Leslie Odom Jr. with the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall

photo credit: Nathan Johnson

Last weekend, Aaron Burr arrived in Minneapolis. Or rather, the man responsible for creating empathy for the historical figure formerly known only as the guy who killed Alexander Hamilton, thanks to his Tony-winning performance in the musical masterpiece Hamilton (which I was fortunate enough to witness). But Leslie Odom, Jr. is so much more than Aaron Burr, as those of us lucky enough to be in the room where it happened (aka Orchestra Hall), experienced.

La La Land in Concert with the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall

This season, the Minnesota Orchestra is offering a series of movies played in their entirety with the music track removed and replaced with the orchestra playing live. What could be better than to see an old or new favorite movie with those familiar scores played live by our fantastic orchestra? Last night I attended the first in the series, La La Land (aka the movie about how Ryan Gosling saved jazz). While La La Land famously didn't win the Oscar for best picture this year, it did win for best score (Justin Hurwitz) and best song ("City of Stars," Hurwitz along with Pasek and Paul, who also won a Tony for best score this year for Dear Evan Hanson). I'm a fan of this delectable musical fantasy romance movie, and an even bigger fan of the soundtrack, which I've been listening to all year. The orchestral and jazzy score is the perfect choice for this series, and made for a perfectly dreamy evening of music and movies.

"An Intimate Evening with Kristin Chenoweth and the Minnesota Orchestra" at Orchestra Hall

Kristin Chenoweth, star of Broadway, TV, and film, performed with the Minnesota Orchestra last night and it was something to behold. We all know that she has an incredible voice, a vocal powerhouse that belies her petite 4'11 frame, and acting chops to spare. But it turns out she's also a genial and charming host and storyteller. She titled the show "An Intimate Evening with Kristin Chenoweth," and it did indeed feel like that. Entertaining and engaging the crowd with stories, introducing songs and sharing what they mean to her, flirting with the orchestra, chatting with audience members, it felt like we got the real Kristin with no pretense, not some role she was playing. It was her first time performing at Orchestra Hall and she was very humble and gracious about the honor and privilege of performing in such a place with the amazing musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra, and let it be known that she would love to come back. Anytime Kristin!

"Rodgers and Hammerstein at the Movies" at Orchestra Hall

From "the hills are alive with the sound of music" to "Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain," composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II have given us some of the most memorable and beloved melodies and lyrics in all of musical theater. Most of their creations were made into movies several years after the stage success, allowing even more people to fall in love with them. This weekend the Minnesota Orchestra is presenting a concert of excerpts from seven of their big hits, with clips from the movies shown on a big screen. As a former band geek who's normally too busy attending theater to listen to the orchestra, I revel in the chance to get my orchestra fix in when they do something theater related. It's an absolute thrill to hear this huge full gorgeous orchestra playing selections from Rodgers and Hammerstein's incredible and prolific partnership.

Audra McDonald with the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall

Audra McDonald (photo by Autumn de Wilde)

How many chances do you get to see a six-time Tony winner perform? Not many, since Audra McDonald is the only one. I was lucky enough to see her brilliant performance in The Gerswhins' Porgy and Bess a few years ago, and was thrilled to find out that she'd be opening Minnesota Orchestra's 2015-2016 season right here in Minneapolis. Plus, it's a great excuse to go see the beautiful Minnesota Orchestra, something I'm not often able to do with my busy theater schedule. This opening concert of the season was a wonderful mix of composers and musical theater selections, which is great for someone who's not that familiar with orchestral and classical music. With so many talented musicians, under the animated direction of Osmo Vänskä, and the added gloriousness of Audra McDonald, it was a thrilling evening of music! And it will be repeated tonight - there are a few seats still available so act quickly if you'd like to experience this wonderful event.

The orchestra performed seven pieces (sans Audra) from a variety of composers, including a lovely 9-11 tribute (the concert was on the 14th anniversary) comprised of Aaron Copland's Letters from Home and Samuel Barber's stirring Adagio for Strings. Jacques Offenbach's familiar Overture to Orpheus in the Underworld was also a crowd-pleaser. But as marvelous as the orchestra is, I was there to see Audra, so her seven songs were the highlight of the evening for me.

