Broadway Showstoppers - A Philly Favorite

With five highly successful past presentations this year's "Showstoppers" celebrated the centennial of one of Broadway's greatest composers, Jule Styne.

Philadelphia's beautiful Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall was the setting for an evening of amazing voices and wonderful orchestrations from some of Styne's most beloved shows such as Gypsy and Funny Girl. Other great composers namely Loesser, Gershwin, and Mencken are among the talents to have their music recreated by a star studded Broadway quartet. The program soloists featured Susan Egan (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Cabaret and Beauty and the Beast), Debbie Gravitte (Chicago, They're Playing Our Song, Perfectly Frank and Jerome Robbins' Broadway). William Michals ( Beauty and the Beast, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Les Miserables) and Sal Viviano (The Three Musketeers, City of Angels, Falsettos and the Full Monty).

After a rousing orchestral number, the Overture from Gypsy, the choral group known as the Voices of the Pops opened the show with "Lullaby of Broadway" joined by our featured stars. Debbie Gravitte wasted no time in stepping up to the plate with her version of "Don't Rain On My Parade" followed by as lesser known song from a film called 1945 starring Frank Sinatra as Sal Viviano singing " Saturday Night is the Loneliest Night". Susan Egan then captured the crowd with a titillating version of Kander and Ebbs' Cabaret, the title song from that hit show in which she starred. William Michals rich baritone voice is never better appreciated than when he is belting out Beauty and The Beast's "If I Can't Love Her" and Mitch Leigh's "Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha.

Debbie Gravitte gave it her all with a rowdy version of "Some People" from Styne's Gypsy, and Sal Viviano enlisted the chorus of the Pops for the ever popular "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat" from Loesser's always enjoyable Guys and Dolls. Yes there were duets, as Debbie Gravitte and Sal Viviano recreated a scene from Funny Girl with "You Are Woman/ I Am Man" and William Michals and Susan Egan woo-ed the audience with Gershwin's "Embraceable You".

This talented quartet as well as the Voices of the Pops teamed up for "Be Our Guest", Alan Mencken's showstopping number from Beauty and the Beast and Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm" as well as Styne's "Everything's Coming Up Roses". An encore from Sound of Music's "Climb Every Mountain" finished up an evening of outstanding entertainment.

Peter Nero, you've done it again...until next season.

Broadway Showstoppers played at the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia on May 3,5,6,7, 2006.

For more information about programs at the Kimmel Center visit: www.kimmelcenter.org and for Peter Nero and the Philly Pops visit: www.phillypops.org