“There’s no one at the piano; I’m kinda freakin’ out.”
My date whispered this to me as the lights dimmed. And that’s the start of the show, y’all! Welcome to Broadway Goes A Cappella 3!
With no instrumental accompaniment for the evening’s talented singers, I understood my date’s “freak out”… an empty stage at showtime is cause for concern 9 out of 10 times. But not tonight!
The third volume of this musical celebration delighted a full house at Feinstein’s/54 Below on Monday night. I use the word “celebration” intentionally. The performers, hosts, and audience alike were invited to celebrate a cappella. Through unique arrangements of Broadway favorites, musical theatre deep cuts, and audience sing-alongs (slash music lessons!), the passion was palpable. And as we were reminded by the show’s host/performer Evan Feist, a cappella is not a genre; it’s a style of music.
And boy did they have style!
Standouts included “One Night in Bangkok” from Chess featuring Katelyn Miles as a soloist, whose background in competitive collegiate a cappella shone bright, establishing her quickly as a skilled veteran.
I think we’d be hard pressed to find someone who isn’t moved by “She Used to Be Mine” from Waitress. If even possible, this song arranged for an a cappella group generates an even more intimate and sentimental experience. (Perhaps some of this is the song itself. Sara Bareilles’ background in a cappella likely informs many of her choices as a songwriter.)
…Which leads me to the greatest lesson I learned from the evening: when it comes to a cappella, it’s all in the arrangement. Every performance that stood out for either its sophistication or intricacy was, in some way, connected directly to the world of a cappella. (See: The Bareilles’ connection, the selections from In Transit –an all a cappella Broadway musical– as well as an arrangement of “Superboy and the Invisible Girl” by Pentatonix’s go-to arranger). Arranging a song for an a cappella group requires an imagination on the part of the arranger, one that heightens the experience of listening to the instrumental version of a song, so I’d argue that the success of a performance is just as reliant on the arrangement as it is on the singers.
Several of the performers led crowd singalongs throughout the show. Teaching solfege, breaking us into sections, following a conductor; the audience got a crash course or maybe a behind the scenes look at their rehearsal process! AJ Holmes’ turn as “Cell Block Tango” teacher took a hilarious turn, due in most part to his improv skills, patter, and charm. Even though his lesson was the least “successful” of the trio, it was the most fun.
The show closed with an intimate performance of “Broadway, Here I Come!” from Smash. The entire cast sat at the bar, illuminated as if on this secret side-stage, creating a sense that we are all together, sharing a dream, celebrating the music we love.
The show’s production team puts it well: “There’s something very special about performers creating harmony with nothing but each other.”
And though it wasn’t a holiday show, that sentiment this time of year carries weight. Gifts are great; travel is stressful. Parties are packed, and emotions run high. But when it comes down to the spirit of the season, let’s turn to the lessons learned from a cappella and strive to create harmony with nothing but each other