Broadway by the Year: Broadway Musicals of the 1960s

Marilyn Lester | May 25, 2016

Broadway by the Year

Broadway Musicals of the 1960s

The Town Hall, NYC, May 23, 2016

Review by Marilyn Lester for Cabaret Scenes

Photo: Genevieve Rafter Keddy

Broadway by the Year has yielded lately to Broadway by the decade, with this edition dedicated to that wild ride known as the 1960s. Unlike March, which comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, the 1960s entered gently and exited with a roar. To illustrate, series creator, writer and host Scott Siegel showed the way in song and narrative, delivered with his usual informative, witty and entertaining style. One fact about the 1960s, for example, is that it was the last decade to reliably produce hit singles from Broadway shows. One such song is “Once Upon a Time” (from All American), a beautiful ballad hauntingly sung by BBTY debut artist Cooper Grodin. When he appeared later to sing “The Rain Song” (from 110 in the Shade), he was in carny character, and different again, with a searing rendition of “Molasses to Rum” (from 1776).

Audience favorite Christina Bianco, with her own big voice, sang “Before the Parade Passes By (from Hello, Dolly!) and, with ease, the vocally demanding “I’m the Greatest Star” (from Funny Girl). To answer the question, what would the eponymous “Cabaret” sound like if sung by Streisand, Chenoweth, Garland, Dion and others, Bianco, fully animated, delighted the audience with her spot-on impersonations. Big voices were prominent on the cast’s distaff side, with Jeannette Bayardelle singing “Aquarius” (from Hair) and a jazz-blues arrangement of “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” from the show of the same name. Also from Clear Day, the diva with a classic Broadway belt voice, Kerry O’Malley, easily handled “What Did I Have That I Don’t Have?” and aced the exacting “Mount Everest of songs,” “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (from Funny Girl).

This edition of Broadway by the Year was not without its gentility. Christiane Noll, with her operatic soprano, sweetly sang “One Boy” (from Bye Bye Birdie). If she sounded a little strained on “Fireworks” (from Do Re Mi), she was back in form for a controlled rendition of “Where Am I Going?” (from Sweet Charity). Popular performer Scott Coulter (pictured) easily demonstrated why he’s so loved: his sweetness and affability just shine forth. He has a great rapport with an audience, plus impeccable phrasing, which he applied to “I’ve Got to Be Me” (from Golden Rainbow) and “Make Someone Happy” (from Do Re Mi). With the entire cast, Coulter ended the splendid evening with a rocking “The Flesh Failures”/”Let the Sunshine In” (from Hair), a portend of things to come for Broadway. Musical direction and piano were by Ross Patterson, with Tom Hubbard on bass guitar and upright bass, and Eric Halvorson on drums.

Tags: 110 in the Shade, 1776, All American, American Songbook, Aquarius, Barbra Streisand, Before the Parade Passes By, Broadway, Broadway by the Year, Broadway Musicals, Broadway Musicals of the 1960s, Bye Bye Birdie, Cabaret, Cabaret Reviews, Cabaret Scenes, CD, Celine Dion, Christiane Noll, Christina Bianco, Clubs, Composers, Cooper Grodin, Do Re Mi, Don't Rain on My Parade, Eric Halvorson, Fireworks, Funny Girl, Genevieve Rafter Keddy, Golden Rainbow, Great American Songbook, Hair, Hello Dolly, I’m the Greatest Star, I’ve Got to Be Me, Jazz, Jazz Singers, Jazz Vocalists, Jeannette Bayardelle, Judy Garland, Kerry O''Malley, Kristin Chenoweth, Let the Sunshine In, lyricists, Make Someone Happy, Marilyn Lester, Molasses to Rum, Mount Everest, Musicals, Musicians, Nightclubs, NYC, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Once Upon a Time, One Boy, Popular Song, Revues, Ross Patterson, Scott Coulter, Scott Siegel, Show Tunes, Singers, Songbook, Standards, Supper Clubs, Sweet Charity, The Flesh Failures, The Rain Song, The Town Hall, Tom Hubbard, Venues, Vocalists, What Did I Have That I Don't Have, Where Am I Going?