Review: Broadway Memories Are Memorable with Andrea McArdle at the Laurie Beechman Theatre

I’m sure there are many parents that have fond memories of taking their kids to Broadway shows.  We are one of them. In the '70s, we brought our two young daughters to see the musical Annie.  It was one of those theater moments that will stay with us forever, watching the expression on our daughters' faces as Andrea McArdle came on stage. Caroline, age 7, could credibly sing the Annie score and mouthed the words during the entire performance, and much to our embarrassment, 4-year-old Laura shouted out for all to hear….. “she’s not Annie!” as McArdle made her first entrance not wearing the emblematic red dress. Fast Forward, Laura’s daughter, our grandchild Zoe, 11 years old at the time, sang the Annie medley in the 2016 Cabaret Convention evening honoring Charles Strouse.

Needless to say, anytime we attend an Andrea McArdle performance, a wave of nostalgia comes over us, but more importantly we are reminded of what a great actor and singer she is. There is no mistaking her definitive voice! It gives you goosebumps on practically every song she sings, and it also had that same effect on us when she sang a few Judy Garland selections in the show.  McArdle starred as a young Judy Garland in the 1978 film Rainbow. 

The evening's well-constructed setlist had memorable tunes that were meaningful musical moments during Andrea McArdle’s career, interposed with fascinating anecdotes from an extraordinary life in the theater.  Music director Steve Marzullo supplied a consummate theatrical piano accompaniment that fused perfectly with the Andrea McArdle Broadway sound. There are not many singers who can nail it on every tune without the aid of a bunch of musicians backing them up, and Andrea is one of them, and even on that Billy Joel tune she rocked.  BTW, the sound in the Laurie Beechman is perfection, even though it probably was not needed for Andrea as she pointed out that Annie was the last Broadway Musical that wasn’t miked.

We were flies on the walls of her dressing rooms and privy to her back stage “mischief” as she told tales about working alongside of Carol Channing, Leslie Uggams, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Liberace and others. This show had memories for all if us as Andrea honored the renowned theater icons in her life and additionally paid tribute to the legendary newly redesigned Laurie Beechman Theatre and the illustrious artists that have appeared on it’s stage. We need Andrea McArdle on Broadway, Today and Tomorrow!

Follow Andrea McArdle on Instagram at @mcbwaybaby

Find more upcoming shows at the Laurie Beechman on their website at www.thebeechman.com

Andrea McArdle

Andrea McArdle

Andrea McArdle

Andrea McArdle

Andrea McArdle & Charles Strouse

Annie

Andrea McArdle

Andrea McArdle

Annie

Andrea McArdle

Andrea McArdle

Steve Marzullo

Tom D' Angora & Andrea McArdle