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[Future Events]

YE OLDE HOUSE OF BLUES: The original House of Blues in Harvard Square, flagship of the national chain, celebrates its ninth anniversary this month with New Orleans funk legend Leo Nocentelli of the Meters. That’s on November 29 at 10 p.m.; it’s 21-plus and tickets are $15. The House of Blues is at 96 Winthrop Street; call (617) 491-BLUE.

FAITH, GOD, AND THE LESBO ORIGINS OF JESUS: Of all the movers and shakers in the local folk scene, Faith Soloway now stands as, well, the most likely to be struck by lightning. A former music director of Chicago’s famed Second City comedy troupe who’s already well known as a cutting-edge singer/songwriter here in Boston, she’s directed her attention over the past few years to involving the stars of the local folk scene in rock-opera-like pageants. Last year, her Miss Folk America played to sold-out crowds at the Somerville Theatre, and this holiday season, Soloway’s got another humdinger in store — her "full-length schlock opera" Jesus Has Two Mommies manages to skewer both the Yuletide spirit and gay parenting. Soloway’s band will provide backing for Catie Curtis, Jennifer Kimball, Sean Staples, Meghan Toohey, Ry Cavanaugh, and more. Performances are November 30 and December 1 at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square; call (617) 625-5700.

NEXT WEEKEND:

Overture tunes up

What’s cooking in musical theater? At John Hancock Hall, next weekend only, Overture Productions is serving up an in-concert staging of the 1976 musical The Baker’s Wife, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin) and book by Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof). Schwartz and Stein have revised their recipe since their tuneful tale of love, lust, and neighborliness premiered 25 years ago (never making it to Broadway). Songs and scenes have been added, altered, and axed, though the much-recorded "Meadowlark" is still in the mix. But Overture’s staging, like those of New York’s acclaimed Encore! in-concert series (on which it is modeled), will be missing certain ingredients, such as sets, costumes, dancing, and bits of the libretto.

Will such spare, streamlined fare satisfy local musical-theater aficionados? Stage director Rick Lombardo, who’s the artistic director of New Repertory Theatre, thinks so. "It’s a very lusty story, and, because it’s set in the Provence region of France in the 1930s, the score has a lush feeling, with some ethnic music and ballads. When you get 32 voices singing this score with a full orchestra, it sounds absolutely gorgeous." And as he sees it, less is enough. "The in-concert format is great for musical-theater lovers, because it allows the audience to completely enjoy the score and still get a sense of the book. This show will be especially appealing to people interested in the work of Stephen Schwartz and Joe Stein, who are internationally known talents. They’ve really reworked the show, which is going from here to Goodspeed [Opera House, in Connecticut] and then, they hope, on to Broadway. But Boston is going to hear it first."

What’s more, Lombardo believes that Broadway diva (and the singing voice of Disney’s Pocahontas) Judy Kuhn, who plays the title role, is bound to be a draw. "What I love about her voice is that it combines a contemporary approach and style with the traditions of musical theater. And she’s a really dynamic actress, which I think accounts for her three Tony Award nominations. She’s the kind of performer Brecht was talking about when he said that some American musical-theater performers are the best stage performers, because they can do anything."

But that’s not all — "We’ve got a lot of top musical-theater talent from around town," Lombardo adds, ticking off a list of names that includes Mary Callanan, Robert Saoud, Brian De Lorenzo, Sarah deLima, and Michael Kreutz, (he plays the Baker), who founded Overture with producer Deb Poppel. Like Overture itself, which will stage an in-concert series if the first show goes well, this outing for The Baker’s Wife was born of donations — of time and talent as well as the monetary contribution of John Hancock Financial Services and others. The production is a benefit for Boston English High School, and only Kuhn and the orchestra are being paid.

But The Baker’s Wife and the other in-concert stagings Overture has planned will have benefits for the entire Boston theater community, Lombardo argues. "There’s a whole repertory of musical theater that could be produced in concert but is rarely seen on a Boston stage, primarily for financial reasons. In Boston we’re seeing more musical performers staying in the area, maturing here, and becoming better and better. But the companies that produce musicals still tend to have limited financial resources. I think that an in-concert series will add to the mosaic of musical theater in Boston."

Overture Productions presents The Baker’s Wife at John Hancock Hall, 180 Berkeley Street, November 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $50; call (617) 931-2787.

Issue Date: November 8 - 15, 2001

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