Review by Elyse Trevers

It’s a treat when a Tony Award winning Broadway star comes to Long Island. Such was the case this past weekend when Laura Benanti appeared with “Seth Speaks,” Sirius Radio host Seth Rudetsky at The Madison Theatre at Molloy University.

Well-known to television audiences from her roles in “Younger” and “Supergirl,” Benanti and Rudetsky performed for close to two hours, accompanied by the South Shore Symphony and Molloy’s Cap21 ensemble.

And what a treat the evening was!

Benanti is funny, slightly self-deprecating and very down to earth. She also looked stunning in a spangly red mini dress and 3 inch bright pink heels.

Her appearance was even more impressive given that she just gave birth to her second daughter only 4 months ago. Her personality became clear from the onset as she interrupted Rudetsky’s introduction, announcing herself as a “One time Tony winner and four time Tony loser.”

Accompanying her on the piano, Rudetsky led her through some of the musical highpoints of her career. She began her Broadway career at only 18, as the understudy for Maria in “The Sound of Music,” her dream role.

Although most of the tunes she sang were old time classics that have become almost cliched, the anecdotes behind the shows and the famous performers she worked with made the music interesting. For her work in “Nine,” she discussed Chita Riviera who instructed her in taking bows and often watched her from the wings.

In discussing “She Loves Me,” Benanti explained how she was suffering ‘morning sickness’ through most of the run of the show and how there were buckets all around the stage for her, in case she needed them.

At one point she did a fun medley, setting the audience up for a series of old-fashioned songs that supposedly her grandmother would have sung, only to perform tunes from Beyonce, Tina Turner etc.

However, the bulk of her musical numbers were Broadway tunes. She appeared in one of the first revivals of “Into the Woods” from which she performed her Cinderella number. Rudetsky asked her about working with Stephen Sondheim.

Rudetsky, no stranger to Broadway himself, often introduced her numbers with anecdotes he’d heard from other performers. He talked about an interview with Len Cariou and how Sondheim wrote “Send in the Clowns” for “Little Night Music.” Then Benanti sang a beautiful rendition of the song.

Benanti repeatedly said that playing Eliza Doolittle from “My Fair Lady” was her dream role and she began the performance with “I Could Have Danced All Night.” At the end of the performance, we were all sorry to see it end because we could have listened all night.

Benanti was a delight, her voice was beautiful and the audience adored her. Then there was the icing on the cake. We got in the car and were home in only minutes.

Madison Theatre offers an eclectic concert series. Prices are good and the convenience can’t be beat. And sometimes, if we are lucky- it presents Broadway stars like Laura Benanti.