Best Of Broadway at Resorts

By Holly Fertsch

The Sharpe Singers have been performing their Best of Broadway show at the Resorts this past month. The show consists of a series of Broadway hits performed by the Sharpe family and family friends. Unfortunately, they will be moving on from Atlantic City after their performance on July 31. At the close of their run at Resorts, however, it feels appropriate to review their Best of Broadway show.  In short: spectacular.

The quality of singing was phenomenal, which was to be expected from Broadway veterans Barbra Russell-Sharpe and her husband Ron Sharpe. The two played Cosette and Marius, respectively, in Broadway’s Les Misérables. They are fond of recounting how after marrying each other on stage night after night, they tied the knot for real. Ron Sharpe is also the only actor to play both male leads in Les Miserables, Marius and Jean Valjean.  Ron and Barbra have also produced the Broadways productions “A Catered Affair” and “A Tale of Two Cities.”

I was however, shocked that their children seemed just as talented as their prodigious parents. The Sharpe Singers is a family act, with the couple’s four children and several friends of the family participating in the production. I admit to being slightly cynical, so I did not expect the Sharpe’s children to be that good. I was happy to be proved wrong. Their daughter, Samantha Sharpe, seemed to me to be particularly talented at showing emotion as she sang. The Sharpe’s son, Logan Sharpe, further tugged on heartstrings with his performance of “You Will Be Found” from the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen, a more modern production. I was happily surprised this song was included, making the performance even more powerful for me.

It was clear that the show had been designed for everyone to be able to enjoy it, whether you’re a Broadway buff or not. The show began with songs from a variety of Broadway musicals ranging from Little Shop of Horrors to West Side Story. Then there was a medley of several Disney songs, made all the more cute by the Sharpe’s identical twin sons, Connor and Aidan. Shortly afterwards, there was a segment called “Broadway rock,” a medley of rock classics such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Stayin’ Alive” and “Thriller.” There was even a song from Shrek the Musical, which I found hilarious. Audience engagement was prioritized, with singer Jim Petro descending from the stage to dance through the seats and sing with selected audience members.

The family-friendly performance was packed with humor, ranging from puns and dad jokes to whole songs dedicated to comedic relief. One running joke involved the Sharpe family pretending to regard the family friends performing with them as mere servants. Performers Jim Petro, Andre Williams, and Matthew Ciuffitelli joked about being made to “sleep under the boardwalk” while the Sharpe family stayed at Resorts. The three men performed the song “Agony” from Into the Woods, while PowerPoint slides of the trio waiting on the family played in the background. One critique I initially had of the Sharpe’s Best of Broadway show was their use of PowerPoint slides during their songs. But the comedic effect of such ridiculous pictures playing in the background of such a dramatic song won me over.

The last portion of the show was stunningly spectacular. Ron and Barbra performed songs from The Phantom of the Opera that gave me chills. The lighting in the Resorts Super Star Theatre mimicked stars strewn in the night sky as Ron Sharpe performed “The Music of the Night.” The show then closed with a rendition of “One Day More” from Les Misérables. The night could not have ended on a stronger note. If you ever have opportunity to see the Sharpe Singers, I strongly encourage you to do so.