Dressed in a beautiful floor-length black gown  with sheer panels on the skirt (BTW, the orchestra members looked pretty swanky too in their tuxes and evening gowns), Audra joined the orchestra for a selection of songs from musicals, several of which I was unfamiliar with. She started with the happy and hopeful love song "When Did I Fall in Love?" from Fiorello!, followed by a heart-breakingly sad love song "I Had Myself a True Love" from St. Louis Woman. With Audra's great skill she's able to make the audience feel every emotion of each very different song. She told us that she never wanted to sing "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady because it was just too popular and cliche for a soprano. But thanks to advice from a friend, she "got over herself" and started singing it. But because it is so popular, she asked the audience to join her. When Audra asks you to sing, you sing, even if you can come nowhere near those high notes!

After the intermission, Audra came back with the lovely and melancholy "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's (a song Audrey Hepburn really did sing, as opposed to My Fair Lady) and the super fast and fun "I Can't Stop Talking About Him" from the Fred Astaire movie Let's Dance. Then Audra shared with us her feelings of loss and confusion after 9-11, and sang for us her musical balm and answer to her question "what's it all about, what really matters?" - "Make Someone Happy" from Do Re Mi. Finally, Audra concluded her portion of the concert with a sentimental favorite of mine, a song that she sang live on TV during NBC's live broadcast of The Sound of Music*. Audra was the best thing about the show (read more of my thoughts on that here), and it was an absolute thrill to hear her sing "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" live and in person, instead of just live and on TV. This is a song that always gives me chills, especially in this performance with Audra and the magnificent orchestra.

So there you have it folks, a beautiful opening to a beautiful new season at Orchestra Hall! They have lots of great things planned (including a "Beethoven marathon") so be sure to check out their website to find one or twenty concerts that pique your interest. A few things that pique my interest are "See Jane Sing!"- a cabaret show starring Glee's Jane Lynch, "Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs" (self-explanatory), and "Rodgers and Hammerstein at the Movies" (replacing the previously announced South Pacific due to "licensing issues," perhaps because the Guthrie is doing it next summer?). There's a wide array of concerts and events offered, so you're sure to find something to love.


*Be sure to mark your calendars for The Ordway's production of The Sound of Music this December featuring a fabulous local cast.

"Carousel" with the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall

One of the greatest musical theater composing teams, Rodgers and Hammerstein, had a smash hit with their very first show - Oklahoma!, based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs. For their sophomore outing they chose another play, the Hungarian Liliom, and adapted it into Carousel, which was a bit of a gamble due to the darker nature of the story and not-so-happy ending. But the risk payed off; Carousel was another rousing success and ranks among R&H's big five musicals. Shockingly, this musical theater geek has never seen the show in any form or listened to the score, an omission that is and will be corrected by two productions this spring. Bloomington Civic Theatre is doing the show next month, but first up is Minnesota Orchestra's semi-staged production of it with the full orchestra and a large ensemble cast, directed by Robert Neu. I can think of no better way to first experience this classic piece of music-theater than in this musically rich production, where the focus is on the score, which the orchestra and cast beautifully bring to life on the newly remodeled Orchestra Hall stage.

Being unfamiliar with the story, I found in it familiar bits from other works of theater. At first it reminded me of Porgy and Bess, until it turned a bit Our Town-ish in the second act, although it's also not dissimilar to Oklahoma! in some of the characters and themes (imagine if Laurey had ended up with Jud Fry instead of Curly). This is the classic good girl falls for bad boy story, in which the good girl sees the best in the bad boy, and the bad boy tries to be a better person for the good girl, but ultimately fails despite his love for her. In this case the good girl is mill worker Julie Jordan and the bad boy is carnival barker Billy Bigelow. They both sacrifice their jobs to be together, which unfortunately does not lead to happiness for the pair. Because of its themes of poverty and domestic violence, it's a difficult story, one that I have some issues with (including one particularly disturbing line in which Julie tells her daughter it's possible to be hit hard and not feel it - unacceptable), so I'm glad I have a chance to see it again next month and let it sink in a bit.

