Thom has written a good write-up of the Betty Buckley concert last Saturday at Strathmore; go check it out.
In a similar vein I should mention singer/actor Brian Stokes Mitchell, whom we saw in concert at the Kennedy Center last month. What a voice: so strong and warm, which I’d say describes his onstage personality as well. He sang Broadway classics (like the great “Soliloquy” from Carousel) and jazz standards, which showed off his voice well. After the concert, Thom said to me, “Now I see why he’s one of your boyfriends.” Hee.
Side notes: Before Brian’s set, the National Symphony Orchestra played suites from South Pacific (Richard Rodgers) and The Light in the Piazza (Adam Guettel), and afterwards conductor Marvin Hamlisch asked the audience to name the connection between the two. One woman in the front row blurted out that the composer of Piazza is “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s grandson.” Ha! (Guettel is Rodgers’ grandson.) It became a running gag throughout the evening. “We knew Rodgers and Hammerstein were close, but…”
Hamlisch is a bit of a cutup. When one couple arrived late into the concert hall (why they weren’t escorted by an usher, especially since they had seats way up front, I don’t know), he stopped his banter, asked for their tickets, and showed them to their seats himself.
Wow you guys are sure getting your fill! I have theatre envy! Thanks for the recap. I had no idea Adam Guettel was Rodgers grandson, either with or without Oscar ;).