For one night, it’s ‘100 Years of Broadway’

The title, “100 Years of Broadway,” is sufficient to intrigue anyone who loves show tunes.

If you’re the kind of person who owns a collection of original-cast soundtracks; never miss “Wednesday Matinee” on KPBX-FM; and sing “Some Enchanted Evening” in the shower, then you may already be reaching for your Visa card.

This national touring show promises dozens of show tunes from the George M. Cohan era through the “Wicked” era.

The question then becomes: Who are these people? And what caliber of talent do they bring with them?

Let’s take a look at the people behind Neil Berg’s “100 Years of Broadway,” beginning with Berg himself and continuing through the five cast members:

Neil Berg

He’s a longtime composer of musicals himself, having written the off-Broadway “The Prince and the Pauper,” which ran for two years and which was praised by the New York Times for its “generous outpouring of melodic music.” He currently is working on the Broadway-bound “Grumpy Old Men” and “The Man Who Would Be King.” Berg is the mastermind behind this Broadway touring extravaganza and presides behind the piano.

Grant Norman

He just came off the role of Gaston in the Broadway production of “Beauty and the Beast,” and he has done a national touring stint as the Beast himself. You may remember him as the Beast when the tour hit Spokane in 2001. He has also played the Phantom in “Phantom of the Opera’s” national tour and the London production.

Rita Harvey

She played both Fredel and Hodel in the most recent Broadway revival of “Fiddler on the Roof,” and spent years playing the lead role of Christine in “The Phantom of the Opera,” both on Broadway and on the national tour. She is also married to Berg.

Carter Calvert

She played Grizabella in the national tour of “Cats,” and had a starring role in Broadway’s “It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues.” She has also toured in “Smokey Joe’s Café.”

Raymond Jaramillo McLeod

He played Wreck in the Tony-winning Broadway revival of “Wonderful Town.” And you may have heard his voice on the Disney soundtracks to “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and “Pocahontas.”

Lawrence Clayton

He just played the role of Montel/Jesus in “Jerry Springer, the Opera” at Carnegie Hall. He has appeared in numerous Broadway shows, including “Dreamgirls,” “Once Upon a Mattress” and “Bells Are Ringing.”

In other words, this cast could do a heck of a show just singing songs they have actually performed on Broadway or on tour. But this musical revue goes beyond that.

Berg, in an interview this summer with EncoreMichigan.com, said the show opens with an a cappella version of the 1904 song, “Give My Regards to Broadway” and pays homage to the early greats, including Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern and Cole Porter. And then it moves into Broadway’s Golden Age (the ’40, ’50s and ’60s) and into current shows like “Wicked” and “Jersey Boys.”

Berg called it a “rock concert for Broadway fans” and added that many people in the audience know every song – and can sing along with most of them.