OUTscene: Highlights of Holiday Glee; The latest from the Seattle Men's Chorus and Special Guest, Kelli O'hara!

By MK Scott
OUTscene Editor

Usually I bring Ryan Burr (OUTscene's resident reviewer) with me to events like this, but since it was the holiday weekend, I knew Ryan would be out of town. As an Alum of the chorus, I will not be writing a review but will talk about the highlights and why this performance should not be missed.

Even though performances last until December 20th, the opening night performance was not to be missed because of the rare opportunity to hear their guest artist, Broadway star Kelli O'hara (Performing 2 nights only).

The concept was to pay homage to the popularity of Glee (But it was only one medley and would have loved to see more) that had Kurt (Jimmy Taylor) and his bully, Dave (Sean O'bannon) singing, "Last Christmas" with ending with a "Nice" hug. The medley concluded with Artie (Rob Davies) , Puck (Paul Davison) and Rachel (Jarret Olsen) dressed up as Mary, Joseph and the donkey performing "Don't stop believin'".

Other moments included: The Las Vegas tribute was lead by a three-person-version of the Rat Pack (Gerard Gravallese, Ron Douglas, Ryan Spady) singing 'Winter Wonderland.' In the second act, Broadways' 'Turkey Lurkey Time' (from Promises, Promises) gave a flashback to the late 1960s. For the fourth tribute, the SMC chose Branson, MO. With a parody of 'Looking for a City,' the duet of Manny Golez and Jaime Walrod had a 'diva-off' to see who could sing the song's chorus in a higher octave.

The highlight of the concert was undoubtedly three-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O'Hara, a Kristin Chenoweth Type, and that's a good thing!  This woman not only looks like a vision, but sings like an angel. The first song she shared was 'Wonderful Guy' from her recently nominated performance in Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific. She followed it by singing the title song from Light in the Piazza; another nominated role and a show she originated here in Seattle.

Her rendition of 'O Holy Night' was not only a pleasure to hear, but also something that will stay in the memory for quite a long while. Showing her vocal versatility, Ms. O'Hara's final song was 'They Don't Let You in the Opera (If You're a Country Star)'. That song showed how much alike she is with Kristin Chenoweth (a mix of comedy with vocal range).

One more Highlight included finally getting a Good enough shot of the Usual "Silent Night" that is 50% performed in sign language using white gloves. Also local female impersonator (Robbie Turner) as Liza AND Lady Gaga. Turner as Gaga appeared in the finale that featured a full scale performance of "Bad Romance" with a little "Single Ladies" mixed in. Just before the finale, Fellow Reporter, Brook Stanford spoke to the audience and dedicated the finale to the memory of local activist and SMC member, Cary Toland, who died earlier in the week.


For ticket info go for it at http://www.flyinghouse.org/store/individualform.asp#SMC-HOL