Changed for Good: An Evening with Stephen Schwartz

"Changed for Good: An Intimate Evening with Stephen Schwartz"
By Scott H. Mauro

If you closed your eyes last night,you would have thought you were back in New York even though you knew you had just valeted your car in West Hollywood.   Yes, Broadway came to Hollywood to a new, beautiful new supper club called Eleven for "Changed for Good: An Intimate Evening with Stephen Schwartz."  It could have been an evening at Don't Tell Mama's or 88's, as more than 2 dozen cabaret artist came to salute Stephen Schwartz before a packed house of New York transplants and theatre lovers. It was a trip down memory lane as Steven's wonderful songbook from Broadway -Godspell, Pippin, The Baker's Wife, Children of Eden, The Magic Show and Wicked as well as his Hollywood triumphs with Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame and Pocahontas--could be heard well above the traffic on Santa Monica Blvd.  

Jai Rodriguez of Zanna Don't! and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" did an adoreable, fun loving take on "Popular" from Wicked.  Chad Doreck, the talented runner-up from NBC'S "You're the Want That I Want" talent search for Grease was superb with Pippin's "Corner of the Sky." There were many Chad groupies in the house, it should be noted!   "Morning Glow," also from Pippin, was sung by William Katt who played the lead in Showtime's version of the classic Bob Fosse show. Proving that comedy always sells, Bruce Vilanch did his best Sophie Tucker to put across "No Time At All," a showstopper from Pippin.  But it wasn't all about Pippin by any means.  Newcomer Shelly Goldstein, having just flown in from London , had a comedic lapse, mixing up her Steven's by singing the opening bars of "Send in the Clowns"--mugging just long enough for the belly laugh from Schwartz and the audience--before leading us all in "Day by Day" from Godspell.

Deborah Gibson brought the house to a stand-still with an amazingly simple and powerful rendition of "I'm Not That Girl" from Wicked.  Taking the night off from Altar Boyz, Danny Calvert, held forth with a thrilling "Lost in the Wilderness" from Children of Eden.   The biggest find of the night was Kevin Earley from Can-Can playing at the Pasadena Playhouse who gave a masterful turn with "Out There" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame that I will never forget.  Someone please bring him back to Broadway quick!  But leave it to the witches of Wicked who were off on Monday night to steal the show. Eden Espinoza sans her usuAl Green face brought the crowd to their feet with "Meadowlark" from The Baker's Wife.  She was then joined on stage by L.A.'s Glinda, Megan Hilty to close the evening with "For Good," getting some unexpected laughs when Eden forgot to come in at the right lyric so Megan bravely carried on--but Eden/Elphaba took it back to the bridge and all was again right in Schwartz' land of OZ.  Now that's the joy of live performance in L.A. or anywhere!   But it was a gracious and obviously very moved Steven Schwartz at the piano who used the final spot to  thank us all for the wonderful evening as he crooned one of this favorite songs from The Baker's Wife. 

Photo of Stephen Schwartz by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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