Ooh! Rachel York in CT concert Dec. 1

[lovesclassics]

Posted: 11/2/07 at 7:34pm

First the Philly Pops, then Feinstein's, now the Eastern CT Symphony. This girl is on a roll!

And all within driving distance. Sweet.

lc
Rachel York in Concert

[Joshua488]

Posted: 11/2/07 at 9:32pm

I'm from eastern Connecticut and I don't think I even knew that the Eastern CT Symphony Orchestra existed. Interesting.

I just might have to go.

[lovesclassics]

Posted: 12/4/07 at 8:04pm

Well, being a big Rachel York fan (no, really?) LOL, I drove down to CT to see this concert. (Joshua488, did you go?). Rachel, Kip Wilborn and William Michals, along with guest conductor Don Pippin, put on a wonderful show with the Eastern CT Symphony Orchestra on Saturday. It was very cold in the theater, but the stars heated things up pretty quickly.

Rachel got to show off her versatility (WRQ, I used that word for you!) using her belt, her comedy, and her glorious soprano all in one show. Kip caused chills with his beautiful, strong tenor, and William can reach a place deep inside you with his very rich baritone. The three blended very well together.

They began with a trio of Give My Regards to Broadway, then each got to show off with a solo. Kip sang With a Song in My Heart, Rachel did a knockout Don't Rain on My Parade, then William crooned Taking a Chance on Love. They all came back together for a really fun Anything You Can Do, with Rachel going through the rafters as the one who could sing higher, and Kip and William holding a note for an eternity as they tried to prove who could sing longer. William won! The orchestra gave the singers a break by doing an instrumental of Orange Blossom Special, then William came back with The Impossible Dream, Kip followed with an operatic piece (sorry, don't know what it was), and they all closed Act I with a tribute to Richard Rodgers.

Act II opened with a fun Be Our Guest with all three of them singing in French accents. Cute. I could just picture Rachel as the feather duster.

Then the three launched into powerful solos again. William did a very moving If I Can't Love Her from Beauty and the Beast that got the audience cheering. Then Kip came out and said, "Oh, great, I have to follow that?" And he proceeded to deliver a fantastic Being Alive. After that I was sitting there thinking, "What on Earth can Rachel possibly do to top this?!" Well, she did, with a hilarious and incredible Diva's Lament from Spamalot. The audience roared!

Then they did a trio of Under the Sea, and Rachel improvised some calypso dancing around the two guys. Adorable. The orchestra took over for another instrumental of the theme from Beauty and the Beast, then Kip sang a magnificent rendition of Nessun Dorma from Turandot. Hints of Pavarotti were in the air. Sigh. Rachel came back with Back to Before (I just love her version of that song), and William finished with Music of the Night from Phantom. Rachel and Kip joined him for the last few bars. They got a standing O, then came back on for an encore, Circle of Life. Another standing O followed.

It's funny. Throughout the show the men were sort of all about their voices, singing somewhat seriously like big male divas. And then there's Rachel - this incredible spark plug who injected real life into the proceedings all the while matching the guys' vocal chops note for note. After the show the crowds were swarming around her in the lobby. All three were signing autographs and chatting, but people really seemed to linger more with her. You look at Rachel's fans' faces when she talks with them, and they simply glow with joy.

The orchestra did a fine job, too, especially under Don Pippin's direction. He did a great job keeping them in sync with the vocalists despite a few wonky moments. I loved the fact that he would turn and look at the singers to take his cue from them.

It was a fun night, even if the theater was more like a walk-in refrigerator! And the follow spots didn't - follow. How annoying. But the singers didn't let it throw them. They were all really smooth.

lc