As the DC area was walloped by a historic heat wave last week, the thought of an outdoor concert seemed, at least to this critic, daunting. There was a time before air conditioning when open-air venues like Wolf Trap’s Filene Center offered audiences and performers an escape from the stifling indoors, but if the pulsating wave of playbills at Broadway in the Park, a stellar one-night co-production from Signature Theatre and Wolf Trap, was any indication, those days are behind us. Still, there’s an unmistakable magic to enjoying music outside, even on the hottest days, and you could pinpoint the moment the magic overcame the audience on Saturday, when a cool breeze wafted through the venue just as Jessie Mueller started George and Ira Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch Over Me,” and a single firefly made itself known to the right of the stage; it was like the audience got comfortable for the first time all week.

It was one charming moment in a string of them at the hands of nine first-rate performers, Signature Theatre Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner, and the 25-piece Wolf Trap Orchestra under the baton of Signature resident Music Director John Kalbfleisch. Together, they distilled the history of American musical theater, from the Gershwins and Cole Porter to Sara Bareilles and the late William Finn, into a 90-minute hit parade.

Mueller — a Tony Award winner for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and three-time nominee for roles in Waitress, Carousel, and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever — went beyond the Gershwin number to lend a tender, tempestuous touch to the setlist. Her crystalline solo rendition of “If I Loved You,” typically performed in conjunction with ne’er-do-well carnival barker Billy Bigelow, instead came as an internal battle of whether to let oneself fall in love or admit that you may already have. Mueller bookended it with a pitch-perfect “She Used to Be Mine,” the Waitress anthem of what happens when a person has lost themself in love to the point of self-destruction.

In contrast, Mendez’s solo numbers represented another hallmark of musical theater: not the rich excavation of an emotion, but the reflection of a character’s personal evolution. In “Moments in the Woods” from Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim tracks one woman’s life-changing epiphany over the course of a single song, and Mendez nailed every small twist in that journey (and sounded fabulous all the while). And in Ragtime’s “Back to Before,” Mendez conjured the spirit of a woman who, after years of comfort playing the role society deemed fit for her, finds both a new purpose and voice to articulate it. With the latest revival of Into the Woods not so far in the rearview and a new Broadway production of Ragtime opening this fall, Mendez may have missed her chance to play those roles on the Main Stem in the near term, but the message is clear anyway: she’s ready for something big. We are, too.

The Carousel co-stars reunited to perform a short sequence from that show, including “You’re a Queer One, Julie Jordan,” and that most perfect showtune, “Mister Snow” (Mendez at her best). They further delighted with Annie Get Your Gun’s “Anything You Can Do” and Waitress’s “You Matter to Me,” the latter of which was respun as a loving epistle between friends and rebuke of loneliness, rather than a romantic duet.

Though Mueller and Mendez were ostensibly the evening’s headliners, star turns abounded. Performing Funny Girl’s “I’m the Greatest Star,” Awa Sal Secka, radiant in a yellow sunflower-printed dress, made a strong case for her argument; her rendition of the song so closely associated with Barbra Streisand was rapturous. Kevin McAllister was surprisingly underutilized, but in lending his rich voice and easy phrasing to William Finn’s yearnful “I’d Rather Be Sailing,” was deeply, unsurprisingly moving nonetheless. And Tobias A. Young accomplished an extraordinary coup in seizing Grease’s frothy “Beauty School Dropout” as a launchpad to showcase his virtuosic vocal control and versatility.

Felicia Curry offered a strong and soaring performance of Aida’s “Easy as Life,” to boot, while Tracy Lynn Olivera’s riff on Mack and Mabel‘s deep-cut “Whatever He Ain’t” teased her saucier side. Christian Douglas’s take on Pippin’s “Corner of the Sky” was straightforward and pleasant, and “Defying Gravity” was a worthy selection for Nova Payton’s irrepressible vocal talent.

Gardiner’s inclination to bring the cast together for a handful of ensemble numbers (“A Lot of Living” from Bye, Bye, Birdie, among others) is certainly understandable, and perhaps unavoidable, but the bizarre irony is that they look anemic on the big stage in a way the solo numbers don’t. Those individual turns, which facilitate the most connection with the audience, were fortunately numerous and uniformly splendid.

Signature Theatre’s cabaret series is a staple of the region’s theater season, and this extension of it, now in its fifth installment, should be regarded as one too. Even on the huge Filene Center stage, with thousands of people overflowing onto the lawn, the magic comes easily when the band strikes up, the sun goes down, and the breeze (thank God) wafts in. Even the fireflies feel it.

Running Time: 90 minutes, with no intermission.

Broadway in the Park performed on June 28, 2025, produced by Signature Theatre and Wolf Trap performing at the Filene Center, at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, 1551 Trap Road Vienna, VA. General information for upcoming shows is available by calling 703.255.1900, or by going online.

See the digital program here.

Signature Theatre and Wolf Trap present
Broadway in the Park
featuring Jessie Mueller and Lindsay Mendez

SEE ALSO:
Lindsay Mendez and Jessie Mueller to headline 2025 ‘Broadway in the Park’ (news story, April 10, 2025)

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Young Artists of America (YAA) will present the Youth Premiere of Disney in Concert: A Dream is a Wish on Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 6pm. The performance will take place at Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner, Virginia (7750 Capital One Tower Rd, Tysons, VA) and feature over 150 brilliant young artists from YAACompany, YAAOrchestra, YAAJunior, and YAAKids.

YAA, based out of Montgomery County Maryland, provides the brave space for young artists at all skill levels and various ages to experiment, take risks, and imagine the world through their artistry. YAA is the recipient of a Regional Emmy Award, has performed on world-class stages, hosted Tony-winning Broadway and classical performers as guest mentors, and paved the careers for many budding industry performers.

Disney in Concert: A Dream is a Wish will transport audiences into the musical world of classic and contemporary Disney animated feature films to discover that dreams really do come true. Join YAA as they awaken a little mermaid who longs to be human, a lion cub who struggles to find his place in the circle of life, and two sisters who wish to warm a frozen relationship. The stories of The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, Aladdin and more, are told through the talents of YAA’s brilliant young artists, with sweeping orchestral scores performed by YAA students, and original Disney film footage!

The production will feature songs originally written and performed by the likes of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Elton John, Randy Newman, Alan Menken, and many more.

Tickets for Disney in Concert are on sale now and range from $18-$48. More information and tickets can be found at: https://www.yaaa.org/fall-production.

This Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts © All rights reserved.

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ARTS by George! is George Mason University’s annual fundraiser to support student scholarships and funding for its College of Visual and Performing Arts. The evening provides a showcase of student artists at GMU in dance, theater, opera, piano, jazz ensembles, and computer and visual art.

The George Mason School of Dance showcased two performances during the evening that were peeks into the works that will be in its March Gala concert. Faculty member and choreographer Christopher d’Amboise is creating a new work to the music of Stravinsky and provided a three-minute snapshot of the piece (untitled). The other performance was short selections from a work called The Hunt by Robert Battle. The students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, demonstrated technical mastery and artistic versatility.

I also reviewed the George Mason School of Theatre musical showcase of 110 in the Shade, a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Tom Jones, and music by Harvey Schmidt. Based on Nash’s 1954 play The Rainmaker, it focuses on Lizzie Curry (originally played on Broadway by Audra McDonald), a spinster living on a ranch in the American southwest; her relationships with local sheriff File, a cautious divorcé who fears being hurt again; and charismatic con man Bill Starbuck, posing as a rainmaker who promises the locals he can bring relief to the drought-stricken area. The cast showcased the opening number, “Gonna Be Another Hot Day,” and “The Rain Song,” led by the character Starbuck. The full production will run later this year. While not a blockbuster musical, the snapshot provided by the cast featured a good ensemble sound and a strong ensemble cast. The voices were clear and the staging was energetic.

The evening culminated with a philanthropic event headlined by Tony and Olivier Award winner Lea Salonga, renowned across the world for her Broadway performances; best known for her Tony Award—winning role as Kim in Miss Saigon, at the age of 17. Salonga is also known for many other roles, including the voice of two Disney princesses, a judge on the Philippines’ version of The Voice, and countless concert tours.

As the light came up on the stage, Salonga delighted the audience with many selections, accompanied by a four-piece band consisting of Larry Yurman (Music Director/Piano), Paul Viapiano (Guitars), Kevin Axt (Basses), and Ray Brinker (Drums). Salonga has a clear voice with a true alto belt unlike any other, and she did all of the musical selections justice. However, I have to say, as a true theater “junkie,” while she did a short medley of some of her greatest hits, which featured songs from Aladdin, Miss Saigon, and Les Mis, I missed hearing the complete songs from the shows she is well known for. But, after a decades-long career, I can understand that maybe she is tired of the “old stuff.” Nevertheless, as a true self-proclaimed diva of the theater, Salonga was witty and down-to-earth charming. Other song selections included a lovely tribute to Stephen Sondheim. Larry Yurman’s arrangement combined “Move On” from Sunday in the Park with George and “Not While I’m Around” from Sweeney Todd. And, a few surprises were thrown our way — one being a version of Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” which was actually quite well done in a slower, jazzy style — and the other, a rendition of Shawn Mendes’ “Stitches,” which was super enjoyable, and got the audience involved with a group sing of the lyrics.

As a three-year veteran of ARTS by George!, I can highly recommend this event to anyone who has any interest in arts programs in Northern Virginia. Special thanks to the organizers, Laura Mertens and Camille Cintron Devlin, for this fantastic showcase.

Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.

An Evening with Lea Solanga played one night only on September 28, 2024, at George Mason University, Center for the Arts Concert Hall, 4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax, VA. The concert was part of George Mason University’s annual ARTS by George! benefit event supporting student scholarships at the College of Visual & Performing Arts, the Mason Community Arts Academy, Green Machine Ensembles, and the Great Performances at Mason season at the Center for the Arts.

For complete information about ARTS by George!, including scholarship stories, a schedule of student showcases, previous ARTS by George! images, and more, visit the event website. To learn about upcoming performances at George Mason University, click here.

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Signature Theatre and Wolf Trap presented their fourth annual Broadway in the Park this past weekend at the Filene Center in the baking heat and thick, humid air. But even that old Virginia summer sun could not stifle the energy and excitement for an evening of beloved show tunes from Signature’s finest and Broadway stars Laura Benanti (Gypsy, Max’s The Gilded Age) and Jordan Fisher (Hadestown, Sweeney Todd).

Despite the packed seats and expansive lawn, there was an intimate and comfortable vibe to the venue, not uncommon at Wolf Trap. Felicia Curry, with her vivacious persona and stunning sequins, served as host for the event. She welcomed everyone like old friends, introduced the local talent, and hyped the room for the entertainment to come.

Musical Director and Conductor Jon Kalbfleisch opened by leading the orchestra in the classic “Overture” from Mame. Appropriately followed by Pippin’s theatrical introduction “Magic to Do” sung by Curry and joined by Rayanne Gonzales, Katie Mariko Murray, Kevin McAllister, Tracy Lynn Olivera, Matthew Scott, and Tobias A. Young.

Murray sang the lively “Life of the Party” from Wild Party, followed by a passionate “Paciencia Y Fe” from In the Heights by Gonzales. Next, Young gave a soulful rendition of Porgy and Bess’ “There’s a Boat That’s Leaving Soon” and Scott beautifully performed from Kander and Ebb’s First You Dream. McAllister’s “Stars” from Les Misérables was deeply moving, and Tracy Lynn Olivera, with a goosebump-inducing “The Winner Takes It All” from Mamma Mia!, closed out the first half of the set.

After a compilation from First You Dream by the orchestra, Curry brought on Jordan Fisher, who instantly charmed the crowd with “I’m Not Afraid of Anything” from Songs for a New World. He recalled his time in Hamilton and hinted at a desire to try on the role of Burr before starting “Wait for It” from the hit musical.

Headliner Laura Benanti was delightfully candid and endearing, sharing how her parents, being from Northern Virginia themselves, see playing Wolf Trap as having truly “made it.” A sentiment the audience roaringly cheered.

Benanti joked about her well-known run as Eliza Doolittle, and the irony of playing a flower shop girl at the age of 40, before delving into a medley (and hilarious summation) of My Fair Lady. Then she touched on a work that she wrote, titled Nobody Cares — currently available on Audible — and sang “Recovering Ingenue” from the original work. If that number is a measure for the rest of Nobody Cares, it is well worth checking out. With witty lyrics and a hilarious message, it was a tease to hear only the one song.

