Frank Wildhorn and Broadway sensations Norm Lewis (The Phantom of the Opera), Jackie Burns (Wicked) and Adrienne Warren (Bring It On) brought down the house Oct. 30, 2015 in the de Jong Concert Hall in BYU's Harris Fine Arts Center. Frank Wildhorn is a Broadway composer and pop songwriter, famous for musicals Jekyll and Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel and Civil War and hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" sung by Whitney Huston. Jam packed with Broadway tunes and pop songs, the three stars sang Wildhorn's melodies with the power and heart-felt emotion one would expect from Broadway. Warren, the youngest and newest professional actor/singer, delivered a dynamite performance equal, if not superior, to the two seasoned performers.
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| Norm Lewis |
What enhanced the stars' amazing singing was BYU's orchestra, which filled most of the stage. It's size challenged the singers to sing louder than it played. The musical duet of instrumental and vocal performances added to the concert's awe.
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| Jackie Burns |
BYU Musical Theatre Ensemble accompanied the singers on several of the numbers. During the first act, the ensemble was barely audible, despite they were singing at full volume. They must have turned their microphones up during intermission because I could hear them during the second act.
Just as impressive as the singing was the friendship Wildhorn, Lewis,
Burns and Warren showed for each other. Lewis was such a gentleman; he escorted Burns or Warren off stage when they sang duets.
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| Adrienne Warren |
This was the second Frank Wildhorn concert at BYU. The first was in 2013, a concert titled "Frank Wildhorn and Friends," which Burns and Warren also performed in. In January 2015, BYU premiered Wildhorn's musical adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo in the U.S. It is safe to say BYU and Wildhorn will collaborate together in the future. Hopefully, Wildhorn will bring Lewis, Burns and Warren with him.
