Left to right, Montel Butler, Rachel Baylor and Erich Engel
Photos by Stacey Park

Lexington Park, MD – The lights of Broadway will burn brightly Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. through June 4 as the Newtowne Players at Three Notch Theatre present A Night on Broadway, Sight, Song and Sound featuring 10 multi-talented area performers. The theatre is located on South Coral Drive in Lexington Park. Tickets are priced at $18 for adults; $15 for seniors, military, and students, and $13 for children ages 12 and under. To purchase tickets you may visit www.newtowneplayers.org or you may call 301-737-5447. (Note: There are no Thursday performances).

Written by Thom Esposito and Diane Trautmann and directed by Thom with choreography by Erich Engel, the evening promises favorite tunes from Great White Way musicals both vintage (Oklahoma, Carousel, 42nd Street) and contemporary (Finding Neverland, Beautiful, Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton) along with excerpts from hits in-between (Funny Girl, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miz, Fiddler On The Roof, and A Chorus Line, for example).

If you are fond of any Broadway tunes at all, it is practically guaranteed that at least one of them will be part of this show’s format. A complete list of songs follows.

The first-rate musical ensemble includes: Diane Trautman, pianist, Ed Delmoro, drums/percussion; Tommy Ray Chedester, bass; Pam Ansalvish, flute; Mike Cahall, violin; and Joe Scrittore, Guitar. The production crew includes Stage Manager Beth Sanford, Projections Designer Johnathan Berry, and Lighting Designer Tom McCarthy. Dawn Weber is NTP Artistic Director.

Singer-dancers are: Sarah Gravelle, Jonathan Berry, Randi Wright, Erich Engel, Nicole Rongione, Shawn Davidson, Michelle Ebert Freire, Mike Cahall and Montel. Most of the songs are presented in a recital-like style with the singers in black evening dress, interspersed with staged choreographed numbers; this suits most of the performers quite well, although some presentations are marred by awkward or exaggerated gestures. There are occasions when the combo overpowers the singers, but those instances are kept to a minimum and adjustments are quickly made (walking mikes are employed during this show). The only glaring omissions are the composers’ name from the projections behind the singers. Without these musical theatre geniuses, no nights on Broadway would be possible!

A brief synopsis of the musical selections and the names of the “stars” who deliver them are as follows: The opening number, “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from 42nd Street is sung with personality-plus by Rachel Baylor; Soprano Nicole Rongione and tenor Erich Engel share the spotlight for “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera; Erich and Rachel give an intimate interpretation of “You Matter To Me”, from Waitress; Jonathan Berry sings “Empty Chairs At Empty Tables”, from Les Miz (be sure to have a tissue handy for this tear-jerker ballad. Jonathan evidences excellent enunciation, good breath control and blending of his low register, building to a musical crescendo on the word “friends”); Randi Wright takes the role of Galinda in “Popular” (with high notes that just effortlessly “pop out”) from Wicked while Michelle Freire almost steals the scene as Elphelba without uttering a single word (quite an accomplishment, considering that Miss Wright is quite an adorable scene-stealer in her own right as the “good witch”); Mike Cahall displays his low-key, almost offhanded sense of humor with entertaining results in “If I Were a Rich Man” from Fiddler On The Roof using a relaxed vocal quality; Rachel and Nicole team up for “In His Eyes” from Jekyll and Hyde; Soprano Sarah Gravelle displays her well-balanced voice and deep emotional interpretation with “There’s A Fine Line” from Avenue Q; The ‘waaaay over-the-top rendition of a medley from Jersey Boys gives Shawn Davidson –  who “nails it” here-  the opportunity to show off his great vocals as soloist; he alternates falsetto pyrotechnics with Montel Butler while  Jonathan Berry and Mike (alternating bass line solo work) and Erich  provide backup. This is a knock-out performance with spot-on dance moves (thanks to choreography by Erich Engel) as the group sings “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man”; Soprano Michelle Freire is next up as the cat Grizabella as she sings “Memory” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats. This ballad allows Ms. Freire to reveal her dramatic gifts; she is well-known for her comedic flair which she shared with audiences during last year’s Night on Broadway performing “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys and Dolls; Erich gives an emotional delivery in “Proud of Your Boy”, From Aladdin; Montel makes everything he does look so incredibly easy as he once again displays his well-placed high notes, and zeros in on the precise pitch with “Just Keep Moving the Line”, from Bombshell; Nicole sings  “All That Matters” from Finding Neverland, ending with a glorious high note supported by Mike’s violin obbligato; and Act I comes to a close with Rachel, Montel and Erich in a spirited version of “Ease On Down the Road”, from The Wiz.

Act II begins with Erich and Randi and Company in “Summer Nights”, from Grease, followed by; Montel’s “I Know Where I’ve Been”, from Hairspray. Montel relies on his successful technique of a pianissimo start which builds to a dynamite finish. Next up are; Sarah and Mike,  who channel their very best Laurey and Curly in “People Will Say We’re in Love” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved Oklahoma; Jonathan’s voice soars to a powerful finish in “The Impossible Dream, from Man of LaMancha; Shawn makes his entrance from the audience for “You’ll Be Back”, from Hamilton (note his sparkly pin) where he again shows off his falsetto singing and fancy dance moves (watch how he steps backwards up to the stage; he executes this same backwards move onstage onto a chair); Sarah’s exuberant soprano brings “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman” from Beautiful to life; Erich sings the title song from “Beauty and the Beast”, as a vehicle for his smooth tenor voice; Rachel and the women’s ensemble give a high-energy performance of “I Feel the Earth Move”, from Beautiful; Mike sings the lyrical ballad “This Nearly Was Mine” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific with well-thought out phrasing and breath control; Michelle and Shawn entertain with the comic duet “Right Hand Man”, from Something Rotten; Montel returns with “Waving Through a Window”, from Dear Evan Hansen, building to an dynamically intense vocal finish; Jonathan and Sarah sing the duet “If I Loved You” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, allowing Sarah another chance to display her radiant soprano; Randi presents “Send In the Clowns” from A Little Night Music with admirable dramatic impact; Mike’s violin obbligato provides lovely harmony at its conclusion; Erich’s and Nicole’s voices blend well in “If I Told You”, from The Wedding Singer; “What I Did For Love” has Michelle entering from the audience for her showstopper solo with the ensemble’s full sound filling the theater; and then the entire Company remains onstage for the Finale – “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray  – which affords each soloist one  last well-deserved ”star” turn in the spotlight. The performers finish out the evening with every bit as much enthusiasm and vitality as they had in the very first number.

Be sure to make your reservations early for this enchanted evening of Broadway song and dance!