Broadway Heroes

Giving Regards to Broadway

With his leading-man good looks and his amazing vocal abilities, David Rogers is a natural to play the roles of the great Broadway Heroes.  So to spend an evening listening to him take on all the Great White Way’s showstoppers is truly luxurious.

With a huge vocal range, he is able to take on the old favourites and the newer numbers, too.  You would pay upwards of $150 to hear these songs sung on Broadway:  Victoria Playhouse and the Dunfield Theatre are fortunate to be able to present this incredible Broadway calibre show at very reasonable prices.

The run at VPP was short and the show is now closed in Petrolia, but it will open in Cambridge’s Dunfield Theatre October 1. 

David Rogers was meant to play all the big leading-man roles and, in fact, has performed many of them.  This musical revue gives the theatre goer the opportunity to see and hear him in many favourites.

Backing Rogers is a seven-piece orchestra.  Mark Payne as musical director works his magic with the group and plays keyboard.  Joining him is Dan Baerg (percussion), Tony De Luca (sax, clarinet, flute), Jess Grandmont (violin), Randy Rektor (bass), Paul Otway (trumpet), Mike Polci (trombone).  Known as the Starbright Band, this group provides the rich full sound necessary for the older musicals.  They remind the audience of the importance of live music and how much better it sounds than recorded.

Among my favourites are Rogers’ salute to Man of LaMancha – first he sings the title song, with Mark Payne joining him as Sancho, and the pair ride around the stage on hobby horses.  Later, Rogers closes act one with an emotional rendition of The Impossible Dream, to loud and long applause.

He does his signature Al Jolson numbers, giving the audience a little Jolson history first. An older gentleman sitting near me was wiping tears from his eyes by the end of the Jolson medley.

Rogers blends together Tonight at Eight, a song from She Loves Me with Tonight from West Side Story, and while it is fun to watch him change characters while switching between the two numbers, I would still love to hear him sing the beautiful Tonight all the way through.

Another favourite is his three R’s – Three men who won Tony awards for musicals and none of them could sing:  Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady, Richard Burton in Camelot and Robert Preston in The Music Man.  And while those three men played the parts by “talk-singing”, Rogers’ beautiful voice gives us these wonderful familiar songs the way they should have been sung originally.

He tugs the heartstrings singing Gus, the Theatre Cat from Cats.  Rogers sings the narrator’s part with a cat puppet for which he also provides the voice.  As cheesy as that may sound, he presents it so well that I had a lump in my throat hearing the aging Gus.  Later, he dons the coat of many colours to sing Any Dream Will Do, from Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat.

The night wouldn’t be complete without his performance of the two roles he played in Phantom of the Opera, singing Raoul and the Phantom’s songs.  The Music of the Night brings the house down.

Then there’s his encore:  he gives us Jean Valjean, the character he played this summer in Les Mis in Cambridge and Grand Bend.  I am certain there isn’t a dry eye in the house by the time he finishes Bring Him Home.

Broadway Heroes continues with eight shows a week October 1 to 18 at Dunfield Theatre, Cambridge. Tickets are available by calling the Box Office: 519-621-8000 or Toll Free 1-855-372-9866, or check http://www.draytonentertainment.com/

Broadway Heroes
Performed by David Rogers
Directed by David Hogan
Musical Direction by Mark Payne
Produced by Victoria Playhouse Petrolia
Victoria Playhouse Petrolia, September 16 – 21
Dunfield Theatre, Cambridge October 1-18
Reviewed by Mary Alderson