But now, on to the best part - the music! As a former bank geek (once a band geek always a band geek?), I'm always thrilled to be in the presence of an orchestra, and don't get the chance nearly enough. Our Minnesota Orchestra, conducted by Sarah Hicks, sounds marvelous playing this sweeping melodic score. And the cast, comprised of mostly local talent, is a dream. As Billy, Gabriel Preisser has a gorgeous and resonant voice, and brings out every emotion in the famous "Soliloquy" song. Sarah Lawrence sings beautifully sweet as Julie, and makes us feel her deep love and pain. It's great to see so many familiar faces and voices among the supporting players and ensemble, including the always great Kersten Rodau, Paul R. Coate (overheard in the audience: "Mr. Snow has the best voice"), Kathleen Humphrey, Riley McNutt (providing a bit of comic relief as charming rapscallion Jigger), and Gary Briggle. The finale song "You'll Never Walk Alone" (which I didn't know was from Carousel, or if I did know I'd forgotten it) sends chills down the spine and brings tears to the eyes.

I'm not sure what's "semi" about this staging, other than the absence of large set pieces, which are not missed. The small set pieces (benches, crates, and darling hand-held but almost full size carousel horses) are really all that's needed to hint at the scene, with the dialogue and music and our imaginations doing the rest. There's nothing "semi" about Samantha Fromm Haddow's lovely costumes, which include the working folks' garb, a wide range of carnival costumes, and ballerina Louise's light and flowy dress with matching jacket. Nothing "semi" about the choreography by Penelope Freeh either (who also gracefully dances as Louise), with the ensemble ably performing charming group dance numbers. And the staging makes good use of the area behind and in front of the orchestra.

I now understand what all the fuss is about over Carousel, and I'm glad that this gorgeous production was my first introduction to it. I look forward to getting to know it a bit better at Bloomington Civic Theatre next month. In the meantime, if you can make it to Orchestra Hall this weekend, do so.

Matthew Morrison with the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall

I am proud to admit that I am a Gleek - a fan of the musical TV show Glee. But I was a fan of Matthew Morrison long before he began appearing on the show as the beloved teacher Will Schuester, in fact he's the main reason that I started watching the show and that I continue to watch it. I saw him play Lieutenant Cable in an absolutely luscious production of South Pacific at Lincoln Center in 2008, and even before that I fell in love with his voice as the original Linc in Hairspray and the original Fabrizio in Light in the Piazza (a role that earned him a Tony nomination). So it was an absolute thrill to see him perform live again, this time with our very own Minnesota Orchestra, that has recently reunited after a much-too-long absence due to contract issues. Whatever those issues were, I'm glad they worked it out because there's not much better in the world of music that a full orchestra, especially when joined by such a talented singer and performer as Matthew Morrison!

The concert began with a few musical theater selections performed by the orchestra, conducted by Sarah Hicks and her fantastically toned arms. Their song selection was a great preview for things to come this summer - the Overture from Leonard Berstein's Candide can be heard again this summer when Skylark Opera performs this epic and historic music-theater piece, and the medley of songs from Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady got me all excited to hear all these great songs in the Guthrie's production this summer. They closed with a medley from The Sound of Music, because who doesn't love The Sound of Music (you know I do!)?

Matthew's set list was comprised almost entirely of songs from his most recent album, Where It All Began. He sang all but one of the songs on the 12-track album, which features songs from musical theater and standards. It's a terrific album that I listen to often, and it was great to hear those songs in person, plus a few other standards. No Glee pop songs here, Gleeks! (Personally I was hoping for my recent favorite Mr. Schue song, "Danny's Song," but that desire was satiated by the practically perfect finale of TV's most underrated sitcom Raising Hope). Matthew's voice is gorgeous and effortless, with a style perfectly suited to this genre of music. But that's not all - he also dances! He occasionally set the mic down to do a full dance number, but even while singing, his every movement, big or small, matches the music. He's a true performer and entertainer.

Here are just a few of the many highlights of the concert.

