Brandon Cutrell’s rollicking theater party “Broadway at the Beach” had a successful 10-season run, on Mondays at the Ice Palace, but taking its 9 p.m. slot now is Ben Cameron’s “Broadway Sessions Beach Party,” which made a splashy and appealing debut on Memorial Day, May 30, featuring headliners Daisy Eagan, who won her Tony® award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, for “The Secret Garden,” when she was 11; and Max Crumm and Travis Kent from the cast of “Disaster.” Kyle Branzel was the pianist and DJ Chuck McTague was responsible for music, lights, and sound. Ben also hosts a Manhattan edition of “Broadway Sessions” at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.
Ben and Kyle started us off with an audience sing-along of “Tomorrow,” from “Annie.” Ben then convinced us that “Wonderful Guy” from “South Pacific” is really about meeting someone using phone apps, and Kyle sang about his elusive ideal, who always ordered “the bagel with a little bit of cream cheese, please,” at the deli.
Ben invited audience members to participate in a “singing for shots” game, which yielded Chris’ “On the Street Where You Live,” from “My Fair Lady,” in response to a request for an oldie; Jerad Bortz’s “This is the Moment,” from “Jekyll & Hyde,” when asked for a Frank Wildhorn song; and Rosemary’s “I Dreamed a Dream,” when a song from “Les Miz,” or from “Miss Saigon,” was called for.
Wonderful Daisy Eagan began a zesty “I Enjoy Being a Girl,” from “Flower Drum Song,” and then updated it, giving it a personal, pertinent, and political spin, considering the gender pay gap, sex, feminism, and so on, ending with a big high note. She continued with a riotous “Let’s Talk Dirty to the Animals.” Between songs, Ben asked her questions, including, “Who’s your favorite drag queen?” and her response was, “My father”—not a stretch at all.
Max Crumm introduced us to a wistful “If You Were Mine,” from “Brooklyn Crush” or “F#%king Up Everything,” and invited, seductively, “Dig Me.” He and Daisy, backed by many of the singers in the audience, offered a “Grease” medley of “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightning,” and “You’re the One That I Want.”
Travis Kent wowed us with an impassioned “Clara, mia luce, mio cor,” from “Light in the Piazza,” and sang intensely, “That was a lost boy.”
Max and Daisy collaborated on “Suddenly Seymour,” from “Little Shop of Horrors” and Travis performed an Irish step dance for us. Ben turned to the open mic list, giving the audience David Ballard’s reverent “A World Without You,” from “Children of Eden;” this writer’s “This Nearly Was Mine,” from “South Pacific;” and Rosemary’s love song to the “unattainable” “Newt” (Gingrich), from “When Pigs Fly.”
Ben sang poignantly of yearning for love (“There must be one decent sort of guy out there … and maybe I could trick that guy to fall in love with me”). Travis and David ventured “Lily’s Eyes,” from “Secret Garden,” assisted, unsurprisingly, by Daisy, who brought down the house with “Hold On,” from the same musical. A dance interlude followed.
Daisy, Max, and Travis took bows to Ben and the audience’s “Thank You for Being a Friend” and Ben brought the audience on stage to join him and his guests in singing “Seasons of Love,” from “Rent.” Next week’s “Broadway Sessions” promises cast members from “Kinky Boots.”