Gravity Defied and More: Stephen Schwartz Concert a Hit; Joanna Ampil Highly-lauded
So that happened — Gravity-defying concert by the best of theater’s best singing songs created by one of the best. Yes, this event deserves all the redundancies and any milluple superlatives, as this was one event I died a little to have missed.
photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/DGtheconcert
Defying Gravity: The Songs of Stephen Schwartz was staged at Sydney’s Theatre Royale on February 12 and 13, 2016, much to the delight and amazement of the lucky Australian audience.
The concert featured career-defining songs of the master, Stephen Schwartz, sung by the some of the most important names in Broadway.
Having originated the role of Glinda in West End, Helen Dallimore offered the audience members a treat by singing “Popular,” and even after 10 years, she still tickled fans pink. Australia’s David Harris performed Beautiful City, and did several duets with Aaron Tveit and our very own Joanna Ampil.
(READ: Joanna Ampil with Broadway Vets in Defying Gravity, Stephen Schwartz Concert)
Aaron Tveit, fresh from his successful TV-movie role as Danny Zuko in Grease: Live, sang the emotionally-charged “Out There,” from Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame.
(READ: Summer Lovin’: Grease on Full Heat)
Joanna Ampil showcased her vocal range in singing her rendition of Pocahontas’ “Colors of the Wind,” and in performing alongside David Harris in “How Does She Know?” from Disney’s enchanted. Singing “The Wizard and I” proved to be a crowd-pleaser, her style described by Broadwayworld as “singing the ingenue hell out of (the Wizard and I).”
Sutton Foster, who will soon be starring in the remake of Gilmore Girls, made the night memorable by singing crowd favorites such as When You Believe and Defying Gravity.
As if the roster of talent was not brilliant enough, the concert added Betty Buckley to the list, singing Meadowlark from The Baker’s Wife.
To top everything off, Stephen Schwartz himself gifted the crowd with a round-the-piano performance of Day by Day.
Reading and writing about it were enough to make my heart quicken — being there might have made my insides jump up, and off, on a broomstick.
And for your birthday, Mr. Schwartz, we wish…that you would bring Defying Gravity concert to Manila! Nice try, I guess…but it was worth the shot!
