Review: Josh Groban's Superlative STAGES Tour Graces Providence Performing Arts Center

By: Oct. 03, 2015
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Josh Groban's distinct, dazzling voice has been a mainstay in the music world since 2001. His award-winning albums have reached multi-platinum status and his live performances have sold out theaters and arenas worldwide. Just this weekend, Groban's The Stages Tour played to a standing-room-only house at the Providence Performing Arts Center, and this brilliant concert was one of the most impressive and enjoyable to grace the PPAC stage in recent memory.

Artists are often highly praised if their live performances sound as good as their studio recordings. Groban, whose vocal work is so ideally rendered on his albums, sounds even better in person. His in-concert performance captures all the beauty and richness of his signature stylings, but it also showcases firsthand the power and passion that resonate in every note he sings.

The Stages Tour (and its companion album) highlights some of the greatest standards of musical theater and film, including "Try to Remember" (The Fantasticks), "Old Devil Moon" (Finian's Rainbow), "Finishing the Hat" (Sunday in the Park with George), "What I Did for Love" (A Chorus Line), and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (The Wizard of Oz). "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory opens the show and sets the tone for the evening's selections. From the very first, it is evident how close this project is to Groban's heart; he enthusiastically introduces each number not just as a performer, but as an exuberant fan of musical theater, tracing the impact the songs and shows have had on him as an audience member and, later, a professional singer.

Groban proves a gracious and entertaining host with a wicked sense of humor. In between songs, he interacts with his fans and regales the audience with the most hilarious anecdotes. He related his struggle to overcome shyness during his first solo performance in junior high, including a word-for-word dialogue on how his talent earned him the grudging respect of the school bully. He identified as a Phantom of the Opera "phan," lauding the show's "intrigue...and fog" and revealing he once created a replica Phantom mask during art class. Groban unexpectedly cracked himself up when he pronounced "Providence" in an exaggerated French accent, and he also lavishly praised PPAC's gilt-and-gold proscenium, complete with a "dramatic reenactment" of how the house's beauty literally stole his voice away during the sound check.

Groban nearly took the roof off that gilded house with his show-stopping rendition of "Le Temps Des Cathédrales" from Notre-Dame de Paris, his heartfelt "Bring Him Home" from LES MISERABLES, and his mesmerizing take on "Unusual Way" from Nine. He revisited his role in the 2009 concert production of Chess by closing the first act with "Anthem," then opened the second act with a medley of Sondheim's "Children Will Listen" (Into the Woods) and "Not While I'm Around" (Sweeney Todd). Groban also offered a moving tribute to the recent tragedy in Oregon, dedicating Carousel's enduring standard "You'll Never Walk Alone" to the victims and their families.

Tony Award-winning actress Lena Hall joined Groban for two powerful duets, "All I Ask of You" from The Phantom of the Opera and "Move On" from Sunday in the Park with George. Hall's musical theater background shines through as she takes on the character of each piece, particularly in her interpretation of Dot in "Move On." Groban also offered Hall a solo spotlight to perform songs from her latest album "Sin & Salvation." Hall heads the band The Deafening and her rock and roll roots come to the fore in her covers of Paul McCartney's classic "Maybe I'm Amazed" and Freddie Mercury's soulful "Save Me."

The stage - gorgeously illuminated by crystal chandeliers, flickering candelabras, and vintage-inspired footlights - also hosts a full orchestra that backs each of the musical numbers. Groban's long-time collaborators Tariqh Akoni (guitar/musical director) and Mark Stephens (piano) are featured artists on The Stages Tour, bringing a strong foundational presence and outstanding talent to their performances.

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Josh Groban's The Stages Tour played the Providence Performing Arts Center for one night only, Friday, October 2, 2015. For information about Mr. Groban's upcoming tour stops and recent CD releases, please visit www.JoshGroban.com.

Photo Courtesy Providence Performing Arts Center



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