Arguably, in the wonderful world of musical theatre, females seemingly rule the roost—when it comes to star wattage and fan frenzy. So it was quite exciting to hear that L.A. was playing temporary host to a group of amazing stars from recent Broadway productions—with a visibly much higher testosterone quotient (this, despite the sudden appearance of tutus—more on that later).
If you weren't one of the happy patrons that attended the one-night-only concert NEW YORK'S FINEST: THE LEADING MEN OF BROADWAY at the Ford Amphitheatre on the night of September 16, 2011, then, sadly, you missed out on perhaps one of the strongest, most staggeringly talented collections of male musical theater performers ever assembled on a single stage. Conceived by Upright Cabaret's Chris Isaacson—an intuitive hoarder of great talent here on the left coast—and helmed by one of Broadway's best male belters Sam Harris, the superb concert event truly lived up to its very bold, declarative title.
On paper, it already made quite an impression—when you put together a line up that includes stage favorite David Burnham (WICKED, LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA), recent Tony Award winner Levi Kreis (MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET), Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon (THE COLOR PURPLE, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS), and American Idol heartthrob Ace Young (GREASE, HAIR revivals), one can't help but assume that the show will dazzle on star marquee alone. (Tony nominee Chad Kimball from MEMPHIS was also originally slated to perform, but was unable to appear due to a scheduling conflict).
As the ruby-red cherry that tops this very tasty multi-layered sundae, the evening's host and sexy mother hen, The Voice's Frenchie Davis (RENT) set the tone and mood for an evening of moving ballads, rousing numbers, and even a few surprising, funny moments. Dressed to the nines, Davis began the evening with "Bring On The Men" from JECKYL & HYDE before morphing into the Alicia Keys/Jay-Z anthem "Empire State of Mind" (with even a touch of Lady Gaga's "Boys Boys Boys" thrown in to punctuate) as the men descended to upstage center.
And, man, not only did the concert deliver on its promise, it practically surpassed it. Harris—directing the show unseen from somewhere in this lovely old-school outdoor venue—provided a steady, seamless flow of one star performance after another, with nary an awkward pause. Like a hit parade that left many rightly awestruck, the men (and Davis) took turns performing music from stage shows they've been directly associated with or have a spiritual, personal connection with in their past.
Each performer certainly brought out their uniqueness to their individual songs—particularly Kreis, whose gospel-tinged soul and hard-charging rockabilly swagger reminded the audience why he deservedly won that Tony Award. Singing all night as if musicality was bursting out of his entire body, he had the whole place on fire during "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," the signature Jerry Lee Lewis tune from MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, then transitioned into a quietly touching rendition of "Not While I'm Around" from SWEENEY TODD, which he dedicated to the memory of his first music teacher, who introduced him to musical theater. It was a beautiful, heartfelt take on the Stephen Sondheim classic that gave me the first goosebumps of the evening.
Other highlights included Burnham's kick-off song, the frisky "Feelin' Good" and his stripped-down, acoustic mash-up of "As Long As You're Mine" and "Defying Gravity" from WICKED, which was followed by a lovely duet between him and Kreis on "For Good." He even harkened back to his LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA role with "Il Mondo Era Vuoto." Dixon, meanwhile, wowed the audience with his take on the jazz standard "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and later channeled Ray Charles (complete with sunglasses) in his hit "What'd I Say." He followed it up with Sondheim's "Being Alive" (COMPANY), which was, I have to say, hands down one of the best renditions I have ever heard of the song. Dixon's interpretation of this powerful, moving song was just absolutely masterful. Later in the second act, he performed "Go Back Home," a hauntingly beautiful song from THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS. Yes, more goosebumps—and even a trickle of a tear.
Of the four men, Idol alum Young had the least seasoned vocals, but made up for it with his confidence, charm, and undeniable good looks that had the audience smiling. His first song "Greased Lightnin'" from GREASE sounded quite shaky, but darn it if you can't love him for trying. And, oh my, what a smart, demographically-aware decision it was on director Harris' part to have the second act open with Young—down in the aisles—closely interacting with audience members wearing nothing but a barely-there Indian loin-cloth thingy, as he re-enacted his role of Berger from the closing cast of the Tony-winning HAIR revival. Genetically blessed, he gyrated his way through a medley of songs from that 60's hippie rock musical to squeals of delight. Slight pitch problems aside, the guy is genuinely entertaining to watch.
Case in point? During the hilarious, giddy first act closer, Young—along with Burnham and Kreis—had the audience literally LOL-ing as he and his buddies rocked some tutus, bikini tops and leotards. The costumes were put into service for their lively gender-bending parody of the "At The Ballet" suite from A CHORUS LINE. All three displayed such perfect comic timing—and a gleeful commitment to their specific "characters"—that the whole sequence endeared them to the audience instantly. What a stark contrast to the well-groomed men we witnessed just moments earlier warbling teary ballads!
