photo by Bruce-Michael Gelbert
Sarah Rice & Brandon Cutrell
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Singer Brandon Cutrell-assisted by singer-songwriter-pianist Daniel Lincoln, deputizing for Brandon's co-host Ray Fellman, and DJ Chuck McTague, on sound and lights-hosted an extremely gala Broadway at the Beach season finale, on August 29 at the Ice Palace, with, as headliner, a very special guest in soprano Sarah Rice, creator of the ingénue role of Johanna, in the original Broadway run of Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd," with Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury.

Her voice as pure as we remember it, Rice slyly seduced us with a song written by Richard A. Whiting for the "George White Scandals of 1917" ("I could be happy with one little boy, if there were no others around"), which she capped by borrowing Zerbinetta's cadenza from Richard Strauss' "Ariadne auf Naxos." Rice continued with a number, written for Helen Kane, about a recalcitrant lover ("He's so unusual"), and made it clear just what Kane's signature "Boop-boop-a-do" was a euphemism for.

Rice returned later in the evening for a selection from "A Woman Commands," a 1939 film starring Pola Negri, that was banned from radio ("I'm just a woman who loved a man"), and indeed showed us how erotic it could be, and closed with her hit from "Sweeney Todd," "Green finch and linnet bird"-sung unamplified-with which she kept us rapt and for which we awarded her a standing ovation.

Telly Leung ("Pacific Overtures," "Rent") gave us an exquisitely embellished "Home," from "The Wiz," and "Under the Boardwalk," from the film "Beaches," with the audience chiming in, as Leung requested. Kenny Holcomb adapted "Big, Blonde and Beautiful," from "Hairspray," making it "Big, Bald and Beautiful," and harmonized and sparred vehemently with Brandon in duet ("Does he love you the way he loves me?")

Eric Michael Krop popped out head tone high notes aplenty, singing, "You're the perfect man for me, I love you, I do" and introduced a song from a musical-in-progress ("Everything I touch turns to gold"). Newcomer Matt Densky came out proudly, singing, "I am a Catholic" ("out of the cloisters and into the streets"). Baby-faced Densky also offered "the little boy blues" ("people will say I'm Dorian Gray"). Krop and Densky, in duet, sweetly queried, "Who will love me as I am?"

Maestro Lincoln dulcetly invited "call out my name and I'll ... make it all alright" and sang his romantic waltz, with wild refrain, addressed to a succession of men, "You fucking scare the shit out of me!" Beginning on September 28, Brandon, Daniel and Chuck will join forces for "Broadway Brouhaha with Brandon," on Tuesday nights at Therapy in Manhattan.

General Manager Sal Piro offered a Broadway trivia contest and singers from the open mic list were Courtney Daniels, with a flower in her hair, singing a hard-hitting maid's lament ($30 ain't enough"); Jim Speake professing his love ("You send me"); Robbie Neigeborn paying tribute to Judy Garland ("The Man that Got Away"), and this writer; fielding the title song from "42nd Street." Ariel Sinclair portrayed a living doll, stuck "on a music box," who would rather have "the whole world-now!" and Jason Cozmo wowed us doing Liza Minnelli doing "New York, New York."