Steve Wilson | BroadwayWorld.com

Kansas City audiences are fortunate to be highly entertained with a Vegas style show, including magicians, entertainers suspended above the stage, a Liberace impersonator, and the phenomenal Heartland Men’s Chorus as they present Vegas Baby at the Folly Theater in Kansas City. Anthony T. Edwards appears as the guest conductor of the Kansas City premiere gay men’s chorus. Edwards is the Resident Music Director for Starlight Theatre, The Coterie, and The Unicorn Theatre.

Act I Vegas of Yesterday, began the chorus singing “Route 66” which included a solo performance by Steven Jeffrey Karlin. The second number brought a solo from Mark A. Lechner with “Luck Be a Lady Tonight” from Guys and Dolls.

The third song brought to the stage the first special guest of the evening as the chorus sang “That Old Black Magic. The song truly brought magic to the stage in the form of professional magicians Lance Rich and David Sandy. The audience was mystified at the illusions and humor they brought to the stage.

Several fantastic songs by the chorus followed the two magicians before the second guest Martin Preston appeared on stage wearing a rhinestone studded, fur accented, long-flowing white coat, and suit to match. Preston has spent the last 24 years re-creating the glamour and music of the late Liberace. Amazing is the only way to describe his performance as he mimics Liberace in appearance, voice, humorous quips, and stroking of the ivory keys.

Elvis Presley played Las Vegas many times before his premature death in 1977 at Graceland, his Memphis home. The Heartland Men’s Chorus paid tribute to the “King of Rock and Roll” with a medley which included “Jailhouse Rock,” “Don’t Be Cruel” with a solo by Todd Jordan Green, “Blue Suede Shoes,” and “Love Me Tender” arranged by Anthony Edwards.

Special guest Quixotic performed during several of the songs in both acts, with aerial acrobatics that push the limits of athletic artistry. The feats they performed above the stage were as fantastic as the blending of the voices of the chorus.

Act II, Vegas of Today, opened with a humorous rendition of “The Boy from Ipanema,” which included a solo by Randy Hite. Rich and Sandy returned to the stage to fascinate the audience with feats of illusion that boggled the mind. What kind of Vegas show would it be without Elton John? Tom Lancaster performed a wonderful solo of “Sir Elton,” followed by John Edmonds superb performance of “Viva Las Vegas.”

Vegas Baby continues at the Folly Theater on Sunday June 15 at 4 p.m. Call 816-931-3338 to purchase tickets for the final performance.

Anthony Rodgers | KCMetropolis.org

“We gotta give them hope.” These words of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person elected to public office, were taken to heart by the Heartland Men’s Chorus, who joined with the Gateway Men’s Chorus from St. Louis this weekend at the Folly Theater. After each ensemble sang selections of their own, Andrew Lippa’s large work I Am Harvey Milk received its Midwest premiere, forcing an element of introspection on the part of everyone present and a call for action to end all remaining hate.

The Gateway Men’s Chorus started the concert with a performance of Candlelight, a work by their conductor, Al Fischer; due to some timid sounds from the lower voices, the work was a bit unstable. However the ensemble quickly regrouped for a thrilling choral version of “Simple Joys” from Pippin to demonstrate their exceptional musicality. Intoning the words of John Donne, No Man Is An Island resembled the solemnity of a Germanic Requiem, and the chorus’s clean intervals sung at a soft dynamic were impressive. Borrowing again from musical theatre, GMC closed with “Light,” the final number from Next to Normal, unifying all of their works in a subtly inspirational set and what seemed to be their own tribute to the Harvey Milks of the world.

The Heartland Men’s Chorus began their segment with Dan Forrest’s The Music of Living, a subdued fanfare that showcased the sheer power of the men’s combined voices. I Met A Boy was a humorous and humbling juxtaposition of the years 1958, 1976, and 2010, highlighting societal changes in regard to homosexuality. A beautiful timbre was created at the beginning of Inscription of Hope, a piece remembering the Holocaust, by piano, string quartet, oboe, and a wordless choir. The rich, dark sound in the choir continued through the opening of Give ‘Em Hope, which gradually shifted to a lighter, gospel style, during which it was hard not to feel inspired to dance along.

I Am Harvey Milk was an ambitious project involving both choruses, three soloists, a chamber orchestra, and a great deal of projected imagery. Not a biographical work, the oratorio-like work instead examined various aspects of Milk’s life, asking the listener to examine his or her place in a changing world and find something relatable in the life and words of one iconic man. The voice of Milk haunted the hall before the large chorus began the movement “I Am The Bullet,” influenced by postminimalism, speaking to a silent population of opinion-less persons. Converting the Folly into a 1970s disco, “Friday Night in the Castro” was a lively number involving group choreography that was engaging overall, although risky at times when not everyone remembers to fully participate. As homosexual slurs were written on a screen like graffiti, the words echoed through the room with a modified version of the familiar rhyme “Sticks and Stones,” and as the terms shifted to include derogatory slang for racial groups, the global impact of hateful words grew realized and heavy. The projections were distracting at times, however, particularly during the beautiful “San Francisco.” Perhaps the most rousing of the numbers was the finale, “Tired of the Silence,” as Milk’s moving words rallied listeners to victory by being one’s self.

As Harvey Milk, Tom Lancaster was a perfect fit, bringing elements of his musical theatre background to this concert stage, truly embodying the icon himself. His voice during “You Are Here” was commanding, supple, and always under control. Portraying a young Milk, Cam Burns had a remarkable voice, full of the innocence and ambition desired from the character. Sylvia Stone, soprano, faltered often on sustained lines, going noticeably flat, but her stage presence was spot-on with each portrait, and the recitative sections in “Leap” were clean and easily understood.

Additional elements of the event included the well-balanced chamber ensemble that was never overbearing or overpowered. Sign language interpreter John T. Adams did more than offer his interpretive services, dancing along with the music happening behind him—an appreciated subtlety. The lighting effects were well done, always appropriate to the moods and lyrics of individual movements and pieces. All in all, these components worked together to convert an anticipated choral concert into the uplifting and inspirational event that it was, echoing the message of Harvey Milk that “hope will never be silent.”