Courtesy NHSO/Debbie Gravitte
Gravitte.
The New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) has some musical tricks up its tuxedo sleeves this weekend. They include a certain Broadway diva who is coming back to her “adopted home state” to do them right.
First, she will defy gravity, stepping into the leprechaun-green shoes of the Wicked Witch of the West with melodies from the musical Wicked, which she fell in love with when the show exploded in New York. Then she’ll take a step back in history, transforming into a certain matchmaker who makes a trip to Yonkers with a very special fellow in mind. And at some point, inevitably, she’ll channel her inner Ethel Merman and get some rhythm.
But for vocalist Debbie Gravitte, singing with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s educational pops series this weekend feels like much more like a homecoming than another paid gig or straightforward cabaret-style revue. After years of collaborating with the symphony, she sees New Haven as a place with a personality that demands a show with a little novelty and a lot of flair.
“New Haven has a very special place in my heart,” she said in the lead up to this weekend, where she’ll be backed by the wickedly good Chelsea Tipton and members of the orchestra. “Connecticut is my adopted home state, and the symphony is amazing. Why wouldn’t I want to do this?”
With Tipton and NHSO General Manager Aric Isaacs, Gravitte said, she and the organization have crafted a program that incorporates her old favorites, but puts a very NHSO variation on them. “I’ve been in love with big band music forever,” she said “and this puts a twist on Broadway music.”
That twist, she said, extends to this weekend’s venues: school auditoriums, a far cry from some of the velvet-curtained stages that have hosted her in past years. The venues were chosen for their accessibility to school groups and proximity to families who attend the concerts through the symphony’s KidsTix program, which provides free tickets to students. The possibility of pint-sized and first-time listeners, she says, is enthralling to her.
“Sometimes, you get the people who say ‘it’s my first concert,’ and that’s the greatest thing,” she said. “That’s what you live for. Someone who is making a connection with the audience.”
“I hope many people will find some connection that makes their heart beat a little faster, makes them want to see a show, makes them want to learn something more, and to have a really great time,” she added. “How lucky are those of us who get to make a living doing this?”
This weekend’s performances take place Saturday, March 19, at Hamden Middle School at 2:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 20, at Shelton Intermediate School at 3 p.m. More information is available on the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s website.
