Two Broadway veterans turned on the magic at the recent Wicked Divas show series.
Divas are traditionally celebrated female singers but in the urban setting, these women are regarded as temperamental or haughty – a sort of female hustler. But, the Wicked Divas who performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) recently didn't portray any such qualities and were in fact, immensely enjoyable entertainers.
Both singers have starred on Tony Award-winning musical Wicked, and they facetiously assert that the term 'wicket' only referred to their professional affiliations with the Broadway musical.
Not only did Broadway veterans Katie Rose Clarke and Julia Murney belt out Broadway, opera and popular music, they rocked the stage with their brand of humour and wit.
The MPO, led by a playful and energetic Steven Reineke, showcased the duo's versatility and chemistry in a two-night performance at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in Kuala Lumpur. Reineke serves as music director of the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall and is a frequent guest conductor for orchestras such as the Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, Ottawa, Detroit and Houston symphony orchestras.
Murney has made recordings of The Wild Party, A Class Act and the Grammy-nominated Hair, and has appeared in TV shows such as 30 Rock, Sex And The City, Law And Order and NYPD Blue. She has toured regionally in the US on Broadway productions and in concert.
Clarke, on the other hand, has played many roles in Broadway productions such as The Light Of Piazza and Prayer For My Enemy, and has collaborated with many American symphony orchestras.
Both singers have starred on the Tony Award-winning musical Wicked, though not in the same production – hence the name Wicked Divas. Facetiously asserting that the term only referred to their professional affiliations with the Broadway musical and did not in any way reflect an unbecoming personality trait, the two singing actresses entertained musically and comically. Out came the back-and-forth banter through multiple costume changes and anecdotes about past showbiz experiences.
Starting off the night was the MPO in a selection of songs from Gypsy, the musical which opened in Broadway in 1959. Based on a memoir by burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee, it was also made into a film in 1962 starring Rosalind Russell and a television movie in 1993 starring Bette Midler.
Then the divas came on stage to duet in All That Jazz from Chicago, and the audience knew they were in for a great evening. Clarke transfixed you with her soaring vocal prowess as she sang I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady.
Murney's first solo effort was from Back To Before from Ragtime. Her vocals were rich and expressive as she told a tale of heartbreak through the generations. As she sang, "We can never go back to before ...", you could feel her anguish.
Clarke's version of Think of Me from The Phantom Of The Opera provided classic big moments and an effortless vibrato that was haunting and lingered in the night air.
In contrast, the expressive Murney was the more animated of the two and delivered a hilarious rendition of Ring Them Bells from Liza With A Z, vocalising multiple characters in one of the highlights of the evening.
To cap off the first half, the MPO showed its musical flexibility by straying away from the classical repertoire and indulging the audience in the foot-tapping, body-shaking, Latin-infused Conga, originally recorded by pop group Miami Sound Machine in 1985.
The orchestra again began the second half with a medley of Diana Ross's hits during the Motown era. After all, she was the Motown diva then. This era continued as the singers performed the 1979 disco hit No More Tears (Enough Is Enough). Murney's theatrics and dancing skills left the audience in stitches and herself, breathless. She completely outshone Clarke here.
As Murney quipped, "You're really pretty" and Clarke responded, "Yes, but you get all the funny songs."
In a flirty, tongue-in-cheek competition for the undivided affections of maestro Reineke, the golden-throated singers upped the intensity with more solos (My Heart Will Go On from Titanic, Let It Go from Frozen, Over The Rainbow from The Wizard Of Oz) and duets, and of course, three numbers from Wicked.
For the encore, the Wicked Divas held hands and sang the heartfelt I Will Never Leave You from Side Show, a musical spotlighting Daisy and Violet Hilton, real-life Siamese twins who were star carnival attractions in the 1930s.
Source : http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Entertainment/Arts/On-Stage/2014/09/22/Wickedly-witty-Broadway-veterans-turn-on-the-magic-at-Wicked-Divas-show-series
