By Janelle Gelfand
Enquirer staff writer
Like those famous tenors, good things often come in threes.
Three "Broadway divas" opened the Cincinnati Pops season Friday, with a revue of leading lady hits. It was an uneven trio - three at once may be just too much star power - and the "diva" shtick sometimes went overboard.
But in the end, the ladies - Christianne Noll, Jan Horvath and Debbie Gravitte - found their rhythm in disco moves from Mamma Mia, and the audience ate it up.
With Erich Kunzel on the Pops podium, they came out bumping and grinding in slinky red gowns to "Let Me Entertain You."
Horvath, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, was a pint-sized bundle of energy in Sondheim's "Broadway Baby." But her most impressive moment came later, as she took the emotional role of Evita in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," wiped her eyes and claimed, "It's quite a thrill to be back in my college town."
If Horvath was perky, Gravitte was a sultry cabaret singer in songs like "If He Walked Into My Life" from Mame. Her best moment was in "Defying Gravity" from Wicked, which she belted out with relentless power.
Their duo, "Ohio" from Bernstein's Wonderful Town, got the evening's biggest chuckle, with its lyrics, "Why-o, why-o why-o, why did I ever leave Ohio?"
But it was Noll, whose last Cincinnati visit was in Urinetown, who was the knockout - a natural communicator, who made the others seem like (sorry ladies) supporting roles. Her showstopper was "Glitter and Be Gay" from Candide, as she warbled sparkling coloratura passages while pulling jewelry from her bosom.
She shone equally in lyrical hits like "I Could Have Danced All Night" (My Fair Lady) and her signature "In His Eyes" from Jekyll and Hyde.
The Pops musicians, whose contract expired last Sunday, performed at the top of their game, even as negotiations are continuing behind the scenes.
The evening opened on a note of pomp, with "Christen the Voyage," a sweeping, cinematic fanfare by Douglas Lowry, CCM dean, to honor the inauguration of UC president Nancy Zimpher. Both took bows.
Lakota High School senior Jefferey Berger nearly stole the show in the National Anthem.
The show continues 8 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday in Music Hall. Tickets: 381-3300.
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E-mail jgelfand@enquirer.com
