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LEADING MEN III: BROADWAY’S BEST FLOCK TO The baritones were blazing – and the tenors, too – on Monday, April 21st when the 3rd installment of the popular THE LEADING MEN series, produced by Wayman Wong, hit the stage at Birdland in New York City, raising over $6,500 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Directed by Alan Muraoka, with musical direction by the irrepressible Seth Rudetsky at the piano and Kerry Meads on percussion, the evening featured 17 of Broadway’s most gifted leading men gathered in song to salute BC/EFA and support the many organizations it sponsors throughout the year.
Hosted by John Tartaglia, the star of Disney’s hit television show, Johnny and the Sprites, this sold-out evening boasted an the illustrious line-up, including: Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening), singing an ebullient “Try Me” from She Loves Me; Christopher Siebert (Spamalot and soon of Shrek) with the Johnny Mercer/Harold Arlen classic, “One for My Baby; Spring Awakening’s Skylar Astin and Wicked’sRobb Sapp turning up the heat with a new song, “You Are My Bitch,” from an up-coming musical Sea Rock City and Other Destinations as Skie Ocasio (Bombay Dreams) dedicated his rich, fervent performance of “Live Out Loud,” from A Little Princess to his late mother. Broadway veteran Jim Walton stopped the show with “Good Thing Going” and “Not a Day Goes By,” from Merrily We Roll Along reprising his performance as Franklin Shepard in the original production of this Sondheim cult-favorite. The ever-unpredictable Norm Lewis, currently ruling the seas as King Titus in Disney’s newest hit, The Little Mermaid, closed the show with an extraordinary rendition of “Before the Parade Passes By” from Hello, Dolly!
Thanks to the entire delightful cast of leading men including Tom Anderson, David Burnham; Aaron Lazar, Michael McElroy, Aaron Ramey, Benjamin Schrader, Marcus Simeone and Bobby Stegger. Special thanks to owner Gianni Valenti, for once again making BC/EFA welcome at Birdland and, of course, to Jim Caruso - our generous friend, whose weekly Monday night show, “Jim Caruso’s Cast Party” at Birdland has become a late-night staple for “best of Broadway” and all who aspire to such lofty heights and high notes (with vibrato, of course, Seth).
THE LEADING MEN III is the third presentation series created by Wayman Wong from his column THE LEADING MEN, which he wrote for Playbill.com.
Look for boys to be back in form with THE LEADING MEN IV in 2009! Watch for developments at www.broadwaycares.org. Photo Credits: Walter McBride / Retna |
