Shenandoah Conservatory welcomes London-based choreographer Adam Haigh as its guest choreographer and movement director for this season’s main stage opera, “Moscow, Cheryomushki,” running Friday, April 26, through Sunday, April 28, in Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre. Haigh is collaborating with Director of Opera and Associate Professor Ella Marchment, B.Mus., to present this operetta featuring music by Dmitri Shostakovich and libretto by Vladimir Mass and Mikhail Chervinsky, as arranged by Gerard McBurney.
“When Ella approached me about the possibility of coming over to America to choreograph ‘Moscow, Cheryomushki,’ I knew this was something that would excite me due to the nature of the piece,” said Haigh. “The physical comedy and heightened world that Ella has created with Moscow, naturally lends itself to musical comedy which is fundamentally my background.”
Haigh added, “having a ballet in the opera, once again lends itself to a musical theatre structure as this is usually when the characters are exploring their inner feelings and desires and fantasies are played with.”
A satirical musical comedy in three acts, the operetta features lively choruses, polkas and jazz-influenced turns performed expertly by the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Director of Orchestral Studies and Associate Professor of Conducting Emanuele Andrizzi, D.M.A.
About Adam Haigh
Adam will open “Jesus Christ Superstar” this year in Oslo, Norway, as associate director/choreographer to Cressida Carré. He will also be choreographing Stephen Mulhern’s new 2024 “Magic Show.”
Musical theatre credits include “Ushers,” “The Front of House Musical” (The Other Palace); “Oh What a Lovely War” (UK Tour); “Kiss Me Kate” (Leicester Curve); “Copacabana,” “Cry Baby” (Italia Conti); “Soho Cinders” (Charing Cross Theatre); “Grease” (Italy); “Chess” (Leicester Curve, Broadway World Nomination for Best Choreography); UK premiere of “Brooklyn the Musical” (Greenwich Theatre); “The Wizard of Oz” (New Lincoln Theatre Royal); “Anything Goes” (The Other Palace); “Chicago” (Minack Theatre); “Little Women,” “Legally Blonde” (British Theatre Academy); “Elegies for Angels,” “Punks and Raging Queens,” “Carmen,” “Market Boy,” “The Cherry Orchard” (Union Theatre); “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (nominated for Best Off West End Director 2018); “Can Can” (nominated for Best Off West End Choreographer 2018); “Once Upon a Quarry Hil”l (Leeds Playhouse); “Toys, A New Musical” (City Walk, Dubai); “Seussical the Musical/Wind in the Willows” (BYMT); “Cleopatra, A New Musical-Workshop” (Actors Church); and “Unfolding Tales,” and “A New Musical” (Stockwell Playhouse).
Upcoming work includes “Cry Baby” (Chichester University), guest choreographer (Jazz Co UK Tour 2024) and the U.K. premiere of “Fenellies the Musical” (Wonderville).
