Scott Siegel’s Broadway By The Year celebrates the 1960’s with “Showstoppers” and “Star Turns” from shows of that decade.
Photo: Genvieve Rafter Keddy
by Linda Amiel Burns
The 1960’s was called the decade of “Promise and Heartbreak” beginning with the election of JFK, assassinations, the Vietnam War and many cultural changes. The music scene also saw many changes with the emergence of The Beatles and Rock N’ Roll, but the American Music Theater was thriving with many great shows produced on Broadway such as Hello Dolly, Mame, Funny Girl, Fidder on the Roof, and Hair.
On May 24 Scott Siegel’s Broadway By The Year Series celebrated the “Broadway Musical of the 1960’s” with a great cast of performers: Jeannette Bayardelle, Christina Bianco, Scott Coulter, Cooper Grodin, Christiane Noll, and Kerry O’Malley. They were accompanied by music director Ross Patterson, with Tom Hubbard on bass, and Eric Halvorson on drums. For this concert, Scott concentrated on “star-turns” and “showstoppers” – those amazing “eleventh hour numbers” that can turn a newcomer into a star seemingly overnight!
Christina certainly proved that she is a “showstopper” opening with “Before The Parade Passes By” (Hello Dolly), touching our hearts with “As Long As He Needs Me” (Oliver), and bringing the house down with “I’m the Greatest Star” (Funny Girl) and then – topping it all off with “Cabaret” imitating several theater icons such as Julie Andrews, Patti Lupone and Bernadette Peters.
Kerry O’Malley wowed the audience with “What Did I Have That I Don’t Have” (On A Clear Day), a passionate “I Don’t Want To Know” (Dear World) and a sensational “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (Funny Girl). The remarkable Christiane Noll sang a tender “One Boy” (Bye, Bye Birdie), brought great emotion to “If He Walked Into My Life” (Mame) and her rendition of “Where Am I Going” (Sweet Charity) was thrilling. Another showstopper was Jeannette who made “On a Clear Day” her own singing it in a jazz style and then delighted the crowd with “Aquarius” (Hair).
The two talented male singers were equally amazing. Scott Coulter sang a strong “I’ve Got To Be Me” (Golden Rainbow), and his beautiful voice rang out on two popular musical theater standards, “Make Someone Happy” (Do Re Mi), and “Anyone Can Whistle.”
Cooper Grodin proved that he has star quality and great range singing the beautiful “Once Upon a Time” (All American), scoring on “The Rain Song (110 in the Shade) and bringing the house down on “Molasses to Rum” (1776). A special moment was the trio of Christiane, Scott and Kerry harmonizing on “Sunrise, Sunset” (Fiddler on the Roof). The perfect end to the show was “Let The Sunshine In,” an optimistic song from Hair, a show produced at the end of the decade, with the audience clapping and singing along with great delight.
This is the 16th season of the BBTY and Scott Siegel has kept the series fresh and exciting by continuing to explore new concepts, bringing top-notch singers to perform at his concerts, and giving audiences the opportunity to learn the history of musical theater, hearing not only the iconic tunes but also discovering many unsung gems.
The last of the 2016 BBTY Series will be on 6/20/16 – The 1970’s.
Contact: SiegelEntertainment@msn.com
The Town Hall Box Office: 212 840-2824
