Bravo Broadway: A Rodgers & Hammerstein Celebration

I could hardly contain my excitement all day yesterday in anticipation of the Utah Symphony concert last night!  I always really enjoy the Bravo Broadway series but last night's program featured the music of Rodgers & Hammerstein (and a few of their close collaborators) so it was especially good!  The orchestra was joined by conductor Jerry Steichen (I love it whenever he returns to SLC because he is so charming and charismatic), Broadway stars William Michals, Hugh Panaro, and Scarlett Strallen, as well as the Utah Opera Chorus.  The orchestra began with the Overture to The King and I and then they were joined by all three vocalists and the chorus for, rather appropriately, "It's a Grand Night for Singing" from State Fair. Panaro, who I have seen perform before, sang a beautiful version of "Where or When" from Babes in Arms (a collaboration between Rodgers and Hart) and this was definitely a highlight for me.  Sigh!  Strallen performed "The Sound of Music," the first of several songs from The Sound of Music, and then was joined by Michals and Panaro for a really fun version of "The Lonely Goatherd."  This was followed by "Edelweiss" performed by Michals.  He had the audience join him for the last few verses which reminded me of when the same thing happened at the Salzburg Festival in the movie.  All three performed an incredibly powerful version of "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" to conclude the first set.  After the intermission, the orchestra performed the Waltz from Carousel followed by a rousing rendition of "A Wonderful Guy" from South Pacific by Strallen.  Another highlight for me was "Some Enchanted Evening" from South Pacific by Michals.  I think this is an incredibly romantic song and Michal's rendition is one of the best I've ever heard performed live (he played Emile De Becque in the revival of South Pacific at Lincoln Center).  Strallen returned for a lovely performance of "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music with Steichen accompanying her on piano (Hammerstein was an influential mentor to Sondheim).  This gave me goosebumps!  Panaro joined her for "Shall We Dance?" from The King and I and this included some fabulous choreography!  Next Michals performed "Soliloquy" from Carousel and this was quite dramatic.  The concert concluded with several selections from Oklahoma including "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," "People Will Say We're In Love," and "Oklahoma."  For the encore, the three of them, along with the chorus, performed an incredible version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel.  I love all of the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals so I enjoyed every minute of this concert (and was even a little bit sad when it was over).  If you are also a fan, I highly recommend getting a ticket to tonight's performance of the same program (go here).