Broadway Unplugged V:The Night of Powerful Voices Returns!

Ron Bohmer sang a fine “Easy to Love” from Anything Goes, but proved his flair for comedy with a smart and sharp “Trouble” from The Music Man. (Another revival, anyone?) Christiane Noll ended the first act with what may well be the most emotional performance of “The Story Goes On” ever sung: Ms. Noll is nine months pregnant, and moved herself and many in the audience to tears as she sang to her unborn child. (Her pregnancy served as a terrific punchline late in the second act when Mark Kudisch sang a hilarious “Bless Yore Beautiful Hide” from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and found himself facing a shotgun from Mr. Siegel when he serenaded Ms. Noll.)

Like Mr. Kudisch, several others in the concert performed only once in the show. Aaron Lazar’s “Stranger in Paradise” was a fine if somewhat subdued opener to the evening, and Lorinda Lisitza’s “Pirate Jenny” was powerful and genuinely chilling. (Ms. Lisitza has proven herself one of the best interpreters of Weill in New York—no easy feat, that.) And bringing Broadway by the Year’s new tradition of incorporating dance numbers into the concerts, Jeremy Benton, Benjie Randall, Anna White and Erin Denman sang and tapped a fiercely joyous “Love is Sweeping the Country” from Of Thee I Sing.

This fifth edition of Broadway by the Year may well have been the strongest yet, with a strong variety of singers, styles and songs to let them demonstrate their skills. It’s going to be a long year waiting for the sixth edition, but at least the next Broadway by the Year season will begin again in March.