Two Illustrious Stars of the Stage Join the DSO for “A Night of Broadway”
n 1962, the legendary Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett partnered for an Emmy-winning CBS special filled with songs and laughter at New York’s iconic Carnegie Hall. “Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall” would mark the first of three televised specials the pair performed together over the years. Now, some six decades later, two stars of the stage set out to recapture that magic with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra this weekend during “A Night of Broadway.”
From March 28-30, Tony Award-winning Broadway stars Kelli O’Hara and Sutton Foster will share the Meyerson stage, performing songs that highlight their own incredible careers while paying tribute to Andrews and Burnett’s original specials.
“Both of those women were big inspirations for me as a kid,” O’Hara says, recalling how often she watched those leading women growing up. A desire to create her own female-duo-led show led her to partner with Foster, a fellow decorated Broadway star. They made their Carnegie Hall debut as a duo, backed by The New York Pops, in November 2023. “It was a thrilling night,” Foster says. “It was so exciting, and to be able to do that on the stage that (Andrews and Burnett) had performed…it was pretty magical.”
Now, O’Hara and Foster are taking their Carnegie Hall show on the road, with a first stop in Dallas. O’Hara explains that “A Night of Broadway” opens with a medley of hit Broadway numbers, weaving in career highlights and some unexpected songs. “We chose a couple of more obscure things that have just meant a lot to us over the years,” O’Hara says. “We’re singing a song from ‘The Light in the Piazza’ called ‘Fable,’ but as a duet, which no one has ever done.”
O’Hara highlights how “A Night of Broadway” offers an opportunity for the two actors, who together have played everyone from Reno Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett to the titular character in “Kiss Me, Kate,” to perform on stage as their genuine selves. “We’re actually going out and telling more of our personal stories, and I feel like in this show, we’re definitely coming at you as Kelli and Sutton,” O’Hara says.
Between the songs, the show includes a skit and openings for banter between O’Hara and Foster, calling back to those original Andrews and Burnett specials. Other nods to “Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall” include a medley of classic ’90s tunes, much like “The History of Musical Comedy Medley” in the original special, or the ’60s medley in its sequel. “It’s like nine minutes of ’90s music, and it’s just ridiculous and fun,” Foster says.
There’s a single number pulled straight from the special as well, one that’s quite appropriate for the Meyerson audience. “We’re doing ‘Big D’ with dancers (and) with cowboy hats,” O’Hara says. “We can’t think of a better place to be debuting that again after Carnegie Hall than Dallas.”
Both O’Hara and Foster have found joy in their collaboration from a professional and personal standpoint. “You admire someone, but then to be able to work with them intimately, especially in a creative setting, it’s been really awesome, easy, and fun,” Foster says. “I feel like we’ve become really good friends.”
O’Hara agrees, pointing to how she and Foster bonded over motherhood and their similar career paths. “This is really special because it’s very different to build a show with another woman who you identify a lot of your personal life with,” O’Hara says. “It’s nice to be the authors of our show.”
Boston Bruins superstar David Pastrnak puts locker room on blast after Anaheim loss
When the Boston Bruins traded Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers on March 7, it left a leadership gap with them losing their captain. Who was going to take on that role for the rest of the season was the question. Charlie McAvoy would have been a logical choice, but his injury at 4 4 Nationa Face-Off has sidelined him since February and it would be surprising if we see him again in 2024-25.
That leaves David Pastrnak as the next logical choice, and with each passing game, the Bruins’ leading scorer has slowly taken on the role. From is postgame comments to his play on the ice and voicing anything with officials that needs to be voiced, Pastrnak has done it. Lately, you can tell that the last few weeks are getting to him and after a 6-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night, Pastrnak voiced more frustration and sent a message to his locker room.
David Pastrnak sends a message to the Bruins locker room
After a seventh straight loss, six in regulation, the Black and Gold fell three games below .500 and fell to 0-4-0 on their current five-game road trip that concludes on Saturday night in Detroit against the Red Wings. With the losses piling up and doing so in what feels like an embarrassing fashion nightly, Pastrnak was vocal Wednesday night in Anaheim.
“They (Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings) just rolled over us,” said Pastrnak. “Today wasn’t much different. We just don’t play with the puck enough. It’s a lot of our own doing. Not taking anything away from Anaheim. They were better in every aspect of the game today. That’s too many times it has happened this year. It’s really hard to find the words to try to fix it. It’s Game 73. We shouldn’t even be standing here and talking about games like this. This is the kind of game you have in the first 10, maximum 15 games, at the start of the season. Here we are, Game 73.”
Very well said. He’s not wrong. This year, it seems like anything that can go wrong has gone wrong, and the Bruins haven’t done anything to fix it or help themselves in any way whatsoever. It started in Game 1 against the Florida Panthers when they gave up four first-period goals, and things haven’t really changed since.
It wasn’t the coaching as after they fired Jim Montgomery, Joe Sacco took over and as usually happens when a new coach is hired, they played better for a stretch, but have reverted back to their old ways. Now with the St. Louis Blues, Montgomery has them on course to go from the bottom of the Western Conference playoff standings to a wild-card spot. Again, coaching isn’t the problem.
