Laura Benanti and Kristen Bell Celebrate the Best in Us

It’s an interesting time for fans of the performing arts. Yes, we have tremendous access to see primarily filmed performances in all fields. But there’s something slightly missing from those experiences. There’s that intangible component that makes it feel as if the people we see on stage are truly flesh and blood. Fortunately Tony Award-winning actress Laura Benanti (Gypsy, My Fair Lady) and Kristen Bell (Frozen, Veronica Mars) have two projects that remind us of the humanity behind the humanities.

Over the weekend, Benanti hosted the first Sunshine Songs concert online. Recognizing that school productions all around the country were being postponed due to the pandemic, she encouraged young performers to send her videos of the performances they would have given had the shows not been canceled. She received over 6,000 videos and the video that started it all has been viewed over 4 million times.

Saturday’s event was the first of many events according to what Benanti said during Sunshine Songs. Let’s hope so. There’s so much joy to embrace here.

During her livestream event, we got to see many of those videos and hear directly from a couple of the kids whose performances were shown. Getting to see 17-year-old Khadija talk passionately about wanting to perform Once on This Island, and then get to see her completely nail a song from the show, was a much-needed reminder that the passion and enthusiasm for the arts starts young. And I agree with Benanti, this young lady will be on a Broadway stage in the future.

Watching the passion of the youngest performers (particularly 9-year-old Parker singing “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman) reminded me of my own participation in school shows so many years ago. It also awakened in me that desire to do more, be more and celebrate life more.

Awakened desires is also a part of Encore!, a series on Disney+ that is hosted by Kristen Bell. The premise is simple: the high school cast of a musical is reunited – after as many as 40 years – and has less than one week to remount the production under the guidance of professional directors, choreographers and music directors.

Encore! first started airing in November of last year. I only recently became aware of the show after a friend told me how moved she was by it. Simply put, I can’t get enough and hope there will be many more seasons of the show.

On a fundamental level each episode functions as a reunion. Like all reunions, these are filled with joy, tears, old issues rearing their ugly heads and expectations there are as high as the pressure to get it right. Each cast must sort all those things out while coming together to perform musicals like Grease, Beauty and the Beast, Godspell, Anything Goes. It is pure joy.

I found myself rooting for each and every one of them to succeed, often times in spite of their insecurities, challenges or limitations. But there are two more extremely powerful components to each episode of Encore!

First and foremost is the concept of second chances. This show absolutely gives every adult not just a chance to relive their youth, but to rediscover the excitement found in performing live theatre. Will they be as good as they were in high school? Might they be better? Can they all sing or dance? Of course not. Do you remember your high school shows? Nonetheless, each adult gets another opening of another show.

The second and more powerful component in this time of crisis (and perhaps why the show resonates on such an emotional level) is the idea that no matter our circumstances, the choices we have made or where our lives have taken us, we are all so much stronger and more powerful when we work together. That sense of camaraderie is the very heartbeat that pulses through each and every episode.

When viewed on the same weekend, as I did, Sunshine Songs and Encore! demonstrate that no matter what your age, coming together to create something bigger than ourselves is amongst the most noble of pursuits. Passion prevails. And with a song in your heart, it’s all so much more fun.

Photo of Kristen Bell courtesy of Disney+