Broadway Fright Night
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts,
Scottsdale, AZ, October 30, 2020
Reviewed by Lynn Timmons Edwards
Bravo to the Scottsdale Center for the Arts for commissioning a unique Broadway review, not only offering audiences a much-appreciated infusion of music theater but also employing four out-of-work Broadway actors. This included Ben Crawford, the current Phantom who was the last to be seen on The Great White Way, March 12, 2020.
Broadway Fright Night gave the cast the opportunity to perform songs from roles on their résumé, while loosely creating a Halloween-themed cabaret. In addition to “The Music of the Night” as the 11-o’clock number, Crawford also gave us “Fight the Dragons” from Big Fish, “Who’d I Be” from Shrek, the Musical, and “This Is the Moment” from Jekyll and Hyde. Crawford, who hails from Arizona is a Broadway baritone with all the high notes he needs for these roles.
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He stands tall, dark, and handsome on stage and clearly has classical training that he tempers with enough acting chops to show Shrek’s vulnerability or the power of Dr.
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Jekyll before he evolves into Mr. Hyde. His dynamics in “The Music of the Night” are flawless.
Justin Matthew Sargent shined in the rock musical genre including “I Would Do Anything for Love” and “Bat Out of Hell” from Jim Steinman’s show Bat Out of Hell that finally made it to New York, just before everything closed. He recreated his role as Peter Parker with “Boy Falls from the Sky” from Spider Man, Turn Off the Dark. He uses a hand-held mic well, allowing him to move across the stage as if he were surrounded by all the sets and lights of Broadway. “Out There” from the Hunchback of Notre Dame was less interesting but a song worthy of the night’s theme.
The women did Broadway proud, possessing powerful voices and skilled acting. Marian Torres has spent many nights in green make-up so her Elphaba’s “The Wizard and I” and “Defying Gravity” (the no-fly version) were spot on perfect. She also gave us a throwback “You’ve Got Possibilities” from the 1966 It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman,” the first Broadway musical based on a comic book character.
Even though she does not look like an Audrey, she made me believe that she longed for “Somewhere That’s Green” to escape the Little Shop of Horrors. I learned that before Bat Out of Hell, Jim Steinman had a big Broadway flop with Dance of the Vampires. Torres, with a little help from Sargent, belted out “Total Eclipse of the Heart” complete with some campy odes to elbow bumping and hand sanitizer.
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Alicia Irving opened the show with “The Worst Pies in London” recreating the role of Mrs. Lovett from Sweeny Todd. Later she was joined by Sargent for “By the Sea.” She seems visually young to me, but vocally perfect for the role. She has also clearly played the Witch in Into the Woods somewhere as her “Last Midnight” dressed in black was a perfect choice for Halloween. “Eve Was Weak” from Carrie was my least favorite moment, based on the song, not the singer.
Stephen DeAngelis credited Scottsdale resident, Kelli James with introducing him to the Scottsdale Center for the Arts and creating the cabaret. A New York casting director, he might have cast someone less dry as The Emcee, but his narration was fact based and kept the show moving along. There was no intermission but there was a Q & A that started slow, but became a Seth Rudetsky moment, allowing the actors to tell fun stories about mishaps on stage, dealing with elaborate hair and makeup, and how it felt to be in front of a live audience again. I would be remiss if I did not mention the very talented guest artist, Jessica Fink, a student of James and currently a music theater major in Colorado. She was featured on “Dead Mom” from Beetlejuice, so fitting for Halloween.
The entire cast closed out the evening with a hair raising “Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Show. Kudos to music director and pianist Eugene Gwozdz who provided superb accompaniment throughout the night and was the star on both the opening “Overture” from The Phantom of the Opera and a very funny “TV Theme from the Addams Family.”
Mark your calendar as DeAngelis promised to be back February 6, 2021with another original cabaret featuring Black Broadway stars who will both recreate roles and share their experience of being Black on Broadway. The Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is offering audiences a choice to purchase tickets and attend live or watch virtually from home.
