BROADWAY'S RISING STARS 2018


Broadway musicals will never run short of talent, judging by the captivating array of 19 aspirants showcased in the 2018 edition of “Broadway’s Rising Stars,” presented Monday night (July 16) by The Town Hall. Scott Siegel, creator, writer, host and on this occasion co-director with Farah Alvin, introduced performers with fanfare and often with anecdotes about their development and personal lives. The audience, filled with family members and classmates from the schools from which the performers emerged, whooped it up with well-deserved enthusiasm. Talent agents were also in the audience.

We got an opening look at the aggregation singing as an ensemble “A Million Dreams”/”The Greatest Show” from “The Greatest Showman,” Not only was the lined-up group an impressive sight, but at one point the performers, still singing, descended from the stage to head up the aisles and make contact with audience members. It was a rousing first number. Then came the parade of individuals in two acts. Since each one was obviously intent on making a strong impression, most numbers tended to end in a crescendo of belting. But the individual strengths shone through, confirming the wisdom of the choices from audition standouts from a variety of schools.

Singing “Into the Fire” from “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” Joseph Valle-Hoag revealed a powerful voice to go with his good looks. Maddy Waters projected youthful enthusiasm as she expertly sang “A Way Back to Then” from “[title of show]. Emily Royer, in singing “Everybody Says Don’t” from “Anyone Can Whistle,” delivered her rendition with Merman-like power. Although petite, Brittneyann Accetta wowed the crowd with her larger-than-life presentation of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from “Funny Girl.”

Dongwoo Kang, a Korean, exhibited his strong voice with his impressively sung “I Have Dreamed” from “The King and I.” The number “I’m Here” from “The Color Purple” is very assertive, and Makrya Alexander dug into the lyrics with intensity and effectiveness. Stephanie Bacastow, elegant and blessed with a thrilling soprano voice, soared with “My White Knight” from “The Music Man.”

Emily James, striking with her long hair and stage presence, scored with “Woman” from “The Pirate Queen.” Melanie Gettler packed plenty of passion into singing “Be a Lion” from “The Wiz.” Kyra Pemberton, backed by the company, gave an especially rhythmic enhancement to “Waiting for Life” from “Once on This Island.” Appropriate in this assemblage of performers with dreams of success, Will Brockman captured that spirit fervently singing “This is the Moment” from “Jekyll and Hyde.”

And that was just the first act.

The company opened the second act singing “Heart and Music” from “A New Brain,” and then the talent parade continued. Nick Manna mixed tenderness with strength in “How It Ends” from “Big Fish.” Kelsey Lee Smith, dedicating the number to her mother, emotionally sang a song saluting motherhood, “The Story Goes On” from “Baby.”

Tall Emma Maxwell, in excellent voice, impressed with “But the World Goes ‘Round” from “And the World Goes ‘Round.” Hannah Mount exhibited boundless energy singing “The Writing on the Wall” from “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” Gigi Encarnacion stormed the stage with a vigorous rendition of “Colored Woman” from “Memphis.” Curley-haired Giancarlo Pinzon connected solidly with the audience with “Let It Sing” from “Violet.”

Ashley Ryan, who like Ms. Bacastow, has a glorious soprano voice. In singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone” from “Carousel” she showed extraordinary range. I also enjoyed Christopher J. Essex’s interpretation of “If I Sing” from “Closer Than Ever.” It takes special talent and a strong voice to sing without a mike, and William Taitel demonstrated how well he could do that with “The Impossible Dream” anthem from “Man of La Mancha.” The entire company capped the concert, again with a meaningful assertion of hope, singing “Once in a Lifetime” from “Stop the World—I Want to Get Off.” Once again the point was well established—an exciting range of talent awaits the opportunity for success.

The band for the evening consisted of music director John Fischer at the piano, Jerry DeVore on bass, Zak Eldridge on drums and Jonathan Russell on violin. Nili Bassman did the choreography, with Holly Cruz as associate choreographer. Carl Acampora was stage manager, Rick Hinkson assistant director and assistant stage manager and Joe Burke production assistant. At The Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street. Reviewed July 18, 2018.




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