Every now and then I feel compelled to use the word perfection, and this is one of those occasions. I cannot say enough about the inspired excellence of The Music Box Theater’s current production of The Best of Broadway. The title made it clear that the show would focus on outstanding highlights from the vast catalog of Broadway musicals.
But what could not be anticipated was the fact that every classic number in this two-hour smorgasbord of the very best, would be performed with such exacting skill that audience members would have the sense of experiencing each entire show, rather than just a single selection. The whole collection was so brilliantly conceived and executed, one might have thought it an impossible task to do well. I’m here to tell you it was accomplished in spades!
The opening “On Broadway” medley would allow each of the theater’s five stars a moment to shine, beginning with Luke Wrobel’s lusty and resounding, Oh, What a Beautiful Morning from “Oklahoma!” Brad Scarborough then continued the theme with the song, “On Broadway,” beautifully tipping his vocal hat to that classic tune from The Drifters.
Cay Taylor emerged next with all the sensual twists and turns of the title song from Cabaret. Kristina Sullivan followed with a bird-like sweetness of voice for the desperation of A Chorus Line’s opening number, “I Hope I Get It.” Rebekah Dahl then brought the segment to a close with her smashing rendition of “All That Jazz” from Chicago.
Then it was on to the main event as the performers produced one knock-out number after another beginning with Luke’s affectionate Sinatra memories leading into his total command of a relaxed and cool rendition of Cole Porter’s, “I Get A Kick Out of You.” Shining solo moments from Austin Biel on piano and Mark McCain on lead guitar were an added bonus. Kristina was next with a highly theatrical performance of “She Used to Be Mine” from Waitress that was full of wailing power and passion. In a glittering sequined jacket, Ms. Taylor brought abundant power of her own to a joyful and bouncing rendition of Judy Garland’s classic “Trolley Song” from Meet Me in St. Louis. Brad and Kristina were masters of counterpoint beautifully performing the “Suddenly Seymour” number from Little Shop of Horrors.
As the cast staged the “Satisfied” number from Hamilton, Rebekah displayed her amazing mastery of complex and rapid-fire lyrics. Cay and Luke then skillfully took on a duet challenge of their own with “Unworthy of Your Love,” from Assassins. Brad brought his amazing vocal control to another poignant and dramatic scene with “Waving Through A Window” from Dear Evan Hansen. Then, closing out Act One, the cast continued its annual tradition of performing all the songs from a single show in just seven minutes. Chosen for this year’s “7-Minute Musical” was the ever-popular, Grease, and the full cast pulled off this creative and zany version perfectly under a large stopwatch clock displayed above the stage.
The show’s musical delights continued following intermission with an amazing full cast “Age of Aquarius,” from Hair the musical, which culminated with a shimmering and joyful “Let the Sunshine In.” With the extraordinary intensity of her full vocal range, Cay then shifted the mood with her haunting performance of “On My Own” from Les Mis. Brad and Luke would playfully lighten the mood after that with lots of humor and a touch of sailor’s hornpipe dancing, and then leading the cast back on stage for the merriment of “Nothing Like a Dame” from South Pacific. Audience member, Bob Pizzitola, from LaPorte, Texas, was seated nearby and beaming with satisfaction.
A frequent visitor to The Big Apple, I overheard him saying, “I could be seated at the Waldorf’s Lobby Bar in New York and I couldn’t enjoy a show any more than this.” Of course there was plenty more fun to come with Brad’s storytelling solo of “Great Expectations” from The Outsiders, and the gals doing a cheerful “Super Trouper” from Mama Mia, while the guys clowned around behind them.
Rebekah returned to center stage for a thrilling, “With One Look,” from Sunset Boulevard. Her electrifying performance beautifully captured the wide-eyed desperation of a fading Hollywood star. I found myself thinking what a miracle it is that five talented performers can continue, for all these many years, to come up with original, clever, witty and musically delightful themed shows, more than a half dozen times each year. Clearly, after 14 years, the word has gotten around town, and it is no wonder Trip Advisor has listed The Music Box as the “#1 Thing To do” when visiting Houston.
“The Best of Broadway” continues through April 5th with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. As of this writing, the few remaining seats are for Friday April 4th and Saturday April 5th. The Music Box Theater is located in Houston’s CityCentre district, 12777 Queensbury Lane, where parking is free with ticket validation at the box office. Tickets for each show are $55 for reserved seating and $40 for general admission. For tickets or information, call 713-522-7722 or visit www.TheMusicBoxTheater.com, where you can also find details of the next show, “Across the Pond,” beginning on April 12th.
The columns of David Dow Bentley III have appeared on Broadway websites, in newspapers from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast, and may be viewed online at the website: www.ThePeoplesCritic.com. E-mail may be directed to ThePeoplesCritic3@gmail.com
If the full content does not display, visit the article originally published on this site
