THEATER:OCC goes musical

The sounds of music, with a familiar Broadway beat, will reverberate through Orange Coast College’s Robert B. Moore Theatre next month, which will be a busy one for OCC’s theater department.

The college’s wind ensemble will present a concert May 6 featuring a century of favorite Broadway show tunes. Then on the 19th, OCC’s 100-voice chorale will offer an evening of Broadway tunes.

The wind ensemble concert will focus on works by a variety of composers, including Frederick Loewe, Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber and many others. It’s ticketed for 3 p.m.

OCC music professor Dana Wheaton will direct the concert, which will offer a wide selection of Broadway works spanning more than 100 years. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door, with further information available at (714) 432-5880.

Beth Hansen — who teaches musical theater at OCC and directed the college’s productions of “Assassins,” “Godspell” and “Pippin” — will conduct the chorale, which also will present a plethora of Broadway favorites.

This concert is priced at $10 for advance and event-day sales. Call the above number for more information.

More music will emanate from OCC in May in the form of the musical revue “Man Smart — Woman Smarter,” which opens May 3 for two weekends in the college’s Drama Lab Theater.

This show, directed by Alex Golson, will highlight short plays and sketches by playwright Christopher Durang. Performances are set for May 3 through 6 and 10 through 13 with curtain at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door, and the same contact phone number applies.

Also coming up in May at OCC is the theater department’s annual spring One-Act Play Festival, scheduled for May 16 through 20 in the Drama Lab Theater.

This program, which includes a number of original plays as well as works from classic and contemporary literature, is sponsored by the college’s Repertory Theater Company. It’s for mature audiences.

The student-organized festival will showcase the talents of the college’s student directors, actors, designers and playwrights. Tickets are $6 in advance, $7 at the door, and also may be ordered by calling (714) 432-5880.