On December 14, the Garner Performing Arts Center opened its
fourth season of Broadway Voices by
featuring a group of talented musicians, led by Ciarán Sheehan. Sheehan is most known for his time spent
portraying the Phantom in The Phantom of
the Opera – over 1,000 performances in total! Sheehan was joined by Irish singer/songwriter
Gabriel Donahue, pianist Sue Anderson, and violinist Heather Martin
Bixler. In contrast to previous
performers of the series, Sheehan’s performance in Garner, North Carolina was
not focused on his Broadway Career. The
majority of the music performed was rooted in his Irish background. And, due to the pending holiday season, he
sang some classic Christmas tunes – with an Irish twist.
As someone who loves musical theatre, I was fairly
disappointed that there were very few Broadway songs during the course of the
show. Sheehan’s interpretations of “Music
of the Night” and “Bring Him Home” were beautiful. However, if I were being picky, I would say
that “Music of the Night” would have been a whole lot better had he sang the
ballad legato rather than staccato. However, his Irish music was superb and any lover of Celtic style would be pleased! Sheehan was right on track to provide a wide range of music for his audience.
I got so
excited when I saw that Sue Anderson was to perform that night. I had previously heard her play at another
event, and her piano skills are INCREDIBLE!!! To my dismay, Sue was not featured or given a chance to
show off her own skills like the other performers. (Note: Sue
Anderson has worked as a musical director and conductor for Broadway and
national touring companies, CATS in
particular).
On the other hand, I was impressed with Gabriel
Donahue. He definitely has stage
presence, that’s for sure. Donahue was
given some time on stage to show off his own skills as a singer and guitarist,
at which time he sang “Stairway to Heaven,” “Wannabe,” and “I Will Survive”. He also played some traditional Irish songs,
using a loop pedal to provide percussion and additional melodies.
My mother, who went to the concert with us, has always wanted
to play the violin. So, she was very
impressed with Bixler. Whenever one
hears a violin playing Irish music, it is impossible not to envision Michael
Flatley’s Lord of the Dance. So, it was
no surprise when a young, North Carolina girl stepped onstage to perform a
couple of Irish dances along with Bixler’s instrumentals.
One highlight of the performance is how well
the group blends together. Not only do they
play well together, they also seem like a big, happy family of friends. A
friend of mine, who works in the sound booth at GPAC, told me later that the
performers stayed long after the audience had left and had their own personal
jam session. If you are given the chance to see any of
these wonderful musicians, please do!
For more information on the individual performers, here are links to their websites:
For more information about the Broadway Voices concert series, visit Garner Performing Arts Center.
No comments:
Post a Comment