Signature and Wolf Trap’s Broadway in the Park was a dazzling display of talent and a wonderful night to remember. The Signature stars with their flawless vocals were reason alone to attend, and every singer demonstrated a master class in technique. Icing on the cake was the personable and flat-out fun spirit of both Fisher and Benanti. I would go again and again. Though maybe pack a fan, next time.

Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.

Broadway in the Park performed on June 29, 2024, produced by Signature Theatre and Wolf Trap performing at the Filene Center, 1551 Trap Road Vienna, VA. Tickets prices vary for each production. For this event, the cost was $33 for the Lawn, which is open seating on the grass, or ranged from $53 to $83 for assigned Loge and Orchestra seating. General information for upcoming shows is available by calling 703.255.1900, or by going online.

See the digital program here.

Signature Theatre and Wolf Trap present
Broadway in the Park
featuring Laura Benanti and Jordan Fisher

CREATIVE TEAM & PRODUCTION
Music Director/Conductor: Jon Kalbfleisch; Director: Matthew Gardiner

CAST
Laura Benanti; Jordan Fisher; Rayanne Gonzales; Felicia Curry; Katie Mariko Murray; Kevin McAllister; Tracy Lynn Olivera; Matthew Scott; Tobias A. Young
Overture Students: Alexandra Lagos, Tyler Lang, Kayla McGallian, Chase Nester, Kate Roddy Moore, Hannah Taylor, Miles Hanna, Trinity Lyons, Patrick Payne, Kendall Huheey, Wynter Nicole Cook, Tederell Johnson, and Sofia Cruz

WOLF TRAP ORCHESTRA
Conductor: Jon Kalbfleisch
Reeds: Matthew Belzer, Daniel Dickinson, Keith Daudelin, Lee Lachman, Tim Abbott
Horns: Hilary Harding, Justin Drew
Trumpets: Stephen Taylor, Phillip Snedecor, Kenneth Rittenhouse
Trombones: Jeffrey Cortazzo, Joseph Jackson
Piano/Keys: Alex Tang
Guitar (Electric, Acoustic, Banjo): Jim Roberts
Bass (Acoustic and Electric): Max Murray
Drum Set: Daniel Villanueva
Harp: Eric Sabbatino
Percussion: Chris Barrick
Violins: Laura Colgate (concertmaster), Allison Bailey, Kristin Bakkegard
Violas: James Kelly, Marj Goldberg
Cellos: Todd Thiel, Erin Snedecor

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Stage Manager: Taryn Friend; Production Assistant: Joey Blakely; Lighting Design: Max Doolittle

SEE ALSO:
Signature Theatre and Wolf Trap name ‘Broadway in the Park’ headliners (news story, May 4, 2024)

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A feat four years in the making, Portraits at the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall sees the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC at its most collaborative and inventive. Combining the work of nine visual artists, nine composers, nine choreographers, the 17th Street Dance ensemble, and the GMCW company, Portraits cleverly transcends medium in favor of message, distilling the poignant, the defiant, and the hopeful in equal measure.

Each piece in this nine-movement oratorio springs from the work of a visual artist. Introduced by a dramatic reading of the composer’s lyrics, each painting materializes above the choir, then wakens at their song. As dancers flit and fly across the stage, song and text and brushstroke all gain physicality and the catharsis of movement. Just as the borders of artistic practice collapse into one another, so do the narratives of these pieces assemble and combine to form an expansive gallery of queerness across social boundaries.

Through artistic abstraction, what could border on a didactic homily on the issues most pressing to the queer community now becomes an understated and lyrical ode to a future worth imagining. Indeed, in the words of Cuban American academic José Esteban Muñoz that ripple across each composition: “the present is not enough.”

The oratorio’s movements each work toward alternative futures in which queerness may allow us to heal ourselves, to find communion, to fulfill our desires, to be seen, and to live loudly and unfettered by expectation. From the yearnful imaginings of Nicole Wandera’s “Strange Fruit,” accompanied by a composition by Paul Leavitt and a dance choreographed by Catherine Oh, to the reflective solitude of Judith Peck’s “Steeled,” accompanied by a composition by Matthew Felbein and a dance choreographed by Krystal Butler, the movements in Portraits sweep the spectrum of queer experience and artistry.

The movements inspired by Joan Cox’s “Night Hunger,” a lucent piece exploring the force of the male gaze on lesbian relationships, and by Gregory Wilkins’ “Keep Your Eye on the Prize,” an empathetic study of queer solidarity and perseverance, stand out as crowd favorites. Other themes addressed just as tactfully include the disembodying effects of gender dysphoria (“Sleep with One Eye Open and Do Not Speak of It” by Terrance Gregoraschuk, music by Raymond Mueller, choreography by Jessi Brown-White), the isolation of racialized sociality (“See Me” by Linda Lowery, music by Royden Tse, choreography by Michael Bobbit), and the dichotomies between entrapment and escape (“Man with Tattoo, Havana” by James Kimak, music by Ismael Huerta, choreography by Solomon HaileSelassie; “Virginia” by Jacqueline Hoysted, music by Ethan Soledad, choreography by Andrea Miller).

GMCW’s Portraits delivers a cohesive yet varied series of original compositions with a conviction both refreshing and urgent. Helmed by Artistic Director Thea Kano, Portraits maintains a formal integrity despite its synthesized approach. Each piece feels distinct in its message while contributing to an exhibition united by queer love, kinship, and comradery. In addressing all these themes, Portraits tips the crucible of identity into new and expansive molds, casting queerness alongside myriad racial, ethnic, and cultural identities, as essential ways of being more intertwined and in need of protection than ever before.

Running Time: 90 minutes, with no intermission.

Portraits played June 16, 2024, presented by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC performing at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC.

The complete playbill for Portraits is online here.

