Westminster Opera Theater Presents Beatrice and Benedict

Westminster Opera Theater will present Beatrice and Benedict by Hector Berlioz on Thursday, March 3; Friday, March 4; and Saturday, March 5 at 8:00 p.m.  A matinee performance at 3:00 p.m. will be performed on Sunday, March 6.  All performances will take place in The Playhouse on the campus of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton.

This opera, based on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, is written in two acts.  The libretto, written by Berlioz himself, focuses on the wits of Beatrice and Benedict, two central characters in Shakespeare’s work whom Berlioz saw as most integral and interesting to the play. 

Bill Fabris is stage director, and David Rebhun is music director for this production, which will be sung in English.  The cast is composed of Westminster students.  Westminster faculty member Charles Walker makes a special appearance as Leonato, the governor of Messina.

Westminster Opera Theater has been praised for its innovative productions of a wide range of operas.  Participants in the program have gone on to perform in major opera houses around the world.  They include Jennifer Larmore and Emily Magee, who perform regularly with the world’s greatest opera companies.  Graduates of the program have been the grand prizewinners in three of the past 12 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

A regular with Chautauqua Opera, Bill Fabris has directed H.M.S. Pinafore, The Barber of Seville and The Mikado as well as several musical reviews for the Young Artist Program.  Equally at home in the worlds of opera and musical theater, Mr. Fabris has been directing musicals for the past several years at the Ash Lawn-Highland Summer Festival.  Recent productions include Fiddler On The Roof, Oklahoma!, The Wizard of Oz and Kiss Me, Kate.

Mr. Fabris’ work regularly appears on the stages of regional opera companies, including OperaDelaware, Mobile Opera, Opera Colorado Artist Center, Eugene Opera, South Carolina Opera, Opera Pacific, Natchez Opera, Lyric Opera of San Antonio and Opera Boston.

His New York credits include The Desert Song, The Merry Widow and Countess Maritza for the Village Light Opera Group.  Since 1987, Mr. Fabris has been director and choreographer for the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players.  Highlights of his work include the recent productions of The Pirates of Penzance and H.M.S. Pinafore at City Center.  Off-Broadway, he directed and choreographed the 20^th-anniversary production of Boy Meets Boy.

Internationally, Bill Fabris directed A Little Sondheim Music and The Music of Leonard Bernstein at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain.  He directed the European tours of Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, and choreographed the award-winning short film Boot Camp, which was featured at Sundance.

Mr. Fabris is on the faculty of Westminster Choir College of Rider University, where he teaches music theater, dance, and directs the Westminster Opera Theater.

Music director David Rebhun is an active assistant conductor and vocal coach in New York.  He has a freelance studio and has also been engaged at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Bregenz Festspiele, Opera Omaha, Virginia Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Mobile Opera, Opera San Jose and others.  He is also a recital accompanist, playing for singers worldwide.  He received his Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory and his Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music, the latter under the tutelage of Martin Katz.

Tickets for these performances are $15 for adults and $10 for senior citizens and students.  To order, call the Westminster box office weekdays between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at 609-921-2663.  Westminster Choir College is located on the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Walnut Lane in Princeton.  For more information visit Westminster’s Website at http://westminster.rider.edu.