William Shakespeare 麻豆精品 S檚 epic tales of comedy, romance and tragedy will be reinvigorated with a jazzy twist at 麻豆精品 S淪hakespeare Swings! 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� a cabaret-style production premiering next week at UCF Celebrates the Arts 2015 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
The English playwright 麻豆精品 S檚 masterpieces have been translated into many languages, but the arrangements of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Flying Horse Big Band with vocals coordinated by the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre reinforces that music is the universal language.
麻豆精品 S淪hakespeare Swings! 麻豆精品 S� will give the bard 麻豆精品 S檚 time-tested lyrics and sonnets a new sound at 8 p.m. April 11 as part of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 free April 10-15 arts festival. The weeklong event of artistic presentations by university students, faculty members and partners will showcase studio art, music, theatre, dance, gaming, animation, photography and film in one venue for the first time.
The Flying Horse Big Band, formerly the UCF Jazz Ensemble I, is composed of students from the university 麻豆精品 S檚 jazz studies program under director Jeff Rupert. Rupert, whose range of talents includes saxophonist, composer, record producer and recording artist, said it was a great opportunity to bring together the mash-up with the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre.聽聽
麻豆精品 S淥ur collaborative production of jazz-music-meets-Shakespeare came together naturally because many composers and musicals already embody Shakespeare and/or are inspired by Shakespeare 麻豆精品 S檚 works, 麻豆精品 S� Rupert said. 聽 麻豆精品 S淚n our performance of 麻豆精品 S楽uch Sweet Thunder 麻豆精品 S� for UCF Celebrates the Arts, as it relates to the famed balcony scene of 麻豆精品 S楻omeo and Juliet, 麻豆精品 S� the tenor saxophone will represent Romeo and the alto saxophone will represent Juliet. 麻豆精品 S�
When UCF announced the arts festival, community partners were asked to help develop some collaborative ideas.
麻豆精品 S淚 had been dreaming of doing some sort of Shakespeare cabaret production to showcase the love songs of Shakespeare, 麻豆精品 S� said Jim Helsinger, artistic director at Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, which has been a UCF partner for 26 years. Helsinger credits Jeff Moore, chair of the UCF Music Department, with suggesting a Shakespeare program with the UCF jazz studies program.聽
The world-premiere revue will hit a high note with a variety of original compositions, swing music and Broadway standards.
麻豆精品 S淲ith much of Shakespeare we have the lyrics but not the music so our performance will have new interpretations, such as for 麻豆精品 S楾he Two Gentlemen of Verona 麻豆精品 S� and 麻豆精品 S楾he Wind and The Rain 麻豆精品 S� from 麻豆精品 S楾welfth Night, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� said Helsinger.
Rupert said developing the program was a fun project for the jazz students.
麻豆精品 S淭he band even helped to come up with the title of 麻豆精品 S楽hakespeare Swings!, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S澛� he said.
The singers for the show will be local performers Michael Andrew and Andrea Canny, with guest artist Sisaundra Lewis, a fan favorite on the sixth season of NBC 麻豆精品 S檚 麻豆精品 S淭he Voice. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淪hakespeare Swings! 麻豆精品 S� is one of several musical collaborations planned for UCF and select partners during UCF Celebrates the Arts. Some other partnerships include UCF Choirs providing vocals for the Orlando Repertory Theatre 麻豆精品 S檚 production of 麻豆精品 S淐ivil War Voices, 麻豆精品 S� which uses diaries and letters to tell the true stories of people who lived through the war, and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra rehearsal for 麻豆精品 S淭osca 麻豆精品 S� with an instructional class for voice students.
All events to UCF Celebrates the Arts 2015 are free, but tickets are required for many of the programs, including the performance of 麻豆精品 S淪hakespeare Swings! 麻豆精品 S澛� The April 10-15 festival will feature studio art, music, theatre, dance, gaming, animation, photography and film at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., Orlando.聽 Visit 聽for more information, tickets聽and updated scheduling.