It
was
"Some
Enchanted
Evening"
when
the
Broadway-ready
directing
and
performing
chops
of
the
Baldwin
Wallace
University
Music
Theatre
program
combined
with
the
world-renowned
sound
of
The
Cleveland
Orchestra
(TCO)
to
produce
"South
Pacific:
In
Concert"
at
Blossom
Music
Center.
The result drew high praise from fans, The Plain Dealer/cleveland.com, COOL Cleveland and Broadway World, including a call for the collaboration to continue.
The August 24 in-concert stage presentation of the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein classic was conducted by Broadway's Andy Einhorn, while the cast was directed by BW Music Theatre Director Victoria Bussert.
In
a
preview
for
The
Plain
Dealer,
Zachary
Lewis
predicted
the
combination
of
TCO
and
BW
as
"more
than
likely
to
be
an
exceptionally
special
treat,"
and
he
was
not
disappointed,
writing
in
a
review
afterward
that
the
performance
"reminded
a
jam-packed
Blossom
Music
Center
of
[BW's]
prowess
in
musical
theater."
The students in BW's nationally acclaimed music theatre program may be "Younger Than Springtime," but they showed off more than enough talent to fill three lead roles, plus the entire ensemble of nurses and sailors.
One review called Kailey Boyle '21 "a flat-out joy to behold as Nellie Forbush, every bit the equal of Elliot Madore, the professional baritone who sang Emile de Becque."
Gordia Hayes '20, who "garnered big laughs" as Luther Billis, performed "with abundant energy and panache," tangling with Tony Award-nominee Loretta Ables Sayre as Bloody Mary. While Hanako Walrath '23, appearing in the more serious role of Liat, "touchingly [relying] on gestures and dance to convey her feelings" as the love interest of Broadway singer Ryan Silverman as Lt. Cable.
"It
has
been
a
dream
of
mine
to
sing
with
an
orchestra
of
this
caliber,"
Boyle
said
earlier
in
the
week
during
a
break
from
rehearsals
at
BW.
"Never
did
I
think
I'd
have
the
opportunity
in
college,
not
graduated
yet."
"Even on Broadway, you don't get orchestras of this size or this world-renowned," Bussert told Cleveland Classical in another preview.
Reality did not disappoint. "It was so much more than any of us could have anticipated," Bussert said after the show. "It was truly a magical experience."
"South Pacific," with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, was originally adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Tales of the South Pacific" by James A. Michener. The concert adaptation was created by David Ives for the Carnegie Hall benefit concert of "South Pacific" in 2006.
BW
Music
Theatre
will
move
from
this
momentous
collaboration
into
preparations
for
another
groundbreaking
performance,
as
BW
becomes
the
first
college
in
the
nation
to
present
the
Tony-winning
"Kinky
Boots"
this
November.
Tickets go on sale at bw.edu/tickets on September 12.
