Review: Broadway Kids Take the Stage at Chelsea Table + Stage

Waiting for a show to begin that would consist of songs exclusively sung by those under the age of 18, I smiled in recognizing that the last melody heard in the piped-in background music before things began was “Old Folks at Home.”  The very young folks raising their voices in song, however, seemed pretty much “at home” on a stage, delivering their material with gusto and/or grace.  

Success, in the entertainment world and elsewhere, doesn’t usually happen by magic or pure luck.  “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success,” said  Alexander Graham Bell. 

"I will prepare and some day my chance will come" believed Abraham Lincoln.  It’s also been noted that the only place that success comes before work is in the pages of the dictionary.  Guidance, the teaching of needed skills, and coaching are the mission of Broadway Kids Auditions (BKA) in developing and polishing the talents of performers between the ages of 8 and 18 who seek professional work.  The organization offers classes and individual coaching sessions— in person and virtually.  Periodically, some of the youngsters sing in a showcase before their (paying admission/paying attention) audience.  I caught their May 5 showcase at Chelsea Table + Stage hosted by cheerful co-director Kurt Domoney, who noted where each performer hailed from, with some indications of credits and if the boy or girl taking the stage was new to BKA or was a returnee.  There were 15 in all, each getting a solo number (and chiming in on a full-group finale), all accompanied effectively and with care by pianist Jeff Ostermueller.   

Naturally, some seemed greener and others more golden-voiced.  Eagerness might have led some belting to become shrill and “pushed,” especially when going for a big ending. Not everyone offered a song-related spoken introduction, but a couple were memorable.  (Mae O’Connell, who must be a very early grade in school, mentioned that the original romantic relationship context of her number wasn’t age-appropriate – “I’m a little young for that” — but charmed with the peppy oldie “Button Up Your Overcoat.” )  Many selections were pieces for characters asserting themselves and showing determination.  The set was arguably kind of overloaded with those, but Olivia O’Sullivan owned the swagger in “Nobody Steps on Kafritz” from the musical Henry, Sweet Henry.   

“I Want to Go Home,” written for the boy in the musical Big, was a big success for Elliot Torbenson, who showed both vulnerability and humor in his characterization.  Gratifyingly, the repertoire was not filled with the most obvious/overdone/famous musical theatre material for child and teen characters from shows such as Annie, Oliver!, Grease, Hairspray, The Sound of Music, and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown or drowning in Disney.  And, more importantly, there was little that felt overly “cute” and coy or aged-up to be awkwardly blatantly adult.  Wisely, they are given material suitable for roles they’d likely play or audition for — and can reasonably relate to.  A good example of lesser-known but ideal material worth digging for is “In the Cards” (about collecting baseball cards, written by Alan Menken and David Zippel) from the baseball-centric off-Broadway revue of 40 years ago, Diamonds.  Henry Kirk hit a musical “home run” with it in a rewardingly understated and thoughtful rendition.  He’s one of two youngsters shown on  BKA’s website with photos of some of their clients and their stage, film, and TV credits.  The other one shown on the website’s “honor roll” who was present on stage was Omi Lichetenstein; she showed particular confidence and stage presence, too.     

The full-group finale for these kids who hope to be stars was “We’re All Made of Stars” from Finding Neverland about finding success through effort and confidence. You can bet they like the positive tone of the words: “You can be anything you wanna be./ You can go anywhere you wanna see./ A little hard work and you can do it./  Faith will get you through it./ So many possibilities/ You gotta believe.”  

Find more about BKA on their website at www.broadwaykidsauditions.com

Find more shows to see on Chelsea Table + Stage's website at www.chelseatableandstage.com

(Header photo credit: BKA)