PROGRAM

Portrait: Strange Fruit
Artist: Nicole Wandera
Music: “Strange Fruit”
Composer & Lyricist: Paul Leavitt
Choreographer: Catherine Oh

Portrait: Shard
Artist: Céline Gauchey
Music: “I am (only mine)”
Composer & Lyricist: Cole Reyes
Text: Cole Reyes
Choreographer: Matthew Cumbie

Portrait: See Me
Artist: Linda Lowery
Music: “Do You See Me?”
Composer & Lyricist: Royden Tse
Choreographer: Michael Bobbitt

–Five-Minute Pause–

Portrait: Sleep with One Eye Open and Do Not Speak of It
Artist: Terrance Gregoraschuk
Music: “Sleep With One Eye Open”
Composer & Lyricist: Raymond Mueller
Choreographer: Jessi Brown-White

Portrait: Steeled
Artist: Judith Peck
Music: “Steeled”
Composer & Lyricist: Matthew Felbein
Choreographer and Soloist: Krystal Butler

Portrait: Night Hunger
Artist: Joan Cox
Music: “For Us”
Composer: Richard Clawson
Lyricist: Caroline Peacock
Choreographer: James Ellzy

–Five-Minute Pause–

Portrait: Man with Tattoo, Havana
Artist: James Kimak
Music: “Paz”
Composer: Ismael Huerta
Text: Alfonsina Storni (1892-1938)
Choreographer: Solomon HaileSelassie

Portrait: Black Lives Matter: Keep Your Eye on the Prize
Artist: Gregory Wilkins
Music: “It Was Not Fate”
Composer: Joshua Fishbein
Text: William H. A. Moore
Choreographer: Craig Cipollini

Portrait: Virginia
Artist: Jacqueline Hoysted
Music: “When I Rise Up”
Composer: Ethan Soledad
Text: Georgia Douglas Johnson (1880-1966) Choreographer: Andrea Miller
Soloist: Chloe Crenshaw

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Legendary Broadway star Patti LuPone raised the roof at the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall on Friday, giving ecstatic fans a musical tour through her decades in show business. Now 75, with two bionic hips, a new shoulder and a possible second one to come (each of which resulting from strenuous, long-running roles), LuPone has not lost one ounce of her grace and verve. Her extraordinary voice purred, preened, and exploded with depth and power, often within a single phrase.

LuPone’s new concert tour, which extends to Australia next month, was beautifully written by Jeffrey Richman from the singer’s rich recollections. Musical Director Joseph Thalken, who has collaborated with luminaries including Bernadette Peters and Renée Fleming, accompanied her on piano and offered occasional vocal harmony. Brad Phillips, who has also worked with a slew of musical superstars, backed up LuPone on an array of string instruments. At every turn, the singer gratefully acknowledged her collaborators and encouraged her audience to do the same.

Sporting a smart black pantsuit with twinkling sequin lapels, LuPone traced her musical journey from Northport, Long Island, where she came of age desperately in love with movie star Troy Donahue. She recalled that achingly painful teenage era through some of its most memorable anthems, including “Teen Angel” and “Town Without Pity.” Then it was on to the sixties with “Alfie” and “Those Were the Days.” LuPone infused each of these enigmatic songs with an astute mix of wistfulness and joy.

She emerged in the second half in a splendid silvery gown with diaphanous “wings” that sashayed dramatically as she moved. Now we were in the era of LuPone’s most memorable Tony- and Olivier-winning roles, including Eva Peron in the original production of Evita. “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” brought the audience to its feet. Recalling her role as Fantine in Les Misérables, which she also originated in London, LuPone gave her audience a rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” that spoke to the pathos of lost love and bitterly dashed hopes. Yet even among a succession of high points, LuPone’s sterling performance of “Ladies Who Lunch” from Steven Sondheim’s Company, arched way, way over the top, bringing her fans out of their seats once again.

Like all of us, LuPone’s forced at-home stint during the pandemic allowed time for her to reflect on what meant most to her. Family came first. She now looks back on her life with gratitude and ahead with tempered joy. The songstress gently brought us down to earth with a series lighter but no less entertaining songs, including Cole Porter’s 1930s romp, “Anything Goes” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.” Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young” — truly a description of LuPone herself — rounded out an evening that offered something memorable for every one of her fans at the Kennedy Center.

Running Time: Two hours plus a 15-minute intermission.

Patti LuPone: A Life in Notes played at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC, for one night only, May 17, 2024.

The program for Patti LuPone: A Life in Notes is online here.

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More than 200 people packed into Songbyrd, DC’s best live-music venue, to welcome back Roz White to her hometown. It was a one-night affair at the invitation of long-time friend and producer Eric Richardson, who flew the singer in to headline a Jackie Mars’ Mars Arts DC Arts concert.

“Why is it always hot when I sing in DC?” she asked. Backed by “The Band,” she soon raised the room temp even further to smoldering.

It’s been a minute since this gifted singer-actress followed her bliss and went off on the national tour of The Tina Turner Musical, which she has brilliantly anchored for two years playing Tina’s mother. The tour is winding down, and we will get to see a lot more of her come fall. But many of us couldn’t wait to feel the love.

Whatever she does, the artist does with distinction, and everyone knows she will not be pinned down by genre or style. Wednesday night, she gave us a little New Orleans sound, some Gladys Knight, sent out Latin kisses with “In a Sentimental Mood” blues, and got audience participation in “Go Overboard.” Naughty or nice, all was Magical Roz.

There’s a new maturity there and access to chocolatey low notes as when she dug-so-deep in her heartfelt “Willow Weep for Me.”

You know when you see Roz in anything on stage, whether her solo singing career or music-theater work around town, be it Studio, Mosaic, Metro Stage, or wherever, you are going to get emotional authenticity. Roz is the real deal and an artist who always comes through.

There were plenty of local artists in the room to pay tribute to her — singers like Ronette Rollins, Victoria Purcel Coan, and Robert E. Person, and producers like Jenny Bilfield of WPAS, who produced this program, Serge Seiden and Reginald Douglas from Mosaic Theater, Carolyn Griffin of Metro Stage, and Preacher-Teacher-Event Host-and Recording Artist Dr. Jerome Allen Bell.

Nothing brings our community together better than music, and no music can break open our hearts more than the generous sound and soul of Miss Roz White.

Roz White performed May 8, 2024, presented by Washington Performing Arts as part of the Mars Arts D.C. Concert Series at Songbyrd Music House, 540 Penn Street NE, Washington, DC.

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By the time the final song arrives in Audra McDonald’s powerhouse performance with the National Symphony Orchestra, the directive to “Get Happy” (by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler, sung in medley with “Happy Days Are Here Again” by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen) feels a bit like cheeky sarcasm. After all, how could a person be anything but ecstatic after experiencing two whirlwind hours of McDonald at her best, lobbing soaring renditions of Broadway standards into the audience like the unbeatable champion of some musical theater home run derby. There are certainly worse ways to spend a Tuesday night, and few better.

In a two-night engagement in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, McDonald, with nothing to prove, nonetheless proves over and over why she has earned her place as one of the foremost stage stars of the modern era. Holding the record for the most performance-category Tony Awards (count ’em, six!), including an award in each of the four eligible categories, McDonald’s bio precedes her. For the uninitiated, she is a best bet for a night out. But for the devoted fans, who appeared to show up at the Kennedy Center en masse for this solo turn, McDonald is tantamount to musical theater mythology.

