Broadway Unplugged

Listening someone singing through a sound system is rather like eating "processed cheese food": it's like the real thing, but nowhere near as good. When the sound is electronically manipulated and perfected, it loses the natural purity that makes it exciting and thrilling. And this is why Barbara and Scott Siegel's Broadway by the Year and Broadway Unplugged are so important: they give audiences a chance to hear the best singers in the business perform some of the best songs ever written without the safety net of anything electronic. Last week's fourth annual Broadway Unplugged concert put 19 of Broadway's best and brightest to the test and dared them to display their unadulterated voices for an enthusiastic crowd at Town Hall, and for the fourth year in a row, the crowd sat still and listened.

Aaron Lazar opened the evening with a nicely casual "Something's Comin'" from West Side Story, the first of three selections from the now fifty-year-old musical. Frequent BBTY performer Mark Kudisch introduced Scott Siegel with everything except a "heeeeeeeeere's Scott!," and the host pointed out that Mr. Lazar had sung his number in its original key, further restoring the song to its original sound. Andrea McArdle, star of one of the last musicals to eschew body mikes (yes, Annie) sang a strong "Everybody Says Don't" from "Anyone Can Whistle," and Paul Schoeffler sang a rich "Were Thine That Special Face" from Kiss Me, Kate.

Bill Daugherty, who Jo Sullivam Loesser called her "dream Nicely-Nicely," sang an adorable and wildly energetic "Sit Down, You're Rocking The Boat," and after a somewhat rocky start, Michael Winther sang a powerful "Anthem" from Chess. Barbara Walsh struggled with the quieter moments of "Patterns," cut from Baby, but soared once the song let her belt. When the show is next revived, casting directors should keep Ms. Walsh in mind.

Keeping the theme of cut songs going, frequent BBTY performer and director (and current star of The Glorious Ones at Lincoln Center) Marc Kudisch sang a smart "Winning" from Kander & Ebb's Steel Pier, and was followed by Sarah Uriarte Berry singing a lovely and operatic "Somewhere" from West Side Story. After she left the stage, Mr. Siegel announced that Ms. Berry was suffering from a severe sinus infection-- luckily, it didn't seem to affect her singing voice at all. Maintaining the serious mood, Martin Vidnovic sang a poignant and powerful "This Nearly was Mine" from South Pacific. Sarah Jane McMahon and Max von Essen brought the first act to a close with the final West Side Story number of the evening, singing a surprisingly passionless "Tonight." Perhaps it was her operatic training that let Ms. McMahon's voice overpower that of Mr. von Essen, or perhaps it was the staging that had the singers facing away from each other while singing some of Sondheim's most romantic lyrics... but somehow, the moment failed to ignite the spark that the combination should have had.

Darius de Haas more than compensated with a refreshingly clear "Heaven on Their Minds" from Jesus Christ Superstar that focused more on Tim Rice's lyrics than on Andrew Lloyd Webber's pop music. (Ideal casting for the next inevitable revival?) Sarah Jane McMahon returned dressed all in red to sing "Magic Moment" from The Gay Life. Michael McElroy, who starred in the Roundabout revival of Big River a few years ago, sang a rich and powerful "Free at Last" from that show. Lorinda Lisitza, who starred in Happy End earlier this year, repeated her emotional performance of "Surabaya Johnny." For those who saw her hilarious rendition of Iconis & Maddock's "Yolanda at the Bottom of the Stairs" at this year's Nightlife Awards, the dramatic turn was especially impressive.

Willy Falk, the original Chris in Miss Saigon, sang a beautifully clear "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables, focusing on the lyrics as a prayer rather than the cruelly high notes. It worked: the song has never sounded lovelier. Beth Leavel, as is her wont, brought the room back up with a fierce and funny "Nobody Breaks my Heart" from Fine and Dandy, and William Michaels paid homage to the late Robert Goulet with a fine "If Ever I Would Leave You" from Camelot. Mr. Goulet himself sang the song unamplified at a 2005 Broadway by the Year, and Mr. Michael's sweet and soulful performance was the best kind of honor for the Tony winning star.

David Burnham and Max von Essen, dressed identically in blue shirts and black slacks, stood hip-to-hip as cross-gendered Hilton sisters to sing one of Side Show's hit power ballads, "Who Will Love Me as I Am?" One of Side Show's original stars, Emily Skinner, praised the performance and arrangement before launching into "More Than You Know" from Great Day, which she also sang to equally wonderful effect in BBTY 1929. Marc Kudisch returned to draw the evening to a close with the only song from a currently-running show-- his own solo from The Glorious Ones, "I Was Here," an anthem for every artist who has yearned to create something for the ages. It was a perfect sentiment to end the concert, and the theme of drama and comedy paired perfectly with the evening's choral finale, "With A Song in My Heart," creating a two-song ode to the art of musical theater.

Concerts and cabarets keep Broadway music alive for other generations to enjoy and share, but the Siegel concerts do a bit more. A photograph can capture a visual moment, a recording can capture a sound, but once the curtain has come down on a performance, it exists only in the memories of the people in the seats. By sharing anecdotes and facts about songs and shows, by presenting songs as they were originally sung, a Siegel concert gives us a taste of what can never really be preserved. At a Broadway by the Year or Broadway Unplugged concert, the art and artistry of the past is passed on to a new audience that might never have known it existed, and our history comes back to glorious, vivid life before our very eyes.

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