Glee Meets Smash at NY Pops Forest Hills Stadium
By Sandi Durell
Broadway and television celebrities, Matthew Morrison and Megan Hilty, met up on the stage of Forest Hills Stadium on Thursday night July 7 to the incredible sounds of the New York Pops helmed by the always delightful Steven Reineke. Musical Director and Conductor – A combustible trio that sparked great music and a lot of laughs.
Megan Hilty
Luckily the rain stayed away and the greater heat was more evident coming from triple threat Matthew Morrison (Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner and last seen starring on Broadway in “Finding Neverland”) as he plied his versatility to songs such as “The Lady is a Tramp,” “Luck Be A Lady,” and crowd pleaser “Singin’ in the Rain” ( with umbrella), outdoing himself with a memorable medley from “Hairspray.” And he’s got all the dance moves that enhanced each. It was like watching mini-production numbers from Broadway shows. High energy, high talent!
Morrison off-handedly announced that he just got back from Africa and nothing more. I wondered what he was doing there. I had the opportunity to ask him that post show. Seems that when he and Renee Puente married in October 2014, they never had a chance to take a honeymoon.
Matthew Morrison
Not to be outdone, the gorgeous and charming Megan Hilty not only gave a fashion show of stunning strapless gowns (red, blue and gold beads & sequins), in which she looked incredibly sexy, but her vocal prowess, as always, proved to be an overwhelming pleasure to the ear (what a pair of lungs!).
Megan Hilty
Her big Smash hit “They Just Keep Moving the Line” was a big winner (as always) and “Popular” (from Wicked) a charmer of zesty proportions. The pairing of “Autumn Leaves/When October Goes” (Johnny Mercer lyrics), resonated great emotional impact, the arrangement by Steven Reineke. She wowed with “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” offering up chorus after chorus resulting in a standing ovation.
Together, Megan and Matthew dueted on a very contemporary pop version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” the evening coming to a close with a well received encore of “Suddenly Seymour” (Little Shop of Horrors).
More information: www.neworkpops.org
