There was a time when belting meant something, when Broadway musicals featured authentic voices without head mics, without electronic sound enhancement.  There was a time when performers would “Project!”  The audience was not deafened with ear-popping amplification; it was the voice, pure and crystalline.  Those were the days, my friend, but go to almost any Broadway musical today and you’ll realize thatpresence of  high decibels are not a trend that’s likely to change.  Watch rising pop performers live or on TV and see how they get the biggest hand when they up the volume.

That’s why Broadway Unplugged, Scott Siegel’s gift to the pure voice, is a valuable prize in the various Siegel productions at The Town Hall.  Here are voices that are trained to project.  They can raise the roof of a sizable theater like the 1,500-seat Town Hall.  The recent Broadway Unplugged show proved it once again.  Karen Mason scored with “This Nearly Was Mine” from South Pacific, a nuanced dramatic rendition that built to an emotional denouement like a three-act play.  Marc Kudisch worked the stage with his theatrical rendition of “If I Were a Rich Man” from Fiddler on the Roof, rich with humor, pathos and universality.  Bill Daugherty, Ron Bohmer and Kudisch joined for Nicely Nicely, Benny, and Rusty Charlie’s catchy handicappers’ counterpoint classic, “Fugue for Tinhorns” (Guys and Dolls).

Nor was there any lack of intimacy and sentimentality. Director Jeffry Denman (pictured) brought Bohmer and Kudisch together for a heart-to-heart  about “Pretty Women” (Sweeney Todd). William Michals’operetta selection from The New Moon, “Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise” stirred the emotions as did Bill Daugherty bringing the male perspective to “Fifty Percent” (Ballroom). Quentin Earl Darrington's (Coalhouse Walker in the recent Broadway revival of Ragtime) “Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables was meticulously crafted and James Barbour brought his resonant baritone to “What Kind of Fool Am I?” (Stop the World, I Want to Get Off).  Julia Murney saluted the late young Shannon Tavarez (The Lion King) with “Tomorrow” (Annie), Euan Morton performed “Anthem” from Chess, and Max von Essen delivered “When Did I Fall in Love?” (Fiorello!).

Since there once was no floor amplification either, Jeffry and Erin Denman produced their own tap power in a perky terpsichorean “Down with Love” (Hooray for What!).  Stephanie J. Block ended Act I with “Memory” (Cats) and paired with Karen Mason for a sassy “All That Jazz” (Chicago).

As usual, creator/writer/host Scott Siegel added tasty theatrical lore, and Ross Patterson served as Musical Director.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
November 15, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org