Many cast members of the Rent 20th Anniversary Tour were in Chicago on May 8 and stopped by Musical Monday at Sidetrack for a benefit concert titled A Season Of Love. The cast performed cabaret-style renditions of a variety of songs to raise money for The Legacy Project Chicago. Among the songs were Sting's "All This Time," jazz standard "All of Me," and "It All Fades Away" from the musical version of Bridges of Madison County.
The host of the variety show, Sammy Ferber, kept things moving along for over an hour with rotating performers and jokes in between.
A trio sang a Spelling Bee song, then the two leads from Rent, Danny Harris Kornfeld, and Katie Lamark, drew song choices out of a cup to muddle through. Some random tracks they chose were from hit musicals like Aladdin, Little Shop of Horrors and Phantom of the Opera. They had a special request to sing "For Good" from Wicked to hearty applause.
Natalie Lipin brought the house down with her hilarious version of Spamalot's "Diva's Lament ( Whatever Happened to My Part? )."
Jasmine Easler opened the night, and then closed it down by singing "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret.
The night spoke volumes about a cast that used their day off from the tour to support the community instead of staying on vocal rest.
The $20 suggested donations from attendees were put to good use for The Legacy Project, who is "dedicated to combating anti-gay bullying by celebrating LGBT contributions in history."
For more on The Legacy Project, see www.LegacyProjectChicago.org .