BSO, Broadway performers to stage ‘greatest hits’ show

ORONO – Mention the name “Broadway” around the Bangor area and most local residents will tell you that’s where John Bapst Memorial High School is, or maybe where Stephen King lives over on the other side of town. This coming weekend, Broadway will refer not to either street in Bangor, but to the “Great White Way” in New York City, and to the popular musical and theatrical form which flowered there.

At 8 p.m. on Sunday, a trio of talented Broadway performers along with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra will bring the greatest hits of Broadway to the stage at the Maine Center for the Arts. Craig Schulman, Anne Runolfsson and Robert Westenberg, whose show is known as “Broadway Nights,” will perform selections from musicals like “Kiss Me Kate,” “Porgy and Bess,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “My Fair Lady” and “Cats.”

The ensemble’s founder and leader, Craig Schulman, describes the show as, “a broad spectrum of the Broadway milieu. We travel around the country performing everything from George M. Cohan to Sondheim. It’s basically a ‘greatest hits of Broadway’ show.”

Schulman, who began his career as an opera singer, debuted in 1997 in the title role of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera.” And while having more than 2,000 performances as Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables” – more appearances in that role than any other singer – he has not neglected his first love, appearing recently in operatic productions of “Carmen,” “Madama Butterfly” and “Tosca.”

“In my other life as an opera singer,” mused Schulman, “I am a tenor. But a subspecies has evolved in musical theater, which we like to call the ‘baritenor.’ And, if you can hit the high notes and the low notes, you can sing these roles. At times, I kind of feel like a dinosaur.

“I was a classically trained singer who came to Broadway. There is a quality to my voice which people really do seem to enjoy, but it’s a throwback to the 1950s or 1960s. Now, so many of the roles are being given to celebrity names who may or may not have real performing ability.”

Schulman selected the other two singers on the evening’s program, not only for their vocal skill, but also for that performing ability which, he said, must include a level of drama.

“One of the things I believe is that each song should be sung in a dramatic context of its own,” he said. I try to get the singer to embody a unique characterization for each song … a different flavor.”

Although a veteran Broadway performer, with award-winning performances in productions like “The Secret Garden” and “Into the Woods,” Robert Westenberg will be making his debut with “Broadway Nights” this weekend.

“This is actually my maiden voyage as it were,” he joked. “I pity Bangor, Maine!”

On a more serious note, Westenberg said he was looking forward to working with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and with Conductor Christopher Zimmerman.

“We’ll have a full rehearsal on Friday and then another on Saturday, to block it, stage it, get comfortable with the wings and the backstage area and, of course, to rehearse with the orchestra.”

Westenberg hazarded a guess that the orchestra might be looking forward to the show as well. “Orchestras tend to like playing this popular kind of American music. They do it so well, and, after all, good music is good music. It doesn’t matter what genre, if it’s good, it’s good!”

And Westenberg also was excited by the chance to sing, not only solo, but in harmony with Runolfsson and Schulman. “Craig and Anne are just spectacular singers, it is just a joy to work with them.”

Craig Schulman said he first met Anne Runolfsson more than a decade ago when she was the stand-in for Julie Andrews in the Broadway production of “Victor/Victoria.” Said Schulman, “Anna embodies extraordinary qualities. Not many singers have this level of training and expertise.” Some of Runolfsson’s roles have included Lily in the first national tour of “The Secret Garden,” as well as Roxanne in “Cyrano de Bergerac.”

Highlights of Saturday’s performance will include “Summertime” from “Porgy and Bess,” “Music of the Night” from “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Bring Him Home” and “One Day More” from “Les Miserables,” as well as nearly 20 other selections in a program packed with songs sure to please every fan of musical theater.

After the concert, the stars and symphony members will be on hand for a Post-Pops-Singalong reception in the Bodwell Lounge.

For more information, call the Bangor Symphony Orchestra at 942-5555.

Helen York is a classical music announcer on Maine Public Radio. She also works as Production Manager for WERU Community Radio.