Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – ‘Broadway at the Beach,’ starring Puerto Vallarta favorites Branden & James, opened to a full house at The Palm Cabaret on Tuesday, February 15 – and what a show it was! The soulful timbre of James on his cello combined with Branden’s emotional and powerful vocals create a sound that leave the audience feeling moved and inspired.
In Broadway at the Beach, Branden’s soaring tenor vocals blend beautifully with James’ magnificent cello and harmonies as they give some of Broadway’s most beloved songs new life with their undeniable talent and wit.
Branden’s operatic voice is absolutely stunning and James’ masterful cello pierce the soul in the most delightful way. Together their harmonies are extraordinary and Nathan Young’s piano accompaniment adds depth to the duo’s unique arrangements of familiar Broadway tunes.
“We have always loved the music of Broadway. It’s been fun and rewarding to make it fit into our own, quirky, classical style. This show will be a night full of surprises, laughter, and maybe even a few cathartic tears,” says Branden James, a published author & finalist on America’s Got Talent. Australian cellist James Clark quips, “this show is so much fun because we get to play songs from roles that we would never be cast in.”
They opened the show with the song Elton John and Tim Rice composed for ‘The Lion King,’ Circle of Life, which was followed by a lively medley from the hit Broadway musical, ‘Mary Poppins,’ which brought back childhood memories of the beloved nanny who advised us that “anything can happen if you let it.”
Next, Branden & James paid tribute to one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, Stephen Sondheim, who was praised for having “reinvented the American musical with music and lyrics of unprecedented complexity and sophistication.”
They started with the lyrics Sondheim wrote for the music Leonard Bernstein composed for the 1961 film adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical ‘West Side Story.’ Both those old enough to remember the original and those who were introduced to this musical by Steven Spielberg’s 2021 movie of the same name were thrilled by the duo’s interpretations of Tonight, I Feel Pretty, Maria, Something’s Coming and There’s a Place for Us.
The tribute continued with Send in The Clowns from the 1973 musical ‘A Little Night Music,’ that was adapted for film in 1977, with Harold Prince directing and Elizabeth Taylor, Len Cariou, Lesley-Anne Down, and Diana Rigg starring.
This was followed by not the typical interpretation, but a smooth rendition, of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, with Branden smoothly singing the lyrics and James mastering the intricate melodies on piano. After the applause died down, James said he was pleased with the audience’s reaction since, “We left out all of the hard parts”.
Next up was a humorous song written by Susan Werner about a bad date, called Dog. Between lyrics like “You kissed your dog on the mouth, that’s when it all went south,” and Branden & James’ funny remarks and barks, the audience was left howling with laughter.
They went on to play Stephen Schwartz’s Defying Gravity from the Broadway play, “Wicked”; Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better written by Irving Berlin for “Annie Get Your Gun”; and For Forever, a song about “true friends on a perfect day” written by Benj Pasek and Justin Pau for the Tony Award-winning musical ‘Dear Evan Hansen’.
Since no Broadway show would be complete without a little Andrew Lloyd Webber, Branden and James closed their show by saying “If you’ve never seen ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ we are about to save you $300 dollars”.
And no truer words were ever spoken. Their flawless medley of songs about the beautiful singer who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, masked musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opéra House was rewarded with a standing ovation.
You’ll definitely want to put this extraordinary show on your list of must-see shows in Puerto Vallarta. Branden’s voice is beyond compare and James’ musical arrangements and accompaniment are spectacular. ‘Broadway at the Beach’ plays on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm and Thursdays at 8 pm through March 1 at The Palm Cabaret.
Tickets for all shows can be purchased at the venue’s box office, or online at ThePalmCabaret.com. For your safety, the venue has added ventilation, social distancing, masks and reduced capacity. This means you can feel comfortable while enjoying all of the great performances at The Palm.
The Palm Cabaret and Bar is located at 508 Olas Altas in the heart of the Puerto Vallarta Romantic Zone. Tickets can be purchased at the venue’s box office, which opens daily at 10:00 am, or online at ThePalmCabaret.com.
For more information, click HERE, call (322) 222-0200, visit their website, or follow The Palm Cabaret and Bar PVR on Facebook.