The July 20 edition of singer Brandon Cutrell and pianist Ray Fellman's Broadway at the Beach, at the Grove Hotel's Ice Palace, featuring professional and local talent aplenty, was an exciting event to be present for and be part of.

Brandon and Ray put us in the mood for the action-packed evening with an irreverent "Goody, Goody." Brandon later shared a carefree, but grounded outlook in "One Hand in My Pocket," and sang a bit of Aaron Copland's "Ching-a-Ring-Chaw."

Emily McNamara, from the cast of "My First Time," making her Broadway at the Beach debut, sang a song from "Avenue Q" ("I can make you feel special, when it sucks to be you") that ended like "Rose's Turn," from "Gyspy;" offered a funny portrayal of a none-too-sharp teen Miss South Carolina ("I personally believe that United States Americans"); and ended with an expansive sing-along of "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Alison Streeter dazzled us with her powerhouse numbers from "Dream Girls" ("I Am Changing") and "[title of show]" ("A way back to then").

Matt DeAngelis, making his Broadway debut in "Hair" and his Fire Island debut on this night, sizzled in "King of the World," from Jason Robert Brown's "Songs for a New World," and fervently reassured, "I'll be here."

Rachel Potter ("Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast" films) proffered her credo ("I believe in love," from "Hair") with verve; gave us goose-bumps with a vibrant, unforced "Defying Gravity," from "Wicked;" and sang quietly of her "fragile strength" in "Something always brings me back to you."

In an Andrew Lippa song, from "The Little Princess" ("Your true love"), Marcus Paul James ("In the Heights," "Rent") made smooth ascents into head tone, and concluded the evening with an ardent "Home," from "The Wiz."

Robbie Neigeborn, Brandon's significant other, remembered Judy Garland with a no-holds-barred "The Man That Got Away." Singing from "Snoopy, the Musical," Kareem Suleyman dulcetly queried, "Where did that little dog go?" Rae DiStefano offered jazzy variations on "Summertime." Stacy Gail broke hearts with a polished, wrenching "What'll I Do." Kevin McGrath sang "Maybe This Time" and I serenaded Joe with "Someone to Watch Over Me." Sal Piro's cryptic Broadway clues pitted Robbie against the hotel's Carlos.