Rodgers and Hammerstein @ The Magic Castle's Inner Circle was a Grand Night of Singing!

 

(left to right: Amy Lawrence, James Snyder, Alli Mauzey and Don Grigware) (Photo credit: Stan Mazin)

Cabaret at the Castle Proudly Presented A Night of Rodgers & Hammerstein.
The evening was directed by Edward Sayegh and featured Gil Darnell, James Snyder, Alli Mauzey, Alli McGinnis, Anthony Carillo, Carolyn Schultz, Reid Lee, Amy Lawrence, Cynthia Stults, Marikah Cunningham and Lisaun Whittingham, all vocal students of Mr. Sayegh. The evening was in support of The American Musical Theater Workshop. (AMTW) And... T'was A Grand Night of Singing!

The revue It's a Grand Night For Singing provided the basis for this show, reduced from two acts into one, keeping many of the most memorable songs from Oklahoma, Sound of Music, Carousel, King and I, South Pacific, Cinderella, Flower Drum Song et al. The tiny Inner Circle stage neatly fit 11 performers - not an easy feat to accomplish, but thanks to Sayegh's smoothly organized staging, they performed together, sat on theatre trunks whilst listening to the solos and duets and even did a bit of dancing - and all 11 remained onstage throughout.

Highlights of the evening included: Alli Mauzey's adorably feisty Ado Annie with "Can't Say No", James Snyder's rich and dynamic tenor on "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" from Sound of Music, Anthony Carillo's pleasantly intense "Love Look Away", Gil Darnell's plaintive "Nearly Was Mine", Alli McGinnis' beautiful "A Lovely Night" and Amy Lawrence's lilting operatic soprano with "Might As Well be Spring". Mauzey and Snyder stood out with their gorgeous Parent Medley, which included his "Soliloquy" from Carousel. Snyder also did a wonderful "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" and Mauzey a stunning "Something Wonderful" from The King and I. This was a richly sung and grandly presented evening of song. What a great opportunity for young people to discover the genius and musical wealth of the Rodgers and Hammerstein songbook!