With the reliable backing of the National Symphony Orchestra, the full breadth of McDonald’s singular vocal talent is on display here. In numbers ranging from the jumpy (“Can’t Stop Talking” by Frank Loesser) and jazzy (“It Don’t Mean a Thing” by DC’s own Duke Ellington), to the tender (“Bein’ Green” by Joe Raposo) and triumphant (“Before the Parade Passes By” by Jerry Herman), McDonald practically swings through the full spectrum of both human emotion and the Great American Songbook. While some adorants may describe her immense talent with well-meaning descriptors like “effortless,” this performance is anything but: McDonald heaves her body and soul into every song, throwing her voice to the farthest corners of the Concert Hall, but maintaining careful control of the sound with the skillful precision of a scalpel-slinging surgeon.

One needn’t look further than her show-stopping performance of “Summertime” from Porgy & Bess (by George and Ira Gershwin and Dubose Heyward), for which she won her fifth Tony Award in 2012. Slowly lowering the microphone and stepping out of its range, McDonald opens her mouth to unleash the crystalline first notes of the song. Without straining, she sustains the song unamplified, harkening to a time when singers were trained to rely on the power of their own voices to reach the back row. Even in this raw form, she miraculously infuses the song with nuanced phrasing and befitting dynamics, never tapering along the way.

McDonald rightfully belongs to a pantheon of musical theater women (see the Ladies in Red from Sondheim! The Birthday Concert) whose next-level talent has earned continual acclaim. Like Chita Rivera — whom McDonald memorialized last night by dedicating a medley performance of Leonard Bernstein’s “Somewhere” (with Stephen Sondheim) and “Some Other Time” (with Betty Comdon and Adolph Green) to her — McDonald’s talent has endured and will endure through decades. For this definition of a trouper, live performance is obviously an essential component of her molecular composition. Even with successful forays into film (Rustin and Origin, recently) and television (including a recurring role alongside other Broadway favorites on HBO’s The Gilded Age), it seems that McDonald’s home is the stage. And, if the effusive audience in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall is any indicator, that home is one “where there’s love overflowing,” as referenced in The Wiz’s “Home” (soulful, lovely in tribute to original cast member Hinton Battle).

But in McDonald, there lurks an unpredictability that is distinct from her peers and makes her all the more alluring. Aside from the extraordinary talent, technique, and presence, she is a veritable emotional chameleon. Gliding in and out of songs, she maneuvers seamlessly between the distinct characters for whom these songs were originally written and herself, never ceding a relentless genuineness regardless of who she’s portraying. Kicking off the evening with Herman’s “I Am What I Am,” she is both ebullient and defiant, as if to warn, “These songs are as much a part of me as I am of them.”

But that affinity for the unpredictable transcends simply the structure of the two-act performance, permeating through each number. McDonald possesses a clear mastery of craft and an intrinsic dramatic understanding that allow her to move freely within the music: adjusting tempos, riffing off the page, constantly pushing and pulling. Each momentary decision is so motivated by emotional truth that these flourishes feel at once surprising and inevitable. A lesser performer would fall apart attempting such feats. But McDonald is no such performer. She has the gift, plain and simple. And she damn well knows how to use it.

To her benefit, the audience is all the more engaged for it, be they her most devoted fans or the second-date couple who bought tickets on a lark (it is the Kennedy Center, after all). Regardless of whether she is introducing a new number (“I Love Today” by Kim Kalesti, so sweet) or succumbing to the pressures of singing more “popular” standards (like Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s “I Could Have Danced All Night,” jubilation, and John Kander and Fred Ebb’s “Cabaret,” fresh and bluesy), the audience unwittingly shifts toward the front of their seats in expectant anticipation of where she may be taking them.

It helps that she has the support of a nimble, savvy music director in Andy Einhorn. Under his guest baton, the NSO fades appropriately into the background on most numbers (even though sound balance issues in the Concert Hall occasionally relinquished McDonald’s voice to the musical force behind her), but teeters on the verge of underutilization. The single exception is Richard Rodgers’ “Carousel Waltz,” one of the composer’s finest works, which functions as both an overture and a showcase of the orchestra’s musical bravado. It is a transporting selection, effectively repositioning the audience in an era when show tunes and pop hits were one and the same, and transforming the Concert Hall, with its four tiers and a seating capacity that far outnumbers any of the 41 legitimate Broadway theaters, into something more akin to a cramped auditorium wedged on 45th St between 7th and 8th Avenues.

Experiencing such a performance in this living monument to the performing arts, one can’t help but wonder if (or, perhaps, when) McDonald will find herself in the President’s Box at a future Kennedy Center Honors. In a business where so few achieve the kind of professional longevity McDonald has achieved (with 13 Broadway credits across three decades under her belt), one can only hope that her contributions to the American musical theater will eventually be immortalized in such a way. But, thankfully, there is no indicator that she is stopping any time soon. Is it possible for a person to begin a career in their prime and never leave it? The folks at Spotify shouldn’t be surprised to see a spike in McDonald-related streams throughout the Washington area this week. Whenever McDonald rolls into town, or comes through a pair of headphones as clear as a whistle, one can’t help but think: happy days are here again.

Running Time: Two hours and 10 minutes.

Audra McDonald plays a two-night engagement with the National Symphony Orchestra on January 30 and 31, 2024, in the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts Concert Hall, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC.

The program is online here.

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“How lucky were we to live in the time of Stephen Sondheim?” In the final moments of To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Stephen Sondheim, Callaway finally asks the question that she’s spent 75 or so minutes answering with a resounding verve. In a one-night engagement at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater on Saturday night, Callaway brought down the house with stories of her experiences working with the legendary composer and first-rate performances of some of his greatest and more obscure songs alike.

Written in the months following Sondheim’s death in November 2021 and first performed at New York’s 54 Below, To Steve With Love is an exquisite tribute to Callaway’s friend and professional hero. After first encountering his work as a child during the original run of Company in the early 1970s, Callaway was one of the young adults cast in the premiere production of Merrily We Roll Along. Though that production is regarded as one of Broadway’s most monumental flops, it commenced Callaway’s working relationship with Sondheim. And in the years following, she appeared in the legendary 1985 concert production of Follies with the New York Philharmonic, provided musical support throughout Sondheim’s interview on Inside the Actor’s Studio, and performed in regional productions of works including Sunday in the Park With George.

