If you take three accomplished Broadway performers, combine with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, add an attentive Maine Center for the Arts audience and about two hours of some of the finest music from American musical theater and mix thoroughly, what you get is a sort of dessert for the ears. This past Saturday’s concert was just that: tasty, entertaining, a little frivolous, but served up with a lot of style.

The Bangor Symphony Orchestra, looking very dramatic under theatrical spotlights on the Maine Center for the Arts stage, began the evening with an overture-like arrangement of the music of George M. Cohan. With Christopher Zimmerman conducting, the symphony easily swung into the mood, with lovely frills from the ever-competent woodwind section. Adding to the lush sound was harpist Molly Hahn, who, while never taking the forefront, nonetheless was a vital addition to the overall mix.

After a few words from Maestro Zimmerman, the three “Broadway Stars” were introduced, and from the opening bars of “Anything Goes” from the early 20th century to the closing selections from shows of the 1990s, the trio never failed to entertain.

Summing up the theme of the program in a bit of clever but forced-sounding patter, Craig Schulman, Anne Runolfsson and Robert Westenberg spoke of style and the music of Cole Porter, which set the stage for a pair of songs from “Kiss Me Kate” about the war between the sexes and the occasional truces in that war. Schulman quickly demonstrated his strong tenor voice and stage presence in “Where is the Life that Late I Led,” while Runolfsson teased laughter and applause from the audience with her performance of “I Hate Men.”

Next was Westenberg with George Gershwin’s “Embraceable You.” Westenberg is the newest addition to this troupe of performers and unfortunately it showed. While there is no doubt he has a pleasant singing voice and a slim elegance onstage, still during this song and throughout the evening he tended to sing below his range, with an unfortunate tendency toward the key of “Off.” Keeping in mind that this performance was his debut with the ensemble, it is to be hoped that he gains some of the technical brilliance of his partners as time progresses.

Technical brilliance and nuanced characterization were ably demonstrated in a pair of songs sung by Runolfsson in the middle of the first half of the show. “Summertime” from “Porgy and Bess,” sung in a classical soprano styling, was hauntingly lovely. Runolfsson never faltered, crafting the song like a perfect small jewel. Using a more naturalistic singing style and a lower alto voice in “Send In The Clowns” by Sondheim, she once again delivered all the emotional punch and poignancy the song is capable of carrying.

Opening the second half of the program, the BSO pulled out all the stops, including a rock style drummer, to perform a suite of music from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera.” The slower passages in this piece were perfectly suited to the orchestra, which leans toward the lush and romantic even in its classical programs.

Schulman delighted the audience a bit later with his rendition of “Music of the Night” from the same play, growling, whispering, crooning and belting out the familiar melody. Particularly effective was his sustained final note, under which the orchestra moved through a series of dissonant chords, creating tension, and then resolving the tension along with the final chord.

Reprising another of his stage roles, Schulman also shone in his performance of “Bring Him Home” from “Les Miserables.” His voice is strong, his intonation and dynamic range excellent.

The trio en suite also performed some great group work from the very funny three-part song “Getting Married Today,” through “Memory” from “Cats,” to the stirring “One Day More” from “Les Miserables.” Except for a grating overtone from the sound system most evident during the louder passages, the harmony of the three voices was pleasingly rich.

After a standing ovation, and an encore performance of “Love Changes Everything” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Aspects of Love,” the stars and members of the symphony greeted members of the audience in a reception and song fest in the Bodwell Lounge.

As I was leaving the MCA, I actually heard people humming melodies from the evening’s performance, and hearing this, I smiled. And so, if the goal of a show like this is to put smiles on faces and songs in hearts, then this show succeeded very well.