Review: WORLD OF MUSICALS at Times Union Performing Arts Center

Broadway fans gathered at the Times Union on March 30th to see The World of Musicals. The show features Emily Huddleston, Fearghal Curtis, Hollie Jones, Matthew James Duff, Rebekah Shearer, Sandra Bendrik, Amber Sylvia Edwards, Ciaran Olohan, Haydn Cox, and Kevin C. Olohan. The cast is SUPREMELY talented and an absolute joy to watch.

The show opened with a cute Lion King medley. Immediately I could hear the whispers from audience members as they heard the first note from "The Circle of Life". This number was followed by "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?". Both were greatly entertaining to the audience who knew the songs very well from the Broadway show as well as the movie.

A Mama Mia medley was featured in the first act. The actors and actresses came bouncing out in their island attire singing the iconic songs, such as "Mama Mia", "Waterloo", "Take a Chance on Me", and "Gimme Gimme Gimme". It was such a great and fun set!

"Maria" and "Gee Officer Krupke!" were each performed from West Side Story. "Gee Officer Krupke" had audience members laughing with the hysterical physical comedy the performers put on, while "Maria" had audience members reminiscing over the iconic movie.

An Andrew Lloyd Webber medley was put together with "The Phantom of the Opera" from the show of the same name. The actors and actresses also performed a song from Jesus Christ Superstar. Audience members cheered and were overjoyed with the performances from the iconic shows.

Act 1 ended with a performance of "Oh Happy Day" and the actors entered into the audience to get them on their feet singing clapping along. It was a real treat to see everyone enjoying themselves with the actors and actresses.

Act 2 began with the recently popular Greatest Showman songs, such as "The Greatest Show", "Never Enough", "From Now On", and "This Is Me". They truly embodied the fearless characters of the movie. Their choreography and emotional talents were prominently displayed.

Then, the cast performed a Rodgers and Hammerstein medley from Oklahoma and South Pacific. First, everyone sang along to "Oh What a Beautiful Morning". Audience members were excited to hear the classic and sing along with the actor. Some the actresses came out and sang "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" from South Pacific. It was very cute, and all of the actresses had incredible voices. "Some Enchanted Evening" was also performed from South Pacific. They finished up the medley with "Oklahoma" from the musical of the same name. The audience was greatly entertained from the iconic performances.

In light of its success, the cast performed a Queen medley. The women came out and sang "Somebody to Love" decked out in their rock-n-roll attire. Then, all the cast members came out and sang the iconic "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Ironically, four days after Jersey Boys was in Jacksonville, the cast performed a medley from the show. Audience members were ecstatic to hear some favorites such as "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry", and "Walk Like a Man".

The cast finished up with a medley from Les Misérables. Many audience members sang along to "On My Own", "Bring Him Home", and "One Day More". It was absolutely phenomenal, and all were incredibly talented in their parts.

Other numbers to be mentioned include "Defying Gravity", which as an avid Wicked fan I sang along to word for word. "If I Were a Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof, another number many were singing along to. And lastly, "Memory" from Cats. The actress who performed in this number was astounding. The fire alarm went off in the middle of her performance and she did not miss a beat! I was very impressed by her performance.

If you have the chance to see this show, you 100% need to! It is greatly entertaining. It was living in two hours of all of your favorite musicals and songs put together!

To post a comment, you must register and login.