Theater Review – October 20, 2024

KELLI O’HARA AMAZES IN SCOTTSDALE SOLO APPEARANCE

“The Seth Rudetsky Concert Series Starring Kelli O’Hara”
Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Virginia G. Piper Theater
Scottsdale AZ

By Chris Curcio
Theater Critic

Kelli O’Hara is the reigning Broadway musical theater star and fortunately for local audiences she is between New York shows so she is filling up her schedule with solo performances.  She amazed local audiences with accompanist and chatty musical theater expert Seth Rudetsky at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts for a single Saturday performance.

Her 105-minute set included a selection of Broadway standards many of which O’Hara presented in their Great White Way premieres or revivals plus other well-known musical theater song hits.  The entire evening included nothing but Broadway showtunes except for the finale which was a comedy song written for and about her career.

Highlights included songs from her first Broadway starring role in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific” along with “The King and I’ that included some funny stories about learning the appropriate accent when she played the role at Lincoln Center but how what was OK here wasn’t correct when she did the role in London.

She sang some Sondheim and performed Christine’s big “Phantom of the Opera” solo which she auditioned for but never sang in the musical.  She did an interesting “Getting To Know You” from “The King and I” as if Julie Andrews and “Oklahoma’s” Laurie Roberts would have sounded. She adapted the title tune from “She Loves Me” as a tribute to her husband and musical theater star James Naughton.

Another highlight was Clara’s touching discovery of love from her Lincoln Center triumph “Light in the Piazza.” With Rudetsky she did “Small Talk” from “The Pajama Game.”  And she even did an Emile song from “South Pacific” that she claimed she always wanted to sing.

As expected, she sounded wonderful and hit several challenging high notes.  Another high point was a stunningly touching “To Build A Home” from her starring role in “The Bridges At Madison County.”  She ended the concert with a glowing “I Could Have Danced All Night” from “My Fair Lady.”

It was a shimmering concert. She was relaxed and comfortable with Rudetsky who pulled the most interesting things out about her and her career. It was disappointing that the theater was so slimly sold as it was a glorious evening by a fabulous Broadway star.

Later this season two additional Broadway stars will appear at the Scottsdale Center.  Tituss Burgess is scheduled Thursday, January 23, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. and on Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 7:30 p.m., Jeremy Jordan will present his solo show.

Local audiences may never see Broadway stars in their musical theater productions, but seeing these artists in solo shows is the next best thing.  For tickets to future Scottsdale Center for the Arts performances, call 480-499-8587 or go online at www.scottsdalearts.org.

Grade: A