Students take the stage in enchanting revue

The cast of "Some Enchanted Evening" hold their first dress rehearsal Tuesday evening. The show will run from Friday, Nov. 13, through Sunday, Nov. 15, at UM's Gusman Concert Hall.
The cast of "Some Enchanted Evening" hold their first dress rehearsal Tuesday evening. The show will run from Friday, Nov. 13, through Sunday, Nov. 15, at UM's Gusman Concert Hall.
The cast of "Some Enchanted Evening" hold their first dress rehearsal Tuesday evening. The show will run from Friday, Nov. 13, through Sunday, Nov. 15, at UM's Gusman Concert Hall.

Though musical theater may not be America’s most popular pastime, two names are legendary even among those who wouldn’t know the famed Broadway composers Andrew Lloyd Webber or Kander and Ebb.

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein are some of musical theater’s most storied composers and lyricists. The duo, mainly active during the 1940s and 1950s, created some of the world’s most famous and enduring musicals, including South Pacific, Oklahoma!, Carousel, The King and I and The Sound of Music. In total, their shows won 34 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, the Pulitzer Prize and two Grammys.

Some Enchanted Evening, the newest production from the University of Miami theater department, is not one of their own shows; instead, it is a revue of the duo’s most famous works. Drawing its name from what is perhaps their most famous song, Some Enchanted Evening touches on all parts of their career together. These musicals are often considered part of the golden age of American musical theater. Directed by Maha McCain, UM’s production opens tomorrow through Sunday at the Maurice Gusman Concert Hall.

Because there is no set script for the show, there are no specific characters or roles. Sophomore conservatory student Megan Moran is part of the cast which consists of five male and five female roles.

Preparing for the show was intense, Moran said, because “each song has an individual story to it that we had to make clear. The show has so much fun choreography in it, too. We’ve had such a great time doing everything from waltzing to jumping off of barrels.”

“The rehearsal process was a blast and a lot of hard work,” Moran said. “We each have solos and a lot of group songs. The singing style is very specific for this music, so it took a lot of great musical direction for us to get it right.”

Cast member and sophomore Ethan Kasnett agrees with Moran’s take on the show.

“The most exciting part of the process was getting to learn my solo stuff,” he said. “Just being able to take and own the stage is a thrilling and surreal experience. There is nothing better than taking the spotlight and owning center stage.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Some Enchanted Evening

WHEN: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.

WHERE: Maurice Gusman Concert Hall at

COST: $14 for students for evening shows, $12 for matinees