upon a time, the St. Albert Singers were happy singing in seasonal concerts. But they began having so much fun acting out their singing roles that they decided to extend their time on stage.

Last year they created Acting Out Musical Theatre with nine members and belted out some of their favourite musical numbers. This year the newbie company has expanded to 12, and they’ll be paying a salute revue-style to three Broadway gems in When One Musical Isn’t Enough tonight at the Shrine Centre.

“We’ve taken three musical theatre shows and condensed them to 25 minutes each,” said artistic director Criselda Mierau. “We wanted something new. We wanted something smashing and we wanted a beloved old treasure.”

The three shows on deck are Drowsy Chaperone, a delightful jewel first introduced to Edmonton by Citadel Theatre last season; Into the Woods, a dark fairy tale fashioned from Stephen Sondheim’s discordant compositional sounds and Oklahoma, a feel-good, nostalgic show with memorable tunes.

One of the highlights of .Drowsy Chaperone is a hot little up-tempo number Toledo Surprise, performed by the full cast. “There’s two gangsters disguised as pastry chefs doing a full-out song and dance number.”

Another stand-up number is No One is Alone from Into the Woods, a slow ballad that emphasizes how people need to rely on each other. “It’s about a charming and poignant character that has endured life’s losses.”

And The Farmer and the Cowmen from Oklahoma is lively hoedown between farmers and ranchers. “You get three shows packed into an evening and who wouldn’t smile at paying just $7. The performances are utterly charming. The actors have no guile and you can’t help but be smitten.”