Stars belt out Broadway’s best-loved tunes
Think about meeting a dear friend after being apart for many years — the joy of the familiar and the delight of unexpected changes. On Saturday night, the Butler County Symphony Orchestra’s Bravo Broadway concert at Butler Intermediate High School provided those delights and more.
Spotlighting songs we love to hear (and probably know all the lyrics to) spanning decades of musical theater blockbusters, Conductor Mathew Kraemer and the orchestra high-kicked the evening off with a spirited arrangement of “That’s Entertainment” then segued into “Another Opening, Another Show” from “Kiss Me Kate.” The second tune introduced the audience to the undeniable stars of the evening, Broadway headliners, Scarlett Strallen and Hugh Panaro.
Alternating in solos and combining in complex, fugue-like duets, the pair charmed its way throughout an amazing diversity of eras and musical styles. Panaro launched into a sultry rendition of “Old Devil Moon” from “Finnian’s Rainbow.” Immediately following, Strallen soloed “The Trolley Song” from “Meet Me in St. Louis.”
The orchestra strutted its stuff in a rousing rendition of Meredith Willson’s “76 Trombones” that included whimsical nods to John Phillips Sousa marches.
Panaro returned center stage to warn listeners that “You’ve Got Trouble (in River City),” Willlson’s mind-boggling, pounding rhythmic, patter song, also from the “Music Man.” Strallen countered with “Feed the Birds” from “Mary Poppins,” sung as gently and tenderly as a lullaby.
The enduring ballad “Over the Rainbow” allowed Panaro to utilize his extensive vocal range as well as his wonderful interpretive skills, flowing from wistful whispers to powerful crescendos.
Next came a duet version of “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from “Hairspray,” in which Strallen and Panaro had the joint jumpin’ and jivin’ to pure rock ‘n’ roll.
Panaro’s singing of “Willkommen” from “Caberet” was challenging both vocally and linguistically as it bounced from German to French to English in rapid-fire succession. He handled the entire work with lighthearted skill.
An instrumental overture was followed by the sexy theme song “All That Jazz” joined Strallen and Panaro in a duet that threatened to set the stage on fire.
Panaro, who played Jean Valjean on Broadway sang “Bring Him Home” with intense reverence. The heartfelt supplication echoed even after the final sustained note.
The popular Disney tune “Let It Go” from “Frozen” is fast becoming a holiday staple, and Strallen’s version sparkled like ice crystals.
The next two works were in the Halloween theme, starting with “Suddenly Seymour” from “Little Shop of Horrors,” sung as a duet. It was followed by the less-obviously spooky “This is the Moment” from “Jekyll and Hyde.” Panaro imbued the song with inspiration and aspiration despite the invevitable doom of those hopes.
Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story Overture”gave Kraemer and the Butler Symphony Orchestra another chance to exhibit their versatility as they danced into the evening.
Ending the concert on an exquisite high note, the duo sang the title song from “Phantom of the Opera” with Strallen on stage and and Panaro entering from the back of the auditorium as he walked down the aisle making antiphonal urgings for her to achieve increasingly higher pitches. The result was electrifying.
Once again, Panaro took center stage to enrapture listeners with the almost hypnotic “Music of the Night,” also from Phantom. He displayed immaculate control of range and interpretation, going from mesmerizing quiet passages to thunderous crescendos.
To top off the evening, the pair brought everyone back down to earth with unprogrammed encores from “Mama Mia.” They rocked the hall with the title tune and brought the audience to its feet in one more of numerous standing ovations to celebrate the “Dancing Queen.” Even the musicians admitted that they had fun performing in this all-star production.
