The three Phantoms

The Columbus Symphony performed with three tenors, all of whom had performed in the title role of Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, last night. Surprisingly, there's been hundreds of men who have done that and my expectations were a little low. But as soon as Cris Groenendall softly sang the opening notes of "Begin the Beguine" I knew we weren't in Columbus any more.

All three tenors were made for Broadway although in different ways. Cris Groenendall has a high, sweet tenor which is clear and must have been perfect for Phantom. Although I didn't know it before the show, I'd actually seen him as Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd maybe 30 years ago so he's a pretty seasoned star to have lasted this long.

Ted Keegan reminded me the most of a classic Broadway tenor and Kevin Gray's voice was much darker than the other two. In the first half of the show, Chris and Ted sang two solos and Keven sang one. In the second half, there was a duet with Chris and Ted and Kevin got another solo. The choices they made of these pieces was often questionable. One would have thought that they would choose pieces that particularly showed off their voices but some of the pieces such as Kevin's "Impossible Dream" from Man of LaMancha really didn't work well.

Still, all three were so theatrical that I found myself wishing for nothing so much as context-to see the pieces performed in the context of the musical. Toward the end, each tenor chose a piece that had a major part in launching their careers and this was where the performances soared. Ted Keegan's piece was "On the street where you live" from My Fair Lady and he was obviously perfect for the part. Keven Gray then offered "The American Dream" from the last part of Miss Saigon and it was a knock out performance.

The contrasts between the classic Broadway tenors and the more theatrical Kevin Gray was one of the unexpected treats from this show. Gray, who is the newest member, can be imagined as the stage manager in Chess far more than in a part like Phantom or My Fair Lady.

The Columbus Symphony was far short of full staff and one noticed it particularly in the strings. The horns were quite strong though and one really didn't miss the fullness too much. Some of the music required more flexibility of the players than one usually sees. One bass player had to switch back and forth between a bass and an electric bass guitar, but Janie Bullock was even more challenged. Within a single piece she would switch between the piano and an organ or synthesizer. What's more, some of the pieces had the orchestra going silent just as she came in. Her timing was perfect and the Steinway really sounded good.

Although it was a pop night which wouldn't satisfy many Symphony interests, it was a satisfying night for what it was and I'm glad George Del Gobbo was willing to present it.