If such a pedigree is not enough to solidify Callaway’s place as one of the foremost interpreters of Sondheim’s work, then the performances certainly speak (sing?) for themselves. To Steve With Love is an exceptionally well-constructed and balanced tribute in a genre that too often toes the line of self-indulgence. But in her earnestness and devotion to the integrity of the man and his music, Callaway never once flirts with such a transgression. Rather, in her deference to the songs and her delightful recounting of her experiences performing for Sondheim, she speaks of him in the way that only a true fan can. And for a man who was so prolific in his correspondence with his listeners, Callaway signs, seals, and delivers what amounts to a gushing fan letter. It’s no wonder that the live recording of an earlier performance of the show has garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Tradition Vocal Pop Album.

Callaway isn’t the first to do a Sondheim tribute album — in fact, she’s up against Sondheim Unplugged (The NYC Sessions), Vol. 3 for that Grammy next month — and she surely won’t be the last. But in To Steve With Love, Callaway departs from the standard practice of simply trotting out a carousel of greatest hits, opting instead to lovingly weave in delightful medlies and parody numbers to offset the classics. In the opening number, she sets the tone for the show by blending “Someone in a Tree” from Pacific Overtures and “I Know Things Now” from Into the Woods with the title song from Company to establish her first encounter with Sondheim and the continuing effect of his music on her life. She achieves such confluence with both emotional aplomb and exceptional economy. And in a delicious sendup of “Another Hundred People” from Company, Callaway frantically sings about the complex arrangements and intricate lyrics listeners relish and performers dread.

She digs deeply into the trunk to revive songs from Sondheim’s early shows, including “What More Do I Need?” from Saturday Night and “What Do We Do? We Fly!” from Do I Hear a Waltz?, written with Richard Rodgers. And, in a heartwarming surprise, she summons her son, Nicholas Callaway Foster, to the stage for a performance of “Move On” from Sunday in the Park With George. Repurposing the song as a mother-son duet underscores not only Callaway’s firm understanding of the emotional depth in Sondheim’s songs but also the astonishing symbiosis of specificity and universality in which Sondheim rooted his work.

Still, despite these deeply personal tributes and nontraditional offerings, the most special moments of the night are Callaway’s straightforward performances of such classics as “In Buddy’s Eyes” from Follies, “Send in the Clowns” from A Little Night Music, and “Loving You” from Passion. In each of these numbers, she refrains from resorting to unwritten riffs and flourishes, leaning into one of Sondheim’s own three musical principles outlined in his two-volume retrospective, Finishing the Hat: less is more. In Callaway’s case, the “more” becomes the “most,” as she relies on the clarity of her voice, exceptional vocal control, and instinctive phrasing to allow Sondheim’s heartbreaking lyrics to convey with maximum punch. Even without the benefit of narrative that in-context performances of these songs would afford, Callaway is still able to convey the emotional complexity of each number just the same. She performs the songs with the skill of a tried-and-true technician and the gravity of a true connoisseur. She is singing from her heart and her mind and her soul.

And so she should, for the greatest American musical theater composer of his generation. To call Sondheim’s music singular would be a disservice to the extraordinarily complex characters and issues he wrote for and from. His work runs the gamut of both form and favor, polarizing even those who count themselves as his biggest fans. But like that old refrain in “Comedy Tonight” from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, there is something for everybody in the Sondheim canon. With the introductory chords of each new song, heartbreaking sighs, excited yelps, and knowing mmm’s floated reflexively out of the audience.

“I know this is a city of Sondheim fans,” said Callaway to her assembled crowd, who seemed to nod as one in agreement. Two years after Sondheim’s death and 22 years after the Kennedy Center staged six Sondhiem musicals in its own Sondheim Celebration, Callaway’s performance feels a bit like a long-postponed family-only wake for a beloved icon. But with the advantage of time and reflection on the music and the memories, this meditation on one man’s life and his role in another woman’s is nothing short of celebratory catharsis.

How lucky we were to live in the time of Stephen Sondheim. And Liz Callaway.

Running Time: 75 minutes.

To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim played a one-night engagement on January 20, 2024, in the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts Terrace Theater, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC.

The program for To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim is online here. An album recording of the show is available at lizcallaway.com.

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Creative Cauldron’s popular annual “Passport to the World of Music Festival” featuring some of the most talented and diverse musicians in the Metro DC area and beyond will launch on January 6 and run through February 3, 2024. The Festival is curated by Wammy Award-winning artists Ken Avis and Lynn Veronneau. It features musical styles and genres from folk, Latin, jazz, and blues along with global musical traditions. Each weekend has its own theme, a festival within a festival…American Classics, Guitar Fest, Women in Music, and more. The “Passport to the World of Music” Festival is sponsored by Ken Trotter, JD Realtor TTR Sotheby’s International Realty.

2024 “Passport to the World of Music” Festival Performances

Week One: Passport Favorites…Encore!

Saturday, January 6 at 7:30 pm                The Kennedys
DC’s legendary folk-pop duo, featuring Pete & Maura Kennedy, return from New York City for one special show.

Sunday, January 7 at 2:00 pm                   Raymi
Juan Cayrampoma and his band bring the haunting sounds and mystic power of the Andes using traditional zamponas, moscenos, quenas, and tarkas with contemporary drums and guitars.

Sunday, January 7 at 7:30 pm                   Ken & Brad Kolodner
This renowned, dynamic father-son team weaves together a captivating soundscape on hammered dulcimer and clawhammer banjo blurring the lines of Old-Time, Bluegrass and American Roots music.

Week Two:  American Classics

Friday, January 12, at 7:30 pm                  “Hail! Hail! Rock n Roll” A Tribute to Chuck Berry – An all-star band led by Kenny Pirog, celebrates the King of Rock n’ Roll Chuck Berry; “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Johnny B. Goode”…the hits kept on coming. Featured pianist Daryl Davis has performed with Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Platters, The Drifters, The Coasters, Bo Diddley, and many more.

Saturday, January 13 at 7:30 pm              Newmyer Flyer Presents A TRIBUTE TO THE EVERLY BROTHERS –One of the most important vocal duos in rock history. With more than 20 Top Ten hits, including; Wake Up Little Susie, Cryin In the Rain, When Will I Be Loved, All I Have to Do Is Dream, were in for a fabulous night in the company of some of DC’s finest including David Kitchen, Willie Barry, Ruthie Logsdon, Jess Elliott Myrhe, Bill Starks, Andy Rutherford, Louie Newmyer & Tom Fridrich.

