THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 9, 1995 TAG: 9512090298
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
The Phantom takes a break Monday, but the show will go on.
Members of the cast of ``The Phantom of the Opera'' will take to the stage of Norfolk's Wells Theatre on Monday evening, offering up a variety of self-styled performances in a concert benefiting AIDS organizations.
``It will be a wide mix of styles and people from the cast showcasing their talents beyond those they display in `Phantom,' '' said Christian Nova, who is coordinating the concert. ``I think it's going to be very fun and entertaining.''
The cast of ``Phantom'' stages the one-night benefit, ``Phantom Voices,'' everywhere it goes. Proceeds are split evenly between Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and a local AIDS charity - in this case, the Tidewater AIDS Crisis Taskforce.
No two of the shows are the same, Nova said. ``People try to be sensitive to where we are and the time of year,'' he said. ``So a number of the songs we'll do Monday will be relating to Christmas; some will be comedy, some serious.''
Nova himself will offer the best evidence of the localized spirit of the show. A Portsmouth native, he'll be singing a song a friend in New York composed, putting words to it drawn from his own life in Hampton Roads.
``It relates to my father, who lived and worked in this area for many years as a Navy doctor at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital where my brother and I were born,'' said Nova, who credits his father with fostering his interest in the arts. ``So this is kind of a tribute to him.''
About 27 ``Phantom'' cast members will be in the benefit. ``It's mostly actors, several dancers and several orchestra members,'' Nova said.
``There will be songs from the musical theater repertoires and from the classical repertoires,'' he said. And two dancers will perform the grand pas de deux from ``The Nutcracker Suite.''
The show, beginning at 7 p.m., should run between 1 1/2 and 2 hours, said Laura Lang, director of Resource Development for TACT. A reception with the cast will follow at La Galleria, and show memorabilia from ``Phantom'' and ``Phantom Voices'' will be on sale.
``We have a number of big posters from `Phantom' that are signed by the entire cast as well as signed posters from `Phantom Voices,' '' Lang said. ``Some dancers have donated their dancing shoes, which they have decorated for Christmas. It's an old dancing tradition.''
The most popular item will be programs from ``Phantom'' that crew members have specially decorated. ``Each one is different and they are just beautiful,'' Lang said. They will be sold in a silent auction.
T-shirts for ``Phantom Voices'' also will be on sale.
Lang is especially excited about the benefit for an entirely personal reason. She has been invited on stage by the cast to join them in the finale.
The entire cast will perform ``Make Our Garden Grow'' from the Leonard Bernstein Broadway musical ``Candide.''
``It ties into the whole AIDS theme,'' Lang said. ``It's a beautiful little song that is very hopeful.'' MEMO: ``Phantom Voices,'' performed by the cast of ``Phantom of the
Opera,'' 7 p.m., Monday, Wells Theatre, Tazewell Street and Monticello
Avenue, Norfolk.
Tickets are $25 for the performance or $40 to include a reception at
La Galleria, 120 College Place, after the show.
Tickets are available this weekend at Decorum, 301 W. 21st St. in
Norfolk, and at Beecroft & Bull, 3198 Pacific Ave. in Virginia Beach and
200 E. Main St. in Norfolk, or on Monday at the TACT office, 9229 Granby
St., Norfolk. If available, tickets also will be available at the
theatre box office Monday night. To order by phone, call 583-1317.
DETAILS
``Phantom Voices,'' performed by the cast of ``Phantom of the
Opera,'' 7 p.m., Monday, Wells Theatre, Tazewell Street and Monticello
Avenue, Norfolk.
Tickets are $25 for the performance or $40 to include a reception at
La Galleria, 120 College Place, after the show.
by CNB