I heart Audra!

Her concert at NJPAC Saturday night was truly amazing. I honestly couldn’t stop smiling the entire evening. I was giddy like a 12 year old at a Hannah Montana concert. Two hours of solo material and two encores were just not enough for this Audra-phile. Did I mention that I LOVE Audra? Yes, I’m obsessed. Not in a John Hinckley way, but in more of an Altarholics way. It’s not like I want a lock of her hair or her toenail clippings, but I haven’t missed a NYC performance since her first magnificent (getting tired of the hyperbole? Too bad, it’s gonna’ keep on coming) performance on Broadway in Carousel. That’s actually a lie. I skipped Raisin in the Sun on principle because of the casting of Diddy/P Diddy/Puff Daddy/Puffy/Sean Combs -whatever the hell he goes by now - in the leading role. Really, how many name changes can one go through before coming off as just plain silly? Can you say identity crisis? And if you’re going to change your name, why would you choose “Puffy”? Anyway, witnessing the perfection that is Audra - did I mention that I LOVE Audra? - didn’t come without its trials. Trish and I risked life and limb to venture into downtown Newark, which resembles those old black and white pictures of seedy 42nd Street from the 70’s with all the prostitutes and crack heads. “If you got rid of those homeless people, these building would be so pretty,” was Trish’s reaction to our downtown excursion as I checked to make sure the car doors were locked.

The reason I’m obsessed with Audra is that she is such an incredible actress whose acting never interferes with the quality of her singing. She never “sacrifices” her sound for the performance, yet still manages to act circles around most other actresses and singers. She can make you cry with her performance, but if you closed your eyes, you would swear you’re listening to a studio recording. It’s not that I mind when a singer compromises some vocal quality for the sake of truthful performance, it just seems like Audra doesn’t need to. And in my lifetime of theater-going, there are scant few who have this ability (maybe Carolee Carmelo? I’m obsessed with her, too, by the way, but I’ll gush over her the next time I see her perform - if you wanna’ be blown away, see her on Youtube singing “Do You See What I See” but listen all the way through). Anyway, if you’ve never seen Audra perform or listened to a recording, go to Amazon.com and order any one of her CD’s and I’m sure you’ll be brainwashed into the Audra-cult. Don’t fight it, give in! Did I mention that I LOVE Audra? And if possessing a flawless voice and impeccable acting chops were not enough, she’s also gorgeous. I think she’s my straight crush.

As far as Saturday’s concert, she performed songs from Broadway musicals and movie musicals with a full orchestra. Although she didn’t stray far from the classics - R&H, Lerner & Loewe, Harold Arlen, Sondheim and Styne - she did veer into the realms of contemporary Broadway with selections by Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, Michael John LaChuisa and some contemporary jazz arrangements of classics (“Edelweiss”, “Over the Rainbow”). Her audience banter between songs was casual and relaxed, mainly personal stories of her career and family life, although she did seem to be pulling some of the anecdotes out of her ass. But this only added to a more intimate feeling in the cavernous 2,500 seat PAC. Next up, Broadway Musicals of 1954 at Town Hall with my other semi-obsession, Sierra Boggess aka "The Little Mermaid".