A decadent trip down the memory lane of theatre's most prestigious street, Simply Broadway is a fun, light show that reminds the audience of all the reasons they love the theatre.
A decadent trip down the memory lane of theatre's most prestigious street, Simply Broadway is a fun, light show that reminds the audience of all the reasons they love the theatre.
Written and directed by Brett de Groot, who also plays the lead role, the show is essentially a beginner's guide to Broadway, covering some basic history and giving highlights from the major productions in Broadway history including Cats, Les Miserables and Wicked.
The show debuted in 2012 at the 38th National Arts Festival with Ally Christos as the guest performer.
This year Kay Mosiane, of the Rhodes music department, was the invited guest, her versatile voice perfectly suited to the genre.
She embodied the spirit of Broadway in her numbers, Anything you can do and When you're good to Mama, oozing attitude with every step.
Mosiane's voice thinned out on the high notes of Memory by Andrew Lloyd-Webber – but she carried the piece well and her otherwise flawless performance was riveting.
De Groot is engaging and exciting to watch, trained and professional in his attention to detail. He gives the impression of concentrated focus on the task at hand at all times, and though he is clearly enjoying himself, the musical numbers seem to be his comfort zone more than the narrative storytelling.
His clear vocals are classically Broadway, and produced goosebumps in the first song.
Everything he does, every move, facial expression and hand gesture is calculated to emulate the spirit of Broadway, bringing the world of a Broadway show into the venue.
The show was over too quickly and an hour is surely not enough time to do the show justice.
De Groot has suggested that in future he may develop the show further and incorporate more guest performers. "We didn't realise it would be so successful last year," de Groot said. "It was, so we thought, 'Let's extend it!'"