• Matt joked that this was the dress rehearsal, as he took the red eye Friday night after a full week of filming and only arrived in Minneapolis that morning.
• Musical theater highlights include "Younger than Springtime" from the aforementioned South Pacific, the gorgeously sad Sondheim song "Send in the Clowns," and a medley of songs from one of my favorite musicals West Side Story.
• The dance moves in "It Don't Mean a Thing" and "Singin' in the Rain" were fantastic, he's so smooth!
• He looked pretty smooth too, in a tux with a black fedora that was as much a prop as an accessory.
• Matt started to dedicate "The Lady is a Tramp" to all the ladies in the audience, but then took it back thinking it would be offensive. Not at all, this is my theme song ("she gets much too hungry to eat dinner at eight, she adores the theater, but won't arrive late"), especially when he changed the line to "she thinks the Twins are divine!"
• The one "Mr. Schue song" he sang was the Dean Martin classic "Sway," in which he jumped off the stage and danced with one lucky audience member.
• I was tickled to see Glee's resident piano player Brad Ellis as the music director/arranger/piano player. I love him on Glee because he's always just suddenly there when they need him, and never speaks, but conveys much with his facial expression. Turns out he's a talented musician too!
• Matt promised us that there will be no more snow, which I'm choosing to believe.
• This was my first time in the newly renovated Orchestra Hall, and it's gorgeous. The lobby is light, open and airy.

My only complaint about this concert is that it was too short; I could have sat there for hours listening to Matt sing and watching him dance. But he's a busy man with a TV show to film. I'm excited to see what he'll do after Glee's final season next year. In my opinion they have woefully underutilized his immense talent, as Mr. Schue is too often seen merely cheering on the kids and not allowed to sing and dance nearly enough. As he said, Glee has been a wonderful way to share musical theater songs and musical theater actors with a larger audience, but I hope to see him back on a Broadway stage soon! It's quite obviously what he was born to do and what he loves to do.

Matthew sings with the Orchestra (photo by Greg Helgeson)

... and he dances like a dream!
(photo by Greg Helgeson)

Brian Stokes Mitchell at Orchestra Hall

In my first theatrical experience of the new year, I saw Tony award winning Broadway actor Brian Stokes Mitchell at Orchestra Hall last weekend.  I know him best as the voice of Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in the original cast of Ragtime.  I've never seen him in the role but it's one of my favorite soundtracks (which I've been listening to a lot lately in anticipation of Park Square Theatre's upcoming production featuring an all-star cast of local talent).  It was one of those rare experiences when one of your favorite soundtracks comes to life, when a voice and a song that's so familiar is live right there in front of you (like when I saw Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in RENT a few years ago).

Brian performed with the fabulous Minnesota Orchestra, led by Sarah Hicks and her super-toned arms (I want that workout!).  To begin the show, the orchestra performed a medley from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, and then Brian appeared to sing "Some Enchanted Evening" from South Pacific.  His voice in person is everything it is on recordings: deep, rich, expressive, gorgeous.  Not only that, but he's also handsome, charming, funny, and entertaining; an engaging performer.  As expected, he sang a selection of musical theater classics, some from musicals that he's appeared in ("The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha, his encore) and some that he hasn't ("Soliloquy" from Carousel, "Don't Rain on My Parade" from Funny Girl).  But he also sang some standards from outside the musical theater world ("How Long has This Been Going On," "Waters of March," a Gershwin medley).  In an interesting twist, he blended the Duke Ellington classic "Take the A Train" with "Another Hundred People (Just Got Off of the Train)" from Sondheim's Company.



Brian Stokes Mitchell in Ragtime

Brian was involved in writing the children's alphabet book Lights on Broadway, and he sang the single that goes along with the book.  "I Was Here" was written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (the composers of Ragtime) and tells about the life of an actor.

One of my favorite moments was when Brian put down his mic to sing another song from South Pacific, "This Nearly Was Mine." With the orchestra playing softly behind him, his voice soared through the beautiful acoustics of Orchestra Hall.  It was magical.  But of course, what I was waiting for was the glorious "Wheels of a Dream" from Ragtime, and I was not disappointed.  He sang it in a medley with "America the Beautiful," and it was a lovely expression of hope for a better world and a belief that those dreams will come true.

I've had the good fortune to see several of my favorite Broadway actors perform at Orchestra Hall, both with and without orchestra accompaniment.  Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Idina Menzel, and now Brian Stokes Mitchell.  On the top of my wishlist is Mandy Patinkin, so I'm putting that out in the universe: Mandy Patinkin, come and perform at Orchestra Hall!

