All in Concert
Carmen Cusack shines in Encores! revival of its 1995 landmark revival of Irving Berlin’s “Call Me Madam” (1950), originally written as a vehicle for Ethel Merman. A topical piece of light satirical fare that’s more about comedy and songs than plot, this simple but well-performed production is Encores! at its truest: a concert revival of a classic musical that would not otherwise be seen on stage again.
Last night at Carnegie Hall, the New York Pops presented “Song and Dance: The Best of Broadway”, a concert celebration of musical theatre’s finest orchestral selections, featuring the Essential Voices USA chorus and dancers from New York Theatre Ballet.
The Public Theater and the Onassis Foundation USA present a six performance concert of “The Gospel at Colonus” in Central Park; this gospel-infused re-telling of Sophocles’ “Oedipus at Colonus” is set at a black Pentecostal service and delivered as a sermon. The concept is genius, the storytelling muddled, and the music a little labored. Nevertheless, it is an experience to be remembered.
Last week, MasterVoices, New York’s acclaimed 130-member chorus, presented a two concert production of “Orphic Moments” at Jazz at Lincoln Center as part of its 76th annual concert series.
“Me and My Girl” is a fizzy, frothy, and funny British musical from the 1930s, updated in the 1980s, presented with period pizzazz as part of City Center’s Encores! concert series. With a fancifully simple story and charming, if forgettable score, this show offers pure lighthearted escapism. If you’re looking to think, skip it, otherwise, serious musical theatre fans should catch this chance to see a classic.
“Rocktopia” is a one-trick rock concert in which snippets of top-shelf, survey deep classical compositions are mashed-up with and swallowed whole by beloved rock songs from the 1970s and 1980s. Garishly self-indulgent, sublimely absurd, bland, and loud, you can skip this well-intentioned musical experiment gone awry.
The Bengsons follow up on “Hundred Days” with another musical docu-concert, “The Lucky Ones”, which serves as a sort of prologue or prequel. Abundantly surprising, deeply intimate, and simply gorgeous, they have created another wonderful show that brims with rawness, honesty, and humanity.
“Grand Hotel, The Musical” is a glorious gem from 1989, now presented in a full out, Broadway-quality production with a roster of superb performances that weave an evocative, sumptuous, and highly entertaining visit to 1928 Berlin. This is arguably the best production Encores! has presented since “Chicago” in 1996, and deserves a Broadway transfer. See it now so you can say you saw it when!
Tonight at Carnegie Hall, the New York Pops closed out its 35th season with a concert featuring a selection of blockbuster film scores curated by music director and conductor Steven Reinke.
Earlier this evening, The Great Hall at The Cooper Union provided an august and auspicious setting for MasterVoices’ presentation of “Our America”, an original concert celebration of the importance of immigrants and their contributions to the rich tapestry of American music.
"Subways Are for Sleeping", Jule Styne and Comden and Green's 1961 flop musical, triumphantly closed out the York Theatre Company's 3-musical "Musicals in Mufti" celebration of lesser-works by composer Jule Styne. Bizarre, but pure musical comedy joy, "Subways" contains several gem songs.
The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s debut concert at Carnegie Hall last night showcased the pulsating power and syncopated joy of percussion in a program featuring a heavy dose of Latin American flavor as part of Philip Glass’s residency as the 2017–2018 Composer’s Chair.
