BWW Reviews: The Music Box Theater's MORE BROADWAY AT THE BOX - A Comical Revue of Broadway Favorites

The Music Box Theater is proudly closing its third year with their latest musical revue MORE BROADWAY AT THE BOX. Over the past three years, Masquerade Theatre alumni Rebekah Dahl, Brad Scarborough, Kristina Sullivan, Cay Taylor, and Luke Wrobel have been masterfully entertaining Houston audiences with their inventive cabaret revues, earning the gifted artists a loyal fan following and copious amounts of cheers and applause. MORE BROADWAY AT THE BOX is my first time to see one of their revues, and I can honestly report that it was truly everything that it was hyped up to be.

The talented quintet has crafted a humorous story around a bevy of Broadway favorites for MORE BROADWAY AT THE BOX. The cast invites us to watch as washed up diva, Elizabeth "Betty" Bittermore recounts her life story. We experience her childhood as a young girl in Detroit, her young adulthood as a chorus girl turned ingénue on Broadway, her fall from grace, and the rebirth of her career. Along the way, the entire cast delights the audience with rousing renditions from both the modern and classic Broadway songbooks and leave us rolling in the aisles with deftly delivered comedic bits.

Starring as Betty Bittermore across three different stages in her life, Rebekah Dahl, Kristina Sullivan, and Cay Taylor craft a character that is likeable and relatable. Each of the three women sings with clarity and pizzazz as well. Rebekah Dahl owns the evening with numbers like "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" from EVITA, "What a Feeling" from FLASHDANCE: THE MUSICAL, and "I'm Still Here" from FOLLIES. Kristina Sullivan powerfully performs numbers like "Belle" from Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three" from A CHORUS LINE, and a gorgeously, stirring rendition of "My Man" from FUNNY GIRL. Cay Taylor does fantastic work with "Broadway Baby" from FOLLIES and "Nothing" from A CHORUS LINE. As a trio, they blow the roof off of the theater with a stunning medley from WICKED and "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from SUNSET BOULEVARD.

Brad Scarborough as Betty's crush is delightfully youthful and charming. He sings such numbers as "Something's Coming" and "Maria" from WEST SIDE STORY and "Heaven On Their Minds" from JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR with appealing charisma. Luke Wrobel tackles numbers like "Luck Be A Lady" from GUYS AND DOLLS with precision; however, he stops the show with a wholly enchanting and impressive performance of "Ol' Man River" from SHOWBOAT.

Providing lively accompaniment for the cast were Glenn Sharp as music director and on keyboards, Donald Payne on percussion, Mark McCain on lead guitar, and Steve Martin on bass guitar.

MORE BROADWAY AT THE BOX, with its fun, frivolous story, is a fantastic evening of familiar songs sung with undeniable skill. It is the perfect show for those looking for stellar vocal performances, whether they are a fan of musical theatre or not.

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission.

MORE BROADWAY AT THE BOX runs at The Music Box Theater, 2623 Colquitt Street, Houston, 77098 now through March 29, 2014. Performances are Friday and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and select Sundays at 2:00 p.m. For more information and tickets, please visit http://www.themusicboxtheater.com or call (713) 522-7722.

Photos courtesy of The Music Box Theate

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