News release Public Information Office   SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu     www.selu.edu/news Contact: Christina Chapple Date: 10/2/03   Click on image for publication quality photo SOME ENCHANTED EVENING – Seven vocalists will star in the Southeastern Louisiana University Opera/Music Theatre Workshop’s Fanfare production, “Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein” at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 8-11 at Southeastern’s Pottle Music Building Auditorium. From left, are Rachel Johnson of Covington; Patricia Ramirez of Tegucigalpa, Honduras; James Flick of South Charleston, W.Va.; Simon Pfeil of Hammond; Sarah Osterberger of Baton Rouge; Scott Munson of Albany, and Emily Stokes of Covington.   SINGING IN A SURREY – Southeastern Louisiana University student James Flick of South Charleston, W.Va., sings “Surrey With the Fringe on Top” from “Oklahoma” to Emily Stokes of Covington in one of the musical numbers from “Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein.” Tickets for the Oct. 8-11 show at Southeastern Louisiana University’s Pottle Music Building Auditorium are available at the Fanfare box office in the lobby of the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, 220 E. Thomas St., and at the door. MUSICAL REVIEW SHOWCASES BROADWAY CLASSICS       HAMMOND -- Staging the musical review “Some Enchanted Evening” has given Charles Effler a new appreciation for the work of Broadway icons Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.       Effler, director of Southeastern’s Opera/Music Theatre Workshop, is producer and music director for “Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein,” the workshop’s Oct. 8-11 Fanfare production in the Pottle Music Building Auditorium.        “I had thought about doing ‘The Sound of Music,’” Effler said. “But with our show falling so early in the Fanfare schedule, a music review was more practical. The idea of doing Rodgers and Hammerstein stuck in my head, however.”       Director Larry Gray suggested “Some Enchanted Evening,” and, although Effler was unfamiliar with the review, he thought, “It’s Rodgers and Hammerstein. How can you go wrong?”       “I used to think Rodgers and Hammerstein’s songs were kind of corny,” Effler admitted. “But after this, I have a new respect for them. Almost every one tells a story, which makes the presentation easier for the actors and captivates the audience. It’s also why the songs are such classics and are loved by so many.”       The show has no plot or dialogue, but uses the devise of a “theatrical setting,” placing the performers first "backstage," where the songs are sung as personal interplay, and then "on stage." While offering the performers an opportunity to explore the songs within their own styles and sensibilities, “Some Enchanted Evening” also offers the audience a glorious parade of genuine hits.       Those hits includes favorites such as “June is Bustin’ Out All Over” (“Carousel”); “Surrey With the Fringe on Top” and “I Cain’t Say No” (Oklahoma); “I Enjoy Being a Girl,” (“Flower Drum Song”); “In My Own Little Corner” (“Cinderella);  “Younger Than Springtime,” “There’s Nothing Like a Dame,”and “I’m Going to Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair”(“South Pacific”).       The simplicity of the show’s design does not mean that the actors’ jobs are easier, Effler said. “Every song is a new character and they have to become that character,” he said. “In that respect, it’s even harder for the actors than when they have one role.”       Although “Some Enchanted Evening” calls for five singers, Effler and Gray expanded the cast to seven to give more Southeastern students the opportunity to perform. The singers have the rewarding challenge of putting their own stamp on their solos.        Patricia Ramirez, a senior vocal music major from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, delivers the comical “I Cain’t Say No” with a charming Latin touch. Scott Munson of Albany, a 1995 Southeastern graduate and the only alumnus in the cast, gives a whole new meaning to “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria” -- a song that is usually performed by the “Sound of Music’s” chorus of nuns.       The “Some Enchanted Evening” cast includes some Opera/Music Theatre veterans – Ramirez, Munson, James Flick of South Charleston, W.Va., and Sarah Osterberger of Baton Rouge -- and three new freshmen, Simon Pfeil of Hammond, Rachel Johnson of Covington, and. Emily Stokes of Covington. Pfeil is no stranger to the Pottle stage, however, since he has appeared in a number of Southeastern productions.       Lighting design is by Ellen Sovkoplas and choreography by Alison Maraman. Daveda Karanas is the stage manager.       Curtain time for “Some Enchanted Evening” is 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for senior citizens, Southeastern faculty and staff and non-SLU students. Southeastern students are admitted free with their university I.D. Tickets are available at the door or at the Fanfare Box Office in the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts lobby, 220 E. Thomas St., in downtown Hammond.        For a 2003 Fanfare brochure and ticket order form or for additional information about Fanfare events, contact Fanfare at 985-543-4366 or fanfare_ctpa@selu.edu or  visit www.selu.edu/fanfare. Return to News Releases