Review: BROADWAY SYMPHONIC at Salle Pleyel

Broadway Symphonic at the Salle Pleyel reimagines the Broadway canon through sophisticated orchestral arrangements, drawing on works by Cole Porter, Frederick Loewe, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman and Leonard Bernstein to transform beloved numbers like "I Could Have Danced All Night" (My Fair Lady), "Send in the Clowns" (A Little Night Music), and a West Side Story suite into compelling concert hall experiences. The concert format effectively reveals layers of orchestral detail and harmonic sophistication often buried in theatrical presentation, with the arrangements showcasing intricate rhythmic complexity that allows Bernstein's music in particular to soar in its symphonic setting, while West Side Story emerges with remarkable power, its musical architecture commanding the stage with emotional and intellectual depth that the symphonic treatment brings into sharper focus. 

The vocal performances are consistently strong, with Marie Oppert delivering the evening's most captivating work, especially in her rendition of "I Have Confidence" from the movie version of The Sound of Music, combining vocal purity with dramatic intelligence drawn from her background at the Comédie-Française and her portrayals of Maria and Eliza Doolittle, resulting in nuanced phrasing that creates vivid character even in concert format. Emma Kate Nelson brings luminous clarity and infectious energy to her numbers, particularly in her rendition of "Don't Rain on My Parade" and in her four big production numbers, "Anything Goes," "Hello Dolly," "42nd Street," and the show opener "It's Today" (Mame), which she also choreographed with her partners Costel and Doric Surbeck.

Agathe Peyrat offers thoughtful, emotionally resonant readings of Sondheim's sophisticated material, her sensitive artistry revealing the composer's psychological depth, particularly in Sondheim's immortal "Send in the Clowns." The male soloists—Vincent Gilliéron (Musical Trophée winner for Best Musical) with his polished authority in "Wilkommen" (Cabaret), a song that fits him like glove, Loaï Rahman with his natural warmth and effortless musicality in "Singin' in the Rain,"  and Simon Catrice with heartfelt sincerity in his Berstein "On the Town" medley—form an impressive ensemble that demonstrates vocal breadth and stylistic integrity. 

The Yellow Socks Orchestra & Choir under Pieter-Jelle de Boer's assured direction proves exceptional, shaping the diverse program with intelligence and restraint while maintaining orchestral clarity and building compelling dramatic arcs, with Frédéric Pineau's choral direction achieving impressive precision and beautiful tonal balance throughout. The tap interludes by Costel and Dorel, in perfect synchornization with Emma Kate, provide dazzling displays of virtuosity and rhythmic brilliance that add kinetic energy to the evening. Broadway Symphonic makes a compelling artistic statement by elevating these scores through the concert hall's aesthetic values, illuminating their musical sophistication and compositional craft in ways that offer fresh appreciation for familiar works—the result is an evening of genuine musical distinction that honors the Broadway tradition while demonstrating its place in the symphonic repertoire.

Too bad about the amplification of orchestra, which wasn't necessary, and the lack of presentations of some numbers, which would have smoothed out the evening with more continuity.  The choice of the title song of Mame for the finally was finally a brave choice since, sadly, Jerry Herman's second masterpiece after Dolly is seldom ever revived. Never have I heard such a brilliarnt and kinetic rendition of that piece with the whole talented cast on stage at the Salle Pleyel.

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