An English Madrigal Dinner Theater will be hosted by The South Rowan Varsity Singers and Chorus 2 Ensemble April 25-26 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Landis.
The setting will be 15th-century England, complete with decor, music and traditional food. The Royal Court will process in their fashionable garb and the court jesters will tickle your funny bone.
The menu will feature a five-course meal consisting of wassail (spiced apple cider), soup, salad, a main course meat and vegetables served on a trencher (bread plate, which you can then eat) and dessert. Each course of the formal meal will be heralded with fanfare, ceremony and song ó the Wassail, the Ceremonial Boar’s Head and the Dessert Flambé.
The term “madrigal” refers to the beautiful a capella music from the Renaissance period that you will hear from both Chorus 2 and Varsity Singers, 75 singers in all.
Servants will take good care of the guests, in true English fashion. A highlight will be the “Men in Tights” routine.
The purpose of this year’s feast is the wedding of Edward Hodge to Katherine Bumford (Brandon Gray and Annalise Padgett). Edward’s parents ( Kara Garver and Daniel Donaldson) are not thrilled with their son’s marriage to the slightly lower class, cockney girl he met at university. You will meet Katherine’s father, Walter Bumford (Derek Davis) and her cousin Mary (Bethany Bradshaw), who eventually steals the heart of Edward in a true love-at-first-sight encounter. The House Castellan (supervisor), Margret, is played by Elizabeth Cable.
Audiences will be royally entertained by two court jesters, Anna Hobbs and Korey Randall, and have fun laughing at the two younger jesters-in-training, Lindsay Frey and Sarah King. The Friar for the evening (Aaron Tyler) will light up the hall with his royal impersonations of the King. The jesters seek the help of the sorceress (Abby Bullard) to find out the truth within Katherine’s heart before setting out to find her lost true love.
Through the twists and turns of the script, the magic of true love conquers all.
Others involved are Wendy Harrington, Jeff Hartley, Lucas Soares, Jacob Phillips, Katie Wise, Caitlin Heady, Krysta Dixon, Kim Wilson, Katherine Van Wieren, Taylor May, Whitney Haywood, Akeira Hill and Terry Carruth.
Jan Gore is choral director at South Rowan.
Seating for the Madrigal Dinner is from 6-6:30 p.m. Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.
Call 704-857-1161, ext. 400, for more information.