Broadway Legends at the New Vic

Social gridlock reigned at the Ensemble Theatre Company’s New Vic when it staged a sold-out Play It Forward: Legends of Broadway which raised more than $50,000 for the theater’s education and outreach programs.

The celebratory concert, featuring the music of the greatest musical theater composers of our time, and veterans of the Great White Way including David Burnham, Andrew Samonsky, Teri Bibb, Anthony Fedorov, Jennifer Paz, and Kate Reinders, was directed by Brian McDonald with musical direction by Thomas Craig Buckley.

Other special appearances included  Santa Barbara Gay Men’s Chorus, State Street Ballet’s Aimee Le and Noam Tsivkin in a pas de deux from George Gershwin’s An American in Paris, Dragon Aditya, Mary Bailey, Cassidy Broderick, Chance Challen, Julian Paz Fedorov, Scarlett Johnson, Axela Ritchie, Soleila Shea, and Sloan Stoddard.

Featured composers included Andrew Lloyd Webber with works from Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Aspects of Love, Cole Porter with “Anything Goes” and “Begin the Beguine,” Lin-Manuel Miranda from Hamilton, Rodgers and Hammerstein with works from The Sound of Music, The King and I, South Pacific and Cinderella, Stephen Schwartz’s “Popular” from Wicked, Stephen Sondheim’s “Agony” from Into the Woods, Claude-Michel Schönberg’s works from Les Misérables and Miss Saigon, and wrapping with Leonard Bernstein’s “Somewhere” from West Side Story.

It was certainly an evening to remember.

Afterwards guests attended a boffo bash at the Scarlett Begonia, just a tiara’s toss from the theater.