By Eric Louie (Senior Associate Producer, NYMF)
It’s been an amazing thing to watch the growth of Broadway Idol (yes folks, don’t be fooled by the name change due to copyright infringement fears!) over the past three years. Though it began as a kitschy idea concocted after a few gin and tonics with my good friend Lily Hung (now
NYMF’s Development Director) our little contest has actually grown into an exciting showcase for uber-talented and undiscovered musical theater performers. (Did you hear last year’s winner,
George Psomas, made his Broadway debut this year in SOUTH PACIFIC?)
We’ve always kept the competition simple. Only one rule: no Broadway credits. We’ve basically followed (or freely borrowed, one may say) the format of a highly rated television singing competition but threw in a little more flavor. And by flavor, I mean a little something I like to call “the ability to act.”
While I must admit it’s exciting to watch someone sing/belt/trill the
bejesus out of a song, it’s much more thrilling to have them actually take you on a journey. A musical journey you may say…
Last year, we made a very conscious effort to rein the contest in and define it for ourselves. With the help of our musical director Christopher D. Littlefield and our directors over the past two years (NYMF Programming Director
Jess McLeod and
David F. Chapman), we’ve actively sought to find musical storytellers and performers who can bring a character to life with subtlety and vitality.
Maybe we’re bringing it back a little old school and going back to an era when audiences expected more than just vocal pyrotechnics? Who knows… But, I invite you to take a look at a new generation of musical theater talent bubbling to the surface. You’ve only got one more chance to see our final three amazing and incredibly gifted contestants (
Shawna M. Hamic, Mike Harrison, and Omar Lopez-Cepero) strut their stuff THIS Friday night, October 3rd at 11pm at The Zipper Factory Theater (336 West 37th Street). They are “the real deal.”
For more information, check out:
http://www.nymf.org and our video coverage at:
http://www.theatermania.com/broadway-sensation
