By Marilyn Lester***Scott Siegel’s Broadway’s Greatest Hits series always offers a good time. Host, writer, producer Siegel has a stellar track record of finding sublime talent from Broadway, cabaret and opera worlds to perform the classics of the Great White Way. Plus, the narrative setups are always just right: concise, interesting and full of fun facts. Inevitably, be it the law of averages or the alignment of the stars, there’s going to be the rare show in which not mere home runs are hit, but grand slams are lobbed way out of the park. This 62nd edition of Broadway’s Greatest Hits was such a show. In alphabetical order, Jeremy Benton, Willy Falk, Ben Jones, Tyler McCall and Jenny Lee Stern each shone so brightly that their collective talent could well have birthed a supernova. Feinstein’s/54 Below was aglow with a vibe of electric energy and talent.
Tyler McCall (Swan Lake Rock Opera) led this sublimity off with a song that Siegel described as the perfect way to anticipate the return of live Broadway shows: “Something’s Coming” (Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim), which indeed captured the spirit of something great about to happen. McCall also performed the aching “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” (Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil,Jean-Marc Natel, Herbert Kretzmer) with sensitivity and authenticity.
Also singing from Les Miserables, Ben Jones, a veteran of musical theater, opera and symphony concerts, possesses not only of an extraordinary voice but well-honed interpretive skills. He displayed his wide vocal range in “Bring Him Home,” wonderfully conveying to the max that this song is actually a prayer. Jones also interpreted Stephen Sondheim’s “Being Alive” with excellent phrasing and modulated vocal dynamics, elevating this much-performed number to a special height.
A very bright Broadway light, Willy Falk, gave a 200-watt performance. Falk was not only Tony-nominated for his leading role (Chris) in the original Miss Saigon, but has shone in concerts, cabaret, recordings and…opera. He has a honey-smooth vocal tone and a terrific range, plus the ability to give totally of himself on stage. In high-energy Broadway mode he offered an excellent rendition of “Corner of the Sky” (Stephen Schwartz) and his signature tune from Miss Saigon, “Why, God, Why?” (Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil; Richard Maltby, Jr.). And as often as he’s sung this number, he’s never sounded better. This is a song that’s not easy to master, with its tempo and chord changes, but a relaxed Falk sailed through it with ease and supercharged dynamism.
Jeremy Benton (42nd Street) is always such a bright, cheerful presence on stage. He’s a true song and dance man, cut from the cloth of the greats such as Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Tap dancers have a sense of rhythm that informs their vocals, and Benton is no exception. His smooth “You Stepped Out of a Dream” (Nacio Herb Brown, Gus Kahn) was exceeded only by a swinging classic, “I’ve Got the World on a String” (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler), marrying an updated rendition to the tune’s Cotton Club roots.
The distaff side of this edition of Broadway’s Greatest Hits was upheld by the amazing Jenny Lee Stern (Rocky: The Musical), who delivered a solid Garland-esque rendition of “The Trolley Song” (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane). But it was in “Cell Block Tango” (John Kander, Fred Ebb) that Stern had jaws dropping. The punchy, funny tune from Chicago is sung by six characters. Stern played all of them, and executed the demanding task so well that applause continued even after laughter ebbed (pun intended). It was a true tour de force performance.
It was Stern who put the button on the evening’s delights with a poignant rendition of “Smile” (Charlie Chaplin, John Turner, Geoffrey Parson). Her heartfelt delivery of the lyric reminded us that as much as we’d been privileged to enjoy all that came before, the hardships of the pandemic continue. Still, it’s music that heals and the arts that lift us up and that grace carried through.
Broadway’s Greatest Hits Edition 62 played at Feinstein’s/54 Below on August 17, with versatile music director Ross Patterson providing orchestral accompaniment on the piano.
Leave a Reply