By Tanya Batson, Staff Reporter
Rory Baugh shines as one of the soloists at 'When You Believe' (Jamaica Junior Theatre In Concert XII) on Sunday at the Alhambra Inn. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
WHILE THE Jamaica Junior Theatre is evidently host to quite a few talented singers, Rory Baugh's voice and delivery stands out. The group, the junior branch of The Jamaica Musical Theatre Company (JMTC), gave their annual concert on Sunday at the Alhambra Inn on Tucker Avenue off Mountain View Road. The concert, the twelfth installment, was titled 'When You Believe'.
Baugh has one of those voices that makes you sit up and listen, an impressive feat as he was performing without a microphone. He seems destined to become the fourth tenor, exhibiting both showmanship along with his vocal ability.
Baugh was one of 11 soloists. His solo performance, Endless Night, came from The Lion King. For this performance, which was quite a treat for the ears, he was backed by the group's choir.
Baugh also performed in three duets along with other group performers. Unfortunately for those with whom he performed, his voice always overshadowed theirs, even though they were also competent singers and did not seem to lack confidence.
Baugh's first performance was Sager and Foster's The Prayer from Quest for Camelot. The Prayer was performed with Danielle Stiebel, another of the soloists. Stiebel would later perform Andrew Lloyd Webber's Don't Cry for Me Argentina from Evita.
During that performance, she got her chance to shine, delivering the song with the drama and intensity that it demands.
Baugh's other duet performances were with Orrin Scott-Stewart and Jhanelle Graham respectively. With Scott-Stewart he performed Perhaps Love. This piece was in part interesting because of the contrast between the way the two young men sing and the strength of their talent.
Scott-Stewart is not a great singer. However he is able to hit all the right notes, carry the tune well enough, and evidently knows the capabilities of his voice. Thus, he delivers a good performance. As a result, while Baugh seemed to skip along through his verses, Scott-Stewart walked along, slowly but confidently.
Baugh's final duet, with Graham, was another tune from Quest for Camelot, Looking Through Your Eyes.
On the female side, Stephanie Hazle, who contributed the solo performance The Discomfited Suitor, also stood out. Her delivery of the Brahms tune was intensely energetic, earning her much applause at the end.
Suzanne Stanley also gave good performances. While her voice was not very strong and thus did not carry very well, she displayed quite a bit of showmanship, making her performances interesting to watch. Her solo performance was I Don't Know How to Love Him from the Andrew Lloyd Webber hit Jesus Christ Superstar.
Stanley's duet performances were with Jhanelle Graham and Scott-Stewart. Her piece with Graham When You Believe from The Prince of Egypt, opened the evening's performances. However, during this performance Graham's voice outshone Stanley's, in part because Graham has stronger lungs.
The strength of Graham's voice was clearly evident in her own solo, an energetic rendition of Love's a Baby That Grows Up Wild, from Carmen Jones.
Stanley's voice was over-shadowed in her duet with Scott-Stewart, however. The two performed Anything You Can Do from Annie Get Your Gun. The two maintained the fun in the song, even though it was a bit tricky as Scott-Stewart evidently had a bit of trouble remembering his lines. He had to constantly check his palm for his cue and did not always do so in time. Additionally, he was not as surreptitious as he had thought he was.
Tamaisha Eytle also gave a memorable performance. She was the only person to use a microphone, and delivered Walter Scharf's Ben. Interestingly, she took a live prop with her to the stage to enhance her performance. Cradled in her arms was a shaggy little dog, which quietly lay in her arms and let himself be stroked while she sang. No one seemed to mind that Ben had become a dog, especially as a rat would not have been as cute.
