01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, June 3, 2004

BY CHANNING GRAY
Journal Arts Writer

Were rappers D12 listening to Gilbert & Sullivan when they came up with My Band? Probably not.

But there are more similarities between pop and classical music than most people think. At least, that's the premise of an intriguing concert that Opera Providence is presenting tomorrow night at Providence's Columbus Theater.

The show, Opera2Broadway, takes its inspiration from the fact that many a Broadway musical has its roots in the world of opera. It even tries to make a case that rap has parallels to the rapid-fire patter songs of Gilbert & Sullivan.

"The boundaries are becoming blurred," said Kathryne Jennings, head of Opera Providence. These days the musical Sweeney Todd, she said, is more apt to be found in an opera house. Bryn Terfel, the fabulous Welsh baritone, just finished up a run of Sweeney Todd at Chicago's Lyric Opera.

"Who's to say what's opera," said Jennings, "and what's a musical."

To make her point, Jennings has picked a number of popular musicals and operas to show common links.

A typical moment in the show might, for example, feature the first half of "Sun and Moon" from Miss Saigon, then segue into the the last half of the love duet from Madama Butterfly, the Puccini classic that inspired Miss Saigon.

Likewise, there will be excerpts from La Boheme and its pop spinoff Rent, and the balcony scenes from Gounod's Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story.

And you'll hear how Andrew Lloyd Webber "borrowed" the tune from Puccini's Girl of the Golden West for his "Music of the Night" in Phantom of the Opera.

Tenor Frederic Scheff, who has toured with Phantom, will host tomorrow's event -- dressed, of course, in his Phantom getup.

Survival of the frugal

Opera Providence was to have put on Verdi's La Traviata this spring, but scrapped the production due to financial troubles. It opted for the less expensive Opera2Broadway, which doesn't require sets or a symphony orchestra. Singers will be accompanied by the piano.

The company is still chipping away at debts it has accrued from recent seasons, and felt the prudent thing was to hold down costs until it can get back on a secure financial footing.

For the foreseeable future, said Jennings, Opera Providence will be looking to do smaller, more intimate shows, perhaps with an ethnic flavor. She's considering a Latin program for next season, although nothing is nailed down.

"We're sort of changing our mission statement," she said. "We want to become a bigger part of the community."

By staging a show for the first time at the Columbus on Broadway instead of Veterans Memorial Auditorium near the State House, Jennings said she is hoping to make inroads into what she sees as a growing entertainment market in the West End.

Voices in English

Besides Scheff, tomorrow's concert features sopranos Loriana De Crescenzo, Diana McVey, and Angela Williams, who'll sing one of the tunes from rocker Elton John's take on Aida.

Also appearing are mezzo Valerie Nicolosi, who sing an aria from Rossini's La Cenerentola, or Cinderella, tenor Brad Logan and baritone Douglas Jabara.

All selections, including the opera arias, will be sung in English.

Tomorrow's concert takes place at 7:30 at the Columbus Theater, 270 Broadway. Tickets are $25 and $30, $10 for children under 12. Student, senior and group rates are also available. Call 331-6060.