PUTTING ON ARIAS; IN `STAND-UP OPERA,' B.J. WARD MIXES HUMOR WITH THE HIGH NOTES.

Byline: Marla Matzer Staff Writer

Nine years ago, B.J. Ward started performing her one-woman musical comedy show, ``Stand-Up Opera,'' in Sherman Oaks. The combination of comedy and well-loved opera arias was warmly received. But the venue wasn't very big ... in fact, it was her living room. Her husband made omelettes for the guests; she sang.

Since then, Ward has moved up to bigger and better things. Friday, she'll begin a monthlong run at the Tiffany Theaters on Sunset Boulevard. Sorry, no omelettes, but the show is better than ever. Ward is always tweaking ``Stand-Up Opera,'' and says that, because she's in one place for a month this time, she's been able to do more with the set and lighting of the show than in the past.

If you're wondering what ``stand-up opera'' is, it's a little hard to describe. Ward has been called the Victor Borge of opera, but that doesn't quite capture her style. What she doesn't do is a Spike Jones-style riff on the arias themselves. ``I take the music very seriously,'' Ward says. Indeed, she has a strong, pretty voice that, while probably not powerful enough to fill the Met, does a fine job with such arias as ``Sempre libra'' from ``La Traviata'' and ``Vissi d'arte'' from ``Tosca.''

Instead, Ward finds humor - some gentle, some biting - in the plot lines and recurring themes of the operas she sings from. For example, she jokes about the body count in ``Tosca,'' and the general victimization of women in operas. ``Men don't die nearly as often,'' she deadpans.

How Ward got to this point in her career is a story in itself. Like many talented people who come to Los Angeles seeking their fortune in the arts, B.J. Ward hasn't ended up doing exactly what she'd planned.

``I was living in Woodland Hills in the '70s, and I just didn't know what to do with myself. I'd been transplanted from New York,'' recalls Ward, ``and my New York theater credits didn't mean much here. People would just want to know what movies I'd done. Telling them the names of this show and that show that I'd done didn't cut it.''

She may have been momentarily discouraged, but today Ward concedes that every possible obstacle or detour from the main path has worked out better in the long run than her original plan.

Sitting in the spacious living room of her Sherman Oaks home, at the end of a leafy cul-de-sac, she recounts - with as much surprise at the turn of events as anyone - how she fell into doing voice-over work for television commercials and cartoon shows and how that has led, in a roundabout way, to her one-woman show that both celebrates and sends up opera.

``I've done several things without any specific goal in mind, just because they were fun, and ended up with a whole new career,'' says Ward. ``All the things that I really focused on, my life didn't go that way. The things I did just for fun sort of took me where I am.''

Two decades ago, seeing Ward's frustration at not being able to get sufficient work as an actor in L.A., a friend recommended she try voice-over work. Ward's reaction: ``What's that?''

After taking a class that taught her the ropes and helped make her some business contacts, Ward launched a successful career being the voice of everything from Betty Rubble to Woody Woodpecker's girlfriend. Once she established herself, the work was frequent and well-paying.

Then boredom set in. A couple of times a year, Ward would do a cabaret gig, singing ballads and jazz tunes at small clubs. It didn't make her any money, but it kept her sane.

One day, Ward told vocal coach Lee Sweetland (whose students have included Barbra Streisand and Kenny Loggins) that she wanted to try something different ... opera. Sweetland admits he wasn't sure if she had the chops: It's rare for a pop singer to take up opera, even rarer to be able to do it well.

``But nobody ever worked harder at it than B.J. did,'' said Sweetland with admiration. ``She turned out to have a very nice classical voice.'' In fact, Sweetland says Ward was once given a high compliment by famous operatic soprano Licia Albanese, who told her, ``You sing these arias better than I did.''

Today, Ward is working hard at trying to have a life as well. She always looks forward to performing in Los Angeles, since it's her hometown and she enjoys the audiences here. But there's another reason: ``It'll be nice to go home every night and sleep on my own pillow,'' Ward says, a little wearily. ``You make more money doing a lot of one- and two-night gigs, but it takes a lot out of you.''

Ward, who has no children of her own, has also been active in charity work benefiting kids. These days, she's going to schools for troubled kids who are in the care of the state to teach them about music and get them involved in activities that make the arts come to life.

She still does a bit of voice-over work that helps pay the bills and doesn't strain her voice too much. She is the voice of a princess on the kid's series ``Voltron,'' and the high-pitched (sped-up) voice of Woody Woodpecker's girlfriend on that show.

All joking aside, though, Ward knows she's lucky to finally have found a niche in the L.A. arts scene that she finds challenging and fulfilling. ``When we first started out of the house, I think people were really coming for the eggs,'' she cracks. ``Now, the positive response I've gotten, from people of all ages ... it's very gratifying.''

THE FACTS

What: ``B.J. Ward in Stand-Up Opera.''

Where: Tiffany Theaters, 8532 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood.

When: Friday through Sept. 12. Performances at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 5 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets: $25 and $30. Call [phone].

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Photo

Photo: no caption (B.J. Ward)