The Next Big Thing
Jason Robert Brown Dazzles Fans At Glenn Gould Studio
It's rather awkward to say that Jason Robert Brown is the next big thing...
After all, he has written some of the most popular musical theatre scores over the past decade.
Jason Robert Brown is an icon amongst musical theatre enthusiasts, and for very good reason. His shows have become staples of every theatre fans collection, including Songs For A New World, Parade and The Last Five Years. Each of these shows have a history in Toronto, as Songs was workshopped in 1994 at York University, and Parade received a workshop here in 1997 prior to the demise of LivEnt. Last Five Years was produced by CanStage two seasons ago, starring Tyley Ross and Blythe Wilson, and this past summer it was part of the Flower City Theatre Festival in Brampton, starring Nick Cordero and Stephanie Roth.
On Monday night though, Brown was not here to workshop a new show - he does that in New York and Los Angeles now - but to play songs from his solo debut CD, titled Wearing Someone Else's Clothes. It's filled with songs that were cut from his various musical ventures and other songs he has written over the years, and is one of the best debut CDs out there - if people only knew his name. Everyone in the crowd on Monday knew his name, and knew his work; the audience was packed with young musical theatre fans, and Brown didn't disappoint. Starting with If I Told You Now, which is featured on Lauren Kennedy's Songs Of Jason Robert Brown, it got the evening off to a great start. Next was the title track to his CD, followed by I Could Be In Love With Someone which was cut from The Last Five Years. Long, Long, Road followed, with Getting Out rounding out the first part of the show.
Brown had two special guests perform with him, Toronto theatre veterans Adam Brazier and Julie Martell, who both starred in Mamma Mia! here and on Broadway. Brazier sang Old Red Hills Of Home, the opening to Parade, and Martell featured her vocal talent on Stars And The Moon.
Another highlight for the crowd was two new songs, each from new musicals Brown is in the process of writing. Honeymoon In Vegas and 13 are two very different projects, but with Brown adding his musical flair to them, they have the potential of being big hits. Honeymoon In Vegas is based on the film of the same title, which is aimed at Broadway in 2007, and 13, as Brown stated, begins rehearsals next week in Los Angeles. It features a cast of 13 thirteen-year-olds, telling the story of Evan, a young jewish boy who moves to Indiana a few weeks shy of his bar mitzvah. Brown previewed Las Vegas and The Loneliest Thing In The World from the respective shows, and the crowd responded with rhapsodic applause and support.
The evening ended with Moving Too Fast, which is one of his most popular songs from The Last Five Years, and when it ended, the audience roared to their feet with a thunderous applause, and Brown returned to sing one encore - his touching ballad, and what Brown claimed was going to be the first single from the CD, Someone To Fall Back On. The crowd hushed when he began playing, and you could hear a pin drop.
The supportive, enthusiastic audience was enthralled from the moment Brown stepped on stage, and he didn't disappoint. He has a musicality and charisma that is unparalled amongst musical theatre composers today. His rich tenor voice soared through each of his songs, and the acoustics of the Glenn Gould Studio were perfect for this intimate concert.
You may not know his name, and you may not know his work, but you will someday, and if and when he comes back to Toronto or arrives in a city near you, you should run to catch this brilliant composer perform. You certainly will not be disappointed.
Jason Robert Brown
Produced by Michael Rubinoff and Mark Selby
Monday, October 16th, 2006
Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto
****1/2 (out of five)
