Fortunately, the Cincinnati Pops often features megastars from Broadway; so far, I’ve seen Cynthia Erivo, Lea Salonga, and Brian Stokes Mitchell. Tonight, though, I saw perhaps the most legendary figure so far - Stephen Schwartz.
Mr. Schwartz is the Tony, Grammy, and Oscar winning-composer of such brilliant musicals as “Wicked,” “Godspell,” and “Pippin.” He wrote songs for “Pocahontas,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “The Prince of Egypt,” and many more. And tonight, along with John Morris Russell and a small cast of vocalists, he appeared not ten feet from me at Music Hall.
I was fortunate enough to attend an open rehearsal this morning. I’d never seen one of those before. It was fantastic to get a glimpse into the process of putting together one of these concerts, which usually have minimal time to test the waters before performing for audiences. We left at the break, saving some surprises for tonight, and I’m so grateful for an amazing day.
Highlights of the show for me were seeing Schwartz play piano and singing some of his biggest hits, but also hearing the soaring vocals of the exquisite tenor Scott Coulter, the showmanship of Tony winner Debbie Gravitte, and the smooth singing of Michael McCorry Rose and Shaleah Adkisson. John Boswell also accompanied the show when Schwartz was off stage or singing with the foursome mid-stage, and his talent is remarkable.
Not only did we hear “The Wizard and I,” but we also got to hear some of the earlier versions of songs that didn’t make the cut for “Wicked.” Gravitte acted the heck out of a piece from “Working” (“It’s an Art”). At the same time, Adkisson delighted with “Meadowlark” from “The Baker’s Wife.” Rose treated us to a song from a musical about Harry Houdini, which has been abandoned, while Coulter stole the show with all of his solos, especially his mashup of “Just Around the Riverbend” and “Corner of the Sky.”
Schwartz, while not the best vocalist of the crew, was quite sincere in his renditions of “Chanson” from “The Baker’s Wife” and “For Good” from “Wicked.” But it was the songs from “Godspell” in the second half of the concert that the mostly older crowd resonated with the best.
Cincinnati is rich with opportunities to see Broadway-level talent between the CCM Musical Theatre Program and these types of Pops concerts. I hope more and more younger folks will take advantage of the chance to soak up the luscious performances we are spoiled to see. I know I will continue to “make good” on my mission to see as many of my heroes live as possible.
DEFYING GRAVITY: An Evening with Stephen Schwartz and Friends continues this weekend at Music Hall in downtown Cincinnati. Tickets and more information can be found here.