Christine Andreas

 

 

PALM BEACH DAILY NEWS

 

       Christine Andreas steals Broadway-theme show with Palm Beach Pops


Special to the Daily News    
Tuesday, December 02, 2008

A bit of the Great White Way came to the Kravis Center Monday night courtesy of Maestro Bob Lappin and the Palm Beach Pops, who presented a balanced program of songs from just off Shubert Alley titled On Broadway.

The evening began with a refreshing change: no opening medley, just a Pops favorite, their familiar — and impressive — arrangement of the Jerome Kern classic, All The Things You Are, which delivered the rich, lustrous sound only possible with a group of that size and caliber.

Lappin then wisely chose to cut directly to the chase, introducing Broadway veteran Christine Andreas, who is back for her second appearance with the Pops this year. The two-time Tony nominee appeared at home with How Are Things In Glocca Morra? from Finian's Rainbow, displaying a confidence and polish that was immediately disarming and downright contagious. Imagine Judy Garland in her prime, with a hint of an Irish lilt.

Fortunately, throughout the evening there was plenty more where that came from, including a nice moment with Lappin accompanying on piano for They Say That Falling In Love is Wonderful.

Providing a good balance to the program was David Burnham, who has recently completed a run in the smash-hit Wicked. This tenor proved more than once that he has the pipes to handle the big, dramatic ending notes, but at times it felt as though he was fighting with the orchestra to be heard. The harder Burnham pushed, the more at ease Andreas appeared in comparison. While both singers provided more than solid performances, most notably an impromptu duet Just In Time, the evening clearly belonged to Andreas.

The first half closed with a cool, holiday-flavored take on Rodgers and Hammerstein's My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music. Starting out softly with Lappin on solo piano, this jazzy wish-list expanded to a trio with bassist Phil Flanigan and drummer Frank Derrick joining on the second pass. Before long, the rest of the band fell in to create a full, big band sound, reminiscent of Maynard Ferguson. Brief solos by Flanigan and Derrick were an unexpected bonus; it was great to see these sidemen get their due. Best of all, everyone on stage — including Lappin — looked like they were having a lot of fun, and the result was extremely tasteful and most enjoyable.

While the second half opened with a brief medley of tunes by Anthony Newley (who appeared with the Pops at the Kravis in 1995) and Leslie Bricusse, it felt right for this Broadway-themed program to have a formal overture to introduce and preview the hits you were about to hear in the show.

Once again, there was balance: Burnham easily handled the big numbers, such as Who Can I Turn To?, Gonna Build A Mountain and What Kind of Fool Am I?, and Andreas effortlessly offered If I Ruled The World from Pickwick.

A number of selections by Andrew Lloyd Weber helped to build the momentum to a near-fever pitch. From the melancholy bridge to the stratospheric climax, Andreas captured every nuance in the Cats showstopper Memory; it was a performance that was as emotionally captivating and note-perfect as any in recent ... well, memory. The duo paired up nicely for the romantic Phantom duet, All I Ask of You, which ended with the full orchestra exploding into the familiar main Phantom theme. That closed, with a bang, a thoroughly delightful evening out with the Pops "On Broadway."