“New Faces Sing Broadway 1960”

**** Most of you are unaware of a broadway series that existed called “New Faces”. Leonard Sillman created seven of these “variety” shows featuring unknowns, many of whom later became stars on Broadway, Film and later TV. They were produced from 1934 ( then 1936, 1943, 1956,1962 and 1968) and were more skits and music but of importance were the performers that were featured. Names like Ronny Graham, Robert Clary, Eartha Kitt, and Alice Ghostly , just to name some of the ’52 performers. People like Carol Lawrence and Paul Lynde also came from this amazing talent pool.

While there is nothing like this in New York anymore, Chicago does have a “New Faces” program, that is now celebrating 10 years of bringing young performers to a stage. Porchlight Music Theatre, under the leadership of Michael Weber, continues to find young vibrant talent and each year brings them to a local stage where we get to bear witness to these young performers. Weber, who is a fountain of information when it comes to Broadway and theater is proud of the many alumni of this program that have gone on to bigger and better things. While I , for one, feel that Chicago is THE place for Theater, the world still thinks it is New York, so “let it go”, and enjoy what Porchlight brings to its stage.

This year’s “New Faces” was held at the Rhapsody Theater , located at 1328 West Morse in Chicago. This was the old movie theater that has become a spot for magic and cabaret, so the perfect setting for this type of show, although with the small stage, when we did the audience sing-a-longs we could not see all the words. I for one, who knew all the words, had no problem, but others were struggling to join the performers in song.

Hosted by Johanna McKenzie Miller, who many of us know from her years on area stages and as a director and now as the Artistic Director of The Metropolis Theater in Arlington Heights, who also gave us some of her singing voice, the show talks about the Broadway scene of 1960 and the songs that are sung by the ten singers are from those shows, some hits, others , not! I would imagine Director Frankie Leo Bennett ( a previous “New Face”) and Weber selected the songs and knowing how Weber prepares for everything, it is his research that puts it all together.

The ten singers are Lisa Buhelos, Kaitlin Feely, Mary Laura Godby, Nicholas ( Nickie) Ian, Nathan Kabara, Jackson Mikkelsen, Z Moore, Elonie Quick, Nicholas Roman & Janelle Sanabria. We have seen one of these performers, Kaitlin Feely, in some plays and “4 Chairs” concerts. The others were for the most part surprises. A lot of the music performed were not well known songs, and based on the ages of those performing, way before their time. This was the 1960’s ( I graduated High School in 1960, so I knew them all) but they carried them off with style and class. I do have to say that Sanabria’s “The Man In My Life” was wonderful and I truly enjoyed Feely’s “How Lovely To Be A Woman” mixed with “I Enjoy Being A Girl”.

Nathan Kabara’s vocal range was mind-boggling and when Ian and Moore did “Getting A Man”, I truly think they worked their voices well together. Sharing a song in a duet is not as easy as many think. It is very important that one voice not overshadow the other, so each singer has to have total control on their part. They got it right! All ten of thes eperformers brought their talent to the table and the evening was a success. Keep your eye out for the 11th edition of “New Faces Sing Broadway ????”, the 11th edition,

We will let you know when and where. for more info on Porchlight, visit www.PorchlightMusicTheatre.org