BWW Reviews: Broadway by the Year: 1990-2010

Broadway Musicals of 1990-2010

If you had to choose just one song to represent an entire Broadway year, what would you pick?

It's a question that makes for a fun game for theater nerds, and it's also the inspiration for the 10th anniversary finale of the most recent Broadway by the Year season. On Monday night, a packed house at Town Hall listened eagerly to hear what BBTY's creator, producer and host had decided were the worthiest songs from 1990 to this year. For some very limited years, the choices were obvious ("As If We Never Said Goodbye" from Sunset Blvd.). For flush years, the decision process must have driven the Siegels crazy. (Miss Saigon, Will Rodgers Follies or The Secret Garden? One won the Tony for best musical, one became a cultural touchstone and one has been done by high schools and community theaters everywhere. How do you choose? And once you've chosen the show, how do you choose which song to sing?)

Scott Siegel's selections for Monday's concert were at times inspired and at times surprising. But, backed by the Ross Patterson Little Big Band, every musical moment worked nicely.

1990: "Love Changes Everything" from Aspects of Love: Max Von Essen, an amazingly svelte Alexander Gemignani and director Scott Coulter gave the rather banal Andrew Lloyd Webber song some much needed depth, and reminded us of why it became so popular.

1991: "Hold On" from The Secret Garden: Kerry O'Malley proved just how wonderful this Lucy Simon/Marsha Norman score can be when top-notch singers let pure emotion guide the performance.

1992: "Larger than Life" from My Favorite Year: This early Ahrens & Flaherty gem needs to be revived, and soon, and with Bobby Steggert in the lead. He sang the number with a lovely balance of innocence and wisdom, making it beautifully poignant.

1993: "She's a Woman" from Kiss of the Spider Woman: Michael Winther sang this Kander & Ebb number beautifully, and nicely conveyed the longing behind the lyrics. The pause he put before the line "And I wish that she were me" spoke volumes.

1994: "As if We Never Said Goodbye" from Sunset Blvd: Karen Mason played Norma Desmond numerous time as a standby for the original Broadway production, and her interpretation of the song here begged a question: Should Norma, an over-the-top, grande-dame diva perform her big solo as in an over-the-top, grande-dame diva manner, or should she be more introspective and nostalgic for the moment? Whatever your preference, Mason sang the song beautifully, and her over-the-top, grande-dame diva interpretation certainly fit the character.

1995: "Swinging on a Star" from Swinging on a Star: 1995 was apparently a rather weak year for Broadway openings if this Johnny Burke number was the best the Siegels could find to represent it. Debbie Gravitte and Gregg Edelman, two wonderful singers and performers, seemed under-rehearsed for the song, but went at it with gusto and made it fun and funny.

1996: "Green, Chaney, Buster, Slyde" from Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk: Yeah, you thought 1996 would be Rent, too, didn't you? But in a shock to us all, Siegel chose to honor Savion Glover's homage to the art of tap dance, and brought out KendRick Jones, BBTY's resident hoofer, to rip up the stage with his fancy footwork. The torch has officially been passed, ladies and gentlemen, and it's burning brighter than ever.

1997: "Someone Like You" from Jekyll & Hyde: Look, I know this show has its fans, though I don't presume to know why, but seriously? This was the representative of all of 1997? Thank God Douglas Ladnier sang the song so beautifully, because without a great voice to make it work by pure force of will, the song is painfully weak.

1998: "Make Them Hear You" from Ragtime: Why did Norm Lewis never play Coalhouse Walker, Jr. on Broadway? His rendition of Coalhouse's anthem was heart-stopping in its power and heartbreaking in its emotion. Just gorgeous.

1999: "Tell My Father" from The Civil War: Once again-really? Another Wildhorn number over Jason Robert Brown's Parade or Michael John LaChiusa's Marie Christine?  Fortunately, Scott Coulter gave the song plenty of emotion and sang beautifully, so the moment worked, but can't you imagine Coulter singing "It's Hard to Speak My Heart?" Yeah, so can I. I look forward to it someday.

2000: "How Many Women in the World" from The Wild Party: Due to an eye injury (ouch!!), Marc Kudisch sang this intense LaChiusa number in sunglasses and in half-light. It didn't just work; it made the scene even more terrifying and intense. His slow-boil rendition of the song was chill-inducing, and

Bonus: Since we couldn't end the decade (and act) on such an intense song as "How Many Women," Karen Mason, Julia Murney, Barbara Walsh and Lari White sang a bright and vibrant "Woman" from Smokey Joe's Café to bring everyone back up for intermission.

2001: "The Winner Takes it All" from Mamma Mia!: Lari White can make even the blandest material seem fiery and exciting, and while this ABBA number is hardly one of the best songs ever written, she gave it plenty of emotion and sang it wonderfully.

2002: "I Cannot Hear the City" from Sweet Smell of Success: If this song is any indication, Gregg Edelman needs to tour the best cabaret rooms in the city and just croon.

2003: "Defying Gravity" from Wicked: Debbie Gravitte was reportedly the first person to sing "Defying Gravity" in public, so it was wonderful to hear her rendition of the song. Her gestures were a bit distracting, but wow, that voice. Just...wow.

2004: "Unworthy of Your Love" from Assassins: Gemignani repeated his role from this Sondheim masterpiece with Ann Harada playing Squeaky to his Hinkley. Their earnest and emotional rendition of the song managed to be simultaneously beautiful and heartfelt and truly chilling. (Hard to pull off, that.)

2005: "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" from Jersey Boys: Max Von Essen can croon with the best of them, and made this chestnut sound lively and energetic again.

2006: "Another Winter in a Summer Town" from Grey Gardens: Barbara Walsh rivaled Christine Ebersole's interpretation of this poignant song, emphasizing Little Edie's isolation and loneliness as she looked around the stage. Beautiful.

2007: "I Miss the Music" from Curtains: Gemignani returned again to perform the evening's one and only unplugged number, this lovely lament from John Kander that, Siegel pointed out, is clearly a eulogy for Fred Ebb.

2008: "Electricity" from Billy Elliott: To steal from The Drowsy Chaperone, "Oh, Elton John, must we continue this charade?" The number is pretty weak without the dancing to go with it, but Ann Harada can make any song sound passionate and beautiful, because she's just that wonderful. Will someone write her a star vehicle, please?

2009: "So Anyway" from Next to Normal: Oh, thank God they didn't go with "I Miss the Mountains." Not that the song isn't beautiful, of course, but it's been done to death, and there are so, so many great songs in the show...And yes, I'm excited to see Marin and Jason take over the leads in N2N, but after hearing what Julia Murney can do with this song, maybe she should headline the tour? She gave the number just the right amount of pathos, but never let the drama descend into melodrama.  

2010: "I've Got the World on a String" from Come Fly Away: Spencer Liff got to shine as a choreographer and a dancer for this number, which began with singer Michael Winther mirroring him, and then letting the words mirror the dancing. It would have been a brilliant finale, but...

Bonus #2: ...Director Scott Coulter paid tribute to Scott and Barbara Siegel and their work over the past 10 years with a lovely rendition of "For Good" from Wicked. No, I wasn't getting choked up. There was just something wrong with my contact lens. Really.

Bonus #3: You thought we'd get out of this without a song from Rent, didn't you? But the evening ended with the full company gathering to sing "Seasons of Love," and reminding us of the 5,256,000 minutes (more or less) it had been since Broadway by the Year had started. Here's looking forward to another 10 years, and to more concerts like this one. (Maybe a new tradition, like Broadway Unplugged or the Nightlife Awards? Hey, a girl can hope...)

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