Barnes & Noble on East 86th St. hosted
two Broadway-themed events in the past two weeks that were fun and informative.
The cast of Pippin were there on July 9th to sign
copies of their cast recording. They opened with a video of the first song on
the CD, Magic To Do. It was a unique way to begin and got everyone in the mood.
Then Rachel Bay Jones (Catherine) took the stage and sang
Kind of Woman. I swear, she reminds
me so much of Jane Krakowski, with her killer voice, blonde hair and big
smile. She’s got a great future ahead of her.
Matthew James Thomas (Pippin) joined Jones for a duet of
Love Song, which was so sweet; their voices melded together beautifully.
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| Patina Miller |
The last performance was from Tony winner for Pippin, the
amazing Patina Miller (Leading Player), singing Simple Joys. I’ve seen her in
Sister Act and at Lincoln Center for a one-night concert performance of
Ragtime, and she is one of the most talented people on Broadway today.
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| Terrence Mann |
The cast, including Tony winner Andrea Martin (Berthe), whom
I have loved since her days as Edith Prickly on SCTV, and who has the most
incredible scene singing a song while on a trapeze- upside down, Terrence Mann
(King Charles), Charlotte d’ Ambroise (Fastrada) and composer/creator Stephen
Schwartz all signed CDs following the performance.
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| Pippin cast |
If you haven’t seen Pippin yet, make sure to put it on your
to-do list. It is spectacular!
The second CD performance and signing was Carolee Carmello
singing songs from Scandalous, which closed on Broadway after a brief run last winter. Book and lyric writer Kathie Lee
Gifford and music writer David Friedman were also there, and they talked about
the inspiration for the show, and how it came to be.
Normally you just get a few songs and a signing, but this
was so much more interesting. Gifford has been trying for thirteen years to
bring the remarkable story of Amy Semple McPherson, a superstar evangelist from
the 1920s, who was as famous as Madonna in her day.
We heard about the various iterations of the show in DC and
Seattle, and the tough decisions they had to make on what to cut (Gifford said that
there were 15 more songs that didn’t make it in the show, including a gospel
song that was her favorite).
It was an eye-opening look at how difficult it is to get a
show to Broadway, and the heartbreak at seeing it close. I saw the show and
liked it, though I could see how difficult it was to tell such a rich story in
such a short time.
The Tony-nominated Carmello brought down the house (and
brought Gifford to tears) as she belted out three songs from the show, Stand
Up, Why Can’t I? and How Could You? (Gifford likes songs that ask a question.
See also- Lost or Found? and What Does It Profit?)
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| Carolee Carmello, Kathie Lee Gifford, David Friedman |
I literally had goosebumps listening to her sing and
recorded two of the songs, which you can see below. Carmello is such a talent,
I hope to see her back on Broadway soon.
