SEQUIM — It all begins with “Tonight” from “West Side Story.”
Joel Yelland and Jaie Arianna, a pair of impassioned singers, will then deliver one night on Broadway — no plane ticket required — in a revue titled “Broadway and Bordeaux” at Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N. Sequim Ave.
Show time is 7:30 p.m. Saturday with admission $10 at the door.
“We chose ‘Tonight’ as the opener because it just knocks your socks off,” said Yelland, the baritone half of the equation.
But many of the “Broadway and Bordeaux” numbers aren’t as well-known. When Yelland and Arianna went looking for material, “most of the songs just came along,” Yelland said, “and struck us with their beauty.”
There are light moments from the musicals “Whoop de Doo” and “Kismet,” as well as high drama: a vignette from the musical “Jekyll and Hyde,” in which Arianna sings a solo as Lucy and Yelland appears as Dr. Jekyll. Finally, to end the show’s first act, they join for a duet between Lucy and Mr. Hyde.
Arianna, a holistic vocal coach at Harmony Healing Arts of Sequim, and Yelland, medical director of the Lower Elwha Health Clinic, are also experienced providers of musical medicine. They have presented “Broadway & Bordeaux” at two wineries: one in Omak, where Yelland is from, and Harbinger, the place just west of Port Angeles.
Love songs
It’s hard to tell which singer is more in love with the songs, which also include “If Ever I Would Leave You” from “Camelot,” “Anything You Can Do” from “Annie Get Your Gun,” and “I’ll Cover You” from “Rent.”
“In rehearsal, [Arianna] is competent and discerning, but in front of an audience she just comes alive and brings the music along with her,” said Yelland. “She transforms herself . . . she makes each song her own and lives in it. Watch her especially while she does ‘Summertime.’”
Tribute tunes — and wine, too
That aria from George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” is just part of the revue’s tribute to African-American singers, noted Arianna. She’ll also sing “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” from “Show Boat,” and Yelland will offer “Wheels of a Dream” from “Ragtime.”
Clearly, there will be no skimping on the emotion. “I get chills just thinking about it,” Arianna said of the revue.
And Yelland, for his part, said he’s been moved to tears by “I Will Be Loved Tonight.” The song, from the musical “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” is about a first date made after a long, lonely spell.
“It speaks to the heart and all the lonely times that we can suffer, and then be delivered from,” said Yelland. “It’s just sentimental . . . and easy to empathize with.”
Accompanying the singers will be LeRoy Davidson, a keyboardist and organist who retired in Sequim after a long career in music, including playing for daytime television dramas.
In keeping with the “Broadway and Bordeaux” name, Olympic Theatre Arts’ wine bar will be open. The show has an intermission for such refreshments. The whole evening runs two hours, Arianna said.
Future projects
This winter, Arianna will start rehearsals for “Little Shop of Horrors,” the production she’ll direct for a Feb. 8-24 run at OTA. Yelland, meantime, plans to pursue some classical music projects.
“I have to keep my musical buzz on,” he quipped.
“Jaie and I have very different musical interests,” Yelland added. “But when we sing together, it sounds good and feels good.
“We really love doing this.”
For more information about Saturday’s “Broadway and Bordeaux” and other Olympic Theatre Arts presentations, phone 360-683-7326 between
1 p.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays or visit www.Olympic
TheatreArts.org.
