'Camelot,' 'No, No Nanette,' 'Orpheus in the Underworld' coming to Ohio Light Opera Stage this summer

Staff Report
·3 min read
In 2018, the Ohio Light Opera at The College of Wooster performed "Cloclo." This year's season begins in June with "Camelot."
In 2018, the Ohio Light Opera at The College of Wooster performed "Cloclo." This year's season begins in June with "Camelot."

WOOSTER − The Ohio Light Opera, a lyric theater festival and resident professional company of The College of Wooster, will present iconic musical theater favorites alongside more unusual repertoire in its 44th season, which runs June 10-July 30.

With performances taking place at Wooster’s Freedlander Theatre, 329 E. University St., this summer’s season will feature a rotating schedule of six shows, including three classic Broadway musicals, two comic operas and an operetta; a full season calendar, with afternoon and evening performances, can be found at ohiolightopera.org.

Founded in 1979 as a Gilbert and Sullivan repertory company, OLO has more than 150 show titles to its credit.

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“The Ohio Light Opera attracts audience members from throughout the country and internationally to see a wide variety of operetta and musical comedy,” said executive director Laura Neill in a news release. “Operetta, comic opera, musical comedy, light opera − the distinctions among them are subtle, but each conjures up a bygone era of romance, conflict, dance, champagne, and swashbuckling heroes − a world in which all hearts beat in three-quarter time. The audience truly enjoys the atmosphere of The College of Wooster’s campus and all it has to offer.”

The season opener is 'Camelot,' followed by 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'

The season opens with "Camelot" on June 10. This musical was first performed in 1960 and won four Tony Awards. In the show, King Arthur instills in a young boy the hopes and ideals of a once enchanted kingdom, where he himself promoted justice and civility over battle and greed.

"How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" opens June 15. The winner of seven Tony awards and only the fourth musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the musical tells the story of a young window washer who − always with his all-foreseeing "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" manual in hand − sets his sights on rising through the ranks of the World Wide Wicket Company.

Making its Freedlander Theatre debut, the 1925 musical "No, No, Nanette" opens June 22. The show captures the spirit of the 1920s with songs like “Tea for Two,” “I Want to Be Happy” and “You Can Dance with Any Girl at All.” The OLO =will present the show with its original orchestrations.

"H.M.S. Pinafore" returns to the OLO June 29. This comic opera, first performed in 1878, entertains audiences with a romp through naval life, class distinctions, and melodramatic villainy that has delighted millions since its London premiere.

'Arizona Lady,' 'Orpheus in the Underworld' and POPS concert on Public Square

"Arizona Lady" opens at Freedlander Theatre July 6. The work centers on a Hungarian ranch owner who has fired her overly brazen manager and is left with no one to ride her racehorse, Arizona Lady, at least until a guitar-slinging cowboy arrives at the ranch.

The final show, "Orpheus in the Underworld," begins its run July 13. The comic opera tackles one of the most famous legends in Greek mythology. The musical score is topped off by the “galop infernale,” better known to audiences as the “can-can.”

On Friday and Saturday evenings at 6:30 p.m., a free lecture will take place before each show in the Lean Lecture Room of Wishart Hall, just down the hall from the Freedlander Theatre lobby. Led by the shows’ directors, designers, and authorities on the genre, the talks allow audience members to enhance their enjoyment of the evening’s performance by learning lesser-known facts about the show’s history and tips to recognize the unique special pleasures of each show.

OLO will present its 21st annual POPS concert at 7 p.m. July 4 on Public Square in downtown Wooster. The free concert highlights the young musicians from all over the country who perform in the OLO Orchestra and accompany all productions.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the OLO website or call 330-263-2345.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Ohio Light Opera playlist: 'Camelot,' 'No No Nanette' 'H.M.S. Pinafore