The Art of Musical Storytelling: Broadway Goes Hollywood to be performed Oct. 16

By Debbie Hall

A special kind of magic happens when music, performance, and storytelling come together to move an audience. A familiar melody can transport listeners to another time, reconnect them with a beloved character or remind them why a particular story has stayed with them for years.

Presented by Community Lutheran Church’s Spotlight Cabaret series on Oct. 16, Broadway Goes Hollywood is a 90-minute celebration of classic and contemporary musical theatre, featuring a talented ensemble of vocalists, a 12-piece orchestra and a program filled with songs that have shaped generations of audiences. The concert gala will also raise funds for God Lives in Glass in Concert, scheduled for Carnegie Hall on May 1, 2027.

For Niki Scalera, that magic is at the heart of Broadway Goes Hollywood, a musical revue celebrating the enduring artistry of Broadway and Hollywood while helping bring an ambitious theatrical work to Carnegie Hall. Her Broadway credits include Hairspray, Tarzan and Footloose; the experience is about more than performing memorable songs. It is also an opportunity to rediscover the creative energy that emerges when artists come together as an ensemble. Asked which part of the program she is especially excited to perform, Scalera pointed to the group numbers and the collaborative artistry they require.

“I really enjoy our group numbers. It's wonderful to harmonize with such great voices,” she said. “It really reminds me of performing with a cast ensemble!”

That connection between individual voices and collective expression reflects one of musical theatre's most compelling creative elements. While a solo performance can reveal the intimacy of a character's emotions, ensemble singing creates a shared experience, allowing different voices to contribute to a unified artistic statement. Harmony becomes both a musical technique and a form of storytelling, with each performer bringing a distinctive quality to the larger composition.

Broadway Goes Hollywood explores that creative relationship through songs from stage and screen, reimagining familiar favorites with a contemporary twist. The repertoire includes music from West Side Story, Funny Girl, Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Dreamgirls, alongside selections celebrating the Golden Age of Broadway and Hollywood. Special tributes to George Gershwin and the songwriting team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II recognize the composers whose work helped establish the emotional and musical vocabulary of American musical theatre.

The production is the brainchild of PK Music composer, arranger, and producer Keith Thompson, whose credits include The Composers Showcase of Las Vegas, The Cocktail Cabaret, Jersey Boys, and Idaho! The Comedy Musical. Thompson will conduct the 12-piece orchestra, bringing together musicians with experience in major Las Vegas productions and performances associated with artists including Adele, Celine Dion and Lady Gaga.

Scalera will share the stage with Broadway veteran Brent Barrett, Maren Wade, Ron Remke and renowned pianist Philip Fortenberry. Barrett's credits include Chicago, Annie Get Your Gun, Grand Hotel, Phantom and The Las Vegas Spectacular. Wade is known for Lady Like, Confessions of a Showgirl and The Cocktail Cabaret, while Remke's credits include the West End production of The Book of Mormon, BAZ, The Cocktail Cabaret and Jubilee.

Fortenberry's distinguished career includes performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and the White House, as well as 10 Broadway shows and eight national tours. His solo productions, including The Man at the Piano, The Hands of Liberace and Salute to Broadway, have earned acclaim. One highlight of the evening will feature him performing a Rodgers and Hammerstein favorite with the full orchestra.

Yet the evening's creative reach extends beyond its musical selections. The gala will support God Lives in Glass, a work that has made a lasting impression on Scalera and whose upcoming Carnegie Hall presentation offers an opportunity to share its message with a new audience.

“God Lives in Glass is such an epic, moving, important piece of art,” Scalera said. “I'm so excited that New York City will get to experience its magic, especially at Carnegie Hall!”

Her response speaks to art's power to reach beyond entertainment. When a work resonates deeply with its performers, that connection can become part of the experience audiences encounter, inviting them to engage with its themes and emotions in their own way. Bringing God Lives in Glass to Carnegie Hall will extend that experience to a broader community while celebrating the artists and musicians who make the production possible.

The concert will feature a 150-voice choir and cast, accompanied by a 12-piece orchestra. Participants will include members of Community Lutheran Church's Celebration Choir, performers from the Las Vegas entertainment community, and young artists from Positively Arts. Students from the University of Nevada, Reno, and Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, will also participate, alongside singers and musicians from around the country who have been involved in previous productions or want to contribute to this special performance.

For Thompson, the fundraising effort is essential to realizing the full musical vision for Carnegie Hall.

“Proceeds from this Spotlight Cabaret fundraising gala presentation of Broadway Goes Hollywood will be very helpful to our effort to take God Lives in Glass in Concert to Carnegie Hall to help provide funding to hire a 12-piece orchestra that will join the 150-voice choir and cast on stage in the iconic concert venue,” Thompson said.

“We are very honored and humbled by the generosity of those who are willing to contribute to this extraordinary effort.”

Community Lutheran Church's 5th Sunday Cabaret series, which includes Spotlight Cabarets, raises money for special musical projects and helps fund musicians, supporting the church's commitment to live performance and original music whenever possible.

Through Broadway Goes Hollywood, that commitment takes the form of an evening where musical memories, artistic collaboration and community support intersect. The production celebrates the creativity behind the songs audiences cherish while helping create the conditions for another ambitious work to reach an iconic stage.

For Scalera, the joy of harmonizing with fellow performers captures the spirit of the experience: artists bringing their individual talents together to create something larger than themselves. It reminds us that the art of musical theatre lies not only in the songs themselves, but also in the connections they inspire, both onstage and beyond.

Broadway Goes Hollywood will be presented as a concert gala fundraiser by the Spotlight Cabaret series of Community Lutheran Church, 3720 E Tropicana Ave., on Friday, Oct. 16. Tickets are $20 per person, available at cur8.com/projects/5thSunday for the concert and include admission to the 5:30 pm silent auction, 50/50 drawing, mocktails, and snacks. On-demand access will also be available for purchase online for $20 from Oct 18 to Nov 17.