The coronation mattered not to the thousands of people who flocked to the Sydney Opera House on Saturday 6 May 2023. The House was stretched to the limit with the Australian Ballet continuing their season of the magnificent “Jewels” by Balanchine in the Joan Sutherland Theatre, the Utzon room was busy and the Concert Hall was packed to the rafters for Sydney Philharmonia Choirs presenting “The Golden Age of Broadway”.
Adding to the delightful chaos, the Opera House was running its “Inside Out Festival” where they broadcast one of the performances from inside to an expectant audience filling the forecourt outside for $10 a seat. It’s a magnificent and generous effort bringing world class shows to those who might not otherwise get the chance to join the fun inside the building. Bravo, Opera House!
The Broadway theme is a difficult one to curate, there are so very many wonderful songs deliberately written to be “sticky” (i.e. stuck in your head so you sing it all the way home). Artistic Director of 20 years Brett Weymark did a great job in selecting a wide array of hit numbers, each from a long running show, many of which had a Hollywood film version made due to their popularity.
The choir appeared to be slightly smaller than usual with around 100 singers dressed for the occasion in black and white 1950s and 60s clothing. They were given plenty of opportunity to act out their interpretations which was fun to watch but it didn’t distract them from their usual strict unity and harmony in vocals. A very well behaved chorus line up. No major accents added which made things easier. Particularly memorable from the choir were the “Ascot Gavotte” from My Fair Lady complete with racing hats, “There’s No Business Like Show Business” from Annie Get Your Gun and the high revved “Oklahoma!” from the same titled show.
The Philharmonia Orchestra was well represented plus a few extras such as Daniel Maher in a centre front seat with banjo and guitar. The program included a chance for them to shine on their own with numbers such as the “Prologue” from Carousel. They appeared to be having a great time.
Broadway music is technically less challenging than, say, a Bach Mass so, the musicians had time to stretch out and really enjoy the evening. They were seen a few times sitting back, eyes closed with a big smile, particularly during a Jazzy version of “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” from Pal Joey. This was performed by pianist Tim Cunniffe, double bass Mark Harris and guest soloist Virginia Gay whose performance was virtually sex on a stick. Through the rest of the show, Gay stood out with her comic timing and dramatic choices appearing more relaxed singing in the lower register of her voice. Another of her memorable numbers was “Broadway Baby” from Follies. She made a highly believable naïve, newbie wanting to make it on the big stage who was so lacking in confidence, she’d be lucky if she could get a job in the hat check room. She would get a little brave and try something, then stop herself, for good reason, making the audience laugh with her clear unspoken internal dialogue. In another part of the song she started to strut out then realised the spotlight was not following and had to side shuffle, embarrassed, back to where the light was. It’s a classic gag that never gets old. Ms Gay completely charmed the audience right to the back of the Gods (grand circle).
Tenor Alexander Lewis appeared as the guest artist who has tread the boards furthest. His performing has taken him across Europe and the USA with solo roles at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Komishche Oper Berlin and Covent Garden. Lewis is well known to Sydney audiences for his leading roles in The Merry Widow and Handa Opera’s West Side Story. A highly versatile performer, his voice easily spans Opera to Musical Theatre and was the perfect choice for the event. His numbers included the romantic “I’ve never been in love before” from Guys and Dolls, the delightful “Put on Your Sunday Clothes” from Hello Dolly! and the rather odd “A secretary is not a toy” from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. It would have been great to hear more iconic songs from him in this program.
Tenor Kanen Breen had more recognisable songs to perform. Usually, Sydney-siders will find him performing Baroque music with Pinchgut Opera here in Sydney. However, he has ample Musical Theatre experience making him another ideal pick for the Broadway theme. His opening number in classic cut suit was “Blue Skies” from White Christmas. As the evening wore on, he gradually got more zany with a selection of sequinned jackets. The audience giggled when he arrived on stage in the first sparkly jacket as if it couldn’t possibly be a Kanen show without at least one flash of bling. The crowd enjoyed his comedy and particularly loved “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat” from Guys and Dolls.
Our second female guest artist was soprano Georgina Hopson whose work in opera and musical theatre has earned her a number of accolades. A gorgeous woman, she played the classic romantic lead performing “A Cockeyed Optimist” from South Pacific, “Another Op’nin’. Another Show” from Kiss Me, Kate and perched on the edge of the conductor’s podium with “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady as the ladies of the chorus/choir continually tried to bundle her off to bed.
It was a fun evening, great entertainment value with the audience giving loud applause at the close and letting loose in the encore of “Hello Dolly!” when they were finally encouraged to sing along.
The program was really enjoyable and hopefully the Philharmonia Choirs will plan another similar concert in the future. It would be great to see more chorus and orchestral numbers as the program weighed heavily on the guest artists to carry the theme. If royalties can be negotiated it would also make a great piece of DVD merchandise for the choirs to use as a fundraiser.
We look forward to their next tribute to the Musical Theatre world.
Related Links
Next concerts with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs: https://www.sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/
Next Musical Theatre at Sydney Opera House: Sweeney Todd https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/musical-theatre/sweeney-todd
Alexander Lewis on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/alexanderlewis_tenor/
Virginia Gay on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thatsmsgaytoyou/
Kanen Breen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/breenkanen/
Georgina Hopson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/georginahopson/
The Golden Age of Broadway with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs,
May 2023. Photo Keith Saunders.