Whenever other obligations have me out-of-town for a time, it is always a treat to return to the lighthearted fun and musical talent that always seems to continue at Houston’s MUSIC BOX theater year after year.
I know it was my good fortune to be attending as a visiting critic, because tickets to the often sold-out shows are very hard to come by. The raw and rainy Sunday afternoon weather had not limited the enthusiasm of the lucky SRO ticket holders for the day’s matinee performance of “The Best of the Music Box 2024.” But just before curtain time there was a momentary scare that had us all briefly startled. Something had suddenly gone awry with the theater’s sound system and there was a shrill and  piercing screech from the audio speakers that penetrated the entire room. Happily, it ended as quickly as it began, and the sudden audience fear quickly turned to laughter.
Then it was on with the show as the talented cast of five regulars, Rebekah Dahl, Brad Scarborough, Cay Taylor, Kristina Sullivan and Luke Wrobel merrily arrived on stage. Opening with Marvin Gaye’s cheerful, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” was a good decision, but regrettably there was still some lingering defect that had the voice-distorting volume at a level more appropriate to the Houston Rodeo arena than this charmingly intimate venue. It should be mentioned that this cast has uniformly outstanding vocal credentials with voices that have no need for excess amplification. Happily, in this fine theater, such an episode would be a rarity. The “Wedding Bell Blues” number that followed was still a bit shrill for my taste, and not enhanced by the cutesy backup antics of the cast. But things were quickly back on track when Mr. Scarborough took center stage, guitar in hand, for a smoothly elegant rendition of an Eagles hit, “Take It To The Limit.” His rich voice seems like it could carve fine marble, his falsetto accents always amaze me and his guitar prowess would again be on display a bit later during the show’s Bob Dylan segment. Maybe it was Brad’s fine vocal which then lured his co-star (and wife), Ms. Dahl on stage to display her gift for vocal story-telling with a wailing and passionate performance of James Brown’s “Man’s World,” that was full of angst and desperation. Her bouncing energy seemed amplified by the glittering sequins of her long golden sleeves.
Band leader, Austin Biel, offered a powerful opening on piano for Mr. Wrobel’s richly resonant nod to Barry Manilow pairing, “Could It Be Magic” and “Mandy.” The cast back-up singers guided the song to a fiercely soaring conclusion. Ms. Taylor followed with a cool, “Going Out of My Head,” enhanced by now nicely moderated audio that complemented her lovely voice. The haunting build-up for Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit,” even featured some  shimmering flashes of mandolin from  lead guitarist, Mark McCain. As Act One moved toward its conclusion, Ms. Taylor introduced, “All Along the Watchtower,” as she offered an amusingly mumbling impression of Bob Dylan with a tip-of-the-hat to actor Timothée Chalamet, currently portraying the singer in the much-acclaimed film, “A Complete Unknown.” Then the cast roamed through the audience for the rollicking First Act finale of  Bryan Adams’ hit, “Everything I do, I Do It For You.”
Intermission gave patrons a chance to visit the convenient lobby bar and fill out their complimentary entries for an Act Two drawing awarding the winner free tickets to an upcoming show. And it was quickly apparent that the musical fun was going to continues as the dancing cast opened with a fun filled Four Tops medley that included, “Reach Out (I’ll Be There),” “Baby I Need Your Loving,” and “Can’t Help Myself.” Elton John was recognized as Rebekah delivered a haunting, “Goodbye to the Yellow Brick Road,” that was full of mystery and featured some lovely work from Long Le on electric bass. The band offered the crisp and rhythmic fun of “One Night Samba,” as Ms. Taylor introduced the talented musicians. Kristina has a fine Whitney Houston number for us with, “I Have Nothing,” and Luke followed with B.B. King’s “Sweet Little Angel,” while the musicians showed off their talent for the Blues. Mr. McCain dazzled on electric guitar and Biel astonished the audience while playing keyboard with one hand while playing trumpet with the other.
Another revelation for me came with Ms. Taylor’s shining moment during the intoxicating rhythms of Luis Miguel’s “Somos Novios.” She gave a delicate and thoughtful performance of what would become the big hit for Perry Como in this country, “It’s Impossible.” A married couple themselves, Luke and Kristina were a perfect pairing for the saucy fun of the Johnny and June Cash hit, “Jackson.” There would be still more musical treats to come, but I will close by mentioning a particular highlight that was absolutely stunning.  Brad and Cay bravely joined forces to perform the classic, “Time to Say Goodbye,” made famous by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli. The result was  so breathtakingly beautiful it would have been welcome on the stage of Houston Grand Opera. My only regret is I have no recording of that Music Box triumph. Bravo!
BEST OF MUSIC BOX 2024 continues thru Feb. 8th, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Â 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, “Best of Broadway 2025,” beginning on February 14th.
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
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