Copyright 2001 by Edward Willett

On February 4 and 11, Regina Lyric Light Opera Society will present its annual musical brunch at the Hotel Saskatchewan Radisson Plaza.

I should know; I’m directing it.

The musical brunch has been a part of Lyric’s season for well over a decade now, but it’s recently taken on a whole new importance with the decision to make it an avowed fundraising event.

Originally, the idea of the brunch was to provide an additional opportunity for Lyric members to perform. The brunch is an appealing production for people who have limited time, because the rehearsal period is relatively short. It’s also appealing for people who enjoy singing but not acting, and so don’t really want to audition for one of the organization’s regular musicals.

As well, over the years, the brunch has provided Lyric with a way to perform music from shows that the organization may never stage in their entirety.

All of these things are still functions of the brunch, but increasingly, the brunch has become vital to Lyric’s functioning by providing a much-needed shot of cash.

People who go to local musical productions seldom appreciate just how expensive a proposition it is to stage a musical—much more expensive than it is to stage a non-musical play.

To begin with, there are the royalties. Royalties for a non-musical play being put on by an amateur theatre company are typically in the $50 per performance range. For a musical, the cost can approach $1,000 per performance, depending on the exchange rate (since the rights to almost all musicals are held by U.S. companies

Then there’s the cost of the orchestra. For a five-show run using a full orchestra, we budget $6,000.

Throw in sets, costumes, theatre rental, and honoraria to the director, choreographer, music director and many others, and our budget for a major spring production is well over $35,000. Even Lyric’s fall show, which has a smaller cast, doesn’t use a full orchestra, and is usually staged in a smaller theatre, costs around $15,000. Lyric’s annual budget now is up around $70,000.

To recover those costs just from ticket prices, Lyric would have to charge people at least $25 a ticket; probably more like $30. That’s more than most people are willing to pay (unless you’re a touring production coming in from out of town, but that’s another rant...).

So, Lyric raises funds. And one way it does it is through the musical brunch, which is so popular it hardly even gets advertised; people look for it each year and it comes very close to selling out. It seems people are willing to pay $30 a ticket if you can offer them a Hotel Saskatchewan brunch as well as entertainment! (Not to mention a tax receipt for a portion of the ticket price.)

Non-professional theatre companies have lower costs than professional companies, because they usually don’t have any permanent staff and they don’t pay their actors. But the costs are still substantial, and it’s only through the generosity of people who enjoy seeing local performers on stage and providing opportunities for local people interested in all aspects of theatre that community theatre survives.

Which is my gentle way of urging you to consider taking in Lyric’s musical brunch this year. Our theme is How the West was Sung, which means the hour-long musical program will include chorus numbes, solos, duets and trios with Western themes from a wide range of Broadway shows, including Oklahoma!, Paint Your Wagon, 110 in the Shade, Annie Get Your Gun, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, The Most Happy Fella, Rose Marie, Little Mary Sunshine and more.

You’ll hear familiar songs like Oklahoma!, Kansas City, They Call the Wind Maria, I Talk to the Trees, Doin’ What Comes Naturally, They Didn’t Believe Me, and Indian Love Call, and less familiar (but still wonderful) songs like Lazy Afternoon, You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun, Big D and The Hungry Men.

You’ll enjoy a spectacular Hotel Saskatchewan brunch in the equally spectacular setting of the Hotel Regency Ballroom.

You’ll get to see me wave my arms in front of a chorus like I know what I’m doing. You’ll even hear me sing (fair warning).

But most importantly, you’ll help make possible more Lyric shows in the future, like the upcoming May production of Guys and Dolls, a terrific Broadway hit that hasn’t been seen in Regina in ages.

You can get tickets to How the West was Sung at the Hotel Saskatchewan newsstand, or by leaving a message at 522-RLLO (7556). All tickets are $30, and a tax receipt will be issued for the donation portion of that cost (last year it was around $12) by mail once the accounting is done.

I hope to see you there!

Posted September 22, 2004