In the midst of story-high skyscrapers, Bryant Park is one of several beautiful parks and a scenic landmark in New York City, featuring games, a reading room, a place to learn arts and crafts, a carousel, and lush gardens surrounding it all. My favorite thing the park has to offer is the annual “Broadway in Bryant Park” concert series. For fifteen years, “Broadway in Bryant Park” has been bringing musical theater out of the theater. It brings attention to the park and currently running Broadway and off-Broadway shows and guest hosts from a currently running play. The concerts are held every Thursday from July 9 to August 13 from 12:30 to 1:30, and I attended the first performance.
The open environment contrasts greatly from the typical Broadway theater. For example, there is no price to attend the concert or limit of attendees; as such, the park was packed with people, leaving many without a seat, pushing past each other to catch a glimpse of the stage. Crew members from 106.7 Lite FM, the radio station that presents the event every year, informed people about the set, and one of their DJs, relationship adviser Delilah, was the day’s host. Fans with her picture on it were available for free at one booth, which many picked up to relieve themselves of the summer heat. Other booths by the stage sold products from the series’ sponsors.
Delilah opened the show, welcoming the audience with an enthusiasm I didn’t expect, given her gentle personality on the radio. Her guest hosts were the magicians with a “god-given” gift, Penn and Teller, promoting their eponymous new play. The duo performed an amusing illusion, mending a torn polyester bedsheet with the help of young theater reviewer Iain. The concert then began, featuring performances by, in order, Stomp, Wicked, It Shoulda Been You, and Fuerza Bruta. These performances had to appeal to the audience out of context and order with almost no set pieces, and with hundreds packed into the park.
After they had had their turn onstage, I caught up with the stars of Wicked who came to perform that day: Caroline Bowman (as Elphaba), Kara Lindsay (as Glinda), and Matt Shingledecker (as Fiyero). I asked how singing in Bryant Park differed from singing every night at the Gershwin Theater. “Being able to see all these people was so overwhelming,” Caroline Bowman, who performed two songs as Elphaba, confided in me. Matt Shingledecker, who sang alongside Bowman during the set, noted a “change in perspective” when performing at Bryant Park; the lack of a clear story (other than a brief introductory synopsis) means “it’s more about the music.”
What I consider important about “Broadway at Bryant Park” is how it functions as promotion for theater and for the park itself. Fans of Broadway flock to the park to see our favorite performers and shows, giving publicity to the park; people who are curious but haven’t seen some shows yet may take advantage of the free chance to see a sampling of the performance, maybe even buying tickets to the shows. It’s a fun event that has been gaining more publicity since it began. “We’ve been doing this for fifteen years,” Delilah told me, “and our turnouts are bigger and bigger each year.” The concert has earned the recognition, as it is a wonderful and inexpensive way for anybody in New York City interested in theater to spend their summer.