Sounds of Musicals Fill the Halls

Beloved music from the Broadway stage will fill the Memorial Chapel on Saturday, March 7 when Maestro Jon Robertson leads the Redlands Symphony in a concert with music by composers Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland and Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Doors open at 7 p.m. and a pre-concert talk about the performance will begin at 7:15 p.m. The performance begins at 8 p.m. Single tickets starting at $15 are available at the door on the night of the performance. The complete program for the evening includes The Candide Overture by Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland’s Music for the Theatre, The Carousel Waltz by Richard Rodgers and a special audience sing-along featuring music from South Pacific, Oklahoma!, The King & I, and The South of Music by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Respected theater vocalists Debbie Prutsman and Norman Large will perform and lead the audience in the sing-along. “This is a concert for the entire family,” said Maestro Jon Robertson. “We hope people will bring their children and their grandchildren to this concert so they can experience the joy and excitement of a live orchestral performance. This music is known by everyone and I believe the evening will be highly entertaining and enjoyable.” Debbie Prutsman is a much sought-after performer on the Southern California musical theater scene. She performs everywhere from Los Angeles to San Diego and is known for her vocal versatility, moving easily from her classical roots to jazz, musical theater, and even country. She has performed with theater companies like Musical Theater West, Moonlight Amphitheater, San Diego Music Theater, The Actors’ Co-op, Performance Riverside, Candlelight Dinner Theater, the Lawrence Welk Resort, and Starlight Amphitheater. In the last year, she has performed everything from Grizabella in “Cats” to Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd” to the Bird Woman and Mrs. Andrews in “Mary Poppins.” Other favorite roles include Dolly Levi in “Hello Dolly” Hesione in “Triumph of Love” the Witch in “Into the Woods” (Actor’s Coop, Moonlight, SRO, Riverside) and Madame Carlotta in “Phantom.” Norman Large’s extremely varied career bridges Broadway, film, television, concert, opera, recording, and voice-over. He has been nominated for seven “Best Actor” Ovation Awards in Los Angeles. On Broadway, Norman played the leading role of Count Fosco in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Woman In White. He originated the role of the Bishop of Digne in the original Broadway production of Les Miserables, going on to star as Thenardier and ultimately as Inspector Javert. He also played leading roles on Broadway in A Doll’s Life, and Silverlake. Norman has starred in major productions of The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, My Fair Lady (Arizoni Award), Sweeney Todd (Ovation Award nomination), La Cage Aux Folles (Ovation nomination), Phantom (Ovation nomination), H.M.S. Pinafore (Republic Award), Man of La Mancha, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, West Side Story, The King & I, Brigadoon, The Secret Garden, Sunday in the Park with George, Chess, and many others. A recognizable face from a myriad of TV and film roles, Norman is probably best known for the character of Neral, the ruler of the Romulan Empire, opposite Leonard Nimoy on Star Trek; the Next Generation. He has, in fact, played more different guest starring roles than anyone in the history of Star Trek. Among his other TV credits are recurring roles on Veronica Mars and NYPD Blue and guest starring roles on JAG, Seinfeld, Nash Bridges, LA Law, Caroline in the City, Deep Space Nine, Quantum Leap, and Civil Wars, along with numerous soaps and Movies of the Week. On film, Norman was featured in Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts and in Repossessed with Leslie Nielson. He has been a principal artist with the New York City Opera and has sung with symphony orchestras nationwide under the batons of such noted conductors as Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa. For Disney, he has lent his talents to the animated worlds of Enchanted, Polar Express, Spongebob Squarepants the Movie, The Little Mermaid II, Lady and the Tramp II, Hunchback II, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Mickey’s Christmas, as well as Lion King 1½ and Teacher’s Pet, supplementing Nathan Lane’s voice. The sponsor for the March concert is The Wheeler Family Trust. Sponsors of the 2014-15 season are Ann and Vaughn Bryan. For more information, visit www.redlandssymphony.com or call the box office at 909-748-8018.