Madrigal Feaste serves up songs and supper with holiday cheer
People who dread the letdown after Christmas might want to make plans to attend Prospect High School's 13th annual Madrigal Feaste at 2 p.m. or 6 p.m. Jan. 13, at Atlantis Banquets, 1273 N. Rand Road, Arlington Heights.
"Even though we hold the dinners after Christmas, we still consider it to be part of the holiday season," explained Ken Whitney, choral director. "The glow of the holidays will still be around on Jan. 13."
Madrigal dinners -- when singers, actors and musicians, dressed in 16th century costumes, serve a meal and then perform for the audience -- have become a staple of the holiday season at several area high schools, including Prospect.
And the Prospect dinner is open to the community at large, not just parents and students, Whitney said.
Tickets are $25 each and include a dinner, as well as the entertainment. Reservations are required by Tuesday, however, and spaces fill quickly. To reserve tickets e-mail Whitney at ken.whitney@d214.org or log onto www.prospectchoralboosters.org and click on the Madrigal Feaste link for the ticket order form. Proceeds benefit the Prospect Choral Department.
The story line of this year's show, called "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," revolves around love affairs between jesters and minstrels in a place called Deep Manor in the year of 1493, Whitney said.
"There is actually a company out there that writes scripts like this for Madrigal dinners and that is where we got this show," he explained.
Fifty students will be involved in the "feaste" including 21 singers and about 30 others who will act as pages, wizards, guards and servers.
"I like the fact that we are able to put on a show for the community and that we can involve the younger kids as servers," Whitney said.
All of the Madrigal singers are juniors and seniors because of the difficulty of the material.
"This is extremely challenging music and I choose what they perform based on the talents of the kids I have in any given year," Whitney explained.
One of those talented students is Kelsey Underwood, a senior from Arlington Heights.
"I have wanted to be involved in Madrigals since they came to South Junior High to perform when I was a student there," Underwood said. "I just thought that the voices sounded beautiful, even without any instruments and I wanted to be involved."
Underwood admitted that being a member of the group is a lot of hard work, but she feels that the effort is worth her time.
"We start to practice these songs in August because they are so difficult, but I just love how it all sounds when it all comes together," she said.
If you go
What: Madrigal Feaste, a 16th century meal with 16th century entertainment
When: 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Jan. 13
Where: Atlantis Banquets, 1273 N. Rand Road, Arlington Heights
Cost: $25, includes dinner and entertainment
Reservations: Due Tuesday; space is limited
Email: ken.whitney@d214.org or log onto www.prospectchoralboosters.org for order form