SCOTT SIEGEL: 54 SINGS BROADWAY’S GREATEST HITS. In this latest iteration of the long-running series, created, produced, written and hosted by Siegel, the key word is consistency. With a healthy talent pool to choose from, Siegel always mixes and matches to 
great advantage. And with music director Ron Abel at the piano, there were many notable moments. One highlight was Sophie Rapeijko who’s full of energy and brightly shines on stage. She’s also got a knack for irony and comedy, making her “History of Wrong Guys” (Kinky Boots) and “My New Philosophy” (You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown) something special. An interesting twist came from Lianne Marie Dobbs with “Fifty Percent” (Ballroom). Typically this song is performed by singers of a certain age with an air of satisfied resignation. The much younger Dobbs 
interpreted the song with an air of defiance and resoluteness. Tony nominee Willy Falk had great fun inhabiting the character of Nicely Nicely with a spirited “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat” (Guys and Dolls). Other performers making this edition of Broadway’s Greatest Hits so enjoyable were Ben Jones, John and Matthew Drinkwater, MOIPEI and Kendrick Jones. Marilyn Lester
AMANDA RECKONWITH “IN RESIDENTIAL CARE.” If Dame Edna Everage and Anna Russell had a love child, she surely would be Amanda Reconwith. Combining sharp-witted comedy with a voice that can do 
anything—from Broadway to pop to opera and beyond—with a range from low notes to high, and a specialty in countertenor roles, Reckonwith is a force to be, well, reckoned with. She is the alter ego of David Sabella and she’s been gracing the Pangea stage with regularity, singing an eclectic set of songs from “O Mio Babbino Caro” (from Gianni Schicci) to the jazzy “Broadway,” and even a duet with himself of West Side Story‘s “A Boy Like That”—with music director Mark Hartman a sometime game foil. In this iteration of the show (they’re all different) special guest Dawn Derow covered a costume change for Reckonwith, demonstrating her spectacular talents in operatic and pop genres. Check the Pangea website for more Reckonwith dates; her shows are not to be missed. Marilyn Lester
TODD MURRAY AND STACY SULLIVAN “THE MUSICAL ROMANCE OF FRANK SINATRA AND PEGGY LEE.” For many moons, Todd Murray and Stacy Sullivan have worked together with sublime chemistry to create mini-musicals just perfect for cabaret stages. Their latest, The Musical Romance 
of Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee (directed by Savannah Brown) recently played at Carnegie Hall’s Weill performance space with Yasuhiko Fukuoka music directing and leading musicians that included bass, cello and guitar. First-timers no doubt were wowed and thrilled at hearing a full complement of great standards from “It’s a Good Day” to “Fever” to “Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)” and more. The core of the show—it’s performers, structure, directing and so on were intact. But the space itself did diminish the intimacy and the impact of a cabaret space that makes The Musical Romance so very special—glaring lighting, less than perfect sound design and a cavernous feel did take away from the whole. This is a show that deserves a long, successful run. It’s going to play at London’s Pizza Express in September. Lucky Londoners. Marilyn Lester
Crisis by Shaiman and Scott Wittman, where the two met in 1976. Shaiman wrote, “The kind folks there let us run a sing-along of some key songs from our repertoire and hearing a room full of happy, theatre-loving patrons belting out our songs (and knowing our lyrics better than either Scott or I could remember them!) was so very good for our souls.” Three friends of the duo came along too—women who’d sung on original demos of “Good Morning Baltimore” (Annie Golden/Hairspray), “Fly, Fly Away” (Shoshana Beean/Catch Me If You Can) and “Ride Out The Storm” (Shayna Steel/Some Like It Hot Musical). Another thrill for Shaiman and Wittman was that the start and finish of the sing-along were two classics from back when Shaiman worked at Marie’s (47 years ago)— “Some People” and “Hello, Dolly!” Scott Barbarino
