Christina Bianco with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. (Photo-Tom Russo)
My friend, Richard Sullivan, was once a well-respected, seasoned reporter and copyeditor for the now-defunct Indianapolis News. Because I was prone to using excessive adjectives, he always admonished me to “show rather than tell” in my reviews. Since then, I have tried to use superlatives more sparingly when describing a performance. Having said that, when it comes to Christina Bianco, who performed Friday night with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, it is not an overstatement to say the performance of the actor, singer, impressionist and comedian was simply phenomenal.
Christina Bianco with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. (Photo-Tom Russo)
Bianco, who has performed several times previously with the ISO Pops led by Jack Everly, is familiar to Central Indiana audiences. Most recently, she enjoyed a two-day run at Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael in May. A star of TV and stage, including a long-running stint in a Paris production of “Funny Girl,” Bianco’s rare gift for mimicking many of the world’s greatest vocalists, comedic charm and distinctive singing voice have delighted audiences around the world.
Act 1 of the concert featured Everly conducting the musicians in a program of overtures from musicals that included “Gypsy,” “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “My Fair Lady,” “Peter Pan,” and “Funny Girl.” Always the consummate raconteur, the affable Everly offered interesting anecdotes and facts about the musicals and the composers-arrangers of each piece, demonstrating he is not only a superb maestro, but also a de facto music educator as well. As far as the ISO, to hear these lauded musicians interpret these iconic overtures was a such a treat, considering Broadway pit orchestras consist of fewer than 20 players these days, if that.
Christina Bianco with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. (Photo-Tom Russo)
Act 2 featured Bianco, who first gained recognition honing her skills as an impressionist as a cast member of “Forbidden Broadway,” is one of only a handful of entertainers who impersonate all the great female singers, typically the sopranos. In a medley titled “Unlikely Casting Songs,” Bianco impersonated a cavalcade of divas that included everyone from the usual suspects, such as Judy (Garland), Barbra (Streisand) and Liza (Minnelli), to Julie Andrews, Reba McEntire and even Édith Piaf. Not only were her vocal impersonations spot on, but Bianco also replicated the body language and physical idiosyncrasies of her subjects as well, moving from one to another with near-flawless ease. Joining the ISO during Act 2 was Bianco’s trio, which included her music director-pianist, Steve Hanna, on drums and ISO bassist Bert Witzel.
Displaying her own powerhouse voice, remarkable range and adeptness at belting, the diminutive (she’s 4′ 11”) Bianco sang “If He Walked into My Life,” “Till There Was You,” a tribute to singer Barbara Cook, who first originated the song in “The Music Man” as Marian the librarian. Other highlights were a pitch perfect impersonation of Judy Garland singing “The Man Who Got Away,” from “A Star is Born” and a medley of songs titled “Going Hollywood,” in which she effortlessly followed one impersonation after another, singing tunes such as “Let it Go,” “Spoonful of Sugar,” “Wind Beneath My Wings,” “Diamonds are Forever,” and many more. Illustrating what we all missed when she played Fanny Brice in the Paris, Bianco made “I’m the Greatest Star” her own electrifying version.
Christina Bianco with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. (Photo-Tom Russo)
Reflecting on how happy she was to return to performing live for audiences after the forced hiatus caused by the pandemic, she sang “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from “Sunset Boulevard.” Bianco closed the show with a flourish, singing “I Am What I Am,” the showstopping anthem from “La Cage aux Folles.”
Ultimately, the entire concert was very satisfying. Its content represented many of my favorite musicals, but also gave me the opportunity to witness Bianco’s virtuosity, backed by the exemplary group of players that is the ISO. All of that coupled with her indefatigable stamina and easy ability to connect with her audience were proof I was in the presence of a master showman during an evening of musical richness. It was a performance that will remain etched in my memory always.
