Broadway Under the Stars
Chatham Performing Arts Boosters
It really was “some enchanted evening” as Chatham High School’s Broadway Under the Stars lit up the gazebo before a packed Reasoner Park on Friday night, May 17, 2024.
Under twinkling lights, talented students got right down to business, opening the show with a sizzling rendition of “Burn” from Hamilton.
The students, many of whom performed in the high school’s highly successful spring musical, Les Misérables, sang classics from shows such as Cabaret, South Pacific and Kiss Me Kate to more recent hits from shows such as Bandstand and The Prom.
The high school’s a cappella groups, Nothing But Treble and Chacafellas, turned up the volume with songs from Spring Awakening and Hercules, wowing the crowd seated on the lawn in folding chairs and on blankets.
Appreciative laughter erupted during “Changing Lives,” the opening song of The Prom, a musical that Chatham’s student-led group, Theater Leadership for Change, produced at the Chatham Playhouse in June. Director of The Prom and the evening’s co-host, sophomore Jonas Wilcox, had the crowd in stitches throughout the night. “Don’t make me look bad,” he ordered the singers as he strode off the stage.
“What an enjoyable evening experiencing the ultra-talented performing arts students from Chatham High School,” said Brian Carrolll, whose nephew, senior Matt Engel, sang a soaring rendition of “Wondering” from The Bridges of Madison County. “Once again, Broadway Under the Stars provided a magical night out for all in attendance!”
The final act of the evening featured beloved high school choral director Kenneth Bryson singing “ Lily’s Eyes” from The Secret Garden, a duet with senior Charley Baird-Hassell. This year, the high school’s theater and choral departments have a great number of graduating seniors who developed under Bryson’s direction, making it an emotional performance.
Siobhán O’Connor – whose daughter, senior Niamh O’Connor, delighted the audience with “Stars and the Moon” from Songs From A New World – was impressed by all of the new young talent. “Our performing arts department is in safe hands as the senior class successfully passes the baton and the microphone to our rising stars,” she said.
One word to sum up the night, used by the evening’s other co-host, senior Sydney Hnatov, was “splendiferous.”
The open-air concert was sponsored by the Chatham Performing Arts Boosters (CPAB) and supported by Chatham Borough and Chatham High School.
CPAB is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization that provides financial and parent volunteer support for the K-12 music and theatre programs within the School District of the Chathams. To donate, please visit chatham-pab.org
Photos courtesy of Chatham Performing Arts Boosters
