In my humble opinion, never has a local theater company been more deserving of a special occasion than Houston’s own MUSIC BOX THEATRE, now celebrating its 15th year of bringing musical joy to our town with its current production, “Birthday at the Box.”
For those unfamiliar, this long-running group, seems more like a family than just a team of very talented singers. In fact, family is a very appropriate word, since during all these years of success, four of the five stars have converted themselves into two happily married couples. (Brad Scarborough is married to Rebekah Dahl, and Kristina Sullivan is married to Luke Wrobel. Talented singleton, Cay Taylor, is a perfect complement to the others). I can assure you that the overall love, from both band and cast members, spills across the footlights and right into the audience at every performance. Another thing that continues to amaze me is the extraordinary way in which the group continues, several times a year, to consistently create fresh new shows focused on original themes, and built around assorted genres of familiar music, that comfortably cross generations. It is worth mentioning that the group could easily find work as comedy writers, because every show at The Box is generously sprinkled with humor and wit. For this special “Birthday” show, fans had previously been asked to submit their favorite requests for songs they wanted to hear again.
Like many others that I can recall, this current edition starts out with a mystical opening number so sensational that it had me thinking, “This looks like a grand finale! Where could we possibly go from here?” The song was “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a tribute to the musical group, Queen. With the full cast at center stage, it was performed with marvelous vocal textures and harmonies, and under dramatically spooky and shadowy lighting. (Technical director, Pat Southard). The gals in the cast added to the sparkle with the glittering rainbow rhinestones of their eye-catching costumes. Accompanied on guitar by her handsome husband, Brad, Rebekah stepped forward to deliver a haunting rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Bobby McGee.” It was full of lashing power and exploding excitement.
Kristina followed with a sultry, warm, and appropriately dreamy, “Dream a Little Dream.” Luke joined her in a fabulous counterpoint duet, featuring his now legendary impression of Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. With a nod to Dolly Parton, Cay then brought remarkable vocal purity to an a cappella performance of “Jolene,” that was both passionate and theatrical. Before his thrilling performance of Neil Diamond’s “Holly Holy,” Luke amused the audience with the tale of how he had sung the song for years but never understood what it meant. But the audience loved the explosive power and revival spirit Luke brought to the song, and rewarded him by cheering wildly at its conclusion.
The tender warmth of his own voice paired perfectly with the soaring voice of his wife as Brad joined Rebekah for the lovely song, “Shallow.” Cay leads another a cappella treat as Luke and Kristina join in for the amazing vocal design of a fun-filled take on the Beatles’ “Blackbird.” Next, presiding atop a simple stool, Kristina offered a gentle and thoughtful take on Joni Mitchell’s, “Both Sides Now.” In the spirit of “Leave ’em laughing,” as Act One came to a close, Brad and Luke brought amusing desperation and frantic lunacy to “I Would Do Anything for Love.” But in spite of the nuttiness, it struck me that Brad’s sensational voice could carve the finest marble.
At Intermission time audience members could stretch their legs on the outdoor patio, or enjoy drinks and snacks from the bar in the spacious lobby. But the cast would soon come roaring back with great choreography for a terrific medley of the songs of The Four Tops. Brad would bring seemingly impossible perfection to a pairing of, “Pretty Woman,” and “Unchained Melody.” Ms. Taylor had a whimsical opening for “Someone to Watch Over Me,” and brought true, lacey delicacy to her skill as a master vocal storyteller in that number. Rebekah offered a bit of comedy, and then Kristina returned with a very wild, “Crazy On You,” that seemed designed for the hard of hearing.
Next came a highlight of the show with Luke’s richly reverent, “Ol’ Man River,” from Showboat. With a tender voice as deep as that river, he perfectly captured the struggles of a hardworking man in the Old South. Before things wound up, Rebekah would capture all the mystery of the “White Rabbit,” Luke & Brad would playfully prowl the audience for, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” and Rebekah would bring her endless energy to, “Total Eclipse,” while Cay had the audience in stitches depicting a woman who suffered severe (and hilarious) eye damage from looking directly at the sun. On a much more serious, and very beautiful note, Cay would join forces with Brad to deliver a superb duet of, “Time to Say Goodbye,” that was generously sprinkled with impressively fluent Italian from both. There was no further need to convince the audience it was having a wonderful time, but just to seal the deal the ensemble closed with a dual finale of “What a Wonderful World,” and “With a Little Help From My Friends.” Who could ask for anything more?
BIRTHDAY AT THE BOX continues through May 30th with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a 2pm Sunday matinee on May 3rd. The Music Box Theater is located in Houston’s CityCentre district, 12777 Queensbury Lane, where parking is free with ticket validation at the box office. Tickets for each show are $57 for reserved seating and $42 for general admission. For tickets or information, call 713-522-7722 or visit http://www.TheMusicBoxTheater.com .
The columns of David Dow Bentley III have appeared on Broadway websites, in newspapers from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast, and may be viewed online at the website: www.ThePeoplesCritic.com. E-mail may be directed to ThePeoplesCritic3@gmail.com