Peter Gritsas, a senior musical theatre major, rehearses a scene as the lead in “Amour,” a musical fantasy staged at UW-Stevens Point April 5-7 and 10-13. (Contributed)

Romance blossoms in ‘Amour’ at UW-Stevens Point

March 19, 2019

For the Metro Wire

Find love and magic in the City of Lights as the musical fantasy “Amour” is staged in April by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Department of Theatre and Dance.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 5-6, and Wednesday through Saturday, April 10-13 in the Studio Theatre in the Noel Fine Arts Center, 1800 Portage St., Stevens Point. A matinee show will be performed at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 7.

Set in Paris, “Amour” is the story of Dusoleil, an unassuming, shy office clerk who falls in love with Isabelle. When he discovers he has the power to walk through walls, he becomes a Robin Hood figure and captures the nation’s attention, as well as Isabelle’s.

“This is an urban fairy tale about two lonely people who find each other,” said Assistant Professor Mark Hanson, the show’s director and coordinator of the musical theatre program. “It has magical moments, romance and comedy.”

The show features light, smooth jazz music that reflects Paris and creates a mood reminiscent of another time. All the dialogue is sung. The College of Fine Arts and Communication’s Great Artists Great Speakers grant brought guest choreographer Sarah Hinrichsen, New York City, to campus to create movement that matches the flow of the music through the 90-minute non-stop show.

“I am excited about working with the students,” she said. “They are so eager and ready to take on this project. As this is an unknown show for them, they have the opportunity to create their characters.”

Student designers have created a set that will allow theatergoers to use their imagination, Hanson said. “Audiences won’t be ready for what they find. This is not like anything anyone has seen in the Studio Theatre.”

Tickets are $23 for adults and seniors or $13 for age 17 and under. They are available at the UW-Stevens Point Information and Tickets Office in the Dreyfus University Center concourse, by calling 715-346-4100 or at http://tickets.uwsp.edu. Discounts are available for UW-Stevens Point students, faculty and staff.

Tickets are also available for the First Nighters package Friday, April 5, which includes dinner before the performance (www.uwsp.edu/theatre-dance/Pages/First-Nighters.aspx).