By William Wolf

BROADWAY BY THE YEAR--THE 1960S  Send This Review to a Friend

You almost can’t go wrong with songs from Broadway musicals of the 1960s, given the caliber of the hits, the numbers yielded and even the better songs surviving from the decade’s lesser entries. For the survey of the 1960s (May 23, 2016), creator/writer/director/host Scott Siegel of the Broadway by the Year series presented by The Town Hall, set the era’s background with its ups and downs, including on the down side the tragic assassinations and the Vietnam War, and on the brighter side, man walking on the moon and, best of all as Siegel quipped, the Mets winning a World Series.

The shows included “Fiddler on the Roof,”“Hello, Dolly!,” “Oliver!,” “Mame,” “Funny Girl,” “Cabaret” and “Hair,” among others of various strengths. And leave it to Siegel to come up with just the right contingent of singers to do justice to the emblematic numbers. A recent trend observed in the series has been concentrating less on quantity of vocalists in favor of starring a smaller group of individuals who can each do more songs.

One could be grateful for that in this instance, as the cast was so terrific one was eager to hear every performer return. One star turn after another dazzled.

For the opener Christina Bianco started things off as herself for a change, leaving her vaunted gift for impressions for later in the program. She gave a rousing interpretation of “Before the Parade Passes By” from “Hello, Dolly!” Bianco returned to perform “As Long as He Needs Me” from “Oliver!” and give an explosive rendition of “I’m the Greatest Star” from “Funny Girl.” True to form, she set the house ablaze when she performed the title song of “Cabaret” in an outpouring of interpretive impressions of how various singers would sound, such as Streisand, Peters, Chenoweth et al.

Another stalwart of the night was lovely-voiced Christiane Noll, who delighted with the tender “One Boy” from “By Bye Birdie,” a passionately reflective “If He Walked Into My Life” from “Mame,” the anguished “Where Am I Going?” from “Sweet Charity” and the well-sung but less interesting “Fireworks” from “Do Re Mi.”

Thrills also came from the impressive Jeannette Bayardelle who sang the title song of “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever.” If one is going to do “Aquarius” from “Hair,” the choice had better be right, and Bayardelle came through with the requisite power and excitement, demonstrating what a charismatic performer she is.

One of the best songs from “On a Clear Day…” is the clever “What Did I Have That I Don’t Have?” and Kerry O’Malley gave the number entertaining freshness with her interpretation, spiced with bewilderment and the expressions to underscore the character’s romantic plight. O’Malley’s “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from “Funny Girl” was outstandingly strong, as if the role might have originally belonged to her. She also effectively sang “I Don’t Want to Know” from “Dear World.”

Broadway by the Year regulars are familiar with the exquisite high-register voice of Scott Coulter, who was at it again with a memorable rendition of “I’ve Got to Be Me” from “Golden Rainbow,” a heartfelt, new-sounding “Make Someone Happy” from “Do Re Mi,” and a memorable “Anyone Can Whistle” from that legendary show that had a brief run but is a lingering favorite of many, including me. He also led the company in the closer, “Let the Sun Shine In” from “Hair.”

A revelation for me, and probably for many in the audience, was the performance by Cooper Grodin, who showed a fascinating range. He could impress with a delicate number like “Once Upon a Time” from “All American,” then wow the crowd with a dynamic turn singing the demanding and intense “The Rain Song” from “110 in the Shade.” Then he scored mightily with the best song from “1776,” an impassioned indictment of Northern involvement in the slave trade expressed in the powerful “Molasses to Rum.”

I wish there had been more from “Fiddler on the Roof,” but a lovely group offering of “Sunrise, Sunset” just before intermission effectively hit the mark.

The above success would not have been fully possible without the superb work by musical director Ross Patterson, who has been with the series through the 16 years of Broadway by the Year presentations. It is always a pleasure to enjoy him at the piano, leading his “Little Big Band.” Also credit the accomplished Tom Hubbard on bass and Eric Halvorson on drums. The show’s assistant director was Rick Hinkson. Production assistants were Joe Burke and Holly Cruz. At The Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street. Phone: 212-840-2824. Reviewed May 24, 2016.

  

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