Broadway fans and students alike have a chance to hear their Broadway favorites Tuesday.
“One Night Only: An Evening of Broadway Favorites” is an annual cabaret production put on by UA Opera Theatre in an intimate setting. It will take place on Tuesday in the Choral/Opera Room in the Moody Music Building. Admission is free, but seating is limited.
Paul Houghtaling, assistant professor of voice and director of opera theatre, supervised the event while his students organized it.
Hollie Tkacik, a sophomore majoring in vocal performance, is one of the performers in “One Night Only.”
“The University of Alabama Opera Theatre is a program that helps artists, undergrad through doctoral students, prepare for auditions,” Tkacik said. “We get to sing as often as we wish in order to get feedback on how to better our pieces.”
Tkacik said her part in the show was to make sure her songs were memorized. She handed copies of her music in to Houghtaling and helped set up the stage. She said she thinks giving students the responsibility of conducting the show is a good teaching mechanism.
“It teaches us how to depend on ourselves and how to work with others,” Tkacik said.
Houghtaling said he is excited about the performance, which violated fire codes last year because there were so many people interested in seeing the show.
“The hall only seats about 150, but 300-plus people showed up,” Houghtaling said with a laugh. “It’s a really popular show that’s very entertaining.”
He said even though he is the professor, his students teach him.
“I learn from my students every day, and I’m thankful for that opportunity,” Houghtaling said.
Another performer is Amy Todhunter. Todhunter is junior pursuing a degree in music with a minor in theatre. She said her duties included getting her own songs ready, collaborating with the other students for duets and being able to perform to the best of her abilities for the big night.
She said being in the program has contributed to helping her with performance anxiety.
“At first, I was terrified,” she said, “but now I see that it has helped me to get over my nerves, and it’s becoming more and more enjoyable. But of course, the nerves will never completely go away. It shows we care about our performance.”
Todhunter said she is a part of a very talented group of performers who basically prepared the music themselves.
“Our audience should expect to hear a nice combination of musical theatre, old and new,” Todhunter said. “There are touching pieces, fun pieces and some pieces that will just break your heart. That’s musical theatre for you.”
