Always a favorite Ice Palace event, Ben Cameron’s “Broadway Sessions Beach Party,” enjoyed a gala seasonal return on Memorial Day, May 27, featuring Broadway’s exceptional Dee Roscioli (“The Cher Show”) and Alyssa Fox (“Frozen”). Drew Wutke was the pianist and DJ Chuck McTague was responsible for lights and sound.
Ben and Drew set the tone for the proceedings with a joyous “Circle of Life,” from “The Lion King,” and Drew followed it with “(You make me feel like a) Natural Woman,” inviting singing along. Several contests came next, including a singing competition, handily won by Austin, showing off a back-full of tattoos of some of the gayest of iconic divas, and singing the title song from “Beauty and the Beast” convincingly as Angela Lansbury.
The Broadway guests dazzled us with their virtuoso numbers, Roscioli with “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and then, a song from “The Circus in Winter,” with composer Ben Clark on guitar, and Fox with “Let It Go (the cold never bothered me anyway)” and Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.”
Members of the community who took center stage were this writer (“Someone to Watch Over Me”), Mike Schaefer (“Nearer”), and Ken Woodhouse (“Dentist!” from “Little Shop of Horrors”).
More showpieces were in store when Roscioli returned with Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time” and she and Fox morphed into dueling Elfabas, happily tag teaming in “The Wizard and I,” from “Wicked.” To conclude the evening, we all joined forces to sing “Seasons of Love,” from “Rent,” with our host and special guests.
Look for “Broadway Sessions Beach Party” on Monday nights at 9 p.m.