THE HANGOVER REPORT – In her highly anticipated Carnegie Hall debut, LEA MICHELE sings her way down memory lane

Lea Michele performs at Carnegie I Hall (photo by Richard Termine).

Last night, Lea Michele made her highly anticipated Carnegie Hall debut during which she sang herself and her adoring fans down memory lane. With Ms. Michele’s recent triumph as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl — a revival which she singlehandedly saved — she has re-established her status as a musical theater actress of note. Prior to her career-defining stint in Glee, her trajectory in the entertainment industry was strictly bound by the atage — starting off as a child actress on Broadway in Les Misérables (Little Cosette) and Ragtime (Little Girl), then literally budding into a young woman in Spring Awakening (Wendla).

To begin her sold out one-night-only concert, Ms. Michele came on strong with a rousing rendition of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl. From then onwards, she chronicled her career chronologically, recounting her time with each project with insight and fondness. From Les Misérables, she put over a sturdy “I Dreamed a Dream”, more than hinting at her desire to take on the role of Fantine. Although I wish she had tackled the thrillingly anthemic “Back to Before”, she instead chose to sing a lilting “Gliding” to cover her time in Ragtime. For her pivotal experience in Spring Awakening, she brought to the stage — to the audience’s delirious delight — the first special guest of the evening, her dear friend and Spring Awakening co-star Jonathan Groff. Together, they wistfully delivered a handful of songs from the Tony-winning show, smartly ending on a hopeful note with the inspired inclusion of “Somewhere” from West Side Story. For the inevitable Glee segment, she was joined by her second special guest, Darren Criss (their sweet rendition of “Suddenly, Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrorswas a particular highlight). Unsurprisingly, the evening concluded with Funny Girl, arriving full circle with a spirited medley of songs from the show (e.g., “I’m the Greatest Star”, “People”).

For her big night, I’m happy to report that Ms. Michele was in fine voice, belting her way through the retrospective set with confidence and technical security — the girlish timber of her voice meshing irresistibly with a compensating steeliness that calls to mind the vocal quality of singers like Idina Menzel. Throughout, the stage and screen star also paid homage to Carnegie Hall and its illustrious history. In particular, she channeled Judy Garland’s legendary appearances at the iconic venue. In fact, she wrapped up with a moving, straightforward encore of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Handily supporting Ms. Michele was music director Steven Jamail, who skillfully led a small but excellent onstage orchestra.

RECOMMENDED

LEA MICHELE AT CARNEGIE HALL
Concert
Carnegie Hall
1 hour, 45 minutes (without an intermission)
One night only

Categories: Broadway, Music, Other Music, Theater

Leave a Reply