Broadway was a big theme this weekend throughout Dallas. Uptown Players opened its weekend-long run of its annual Broadway Our Way. Lyric Stage opened its newest production of the musical Jekyll and Hyde which runs through April 19. Dallas Symphony Orchestra also hosted a couple of Broadway legends as well.
DSO hosted A Night of Broadway with Kelli O’Hara and Sutton Foster Friday-Sunday at the Meyerson. The show featured a curated set of showtunes including songs from signature shows by both Tony-Award winners as well as from others along with a couple of surprise numbers. The symphony was conducted by Steven Reineke.
The final show was Sunday’s afternoon matinee and the two singers along with Reineke showed as much enthusiasm as if it were opening night.
Both were in fine form as their voices soared through the Meyerson with each tune. In between, their banter and schtick was always amusing. They talked about how this show was somewhat of a tribute and riff off Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews’ show. They did lean a bit too heavily on this aspect by referring to those two icons because this show felt only like a glorious showcase of these actors’ talents. A small criticism of an otherwise spectacular night.
The two seemed genuinely happy to be there and delivered not just magnificent performances, but with warmth and joy and comedy. They even poked fun at themselves as both were former Macaroni Grill servers and donned the aprons. Foster and O’Hara nodded to Dallas with The Most Happy Fella track “Big D.” Some might argue Foster’s tap number for “Anything Goes” was the biggest highlight (OK, one friend said that to me), I’d say it was the Mega-Medley both O’Hara and Foster juggled with a mix of ’90s tunes that included Nirvana, TLC and C&C Music Factory… whuuuut? This all delivered a show that felt quite special as it was happening.
As Reineke was introducing the two, he revealed that Dallas was the first stop of this show that he, Foster and O’Hara are now taking on the show. And in their goodbyes, another medley closed the set on a softer note that led to an unsurprising standing ovation. And like a true Broadway star — they left us wanting more.
–Rich Lopez