http://siouxcityjournal.com/entertainment/columnists/miller/review-ashley-brown-wows-em-with-sioux-city-symphony-orchestra/article_d2134ddd-fb6d-5f73-924f-ae801ca80838.htmlSIOUX CITY | That Broadway “edge” was clearly on display Saturday night when “Mary Poppins” veteran Ashley Brown joined the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra and, frankly, wowed ‘em.
Possessing a voice that could fill cracks in the ceiling, she breezed through a series of musical standards, stopping only to offer a little biographical detail.
Cast in Broadway’s “Beauty and the Beast,” (she was the 15th Belle), Brown said she had a good shot at playing “MP” when the musical was adapted for the stage.
Still, she auditioned several times and, finally, one night, got the good news – she would be the first to play the role on Broadway. Through hundreds of performances, she found a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious take on the character and even sang “Feed the Birds” for Julie Andrews. Her rendition – performed Saturday at the “Broadway Romance” offering – had more passion and a much different orchestration. Possessing many of Andrews’ high notes, Brown had a way of coloring the lower ones that added plenty.
She demonstrated that depth, too, on “It’s Almost Like Being in Love,” and did her own “Phantom” take on “All I Ask of You” with friend Geoff Packard (who’s currently on Broadway in “Matilda”).
Funny and engaging, Brown said she grew up in Florida in a tone-deaf family (“pick an octave, people”) and went to college for musical theater. That she’d become a Disney regular was no surprise. She has the tone in spades and told the crowd she’s going to sing a new Richard Sherman song, “A Kiss Goodnight,” for the 60th anniversary of Disneyland. “So when you leave the theme park all hot and sweaty you’ll hear me.”
Dressed in red (natch), she stuffed the bill with love songs and traditional Broadway tunes. She and Packard got good mileage out of “Tonight” from “West Side Story” and covered so many familiar songs it’s amazing she had anything left for the second act.
A three-piece combo (including a very good Bobby Kunkle on piano) joined the orchestra. The biggest thrill, though, was hearing how great the brass could be on a New York medley that opened the show. To hear trombones get the lead on “New York, New York” was a Valentine all by itself.
While Brown has been singing with orchestras for a while since she left “Mary Poppins,” she’d be great in just about everything Laura Osnes has played in recent years. If “Guys and Dolls” is revived, she should get the Sarah Brown part. Her voice is made for “If I Were a Bell.”
The Sioux City musicians had fun with the overture from “Chicago” and ably supported Brown and Packard.
What Saturday’s event showed the regulars is how ready the Orpheum is for first national company of a Broadway hit. With voices as strong as Brown’s, the place would shine brighter than the building’s chandeliers.
