Sandy Hook Benefit Concert at Palace Theater in Waterbury
Producer Van Dean summed it up by saying, “Everything I’ve done so far in the theater has led me to this moment.”
He was talking about the production that was just about to begin, “From Broadway with Love, A Benefit Concert for Sandy Hook.” It was a night to love, a night to laugh, and a night to cry. But most of all, it was a night to remember those that were tragically lost in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December, just days before Christmas.
The show was 2 and a half hours long, and took place at the Palace Theater in Waterbury. Over 1,100 family members from the Sandy Hook community came to the 2,535-seat theater to watch over 800 Broadway actors pay tribute through song, dance, and sometimes, even a little comedy.
The show began with several performers streaming in from the back doors and making their way down the aisles. Each held a candle, 26 in all, representing the lives that were lost that day. These were placed at the front of the stage, where they stayed for the entirety of the show.
Some of Broadway’s biggest performers came to be part of the show, including Michael Cerveris, who sang “Finishing the Hat;” Richard King, who sang “I Wan’na Be Like You;” Mar Testa who sang “When You’re Good to Mama;” and Christine Ebersole who sang “On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe.”
Along with the Broadway performers was Bob from Sesame Street, who sang “Just One Person,” and that delighted the children in the crowd. One of the most special guest performances though was from the Newtown High School Chamber Choir, who helped with many numbers and performed their own a cappella version of “Somewhere” from “West Side Story.” After the number was finished, the crowd awarded them with a standing ovation.
Video clips were featured throughout the show and included celebrities such as Ricki Lake, Anne Hathaway, and Broadway performers, such as those from “Annie.” Perhaps the most poignant of all of these though, were when Barry Manilow was joined at the very end on-screen with the Broadway with Love Chorus, as well as student from Sandy Hook Elementary School to sing “One Voice” to close out the show.
Brian Stokes Mitchell, who sang “The Impossible Dream” on-stage said after the show, “It’s what we do. It’s Broadway people coming in and putting on a show and making people feel good.”
The show was recorded on film and will later be turned into both a DVD and a CD. All proceeds from the show, and from the hard copy formats, will be donated directly to the United Way of Western Connecticut Sandy Hook School Support Fund.
Categorized in: Concerts