How to go
What: “Disney in Concert: Magical Music From the Movies”
Where: Schuster Center, Second and Main Streets, Dayton
When: 8 p.m. Jan. 24-25
Cost: $21-$76
Tickets/more info: Call Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or visit www.daytonperformingarts.org.
The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra salutes more than 50 years of timeless tunes from the vast Disney canon in its family-friendly SuperPops concert slated Jan. 24-25 at the Schuster Center.
“Disney in Concert: Magical Music From the Movies” features an assortment of familiar, Academy Award-winning songs encompassing the delightful works of legendary songwriters Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman (“Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book”) and contemporary virtuosos Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Stephen Schwartz, Tim Rice and Elton John (“The Little Mermaid, “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” “Pocahantas,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”). Under the direction of DPO assistant conductor Patrick Reynolds, the concert, which opens with “Disney Classics Overture,” also incorporates a “Pirates of the Caribbean Suite” as well as the iconic “It’s a Small World.”
“Disney music is fantastic,” said vocalist Whitney Claire Kaufman. “We’ll be singing many songs people will instantly recognize. We cover a wide range. There will be a lot of variety.”
Kaufman, who recently completed two years with the North American tour of “Mamma Mia!” and has also had television stints on “General Hospital” and “Modern Family,” says her favorite Disney movie is “The Little Mermaid” closely followed by “Cinderella.” The concert includes her rendition of “Colors of the Wind” from “Pocahantas,” a beautifully descriptive number she continually remains excited to explore.
“The lyrics are great and the melody is so sweeping,” she said. “The song has such a grand feel to it. The themes in the song are large as well as it discusses human connection to the earth and nature.”
In a well-timed turn of events, the concert will arrive one month after the release of “Saving Mr. Banks,” which chronicles the creation of Disney’s beloved 1964 film adaptation of “Mary Poppins.” The film has generated considerable Oscar buzz for co-stars Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson. Kaufman is well aware of the musical legacy provided by the Sherman brothers that specifically paved the way for Menken and Ashman’s celebrated collaboration.
“We do a very fun ‘Mary Poppins’ sing-a-long in the show,” she said. “In the introduction we discuss the Sherman brothers and the fact that Walt Disney felt passionate about music in his films. The Sherman brothers truly provided a great combination of music and lyrics working so well together to tell a story. Their lineage of storytelling was brought into the modern musical theater style by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. As a musical theater artist, I have always felt Disney films and live theater are very similar because they share the same storytelling elements. Menken and Ashman possessed the same connection as the Sherman brothers and really got people excited about their new Broadway/pop/rock style. It’s great to have ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ in theaters at the same time of our concert, but that’s the beauty of Disney. It’s always relevant.”
The concert also includes vocalists Juliana Hansen (“Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Les Miserables,” “Grease: You’re the One That I Want”), Dennis Kyle (“Annie,” “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas,” “Make Me a Song-The Music of William Finn”) and Andrew Johnson (“The X Factor,” “Rent,” “Godspell”). Film montages as well as original artwork/storyboard will be projected throughout the course of the program.
“No matter how many years this concert has toured, people always get excited to have a little piece of their childhood or their children’s childhood brought back to life,” said Kaufman. “Disney music means so much to a lot of people. It can be very sentimental and really pull at the heartstrings. But I love being able to bring joy and lighthearted feelings to people while reminding them of their inner child, which is what Disney is all about.”
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