Raise Your Voice!
Deserves Many Plaudits

The Lyric Theatre Singers’ Glorious Broadway Revue

By Byron Toben

The sub title of Raise Your Voice!, this year’s The Lyric Theatre Singers annual June concert is “A Glorious Broadway Revue”. And glorious it was, indeed.

It is amazing how Directors Bob Bachelor, Chris Barillaro and Cathy Burns have blended 32 songs (well, 33 counting an encore) into a show pleasing not only the ear but also the eye.

All this is done with the talents of 46 singers (29 female, 17 male) who actually pay to join the group.

New this year was the addition of guest choreographer Jonathan Patterson on several numbers, including the opening, A Musical, from the 2015 hit, Something Rotten. In that piece, the chorus revealed hidden talents of athletic dancing including multiple cart wheels.

That selection was the most recent. The oldest was Irving Berlin’s Classic, Blue Skies (1926) wherein Cathy Burns was featured.

In between were quite a few by Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken. (Mr Menken, collaborated on the Segal Centre’s recent musical adaptation of Mordechai Richler’s Duddy Kravitz.)

Other selections involved the other Stephen (Sondheim), and Richard Rogers (with Hart and with Hammerstein) as well as icons Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Charles Strouse and Yip Harburg.

It is amazing how Directors Bob Bachelor, Chris Barillaro and Cathy Burns have blended 32 songs (well, 33 counting an encore) into a show pleasing not only the ear but also the eye.

Costume wise, the first act stressed black and white and reddish motifs, while the second sprouted yellows, blues and greens, with the exception of the all black clothed nun’s chorus in Raise Your Voice from Sister Act (2006).

Movement wise, we noted the increased use of arms and hands in addition to them shuffling feet. Very effective when massed in to such a large group.

Solo wise, the directors spread out individual assignments to a wide number of chorus members, as quarterbacks distribute the ball to a variety of receivers. Two of note were David Chhiv singing, en francais, L’Amour Brille Les Étoiles from the Lion King (1997) and Sara Wunsch with Meadowlark from The Baker’s Wife (1989).

A comic note à la Cirque Du Soleil was added as a fictional donor to the Lyrical Singers, a shy Miss Primrose was introduced with thanks and then crashed the show from time to time vociferously seeking her 15 minutes of fame, leading to an unprogramed song, Miss Primrose Is A Nut.

The superb live orchestra of five consisted of Chris Barillaro (keyboard, percussion), Jennifer Bell (sax, flute, clarinet ), Evan Stewart (bass) David Terriault (piano) and Alessandro Valiante (drums).

The first act ended with Some Enchanted Evening and both acts delivered that.

Raise Your Voice! A Glorious Broadway Review ran for three nights at the DB Clarke Theatre, ending June 18.

For info on a December Holiday show and auditions, see lyrictheatrecompany.com

Images: Tam Lan Truong

Byron Toben is the immediate past-president of the Montreal Press Club