Lamplighters' Artistic Director, Barbara Heroux, on Musical Theater
Barbara Heroux considers herself lucky. She won a chorus role for the first Lamplighters show she auditioned for. That was back in 1974, and she’s been a Lamplighter ever since. “I’ve sung in the chorus, done some of the wonderful lead roles, worked backstage, directed shows, written parodies for our Galas, and done just about everything there is to be done around the company,” Heroux says. Today, Heroux serves as the Lamplighters’ Artistic Director.
An internationally recognized theater company, Lamplighters Music Theatre is based in San Francisco and has been dedicated to producing the comic operas of Gilbert & Sullivan since its founding in 1952. “Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic operas are just outstanding pieces of musical theater,” Heroux explains. “They were an astoundingly successful partnership, writing 14 shows together over a span of about 25 years, 1871 to 1896. Gilbert has this biting wit and loves to poke fun at authority, and Sullivan sets those words to such lovely music that you hardly feel the needle going in.”
As Artistic Director, Heroux’s responsibilities are manifold. Along with Music Director Baker Peeples, she’s Quality Control, choosing the repertoire and planning the seasons out about six or seven years. “We try to find other shows that complement the G&S shows, so we can mix up our repertoire a bit, bring something different to our audiences, and give our performers something different to work on. Such shows include operettas, such as ‘The Merry Widow’ and ‘Die Fledermaus’ and ‘Bitter Sweet’; classic musical theater such as ‘Carousel’ and ‘Show Boat’ and ‘Candide’; and more recent works that seem to us to continue in the G&S tradition of witty, literate books and scores rooted in classical singing techniques, such as ‘A Little Night Music’ and ‘The Secret Garden.’”
Heroux also hires the show’s visionaries, from stage directors, conductors, and scenery designers to costume designers and lighting designers. “I’m the company’s principal stage director, and Baker’s our principal conductor, but we hire other people for those positions, too -- it keeps things fresh and brings new talent in.”
When it comes to the talent on the stage, Heroux explains that Gilbert & Sullivan shows require performers who are smart and articulate, as well as good singers and charming personalities. “And you need to take it absolutely seriously,” she says. “As soon as you start winking at the audience, letting them know you think you’re being funny, you’re dead.”
Heroux’s artistic direction helped Lamplighters Music Theatre win multiple awards at the International G&S Festival in Buxton, England in 1995. Her production of “Princess Ida” won Best Production, Best Director, Best Male Performer, and a slew of others. “I was holding my breath -- would these purists, these experts in all Gilbert & Sullivan lore, have me drawn and quartered for tampering with the sacred texts? Well, they loved it. I’ve never heard such an overwhelming reaction from an audience.”
Heroux is most proud, however, of the manner in which she and Baker Peeples have stayed true to the vision of the company’s founders, Orva Hoskinson and Ann Pool, without getting stuck in the mud of tradition. “A Lamplighter show is a sincere, truthful, but FUN interpretation of the script and score, delivered with elegance, wit and panache by some of the best actors/singers in the Bay Area, supported by a wonderful orchestra, and featuring beautiful sets and costumes.”
She encourages all to come to a Lamplighter show, but not without a warning. “Chances are, you will love it and get hooked!”
Posted on Feb 14, 2011 by Renee Rutledge