Sunday, January 14 at 2:00 pm                 Shenandoah Run – This eight-member ensemble presents traditional and contemporary folk music, along with a wide selection of Americana from the acoustic ’60s and ’70s in a manner that delights a diverse mix of music lovers of all ages.

Sunday, January 14 at 7:30 pm                 The Other Side of Nat King Cole – Award-winning jazz and soul vocalist Alison Crockett, originally performed at the Kennedy Center, highlights some of his well and lesser-known songs with Alison’s unique arrangements and interpretations and features some of the DC area’s finest jazz musicians.

Week Three:  Guitar Fest Weekend        

Friday, January 19 at 7:30 pm                   Nate Najar & Daniela Soledade “Love & Bossa Nova” – Florida-based duo Daniela Soledade and Nate Najar, create an enchanting soundscape of irresistible Brazilian rhythms. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Soledade’s family roots are steeped in Bossa Nova’s inception.

Saturday, January 20 at 7:30 pm              Telemasters of the Anacostia Delta – Two Masters of the Telecaster performing the music of Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, and other legends of DC guitar history. Get ready for a guitar jamboree covering the gamut of music from the 1950s on, country, blues, rock, jazz – it’s all in this guitar gumbo.

Sunday, January 21 at 2:00 pm                 “Guitar Alchemy” With Ken Avis & Friends – Four solo musicians perform an in-the-round concert, exploring the more exotic instruments of the guitar family. Expect the beautiful and the unexpected from this gathering of guitar composers, characters, and innovators, with one foot in the musical traditions.

Sunday, January 21 at 7:30 pm                 The Guitar Renegades  – A brand new project featuring DC area’s most exciting jazz guitar soloists performing as a quintet. Cristian Perez (Project Locrea), Jan Knutson (The Great Guitars), and Connor Holdridge (Hot Club of Baltimore).

Week Four:  DC Women in Music

Friday, January 26 at 7:30 pm                   Iona “Celtic Traditions” –  One of the leading Celtic music groups in the region. Founded by lead singer, bouzouki, guitar and bodhrán player Barbara Ryan and Bernard Argent; and featuring percussive dancer and singer Marsha Searle, of Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, the band perform a unique, acoustic weave of the traditional music of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, the Isle of Man, Asturies and Galicia, as well as their transplants in America.

Saturday, January 27 at 7:30 pm              Wicked Sycamore – An all-female trio of multi-instrumentalists and songwriters, grounded in traditional roots, Americana, and bluegrass music. Intricate vocal harmonies, thoughtful arrangement, and instrumental prowess are the bedrock for their eclectic, touching and fun musical explorations.

Sunday, January 28 at 7:30 pm                 Seven Voices: A Tribute to Patsy Cline – A rare team of talented DMV artists to pay tribute to the First Lady of Country with classic renditions of her songs, and reimagined versions featuring new instrumentation and creative arrangements played by internationally-touring, award-winning musicians: Jess Eliot Myhre (Bumper Jacksons), Maureen Andary (Sweater Set), Be Steadwell, Nicole Saphos, Dave Chappell, and Ele Rubenstein.

Week Five:  Passport to the World Fest – Finale Weekend

Friday, February 3 at 7:30 pm                   Sean Heely’s Celtic Experience – ​It’s always a party when champion fiddler and singer Seán Heely is at the Cauldron with his band. One of the most creatively versatile and captivating Celtic artists of his generation, Sean is a U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion as well as an award-winning Irish Fiddler, singer, and harpist in the folk and Gaelic traditions of Scotland and Ireland.

Saturday, February 4 at 7:30 pm              Veronneau’s Passport to the World Fest Closing Party! – Award-winning Quebecoise vocalist Lynn Veronneau and British guitarist Ken Avis close out the Passport festival with multi-lingual, original, and classics from the world of jazz, bossa nova, chanson, swing, and blues. Come celebrate with Veronneau….tickets will sell fast, so don’t delay!

Creative Cauldron presents Passport to the World of Music Festival, January 6 to February 3, 2024, at 410 South Maple Avenue Retail 116, Falls Church, VA. For more information about the series and to purchase tickets go to creativecauldron.org or call the box office at 703-436-9948.

About Creative Cauldron

Creative Cauldron is an award-winning non-profit theater and educational arts organization whose innovative programs in the performing and visual arts embody collaboration, experimentation, and community engagement. Creative Cauldron was founded by Artistic Director Laura Connors Hull in 2002. In 2023 Creative Cauldron launched a $500,000 New Home-New Horizon capacity campaign to raise funds for a move into a new theater at the corner of Broad and Washington in Falls Church City.

Programs are presented in part through grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, ArtsFairfax, the City of Falls Church, the Little City CATCH Foundation the Ross-Roberts Fund for the Arts, and the Robert W and Gladys S Meserve Charitable Trust. Generous corporate and individual sponsors also support Creative Cauldron’s programs.

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Award-winning artist Renée Elise Goldsberry, well known for her portrayal of Angelica Schuyler in Broadway’s Hamilton, graced the stage Saturday evening at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts as the finale of the university’s annual benefit, ARTS by George!

The event was part of the university’s annual showcase of talent from George Mason students, ranging from computer graphic design, to dance, film, musical theater, instrumental ensembles, and more. The funds raised support student scholarships in the arts at George Mason University. Laura Mertens, marketing manager; Camille Cintron Devlin, PR and communications; event co-chairs Anne Bolger and Steven Golsch; and Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts Rick Davis all deserve applause for hosting this massive event held in a variety of buildings and stages on the Fairfax campus. The evening did not disappoint for its organization, hospitality, and welcoming atmosphere for patrons and guests.

Renée Elise Goldsberry, known as a powerhouse for her role in Hamilton alone, performed what she told the audience were songs from her original 2017 tour. She opened with a lovely rendition of “On a Clear Day,” from the 1965 musical of the same name, which became the 1970 movie starring Barbra Streisand. The singer also sang a medley of songs from Sweet Honey in the Rock, the all-female African-American gospel ensemble. She also delivered a sassy rendition of the song “Bye-Bye” from the Peter Gunn soundtrack written by Henry Mancini, originally performed by jazz icon Sarah Vaughn. Another highlight was “Without You,” from Jonathan Larsen’s Rent, the musical in which Goldsberry played the character of Mimi on Broadway.

