There are people who write about the arts, and there are people who create art, and rarely the twain shall meet. Wayman Wong manages to do both. Not content to write about notable male singers and actors in his "Leading Men" column for Playbill magazine, Wong has produced two concerts showing off the best masculine voices in New York. The second sold-out Leading Men concert raised the roof at Birdland last Monday, and reminded the crowd just why we love the guys we love. With Avenue Q and Beauty and the Beast's leading man John Tartaglia as host, and with Alan Muraoka's deft direction, the overall mood of the evening was lighthearted fun and laughs, and many of the songs supported that theme.
Pacific Overtures' Telly Leung opened the evening by reminding the crowd of why actors and singers do what they do with "It's The Applause," from David Delaney and Bill Augustin's How I Paid for College. Tom Andersen kept the mood light with an utterly charming rendition of Willy Welch's "Right Field." David Gurland, currently performing monthly at the Laurie Beechman, sang an exhilarating "Waiting for Life to Begin" from Once on This Island, and Adam Jacobs (Les Mis' new Marius) calmed the room down with a gentle and emotional "Maria" from West Side Story. BroadwayWorld's own Ben Strothmann sang a very funny "Milwaukee" from Barry Kleinbort's Big City Rhythm, and was balanced by Tim Di Pasqua singing his poignant "You," which Brandon Cutrell (Leading Men III, we can hope) has turned into a standard. Daniel Reichard, who really ought to consider a career in cabaret once his contract with Jersey Boys ends, sang a lovely "Torch Song" from When Pigs Fly, and Norm Lewis reminded us once again why he's so adored by the Broadway community by singing his signature song, "I'd Rather Be Sailing" from William Finn's A New Brain.Videos