Joyful Noise

Porgy and Bess will be performed this weekend at DeVos Hall. Since I am not in that chorus, I accepted a role in a community theater show called Joyful Noise at Master Arts Theater. The ironic thing is that I play an opera singer. We opened our show this past Thursday and will continue this weekend and next (through May 8). When I am at work during the day at the Betty Van Andel Opera Center, I can hear the leads for Porgy and Bess rehearsing and am humbled by their talent. It makes me feel like I am not worthy to even “act” the part of a true opera singer; even in community theater!
Darla Wortley, another Opera Grand Rapids chorus singer, is also in Joyful Noise and she too plays an opera singer. Darla is a strong soprano and her character is a comedian actress who fights my character for parts. We actually get to have a “cat fight” which is a lot of fun. The show is about the time when Handel wrote the Messiah oratorio. It was a low time in Handel’s life and he almost gave up on composing. London did not appreciate his works, and the church took offense at the idea of having Drury Lane actresses sing passages from the Holy Scripture, so it was a tumultuous experience. The show is endearing, funny and educational all at the same time.