If you love to sing popular Broadway musical tunes there is something new and exciting about to happen. The Bay Street Theater is presenting: “Sip & Sing Live with Kyle Barisich” on August 29, at 8pm. The whole audience will actually sing show tunes along with Mr. Barisich to live piano arrangements. If you love to feel the electricity and excitement of singing those magical Broadway tunes, be at Bay Street Theater at 8p.m. on August 29.
Kyle Barisich is of Hispanic heritage and has an amazing story. Born on the west coast, he attended U.S.C. and then came east to tackle Broadway. He officially arrived when he took the stage as “Raul” in the 25th Anniversary cast of Phantom of the Opera.
Mr. Barisich explained how and why this show will be unique, in an interview with hamptons.com. He went back in time saying, “It was the pandemic Spring 2020 and all the theaters are shut down. All the actors are out of work with everyone staring down the barrel of months and months of no live events and live theater.”
Into this void came an idea by Bay Street Theater’s Executive Director, Tracy Mitchell. It was the idea of doing a live “Zoom” singalong to keep the Bay Street Community together, even if it be by singing show tunes at their computers. It was sort of a “live Friday evening cocktail hour sing-along.”
He recalls how it started slowly, but soon the screens were filled with over a hundred faces. All singing along. Now in post pandemic 2022 he is going to do the show live on the Main Stage.
He said, “When we did it on the Zoom computer we put the lyrics on the screen, so you could have a cocktail in your hand and still have the words to sing along with. Now we will have them projected on a big screen behind me as I am singing in the theater. I am bringing two Broadway stars to sing and talk about their shows. It is not a concert, it really will be a singalong! We want people to feel the freedom to sing and enjoy themselves in a way they couldn’t at any normal concert.”
The guests are Ali Ewoldt, “… who was my costar in Phantom of the Opera, the first Asian-American actor to play that role. Then there is a dear friend, actor Jimmy Smagula, who has done twelve Broadway shows. He is about to do yet another gig at the Kennedy center. He is absolutely hysterical. Also pianist Camille Johnson, who is our musical director and who was in charge of the Bay Street’s production of Evita a few years back.”
On the personal side, when asked when he first knew he was a singer? Mr. Barisich went back to his roots by saying, “I grew up in the Catholic Church and what you do if you have any kind of musical talent is you end up in the church choir. It was almost like it was predestined that I was going to sing. When I opened my mouth as a tiny five-year-old the church choir got their fingers on me. I knew then that I had something.”
Yet it took him a long time to settle on the fact that this was something that he wanted to do. He said when he came to New York to study, “New York spoke to me and I spoke back.”
About mentors or inspirations Mr. Barisich replied, “In college at U.S.C. in Southern California I went to a performer named John Raitt, (Bonnie Raitt’s Dad) in concert. I went by myself. I was the only person twenty years old who wanted to sit and see a John Raitt concert.” He sat by himself in the front row. At that time Raitt was in his late seventies.
Barisich continued telling the story. “He sang with the voice of a twenty-year-old! I sat there alone and I cried. Here was a baritone who had a voice like mine, singing all the classic music that I loved…I thought OMG, look at him still doing this at this age. This is who I want to be.”
Kyle Barisich waited around after the concert, “After everyone else had left and waited to talk to him.” He asked Raitt for advice and Raitt said, “Just get up and sing, any chance anyone offers you, you need to take it. Don’t say no, say yes. Get up and sing and the more you do it the more chances you will have to do it.”
Everyone will get their chance at “Sip & Sing Live with Kyle Barisich” on August 29, at 8pm.
