Posted on Monday, January 10, 2005
The Westminster College Celebrity Series continues with "Over the Rainbow" featuring Faith Prince and Tom Wopat singing the music of Harold Arlen Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 8 p.m. in the newly-renovated Orr Auditorium.
Arlen, one of the greatest twentieth-century composers, wrote more than 400 songs in his career including "Over the Rainbow," which was recently named the number one song of the twentieth century. A few of the other popular numbers he composed include: "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Stormy Weather," "I've Got the World on a String," "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive," "I Love a Parade," "Let's Fall in Love," and "That Old Black Magic."
Prince's unforgettable and Tony-winning portrayal of Miss Adelaid in "Guys and Dolls" established her as one of the great musical comedy actresses of our time. Since then she has played leading roles in "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Little Me." She has also proved equally at ease in bringing audiences to tears as Anna in "The King and I," and James Joyce's "The Dead." On television, she has been a recurring guest star on "Spin City," and "Now and Again," and was featured in the PBS special "My Favorite Broadway." She can be seen this season on "House," "Huff," and "Monk."
Wopat first came to public attention in the late 70s as the freewheeling Luke Duke on the comedy-adventure television series, "The Dukes of Hazzard," but his background as a classically trained vocalist was a far cry from the car crashes and corny humor that gave the series a seven-year run. Within weeks of his arrival in New York in 1977, he appeared off-Broadway in the hit musical, "A Bistro Car on the CNR," then signed for the title role of "The Robber Bridegroom" at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. He made his Broadway debut in "I Love My Wife," and followed that by starring as Curly in an off-Broadway production of "Oklahoma." In the 1990s, he starred in the Tony Award-winning musical "City of Angles" and "Guys and Dolls. In 1999, he created the role of Frank Butler in "Annie Get Your Gun," which earned him a Tony nomination.
The multi-media program will also feature behind the scene clips from the making of "The Wizard of Oz." The popular cabaret performers Prince and Wopat will be backed by a jazz combo featuring Tedd Firth, Red Holloway, Mark Whitfield, Steve LaSpina and Steve Johns, as well as two jazz vocalists, Barbara Morrison and Loston Harris.
Westminster's Orr Auditorium has been recently remodeled to include air conditioning, stage elevator, new carpeting, and re-upholstered seats, along with stage lighting and shell improvements.
A limited amount of seating is still available. For tickets, contact Connie McGinnis, assistant director of Celebrity Series, at (724) 946-7354 or e-mail mcginncl@westminster.edu.
