Musicians protest lively

Marisa O’Neil

In a scenario Charles Dickens probably couldn’t have imagined, a

computer-generated orchestra accompanied real musicians and singers

in Tuesday night’s performance of “Oliver!” at the Orange County

Performing Arts Center.

Members of the Orange County Musicians’ Assn. gathered outside the

theater at the opening-night performance to pass out leaflets

condemning the production’s use of a device called the Sinfonia,

which they said replaces the heart and soul live musicians lend a

performance, as well as their jobs.

Those with the production countered that it doesn’t replace an

orchestra; it augments the sound of the 10 live musicians it uses.

“We could go on tour with 10 musicians and cut some of the music,”

said Chris Danner, company manager for the production.

“But we chose not to do that.”

The 10 musicians who tour with the show share the orchestra pit

with the Sinfonia, which the associate conductor plays, Danner said.

The device, with computers and piano-like keyboards, is like a

very high-tech synthesizer, he said.

The machine has produced reactions as passionate as those that

came out of the industrial revolution depicted in Dickens’ novels.

Last year, plans by some Broadway productions in New York to

introduce recorded music into shows inspired a strike by performers.

The Great White Way stayed dark for one weekend before producers’

and musicians’ unions agreed on the minimum number of musicians that

must be employed.

“Usually only three or four musicians play [with a Sinfonia]”

Orange County Musicians’ Assn. President Frank Amoss said of

“Oliver!” “This one, they’ve got eight or nine.

“Next time there’ll be six. The next time three. Then there’ll be

no singing, just people moving their lips.”

About 30 members of the musicians’ union passed out fliers, urging

theatergoers to make their dissatisfaction known to the performing

arts center’s management. A Dixieland jazz band made up of members

played lively Christmas tunes.

Some theatergoers expressed their dissatisfaction with the

production’s use of the machine.

“When you’re going to a Broadway production, you expect it to be

live music,” Allan Lifson said as he walked to the theater.

High school music teacher Ruben Cabrera came to support the union

members’ protest.

He worried that the jobs and creativity of his students would be

stifled in the future by devices like the Sinfonia.

Tuesday’s was the first of the touring production’s 400 shows to

draw protesters, Danner said.

They chose to use the instrument because with nearly 100

performers in the production already, they wanted to keep ticket

prices lower than they could with another 10 musicians, he said.

“We hope people will approach it with an open mind,” said Todd

Bentjen, vice president of marketing and communications for the

theater.

“I think we have a pretty smart audience.”

Those who complained or had questions got a written statement from

the center, describing the device and its use in the production.

“I think the show will speak for itself,” Danner said.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4618 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil @latimes.com.