By: Staff Writer Grace Dong
MSJ’s choirs came together to deliver “100 Years of Broadway,” in C-120 on March 18 at 7pm. The show featured the MSJ Concert Choir, Treble Ensemble, Chamber Chorale, and Musical Theatre Vocal Workshop (MTVW), also known as Show Choir, with the Hopkins Jr. High Chorus joining the MSJ students for several selections. The singing talent at MSJ truly shined as all the choral ensembles collaborated to deliver a marvelous performance, journeying through a century of Broadway.
The show followed the evolution of Broadway music, hence its title. The performance was divided into seven main sections: “Opening,” “The Early Years,” “Setting the Standards- Rodgers and Hammerstein and their Contemporaries,” “The Golden Years- The Music of Traditional Broadway,” “Breaking New Ground,” “State of the Art- The Music of Contemporary Broadway,” and “Epilogue.”
The show began with upbeat pieces such as “One,” from the musical A Chorus Line, “Give My Regards to Broadway” from Little Johnny Jones, and “There’s No Business Like Show Business” from Annie Get Your Gun. Song and dance pieces from the Show Choir were interspersed throughout the performances, all of which were extremely entertaining thanks to the facial expressions of the dancers and the choreography. Particularly in the song “Greased Lightenin’ from Grease, Show Choir members delivered a comical and impressive routine in the walkway in front of the stage. Several MSJ singers were featured in the many pieces performed, as they either presented spoken facts or sang solo parts.
Other highlights of the night were when well known songs such as “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music and “Hello Dolly!” from Hello Dolly! were sung. MSJ Choirs brought back childhood favorites by performing their rendition of songs like “Never Never Land” and “I’m Flying” from Peter Pan. When singing “Willkommen” from Cabaret, MSJ Choir surprised the audience as they sung the piece in French and German, showing off their talent and hard work that made this performance possible.
In just one hour, MSJ’s choral ensembles performed more than 50 songs from various eras of Broadway. The perfect ending for the performance came as Show Choir completed the “Epilogue” with a classic Broadway kick line and jazz hands whilst the entire cast sang reprises of “One,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” and “Give My Regards to Broadway.”
Photos: Sports Editor Leah Feuerman
