The Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts continued its diverse offering of performances by touring and regional groups with last Saturday's “Broadway Today!,” a show that deserved more than a single performance. The show's lackluster title encompassed an invigorating, smartly assembled collection of famous Broadway numbers, fortunately not limited to the most recent ventures dominating the Great White Way. A seasoned group of four versatile performers provided familiar solo show tunes, often merged together seamlessly into vocal trios backed by a modest three-man accompaniment. There were catchy tunes from <em>Jersey Boys</em>, <em>Wicked</em> and <em>Billy Elliot</em>, as well as timeless selections from <em>West Side Story</em>, <em>South Pacific</em>, <em>Phantom</em> and <em>Hair</em> that carried nostalgia a bit further, at least for the older audience.<br /><br />There was nothing subdued or overly sentimental about this evening's approach. In the best hell-bent-for-leather Broadway tradition, numbers were belted out full throttle in an aggressive, show-biz manner by an enthusiastic cast. The audience was constantly delighted. This high-volume approach, however, tended to blur the more tender lyrics. Jason Graae did a Joel Grey shtick that usually worked well. Lisa Howard and sweet-voiced Julia Murney handled the romantic bits nicely, and hunky young David Burnham (equipped with an appealing, sweet tenor voice) almost stopped the show, wandering into the audience singing a Frankie Valli favorite, much to the delight of the ladies. <p style="margin-right: 1.5in;"> </p> <p style="margin-right: 1.5in;"> </p> <p style="margin-right: 1.5in;"> </p>
