***** “Beloved Broadway with Nathan Gunn & Friends” was a lively repertoire of Broadway music that featured dynamic performances from six fabulous vocalists in concert, backed by conductor Aaron Kaplan and the 35-piece JAM Orchestra. Conceived by Kaplan together with the famed operatic singer Nathan Gunn and his wife Julie Jordan Gunn, the show was a love letter to seven famed musicals: “Carousel”, “The Secret Garden”, “Kiss Me, Kate”, “Street Scene”, “Candide”, “West Side Story”, and “A Little Night Music.” The show featured Gunn, a baritone exemplaire, who has a pureness in tone and a resonance that comes about only once in a generation. After the orchestra opened the show with a breezy rendition of “The Carousel Waltz”, Gunn intoned with gusto in the “Bench Scene” from “Carousel”, followed by such songs as “Lily’s Eyes” from “The Secret Garden” and “Wouldn’t You Like to Be on Broadway?” from “Street Scene.” Also taking the stage were the headliner’s “friends”, consisting of Lara Brooks, Lisa Buhelos, Maya Cornejo, Ryan Bryce Johnson, and Eldon Warner-Soriano: all of whom are extraordinarily proficient operatic soloists in their own right. The combination of gorgeous voices plus an extremely well-oiled orchestra made this one of the best shows I’d seen all year!
Johnson’s tenor is extraordinary! He carries the day in melodies such as “Now” from “A Little Night Music” and as Tony in “West Side Story” as he sings “Maria”. Buhelos, a soprano with a fine range, plays a marvelous counterpart to him as they perform together in the “Balcony Scene (Tonight)” from “West Side Story”, with Conejo playing the role of Maria’s mother as they sang together in “A Boy Like That/I Have a Love.” Sondheim’s cheeky lyrics and his sad but touching humor were on display in “A Little Night Music” as Buhelos and Cornejo sang together again in “Every Day a Little Death.” Brooks does a superior rendition of the bittersweet “Send in the Clowns” (to bass clarinet accompaniment), a contrast to her somber “What Good Would the Moon Be?” from “Street Scene.” Her alto voice and versatility could also be seen when paired with baritone Warner-Soriano in singing “Wunderbar” from “Kiss Me Kate.” He also displayed versatility when singing “When the Children Are Asleep” from “Carousel.” And what would a performance with without Leonard Bernstein’s “Glitter and Be Gay” from “Candide”—featuring Buhelos in solo? All the thumping and bouncing plus the way she hit the high note made even the conductor applaud. I loved the way the audience yelled, “Bravo!” well before the end of the evening. What a showstopping number!
Broadway shows typically do not typically start with a greeting, and a performance usually plunges right into the overture or the instrumental—as this one did. But I felt that this program needed some form of introduction at the onset. It was only in the second act, after the orchestra played “The Overture to Candide”, that Kaplan started telling us a bit about the program and made it a point to credit Mike Patrick and Concert Sound Systems as well as Lark Creative Media. Then he brought Julie Gunn up to the stage. In my opinion, she should have opened the evening, because we learned from her that the show was not only meant to be a tribute to Broadway but was designed to appeal to college students—so that they might become involved in musical theatre, opera, and the performing arts. As it turns out, all of the cocreators were University of Illinois alumni, and the show was meant to be something of a reunion, a recognition of the importance of teaching young people, and a thank you to the University, with the focus on the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana, Illinois.
Speaking of performing arts centers, the Nichols Concert Hall is especially lovely with its arched ceilings and its mix of Ionic and Federalist style architecture. That being said, the venue had several limitations for this particular production. For instance, it would have been preferable had the orchestra been located in a pit below the floor. The way things were arranged, the singers would come to the very front of a relatively small stage—with the orchestra and its conductor immediately behind them. While Kaplan was extremely alert and closely observed the vicissitudes of the vocal soloists using his peripheral vision, this was not sufficient to synchronize the entire performance. Despite the fact that everybody was well rehearsed and well acquainted with the nuances of the music, there was only so much that he could do when his back was largely turned to the soloists.
Another issue was that of audio distortion. When more than two singers emoted into the microphones at the same time, the input level became too high, and the sound system became somewhat overloaded. Things started to sound fuzzy. This was especially the case during the two tutti numbers: during the cleverly-written song “Ice Cream Sextet” (which closed out the first act) and “Make Our Garden Grow” (which ended the show). Although Johnson started out both numbers with great aplomb, the additional voices created a full sound that oscillated throughout the room uncomfortably. It seemed as if not all the singers were fully on pitch, in sharp contrast to the perfectly tuned orchestra. Plus, the four microphones on stands might have registered sound differently as compared to the two hand-held mics when the six performers were singing together.
Despite these flaws, the program was enchanting and highly entertaining. The concept was wonderful, and the individual voices and orchestra were superb! The seamless transitions from one vocalist to the next and from one song to the next made the show a joy to watch, and a 2-1/2-hour performance went by in a flash. What a great tribute to Broadway musicals and to all of the artists whose genius created the music, lyrics, and stories we all know and love! It was an incredible experience to see the singers channel their predecessors in such memorable musical roles. Their vibrance and enthusiasm were infectious! If only Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Weill, and the rest of the composers and lyricists listed on the program could have been there!
“Beloved Broadway with Nathan Gunn & Friends” took place on Saturday, January 11, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. at the Nichols Concert Hall (Music Institute of Chicago), 1490 Chicago Ave, Evanston, Illinois.
Tickets were $55-$75.
For more information about this special event, see: https://www.jamorchestra.org/.
For more information about the Nichols Concert Hall and the Music Institute of Chicago and for a list of their other events, visit: https://www.musicinst.org/nch.
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