Review: 50 KEY STAGE MUSICALS --THE CONCERTS Takes A Final Bow At 54 Below

Christian Noll, Elena Shaddow & Lee Roy Reams Join FINAL FIFTY KEY STAGE MUSICALS" height="373" src="/ezoimgfmt/cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/columnpiccloud/Christian-Noll-Elena-Shaddow-Lee-Roy-Reams-Join-FINAL-FIFTY-KEY-STAGE-MUSICALS-1699274313.jpg?ezimgfmt=rs:536x268/rscb37/ngcb36/notWebP" width="746" />Broadway history was explored, explained, revealed, re-lived, cheered, and cherished in the latest (and final) installment of Fifty Key Stage Musicals, a songs-and-stories survey based on the book of the same name. Its co-editor/contributing writer, Robert W. Schneider, was back as master of ceremonies and celebrations to cover several of the shows discussed between its covers. Making things especially emotional was the presence of several performers who were in the original productions or major revivals, sharing their memories. Combine that with classic songs sung in character and it’s an unbeatable recipe for more than a taste of Broadway.  The generous-length November 20th event was more like a musical banquet cooked up to make a musical theatre-loving audience grateful to be thusly served, appropriate to Thanksgiving Week. The ubiquitous Michael Lavine was reliably at the keyboard and making it sing. 

The fact that decades have passed since some of these talented folks were first in productions they were representing/revisiting only makes those menu items seem sweeter and richer.  Those original cast “chefs” were the main courses during the course of the evening — delicious comfort food — but other side dishes weren’t exactly chopped liver, as talented participants not associated with their assigned musicals were engaging, too. 

Singing “It’s Raining on Prom Night” as the reigning champion of projecting eternal ingenue ingenuity was a glowing Carole Demas, Grease’s original Sandy. A performer whose real name is Sandy, Sandy Faison, is another role-originator from the same decade, the 1970s, having graced the cast of Annie as its first Grace. Although she didn’t sing, she related a couple of especially entertaining Annie anecdotes, one involving the kindness of then-First Lady Rosalynn Carter (who’d passed away just the day before the 54 Below extravaganza, making the tale particularly touching). Miss Saigon is one of the 50 musicals in the book, prompting the original cast’s American GI hero, Willy Falk, to be “drafted” back to dramatic duty for “Why God Why?” (Theatre fans frequenting the venue may have also caught him and his surefire redux of the wrenching lament to elicit cheers through tears in editions of Scott Siegel’s ongoing Broadway’s Greatest Hits or the recent salute to Tony Award nominees.)

The words of one of Broadway's most "Key"players, Oscar Hammerstein were prominent as Jenn Gambatese charmed with two of his collaborations with Richard Rodgers (Carousel’s “Mister Snow” and doing wonderful things with “A Wonderful Guy” from South Pacific) while the landmark Show Boat with Jerome Kern’s music justly got two nods. One was the grand “Ol’ Man River,” intoned with requisite dignity by Jayson Kerr.  The other was the love duet “Make Believe,” with Mark Jacoby warmly taking the male part as he did in the 1994 revival and, with same-day notice to please substitute for a singer who’d taken ill, soprano Christiane Noll gamely stepped in as his partner, sounding glorious.  In more intense mode, she soloed with a riveting “I Miss the Mountains” written for the female lead in from Next to Normal, a role she played on tour.

Sagas of auditions and callbacks that led to, finally, clinching their roles, were included in the engaging tales, followed by songs, told by the artists who bookended the concert.  Opening the program was Eric Michael Gillett (revival of Kiss Me, Kate – eliciting laughs galore parsing words in multiple choruses of the score’s “Brush Up Your Shakespeare”). 

The last two segments brought out Lee Roy Reams, and then Jane Summerhays.  Mr. Reams discussed 42nd Street, via one of his go-to stories  — stop me if you’ve heard this one before — about his friendship with Ruby Keeler (from the earlier film version, seen below in vintage photo), 

Lee Roy Reams Hits High Notes and Touches Hearts in REMEMBERING Jerry Herman at Feinstein's/54 Below" height="400" src="https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/upload13/2115103/IMG_9327.JPG" width="600" />

buying her some tap shoes, and delicately delivering his audition song “I Only Have Eyes for You.” A captivating Jane Summerhays then ended the very satisfying soiree with memories of A Chorus Line, being cast in the London company, giving us two of its numbers: “At the Ballet” and, with the sing-along help of the audience, “What I Did for Love.” 

But it wasn’t all long-careered veterans; the new generation of performers took to the stage, too.  There was F. Antonio Urrutia III, a college student recently directed by our busy host, impressing mightily with “Breathe” from In the Heights and a group of young girls brought zip to “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” from Annie (Ritisha Chakraborty, Charlotte Ewing, Keira Lassor, Skylar Matthews and Royina Patel).  

Robert W. Schneider, historian host, produces well-curated evenings, whether it’s about these Key musicals that made history on Broadway or those that never made it to the Great White Way (as he will at 54 Below’s Bound for Broadway concert of might-have-beens on December 7).  He knows the lore and more; you can depend on “Insider Schneider.” 

More info on December 7 show HERE:

 

 

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