http://ct.broadwayworld.com/article/Terrence-Mann-Leads-Connecticut-Reps-MAN-OF-LA-MANCHA-67-16-20120530

Can you feel the jealousy, East Coast?  Can you?!
I'll feel less deprived when I see photos bigger than a thumbnail.  ; )

*ahem* Sunday, in Baltimore …

The conductor, Jack Everly, starts with the Overture. After a few moments, he stops the music, turns to the audience, and says, “Now, for a word from our sponsor …” After the sponsorial word, the Overture continues. As it finishes, Terrence Mann comes out, is introduced, and he and Jack Everly, between them, begin to explain the concert. Everly begins, telling the audience how to pronounce the composers’s names. Terry, standing next to him, is prompting the audience. Everly turns to him; “No prompting!” turns to audience. Audience pronounces names correctly. Everly turns back to Terry:”See? I told you they spoke French in Baltimore!” Terry asks a few questions …” because Jack told me to …”. Everly, standing behind him, makes Bugs-Bunny-ish puppeteering finger-wiggles above Terry’s head …

I haven't seen posts from other folks who saw the show and a few of you were asking for some details so here's my recollection of the show from last Thursday at the Strathmore.

First off, I enjoyed the whole show much better than I expected. I am not an orchestra person and I went only for Terry so I expected to be bored when he was not singing. I was wrong. Another thing I did not expect - the singers actually acted out some of the songs instead of just singing them, which was a nice treat. I had never heard any of the other singers before so they were all new to me, but all were veterans of musicals by Alain boublil and Claude Michel Schonberg.

Terry came out right after the overture and sang "Bui Doi" from Miss Saigon. The conductor (Jack Everly, who was also pretty funny) explained that the song was from the point of view of a pimp who takes advantage of street children and turns them into prostitutes. Terry played the part to the hilt, even going so far as to stroke the hair of a couple of the violinists, as if he was sizing them up to become one of his hookers. The violinists sat mostly straight-faced, which was rather funny, as if they were not expecting it but they probably rehearsed it that way.

A little while later, Terry sang "American Dream," also from Miss Saigon. After a few songs by the other vocalists, Terry joined the whole company for a rendition of "In the Land of the Fathers," from Martin Guerre, which was really moving with the full orchestra and chorus.

In the second half, he joined the company again for "At the End of the Day," from Les Miserables, which is the only musical I really knew before coming to the show. Right after that, he sang "Master of the House," also from Les Miserables with Kathy Voytko, and they were both very funny. Terry played up the whole sleazy innkeeper role (he even wore an apron) and Kathy had great chemistry with him. The audience clearly loved this and I thought this song got the most applause of all the songs they peformed.

Then, the highlight for me, was Terry singing "Stars," from Les Miserables, which I was lucky enough to see him perform in 1986 at the Kennedy Center before it went to Broadway. I was moved to tears. His voice sounded beautiful and I was glad I didn't about the vocal injury before I saw the show or I would have been a wreck waiting for that song.

He sang two more songs with the company - "One Day More" and "Do You Hear the People Sing," and both got standing ovations.  It was an amazing show full of beautiful orchestrations, humor, talented singing and I'm very glad I went. It was totally worth the price of admission.

I'd love to hear from others who saw the show in Baltimore. How did you like it?