Music by the Lake To Feature Romberg’s The New Moon Operetta July 21-22

Williams Bay, Wis., July 9, 2007 —“The New Moon,” a Sigmund Romberg operetta, continues the seventh annual Music by Lake series on Saturday, July 21 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, July 22 at 6:30 p.m. at George Williams College of Aurora University overlooking Geneva Lake.

Performances are in the Allyn Pavilion for the Performing Arts stage on the campus at 350 Constance Blvd., Williams Bay. Christine Flasch, executive director of Music by the Lake, is the conductor; Carin Silkaitis is the stage director.

The artist underwriter for this performance is The Bell Family Foundation. Special thanks for the support of the Harold Hartshorne, Jr., Young Artist Fund.

In addition to showcasing several young stars as principals, the opera’s cast includes soloists, a 54-voice opera chorus and a 22-piece orchestra.

“The New Moon,” a romantic musical comedy in two acts and 12 scenes which debuted in 1928, features music by Romberg; book and lyrics by Frank Mendel and Oscar Hammerstein II.

Based on a true story, “The New Moon” involves the life of a French nobleman, Robert Mission, and was set in New Orleans in the 1790s. 

Mission, a political refugee from the French Police, is indentured to a wealthy New Orleans ship builder, and falls in love with his daughter, Marianne Beaunoir.  Unable to reveal the facts of his noble birth, the romance seems hopeless.

The ship The New Moon arrives to return Mission to France, and Marianne smuggles herself aboard.  During the voyage, mutiny breaks out, and the servants and slaves win out. 

They make port at an island off the Florida coast, and when the situation is at its blackest, news arrives that France is a republic, and Mission is no longer wanted.  The mutineers set up an island government with Mission at the helm, and he and Marianne rule it together.

Cast members are Tony Barton, Jersey City, N.J., as Robert Mission; Melissa Kelly Cardamone, Kenosha, Wis., as Marianne Beaunoir; Joel Burcham, Madison, Wis., as Philippe; Jennifer Kosharsky, Chicago, as Clotilde Lombaste; Tracey Gorman, Shakopee, Minn., as Julie; Michael Hoag, Woodstock, Ill., as Captain Duvall; Michael Brown, Chicago, as Gorgeous Alexander; Ben Snyder, Chicago, as Vicomte Ribaud; Jeffrey Bakken, Stevens Point, Wis., as Besac; Jeff Jablonski, Chicago, as Brunet; Sean Kroll, Chicago, as Fouchet; Brad Jungwirth, Chicago, as Monsieur Beaunoir; John Hendricks, Wenham, Mass., as Jacques; and Bill Hamblin, Chicago, as Captain Dejean; Khaki Pixley, Chicago, supporting role as The Girl; Danny McNiel, Waukesha, Wis., supporting role as Doorman of the tavern; Brad Benoit, Chicago, cover cast member as Philippe; Paula Mrazek, Cary, Ill., cover cast member as Clotilde Lombaste; Jennings Wynn, Chicago,  cover cast member as Gorgeous Alexander; and Pamela Niespodziani, Franklin, Wis., cover cast member as Julie.

A “New Moon” History

Working closely with Evelyn Herbert of the Chicago Opera Company, Sigmund Romberg was able to write music for the female lead with great range and scope. This fired him with unusual creativity, for the show boasts more popular melodies than any other of his works.

From the start, “The New Moon” seemed troubled, however.  Herbert insisted on having an aria to sing, but when Romberg wrote “Lover, Come Back to Me” it was not well received.  When an alternate ending supplying dramatic high notes was added, the out-of-town audience cheered the performance to the rafters.

Eight additional months of revisions by Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein finally proved the extra work had been worthwhile. Romberg had scored another hit! 

The show played more than 500 performances on Broadway, and was eventually sold to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for the highest price ever paid for a motion picture property up to that time.

A Romberg History

Romberg was born to a Jewish family in the West-Hungarian town of Nagykanizsa during the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.  While studying engineering in Vienna, he also took composition lessons.  He soon moved to the United States (1909) and worked as a pianist in cafes. 

He eventually founded his own orchestra, published a few songs, and then worked for the Shubert brothers writing music for their Broadway shows.  In 1914 Romberg wrote his first significant operetta, “The Whirl of the World.” 

Romberg excerpted melodies from great classical compositions and adapted them for musical productions, a common custom for composers at the time.  His use of melodies by Franz Schubert for Blossom Time proved to be a master stroke.

He subsequently wrote his best-known operettas, “The Student Prince,” “The Desert Song,” and “The New Moon,” in a style similar to the Viennese operettas of Franz Lehar.  His later works are closer to the American musical style, but were less successful. 

Romberg also wrote a number of film scores and adapted his own work for film.  He died in 1951 in New York City.

The Music by the Lake series concludes with The 5th Dimension at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4. The artist underwriter for this performance is The J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation.

Single tickets and season subscriptions are available. Single tickets are available for “The New Moon” performance in the pavilion seating area for $53, terrace area for $27 and the lawn area for $11. Tickets for the special evening performance of "The New Moon" on Sunday, July 22, are available for the following: dress circle seating, $30; pavilion and terrace seating, $20; and lawn seating, $5.

Season terrace seating is $108. Season lawn seating packages—four tickets redeemable at any event(s)—are available for $37. For tickets, visit the Web site at www.aurora.edu/mbtl or call (866) 843-5200, toll free, or 262-245-8501.

The 2007 Music by the Lake concert series is generously supported by presenting sponsor Keefe Real Estate; platinum sponsors AT&T, FairWyn Investment & Development, and Gage Marine and Lake Geneva Cruise Line; gold sponsors are The Abbey Resort, Boldt Construction, Scherrer Construction Co., Inc., Aurora Health Care, and Grand Geneva Resort and Spa; and silver sponsors are Balestrieri Environmental and Development, Inc., M&I Bank, locally-owned Mid-America Bank, First Banking Center, and WLKG 96.1.

Aurora University is an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning. The university is comprised of two campuses: a 30-acre campus in Aurora, Ill., with academic, administrative, and residential buildings; and the more than 200-acre George Williams College on Geneva Lake in Williams Bay, Wis. Approximately 4,000 degree-seeking students are enrolled each year on the university’s Illinois and Wisconsin campuses, and the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association to award degrees at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels. The George Williams College campus offers 12 academic programs, unique conference facilities, and is home to Music by the Lake and other education and enrichment programs.
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