Jeremy Stolle delivers flashy, emotional performance for Music Theatre Wichita

In a performance that was both stunning – audibly and visually – and emotionally raw, Jeremy Stolle returned to Music Theatre Wichita on Thursday for the first of four scheduled concerts.

The “Phantom of the Opera” veteran debuted his rebooted “No More Talk of Darkness” tour at MTW’s 2021 outdoor home, the Capitol Federal Amphitheater in Andover.

Clad in a tux most of the night, Stolle started the show with a hint of “Phantom,” before quickly segueing into a rewritten version of Harold Hill’s “Ya Got Trouble” from “The Music Man,” serving as an opening monologue and a preview of the 100-minute concert.

“Phantom” fans got what they were hoping for in the latter part of the show, with a powerful re-creation of the title song by Stolle and his three other on-stage singers, which followed his elaborate anecdote about an onstage mishap during a “Phantom” performance where he cold-cocked the actress playing Christine.

Noticeably absent from the program was one of “Phantom’s” best songs, “All I Ask of You,” especially since its opening line was the title of Stolle’s concert.

Much of the concert was a breezy tour through multiple decades of Broadway hits, many of which received exciting new reimaginations: “Oklahoma’s” “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” turned into a bluegrass stomper, “Sweet Charity’s” “Hey Big Spender” became an upbeat hybrid of power rock and swing, and “A Chorus Line’s” heart-tugger “What I Did for Love” morphed into an upbeat, hopeful song that concluded the night. “Hamilton” was represented by a reworked ballad that showed off Stolle’s falsetto.

Stolle’s plea for a call-and-response from the audience got mixed results as he led into “This is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” but the song – where he was backed by a local children’s choir, in the pre-COVID days – prompted a heartfelt look into the last 14 months for both himself and other Broadway performers, in words that were more from the heart than from a script.

“Sometimes we kind of lost our way,” he told the audience, before covering OneRepublic’s “I Lived,” backed by photos first of empty Broadway theater fronts and Times Square turned into a ghost town, before video of youth and kids practicing and performing theater – including scenes from Wichita and MTW – during the pandemic.

Another emotional moment in the night came with a mashup of the classic “Without a Song” and “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” from “Carousel,” which included a chorus of dozens of Stolle’s “Phantom” cast members, singing via Zoom.

A “dream” medley of “When You Wish Upon a Star” and “The Impossible Dream” closed the night.

The decidedly Broadway revue came with many rock trappings, including a stellar light show and extended solos by his band’s bassist and drummer, the latter of which led into a high-octane version of the big band classic “Sing, Sing, Sing.”

Stolle was joined by three singers throughout the night – the word “backup” would discount their contribution. Scottish-born singer-guitarist Elliot Greer perfectly replicated Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up,” and Grace Field shined in the “Frozen” hit “Let It Go” and as Christine in the “Phantom” set.

The biggest applause of the night came for Wichita native Arri Lawton Simon, who played piano and sang “Side by Side,” a luxurious Broadway pop song from his musical “Express,” which takes place entirely on the New York City subway through the decades – and which, at least judging from one song, needs to be staged by a company in Wichita.

Not getting enough on-stage credit was the amazing sounds of Tim Jones, associate concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and assistant music professor at Wichita State, who added a lovely touch to nearly every song.

Stolle repeatedly thanked the audience, not only for being there for his performance, but for their sustainment of the arts during the 14-month COVID shutdown.

“I just want to be happy, it’s that simple,” he said, “and I need the arts to do that.”

The opening night performance by a “Phantom of the Opera” performer coincidentally came on the same day the country was told it largely didn’t have to wear masks anymore.

That news, and Stolle’s position as a hopeful survivor of the bludgeon to Broadway, gave light to the audience at the amphitheater.

“No More Talk of Darkness,” indeed.

‘NO MORE TALK OF DARKNESS: JEREMY STOLLE IN CONCERT’

When: 8 p.m. Friday, May 14, and Saturday, May 15; 2 p.m. Sunday, May 16

Where: Capitol Federal Amphitheater, 1607 E. Central Ave., Andover

Tickets: $45, from 265-3107 or mtwichita.org

This story was originally published May 14, 2021 at 11:46 AM.