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Emily Rozek and Steven Reineke

 

Julia MurneyVancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Wicked Divas Emily Rozek & Julia Murney

Dates and Venue 2-3 March 2012 @ 8pm | Orpheum Theatre

Conductor Steven Reineke Featured performers Emily Rozek & Julia Murney

Repertoire (part) Ragtime, Titanic, The Wizard of Oz, Wicked

Reviewer Ed Farolan

When the two divas introduced themselves, they said the word "wicked" before "divas" meant they were not wicked but rather, played in the Broadway musical Wicked. These two Broadway stars were extremely contrasting in personalities. Whereas Rozek was the sweet girl-next-door type, Murney was the charismatic, bombastic and sexy diva. But both performed extremely well in their own fashion.

Rozek's interpretation of "I could have danced all night" was sweet, like Julie Andrews, and the funny and voluptuous Murney was giving her all in "All That Jazz". I also liked Rozek's delivery of the theme song from Titanic, giving her tribute to the original Celine Dion's smash hit "My Heart Will Go On".

But Murney wowed the crowd with her charisma from Wicked songs and joked about how once, the flying machine didn't work and the rest of the cast had to lie down on the floor looking up to her as though she were up in the air. The audience got a big laugh out of this.

New York Pops Music Director Steven Reineke did a fantastic job leading the VSO with his arrangements from Ragtime, Titanic, The Wizard of Oz, Wicked – even a selection from Monty Python's Spamalot! which again got laughs from Murney's comic style of singing the song.

This was an amusing concert and the audience clamored for more, and naturally, an encore number ended the show.

© 2012 Ed Farolan