Idina Menzel with the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall

Idina Menzel has had a finger in three of my favorite musical theater pies - she was in the original casts of my favorite musical RENT and the phenomenon that is Wicked, and she had a recurring role on Glee, aka a musical theater geek's TV dream come true! And she featured all three of them in her concert with the Minnesota Orchestra, led by conductor Sarah Hicks, as well as some classics and original compositions.

Idina captured the audience as soon as she walked onstage in her gorgeously draped purple dress, long loose dark hair, and bare feet (if there's one thing I admire more than a fabulous pair of shoes, it's bare feet!). She said she first performed in bare feet when she threw her back out lifting her 14-month old son Walker Nathaniel Diggs, and realized she could sing better that way. She was continually fidgeting with her dress because there was a pin left in it from the dry cleaners, which is just one example of how real and normal she was up there on stage. There was a sign language interpreter on the side of the stage that she was continually fascinated with. Every time she said an interesting word, like bitch or breast pump (did I mention she was real and relaxed?), she'd look over to see how he translated it. It was a running joke throughout the evening.

In addition to entertaining the audience with stories about her career and growing up on Long Island, she of course sang many familiar songs. Idina won a Tony in 2004 for her fearless portrayal of Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, in Wicked. The first Wicked song she sang was my theme song, "I'm Not that Girl," and later in the evening she sang Elphie's signature song, "Defying Gravity." It was a thrill to her her do it live after hearing it so many many times on the soundtrack. Towards the end of the concert she did her thank yous, and then put her mic down, waiting for silence. I just knew she was going to sing something "unplugged," which is always my favorite moment of any concert. When the words came out of her mouth and filled Orchestra Hall, they brought instant tears to my eyes.

It well may be that we may never meet again
In this lifetime so let me say before we part
So much of me is made from what I learned from you
You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart.
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have rewritten mine, by being my friends!

It was her personal thank you to the audience, and the second time I teared up that evening; the first was when she sang a gorgeous rendition of "No Day but Today" from RENT. Idina was nominated for her first Tony in 1996 for her portrayal of Maureen. She spoke about how the show changed her life in many ways, not the least of which was dealing with the death of creator Jonathan Larson the night before the show opened. She said that at a time when all the success and acclaim and attention could have gone to their heads, it was really all about communicating Jonathan's music and message to the world, because he no longer could. No day but today. Idina had the audience sing the refrain back to her, which was magical.

There's only now
There's only here
Give in to love
Or live in fear
No other path
No other way
No day but today.

A few years ago Idina sang "Don't Rain on My Parade" for Barbra Streisand when she was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors, and told a funny story about her interaction with Ms. Streisand at the after party. She sang "Funny Girl" for us (which she also did on Glee), followed by "Don't Rain on My Parade." If there really is going to be Funny Girl revival on Broadway, I vote for Idina playing the role of Fanny Brice rather than Lea Michele. I love Lea, but she already has a steady gig and I'd really love to see Idina back on Broadway.

Idina has a couple of solo recording available, in addition to the cast recordings of RENT and Wicked. I just downloaded a 6-song EP that includes live versions of "Defying Gravity" and "No Day but Today," as well the original song "Gorgeous" which she sang at the concert. She also did a song that she wrote for her son with her husband, actor Taye Diggs (who was also in the original cast of RENT and currently appears on ABC's Private Practice). It sounds like they have a lot of fun singing to Walker around the house. Oh to be a fly on that wall!

Idina talked about her role on Glee, and her initial horror at being asked to play the mother of a 24-year-old! But she had just had a baby and was happy to be working again. When she read the script and saw that the reunion song between her character and her daughter was Lady Gaga's "Poker Face," she was a little confused. But someone it all worked! She sang the song for us with full orchestra accompaniment.

Idina's encore song was "Tomorrow" from Annie, which was a song her parents used to ask her to sing when she was a little girl. She sang it for her dad, who was in the audience. And with that, she was back on a plane to Los Angeles. I was so happy to spend 90 minutes with someone who's had such a huge role in many of the musicals I love. I hope to see her again someday, perhaps on a Broadway stage!