Singers mesh romance and adventure

Romance, passion and fantasy adventure in 1820’s Paris combine with the timeless land of Oz to form the two main pillars supporting St. Albert Singers’ season-ending concert.

This coming Thursday and Friday, the Arden Theatre plays centre stage to Broadway Comes to St. Albert. It’s a brilliant stroke combining two well-loved musicals – Victor Hugo’s epic tale of Les MisĂ©rables and Stephen Schwartz’s story of friendship and victimization in Wicked.

“The thread that connects these two unlikely and disparate shows is redemption and love,” says music director Criselda Mierau.

Over the years, the 60-voice mixed choir has sung bits of Les Miz and the enchanting music spurred the choir to sing more. In addition, since the story centres on the tragic Jean Valjean, it’s a showstopper that gives the male vocalists an opportunity to shine.

“The music is haunting, dramatic and memorable,” Mierau said. “And the other big thing is there’s a strong sense of story. You want to know what happens. You are always on the edge.”

The choir sings 14 pieces starting with At The End of the Day, a bitter tune from people living on the cusp of poverty. And then there’s Do You Hear the People Sing, a battle cry of the people. A third standout is Bring Him Home.

“It’s melodic. It’s very tender and well written and there’s beautiful harmonies written underneath.”

While Les Miz has masculine, classical overtones, Wicked, sung by the 30-voice women’s choir, has pop-rock vibe loaded with contemporary dialogue and humour.

“There’s a strong element of enduring friendship. Here we have two opposite women that have little in common, but end up being loyal friends,” Mierau said.

Mierau has programmed 10 notables including Defying Gravity, a tune where Elpheba decides to shed her inhibitions, and For Good where the two witches discuss the impact on each others’ lives. One Short Day relives an innocent day at Emerald City while Popular is a pointy jab at popularity.

“The two big human elements that are irresistible are love and redemption,” she said. “It’s a wonderful part of humanity and you want to be there and you want the singers to take you above and beyond.”

The 90-minute Broadway Comes to St. Albert combines singing, acting, costumes and choral choreography. For more information visit www.stalbertsingers.org.