By Marilyn Lester***To say that actress-singer Mandy Gonzalez is a powerhouse performer is like saying an apple is red, or a banana is yellow. That oft-used term, force of nature, also certainly applies to her, but it’s only when 
experienced live does the full force of Gonzalez’ showmanship really register. In this second-of-the-season New York Pops program, Everything I Know: Mandy Gonzalez Sings Lin-Manuel Miranda at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, the combined power of singer and orchestra reached the heights as Gonzalez mined the catalog of her friend, the celebrated actor-composer. The show was continued proof that the American Songbook is ever-growing.
This particular edition of The Pops came with an especial treat: the always dynamic music director and conductor, Steven Reineke, also took on the role of performer, offering vocals at key points in the show. Wry humor also emerged when Reineke revealed that the program actually premiered several weeks before with that “other” Pops outfit, in Boston, making this turn, the New York premier. And actually, Everything I Know: Mandy Gonzalez Sings Lin-Manuel Miranda had been several years in the making, with Gonzalez creating and crafting the well-conceived and scripted evening 
with writer-director Dick Scanlon. The team also included Gonzalez’ music director-arranger, Dan Lipton, who was at the keys during the show.
The evening began with the full force of The Pops in a short “Evething I Know-verture,” with Reineke vocalizing the “scat” during the “You’ll Be Back” segment from Hamilton. What else could logically follow in a tribute show than the entrance of Gonzalez and the song from Vivo, “One of a Kind.” From this starting point, the power of her voice and depth of storytelling was immediately apparent. A nod to Gonzalez’ own background was acknowledged in “Spanish Me, English Me” from “Sesame Street,” followed by a sub-tribute of two tunes from The Little Mermaid, “Keep the Beat” and “For the First Time,” honoring Miranda’s work with composer Alan Menken, whose late writing partner was Howard Ashman.
Gonzalez’ career first intersected with Miranda’s on the 2007 Off Broadway production of In the Heights. From there, both went on to stardom. Along the way, Gonzalez appeared in Wicked and Sunset Boulevard, among others, but made an indelible mark playing Angelica Schuyler for six years in the phenomenon of Hamilton. From In the Heights Gonzalez 
offered “Breathe,” “The Club” and the eponymous “Everything I Know.” From Hamilton, special guest Philippe Arroyo and Gonzalez presented “The Hamilton Suite.” The duo also sang “One School ” and “What the Heck I Gotta Do?” from 21 Chump Street. A fun mashup came with “Lin-Man and the Beast: A Mixtape.”
Powering toward the end of a phenomenal concert chock full of Miranda tunes, his work with John Kander was brightly presented. Kander and Fred Ebb wrote music for the 1977 film New York, New York, including its now iconic theme. When adapted for a Broadway musical in 2023, Miranda worked with Kander 
on new lyrics, Ebb having passed away in 2004. “Cheering for Me Now” was followed by, of course, “(Theme from) New York, New York,” with the audience irresistibly joining in. For a dramatic encore, R.Evolución Latina Community Choir (Heather Hogan, Director) and the Susan E. Wagner High School Concert Chorus (Keith Waage, Director ) combined their prodigious numbers and mighty voices for a rousing “Fearless.”
Like the cherry on top of the proverbial sundae, the man himself joined the cast for bows. Miranda received the Kennedy Center Honor in 2018, and has won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, three Tony Awards, two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Emmy Awards and five GRAMMY Awards, along with nominations for two Academy Awards. Yet he remained typically self-effacing as he was roundly cheered.
Photos by Rebecca J Michelson
