Independent Arts News Reporting 
Pictured Above: Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara. Photo Credit: Jenny Anderson.
Sutton Foster And Kelli O’Hara Celebrate Broadway Friendship in Red Bank
By: Keith Loria
The Tony Award-winning stars join The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra for a concert inspired by Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett’s landmark television special
When Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett walked onto the Carnegie Hall stage in 1962, pairing two female headliners was unusual. More than six decades later, Broadway stars Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara are honoring that performance and its spirit of friendship.
The two Tony Award winners will perform with The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra on Aug. 23 at the Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre in Red Bank. The 7 p.m. concert takes inspiration from the CBS special “Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall,” combining songs, comedy, storytelling and the easy give-and-take of two acclaimed Broadway performers and friends.
“I love these artists and grew up on their influences,” O’Hara said. “It was important to me to pay homage to them, and pairing with Sutton seemed like the perfect way.”
Audiences should not expect a note-for-note re-creation. Foster and O’Hara revisit one of Andrews and Burnett’s original numbers and offer new interpretations of other material associated with them, while also celebrating the stars’ careers and personalities.
Pictured Above: Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara. Photo Credit: Jenny Anderson.
“We have definitely built a show of our own, highlighting our own careers but sending up a huge bit of thanks to them,” O’Hara said. “It was important to build an original show.”
Those careers give the pair a deep catalog to explore. Foster won Tony Awards for Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes, and has also earned nominations for performances including The Drowsy Chaperone, Shrek The Musical, Violet and The Music Man. O’Hara, an eight-time Tony nominee, won for her portrayal of Anna Leonowens in the 2015 revival of The King and I. Her Broadway credits include South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza, The Bridges of Madison County, Kiss Me, Kate and Days of Wine and Roses.
The concert opens that musical scrapbook with an overture assembled from their Broadway hits. The women also perform a medley of duets from shows they have done, along with selections chosen to illuminate their shared experiences.
Their differences, O’Hara said, create comic and musical possibilities, but not competition.
“The differences are exactly what makes this so fun,” she said. “The show is free of much comparison or rivalry and more about being better together. We have tried to lean into the ways we are alike, which can be surprising.”
The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra adds another layer of history. Directed by Scotty Barnhart, the ensemble carries forward the sound and legacy of Red Bank-born jazz great William “Count” Basie and has won 19 Grammy Awards. O’Hara said the concert will incorporate some original Basie orchestrations for new numbers.
“I grew up in this music, so it’s a huge honor for me,” she said.
The evening also looks ahead by welcoming three area college students: Bridget Sindelar and John Kearney from Montclair State University’s musical theater program, and Savannah Fouchi from Rider University’s musical theater program. Foster and O’Hara have selected three local ensemble members through auditions in each city where the concert has been presented, creating opportunities for at least 45 emerging performers so far.
“While paying homage to Julie and Carol, Sutton and I felt it fitting to shine a light on the next generation of talent,” O’Hara said.
Pictured Above: Sindelar. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Sindelar, 21, called the invitation both surreal and affirming.
“I cannot believe that I get to be on the same stage as two Broadway legends,” she said. “Sharing the stage with these incredible artists is a dream I never even dared to dream. I would say that 12-year-old Bridget would be freaking out, but honestly, 21-year-old Bridget is freaking out.”
To Sindelar, Foster and O’Hara’s willingness to share the spotlight demonstrates generosity and a genuine desire to encourage future performers. That idea mirrors the message O’Hara hopes the entire evening communicates: Two leading women become more compelling, not less, by celebrating one another.
“We want to encourage the possibility of this even more, showing how powerful it can be,” O’Hara said. “Focusing more on a positive collaboration between women rather than the tired, catty rivalries of the past. It doesn’t have to be that way. It never has.”
Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara perform with The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra at 7 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank. For tickets, visit thebasie.org.