All of the song selections showed off Goldsberry’s incredible versatility and range, but, as she herself said, “If I want to get out of here alive with all of these musical theater people in these seats, I better sing from the Broadway shows I have been in!” To the delight of the audience, she did just that, asking the audience for help with supporting vocals as she featured her show-stopping renditions of “Satisfied” and “The Schuyler Sisters” from Lin Manuel-Miranda’s 2016 smash hit, Hamilton.

Renée Elise Goldsberry expressed her gratitude about being invited to perform at an event that was created to support the performing arts, and how important it is to support the arts, the artists, and their craft. As she mentioned, “to every performer who has stood in front of a mirror in their bedroom with a brush in their hand, pretending it was a microphone” (including this reviewer), we need the arts to make life work.

Renée Elise Goldsberry in Concert played one night only on September 30, 2023, at George Mason University, Center for the Arts Concert Hall, 4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax, VA. The concert was part of George Mason University’s annual ARTS by George! benefit event supporting student scholarships at the College of Visual & Performing Arts, the Mason Community Arts Academy, Green Machine Ensembles, and the Great Performances at Mason season at the Center for the Arts.

For complete information about ARTS by George!, including scholarship stories, a schedule of student showcases, previous ARTS by George! images, and more, visit the event website. To learn about upcoming performances at George Mason University, click here.

Band:
Jordan Peters, Music Director, Guitar
Addison Frei, Keyboard/Piano
Kenneth Salters, Drums
Jeff Hanley, Bass
Kristina Nicole Miller, Tasha Michelle, Adee David, backing vocals

SEE ALSO:
Stage and TV star Renée Elise Goldsberry on her upcoming concert at GMU (interview by Nicole Hertvik, September 13, 2023)

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Renée Elise Goldsberry, best known for playing Angelica Schuyler in the original Broadway cast of Hamilton — a role that won her a Tony, Emmy, and Grammy — has amassed a lifetime of successes on stage and screen: from lauded Broadway performances in The Lion King, Rent, and Hamilton, to major roles on popular TV shows including Ally McBeal, The Good Wife, and most recently, Girls5Eva. And anyone who has heard her belting, jazz-inflected voice knows she is a master vocalist.

But more than a singer, TV performer, or theater performer, Goldsberry considers herself a storyteller.

“I call myself a storyteller because that term best encompasses my goals,” Goldsberry shared during a recent phone interview. “Throughout my entire life, my goals have been to tell stories of human beings, Americans, women, and Black women, in whatever I do.”

Goldsberry’s upcoming concert appearance on September 30 as part of George Mason University’s ARTS by George! benefit event will reflect the breadth and diversity of her talents. The concert will feature songs by artists as varied as Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan, great jazz and pop vocalists, and the theater tunes that made her a Broadway icon, including songs from Hamilton, Rent, and The Lion King. In a wink and a nod to her standout solo number from Hamilton, Goldsberry jokes, “Everyone will leave the show feeling ‘Satisfied.’ ”

Goldberry has been touring with her band since 2017, refining and evolving a 90-minute set that she hopes will feel like a huge party for audiences.

One of the best things about the success of Hamilton, Goldsberry says, is that it opened up opportunities for her to connect with audiences who shared her love for the show. “Hamilton started off as inaccessible to most people [who couldn’t get to NYC or afford tickets]. It’s beautiful that it is everywhere now. I love to feel like I’m part of the tradition of opening the show to the world.”

Goldsberry brings her concert to the DC region on the heels of her first return to a New York theater production since Hamilton. At the Public Theater last month, she took on the lead role of Prospero in a musical adaptation of The Tempest.

Goldsberry feels a deep connection to the Public Theater, which she credits for first putting her on the radar of a young Lin-Manuel Miranda when she performed in a 2005 production of Two Gentlemen of Verona. Returning to the Public Theater for The Tempest allowed her to work with the theater’s Public Works Program, which brings together a handful of professional performers to work with NYC residents who often have no theater experience at all.

“The result is a thrilling and exhausting community-building adventure,” Goldsberry says. “By the end of the run, the entire company felt like family.” Most exciting for Goldsberry was the fact that her two children were in the ensemble. “It was the first time in my life that I didn’t have to choose between the two passions in my life!”

GMU’s ARTS by George! benefit event isn’t the only charitable work Goldsberry has been championing lately. She credits the Hamilton team, and the Miranda family, for modeling the importance of using their visibility to contribute to the world in a positive way. Goldsberry recently visited Puerto Rico in a fundraising effort with Lin-Manuel Miranda, his father Luis Miranda, and other members of the original Hamilton cast, the first such reunion of original cast members since 2017. “Being a part of the Hamilton family and being able to participate in these efforts is a gift,” the actress says.

Goldsberry’s decades-long television career is also keeping her busy. Since 2021, she has starred in Girls5Eva, a musical comedy in which Goldsberry plays a member of a one-hit-wonder girl band trying to get its mojo back. Other Broadway luminaries appearing on the show include Sarah Bareilles, Ashley Park, and Andrew Rannells. Girls5Eva aired on Peacock for two seasons. The third season, picked up by Netflix, has been filmed and will air when the current Hollywood writers and actors strike concludes.

In the meantime, Goldsberry is having a ball touring the country with her band, a team she has performed with since 2017 at numerous events like the September 30 ARTS by George! benefit event. We “blow the roof off!” at every performance, she says.

Renée Elise Goldsberry in Concert plays one night only on Saturday, September 30, 2023, at 8:30 PM at George Mason University, Center for the Arts Concert Hall, 4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax, VA. For tickets ($55-$105), go online. A limited number of free tickets are available to George Mason University students.

The concert is part of George Mason University’s annual ARTS by George! benefit event supporting student scholarships at the College of Visual & Performing Arts, the Mason Community Arts Academy, Green Machine Ensembles, and the Great Performances at Mason season at the Center for the Arts.

Band:
Jordan Peters, Music Director, Guitar
Addison Frei, Keyboard/Piano
Kenneth Salters, Drums
Jeff Hanley, Bass
Kristina Nicole Miller, Tasha Michelle, Adee David, backing vocals

Renée Elise Goldsberry in Hamilton

https://youtu.be/oAu3_H5ECpw?si=J5VKJt2X4QZrkmPq

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