The Genius of Leonard Bernstein

The Genius of Bernstein: On June 7, 2015, South Bay Musical Theatre will present a one-night-only musical revue featuring works by Leonard Bernstein, drawn from his theatrical and classical works. The performance will be held at the Saratoga Civic Theater, 13777 Fruitvale Ave, Saratoga, CA 95070.

Directed by Walter M. Mayes, with Musical Direction by Samuel Cisneros, the evening will focus on the music of one of the greatest composers of the 20th century and will offer a wide range of styles and performance opportunities. Solos, duets, quintets, and several ensemble numbers will be featured, all presented with minimal staging in a concert setting and with piano accompaniment by Samuel Cisneros.
Rehearsal time will be extremely limited, with a mandatory dress rehearsal on Saturday, June 6 from 11 – 4 PM and a call time of 6:15 on Sunday, June 7 for a 7:30 curtain. No conflicts will be accepted. Because of the difficult nature of the material and the limited time to put together the evening’s performance, we require top musicianship and singers who can learn their music before the first rehearsal.
The set list:
“Tonight Quintet” and “Office Krupke” from West Side Story
“Captain Hook’s Soliloquoy” from Peter Pan
“Duet for One,” “Serena,” and “Rehearse” from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
“My New Friends” from The Madwoman of Central Park West
“A Simple Song,” “Easy,” and “World Without End” from Mass
“There is a Garden” from Trouble in Tahiti
“Glitter and Be Gay,” “I am Easily Assimilated,” “Words, Words, Words,” and “Make Our Garden Grow” from Candide
“Lonely Town,” “I Can Cook Too,” and “Some Other Time” from On the Town
“Ohio,” “A Quiet Girl,” and “A Little Bit in Love” from Wonderful Town
“Le Bonne Cuisine”
“Big Stuff”
“I Hate Music”
“So Pretty”
If you would like to audition for a spot in the performance, please make a video or mp3 of yourself singing a brief sample of any Bernstein song, showing your voice and musicianship to best advantage; 24 bars should be sufficient, but if you simply must go for that money note, you have our permission. You may sing with or without accompaniment–what really matters to us is that we hear how well you sing. If you have an incredibly strong desire to sing one of the songs above, please do so, though you need not limit yourself to our list. We reserve the right, however, to pair each singer carefully with the right song(s) for the performance. We are entertaining gender switching some of the songs, so do not be limited by convention and give us your best take. Singers of all ages and ethnicities are encouraged to audition.
Please send your submission to wmmayes@gmail.com no later than November 30.Casting will be announced in early January.