Week Two of “Search for Best Musical Theatre Voice” Kicks Off Sept. 29, Thru Oct. 2

For five intrepid singers, the dream of emerging as The Best Musical Theatre Voice in New Jersey moved one step closer to reality as the 2014 Fearless Icon Vocal Competition got underway Sept. 24-25 at Rahway's Hamilton Stage.

Week 2 of the five-week competition continues with performances Monday Sept. 29 and Thursday Oct. 2, both at 8 p.m. at Hamilton Stage, 360 Hamilton Street, Rahway.

General admission tickets for each round are $15 and available online at www.ucpac.org, by calling (732) 499-8226 or buying in person an hour before showtime at the Hamilton Stage box office, 360 Hamilton Street, Rahway.

Round 1 saw Brianna Javis of Union City qualify for the semi-final round with a heartfelt rendition of You Are Your Daddy's Son from Ragtime.

Tim Cary of Somerset won the Audience Save with his powerful version of One Song Glory from Rent. He will get a second chance to qualify for the semi-finals in the Sing For Your Life Round on Oct. 30.

The following evening, Round 2 saw Michael Dooley of Cranford finding his moment singing This Is The Moment from Jekyll and Hyde; Evan Charpentier of Fairlawn earned the Audience Save with Get and Stay Out from 9 to 5: The Musical. Suzanne Ramsey Restivo of Monroe earned a Judge's Save to with a show-stopping Rose's Turn from Gypsy.

First prize? The winner gets to sing the dream role of their favorite musical theatre show.

Fearless Productions, a Rahway theatre company, will purchase full stage rights and present the winner's chosen play at Hamilton Stage in Summer, 2015.

Sound like An Impossible Dream for Some Enchanted Evening? Not if the judges Get a Kick Out of You.

"The heart and soul of a great musical is a determined character giving everything they've got to achieve their dream," says Fearless Productions founder Brian Remo. "With Fearless Icon, each contestant puts that heart and that soul on stage to attain their own theatre dream."

Open-call auditions in August from across New Jersey culled 100 singers to compete in 10 elimination rounds during September and October. Semi-finals take place Dec. 1, finals on Dec. 14, both at Union County Performing Arts Center Mainstage.

Contestants for Sept. 29: Rebecca Filer, Dawn Gaylardo, Justin Giachetti, Kerry Jules, Amy Suznovich, Taylor Patullo, Alexandra Perrotta, Michael Miguel, Leslie Silverman, Danielle Tolep.

Contestants for Oct. 2: Carmen Balentine, Noah Brendemuehl, Arlene Britt, Carissa Gaughran, Ben Menahem, Jenna Odin, Jeffrey O'Neill, Taylor Patullo, Kathryn Pentek.

Fearless Productions is a New Jersey drama ensemble who made an Off Broadway debut at the Snapple Theater Center this past Spring with Joelle Arqueros' Sex, Relationships and Sometimes...Love. They'll present To Kill a Mockingbird at Hamilton Stage this Sept. 26-Oct. 5 and Nine: The Musical at Hamilton Stage from Mar. 6-22, 2015.

Brian Remo believes Fearless Icon will discover a rich, new mother lode of untapped musical theatre talent.

"The next great Broadway singer is living somewhere in New Jersey," he says. "Our mission is to find help them find their way to the stage."

Photo credit: Rich Kowlaski

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