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The audiences that attend Town Hall's annual Broadway Rising Stars concert always cheer way too loudly. This is mainly because many of the performers' family members are in attendance; the parents understandably want to cheer lustily for their offspring who've made the bold - if fiscally suicidal - decision to become musical theatre actors, and who've been given the opportunity of showcasing their talents in a premier venue.
After each turn, the volume in the acoustically sensitive arena shoots up to red levels with the entire audience whistling and applauding. Let’s face it, everyone knows that these brave young kids are stepping into a minefield. They're entering a business where the chance of finding steady employment is only a shred above the following occupations: Somalian Piracy, Bootlegging, Columbian Drug Runner and of course, let’s not rule out Third World Dictator. Indeed, all these professions would have been wiser career choices for the young adults who've rather decided to have their livelihoods determined by the same producers who thought it would be a good idea to fly a man in a blue-red costume one hundred feet in the air over the audience. These kids are gonna need all the support they can get.
That doesn't mean that all of these budding performers are good, however. In fact, often at showcases like these for aspiring actors, many aren't. Of the nineteen young hopefuls who took turns strutting their stuff, only four really have the potential to forge lasting careers on the Broadway stage. The other fifteen, while musically gifted (*for the most part), looked stiff and uncomfortable, delivering the kind of reaching and overzealous performances inspired by a diet of too much "America’s Got Talent" and "Glee."
The best performers, nerves and all, do it with an easy command.; so, in the interest of saving time, let's focus on the four people who do show terrific promise.
At 6'5, Kyle Scatliffe looks like a basketball star, but he sings much better than LeBron, and his rendition of “Make Them Hear You,” from Ragtime, was powerful if rather over-the-top. No matter. The passion is clearly there, and with some refinement, Kyle–who’s already quite imposing–can become a real force to be reckoned with.
Esther Kong is an exquisite Korean doll who sang an immensely 
charming, touching rendition of "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid. In a show of mostly robotic, stilted performances, Esther sang this Alan Menken/Howard Ashman standard with endearing, relaxed sincerity. Her pure, thoughtful vocals–slightly tinged with an adorably sexy accent–had the winning quality of being entirely without pretense, and I look forward to seeing more of her work.
Anthony Ramos Martinez handled himself like a pro after a lyrical slip-up. In the middle of "Nothing" from A Chorus Line, he stopped the band, reset himself, assured the audience that he'd perform "ten times better" the next time around, and then kept his word by giving a funny and impassioned performance of the Marvin Hamlisch/Edward Kleban song. His charisma set him apart from his peers, and we saw the joy of a man whose natural habitat is the stage.
The same can certainly be said of Alex Goley. This young fella brings 
on the charm in a big way. “Mama Says” from Footloose: the Musical is not an American standard, but the wirey young Southerner sold it hook, line, and sinker, fully backed by the rest of the rising stars. A sly bit of choreography by Vibecke Dahle, working under the deft direction of Scott Coulter, helped make this the highlight of the evening.
So there it is. Kyle, Esther, Anthony, Alex, my hat is tipped to you … even as my heart goes out to you and to the rest of the rising stars who I believe have no real grasp of what they're in for. Producers, directors and even critics like me are not being paid to be kind, but I wish you all the best in the ring, nonetheless.
Broadway Rising Stars is produced by Scott Siegel, who introduces each performer cleverly and respectfully but also has the obscenely annoying habit of remaining on stage at the podium throughout all their performances. Scott … can’t you give the kids the whole stage? It’s about them, after all.
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