United On Broadway: Stars in the Alley

My niece Jesse and I had a wonderful time at Stars in the Alley.

As an avid Broadway fan, I’ve wanted to attend Stars in the Alley for years. Finally, last Wednesday, thanks to event sponsor United Airlines, I landed two VIP passes. What a treat! And alas, I now understand where the pre-Tony shindig got its name, because it was literally star-studded, with too many famous faces to count.

In case you’re not familiar with Stars in the Alley, the free outdoor concert takes place each year about a week before the Tony Awards. Theatre veterans gather and present excerpts from top Broadway musicals in Shubert Alley, just next to Junior’s on West 45th Street.

United Airlines has worked with the Broadway League and actively supported the New York City theatre community since 1997, and been a sponsor of the event since 2011. Stars in the Alley is a perfect preview of what’s to come on Tony night, and it’s a fabulous way to catch stellar moments from shows you’ve already seen, and preview new shows or those on your must-see list.

I grabbed a seat up close with my niece, Jesse, who was my date for the morning. Junior’s put out quite the spread of breakfast eats, so we noshed a bit before the performances began. Once we were snug in our chairs, we experienced 90 minutes of nonstop entertainment. Darren Criss did a bang-up job hosting the event, Tony winner James Monroe Inglehart (Aladdin) made an appearance dazzling the audience as usual, and a slew of performers from Broadway’s hit musicals graced the stage one by one. We saw excerpts from blockbuster shows like Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Matilda, and Les Miserables, as well as pieces from Tony-nominated shows such as Fun Home, The Visitor, Something Rotten, and On the Town.

Darren Criss, who’s currently starring in Hedwig, was adorable as the event host.

Actors from Tony-nominated plays introduced their musical colleagues, so we also heard a few quips from cast members of shows such as Hand to God, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and The Audience. 

Below, see some of the highlights of our fun-filled morning at Stars in the Alley, Don’t forget to tune in to the Tony Awards live this Sunday, June 7 at 8 p.m. on CBS. Support theatre in New York City! See a Broadway or an Off-Broadway show. Like me, just one musical, and you might be hooked on theatre for a lifetime.

Gigi star Vanessa Hudgens introduced her co-star, Corey Cott.

Formerly Jack Kelly in Newsies, Corey Cott has quite a voice!

Brennyn Lark blew the audience away with her powerful rendition of “On My Own” from Les Miz.

The cast of On the Town donned I Heart NY t-shirts and performed one of my favorite songs, “New York! New York!”

Brandy is currently playing the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago. Terrific performance from her and the guys in the show. Really fun.

Nominated for 12 Tonys, Fun Home is on my must-see-musicals list.

Sexy Christian Borle plays William Shakespeare in Something Rotten, one of the most hilarious shows I’ve seen to date.

Stars in the Alley ended with “Dancing Queen” from the smash hit, Mamma Mia.

Posted on June 1, 2015