Reminisce with a classic or perhaps discover something new during an evening of musical theater selections.
Join vocalists Robin Rotela and Olivia Williams for “Our Broadway Favorites” at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at Vero Voce Theatre in St. Charles.
“It’s a great show for anybody who likes music theater,” Rotela said. “It’s a great evening of songs. We’ve got all sorts of different eras of show tunes covered.”
Rotela, a voice teacher at Vero Voce and professional musician, will be performing with voice student Williams, a senior at Harvest Christian Academy and a St. Charles resident.
“I’ve been working with her ever since I started at Vero Voce, so about two and a half years now,” said Rotela, who lives in Arlington Heights. “She’s just an incredibly talented young lady. Just a beautiful voice, natural talent, works hard.”
The idea for the concert originally started with Rotela suggesting Williams do a solo voice recital in the spring.
“As we got to talking, we thought why don’t we make it a two-part project and do something together first,” Rotela said.
Williams has previously performed in musicals and also with Rotela and her group, Main Street Cabaret.
“She’s been in a few of those shows and we always worked well together,” Rotela said. “She’s very advanced for her age group.”
Rather than a typical cabaret show, they looked to Broadway for their material.
“For this one we wanted to reach as many people as we could with a title that would open up to a lot of possibilities of what they might hear,” Rotela said.
They wrote down songs they knew, their favorites and ones they always wanted to work on before coming up with the final list.
“It was hard to narrow down, there was a lot of them,” Rotela said. “We just sat down together one day and came up with what we thought was a great list of not only songs that are Broadway favorites but what we feel might be (favorites of) some others.”
Selections include classics from “The Sound of Music,” “My Fair Lady” and “Showboat,” along with more contemporary works like “Wicked,” “In the Heights” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” Also included are some lesser-known and offbeat shows like “Side Show” and “Bat Boy: The Musical.”
“We’re kind of covering all bases with a lot different styles of Broadway within the one show,” Rotela said.
While the concert is kid-friendly, it is not a kid’s recital by any means, Rotela said.
“I don’t want people to think they’re coming to a student recital. (Olivia) is a professional. She really, truly is,” Rotela said. “The maturity of her voice is definitely beyond what you typically hear in a high school girl. It’s definitely a professional show through and through. We both have equal amount of solos and duets.”
More Top Picks Cool Mist Vs Warm Mist Humidifier
Accompanying Rotela and Williams during the concert is Richard Trost, piano teacher at Vero Voce.
The evening, she said, offers a variety of music in a great cabaret-style setting.
“If you at all like music theater or Broadway, I think it’s a great way to come out and enjoy yourself for evening on a Saturday night with a great music,” Rotela said.
Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter with The Beacon-News.
‘Our Broadway Favorites’
When: 7 p.m. Nov. 18
Where: Vero Voce Theatre, 951 State Ave., Suite F, St. Charles
Tickets: $15 adults; $12 students
Information: 630-584-0139; www.verovoce.com