Athens is no stranger to nation-
ally renowned live music, but this
weekend, students will be able to
experience a unique departure
from downtown’s usual fare.

Performing artists Norman
Large and Victoria Strong, who
have been in such Broadway
blockbusters as "Les Miserables"
and "The King and I," will display
their flair for live performance in
"Those Fabulous Forty Years:
Broadway Music from 1957 to
1997."

The show will run for three
nights at the Georgia Center for
Continuing Education and will
feature such Broadway hits as
"Music of the Night" from "The
Phantom of the Opera"; "One"
from "A Chorus Line" and "My
Favorite Things" from "The Sound
of Music."

Makers of the show said a
strong rapport between artist and
audience can make a good show
great for both parties.

Jerry Hargis, artistic director
for Masters Hall Performances,
said he knows the difference.

"Wi t h o u t
the audience,
you can’t have
the experi-
ence of a truly
great perfor-
mance," he
said. "I think
the immedia-
cy and disci-
pline neces-
sary to put on
a live Broad-
way performance give the audi-
ence something it can’t hope to get
from TV and film."

Hargis said stage shows allow
for a unique experience for audi-
ences.

"Actors in live performances
craft their art right there on the
stage in front of you," Hargis said.

Students will have the opportu-
nity to experience this "art" as
performed by the Broadway artists
themselves beginning tonight at
8:15. But this musical is not only a
show; it’s also an anniversary.

"’Those Fabulous Forty Years’
parallels the 40-year celebration of
the Georgia Center," Hargis said.

"This will be a musical revue of
Broadway, beginning in 1957
when the Georgia Center opened
and going right up to 1997."

Large and Strong will be joined
on stage by the University’s own
Florence King, the host vocalist,
and the Masters Hall Singers.
The Masters Hall Performing

Arts Series regularly brings in
guest artists who act as mentors
for the other members. Large is
taking a week off from a role in
"The Phantom of the Opera" in
San Francisco to perform with the
Masters Hall Singers.