William Paterson Music Department Presents Dido and Aeneas and a British Musical Theatre Revue from April 18 to 21

Music students at William Paterson University will present Henry Purcell’s timeless opera Dido and Aeneas along with a British musical theatre revue from April 18 to 21 in the Hunziker Black Box Theatre on campus.

This double-bill production combines the Purcell’s 1689 baroque opera, one of the earliest known English operas, which is based on Book IV of Virgil’s Aeneid and recounts the love of Dido, Queen of Carthage, for the Trojan hero Aeneas, and her despair when he abandons her. The show’s second half will feature scenes and monologues from a variety of British shows, including Finding Neverland, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Wuthering Heights, Secret Garden, Hamlet, Billy Elliott, A Slice of Saturday Night, The Girl from Utah, and Six, the Musical.

William Paterson’s production features an all-student cast. The cast includes: Timothy Barral of Mahwah, Jason Braun of Howell, Kyra Cioffi of Rutherford, Ezekiel Frasier of Princeton, Owen Gavigan of Hillsborough, Emma Helin of Antwerp, Belgium, Scarlette Horvath of Greystone Park, Thomas Jefferson of Cape May Court House, Viviana Kaszubski of Boonton, Virginia Lackey of Waldwick, Haleigh Longo of East Stroudsburg, PA, Julia Macedo of West Milford, Jessica Naranjo of Wharton, Ethan Raymond of West Orange, Spencer Serritella of Nutley, Austin Sidito of Holbrook, NY, Meg Stephens of Wayne, Zoe Vandergast of West Caldwell, Joseph Villalona of Passaic, Vienne Voysey of Weehawken, and Jaziel Williams of Wappingers Falls, NY.

Christopher Herbert, vocal area coordinator and assistant professor of music, serves as stage director and producer, with Hannah Comia as musical director, student Emily Wynne as assistant stage director, and guest choreography by William Paterson University President Richard Helldobler. James Miles serves as dramatic consultant.

Performances will be presented on April 18, 29, and 20 at 7:30 p.m., and April 21 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 for the general public and $10 for students and members of the WP community. For tickets, visit wp-presents.org, or contact the box office at 973.720.2371 or boxoffice@wpunj.edu.

 

04/09/24