Just Duet | Broadway at the Bourbon Room Hollywood

I’ve been feeling a little disconnected from myself lately, and something I used to love doing pre-pandemic was going to theatre shows. Two of my friends were performing at Broadway at the Bourbon Room on Memorial Day, so I decided to make a little trip out to LA to support them, and I’m so glad I did.

There are two different tiers you can purchase from for tickets, and I decided to grab Tier 1 tickets so I could sit up close. I thought that seating was pre-determined, but to my surprise, when I arrived, I was able to choose where I wanted to sit within my ticket tier. Of course, I decided to sit in the front row so I could get some great footage of all of the performers - definitely a pro of arriving early!

The show started off kicking it into high gear with an ensemble performance of “Phantom of the Opera.” This is one of my favorite musicals so I already knew we were in for a treat!

Our hosts for the evening were Marisa Matthews and Ashley Moniz, who are the co-creators of Broadway at the Bourbon Room. They were both full of so much light and energy and made the entire evening fun. They created this monthly cabaret show at The Bourbon Room in Hollywood where performers can come together and showcase their talents - it truly felt like a diverse and inclusive safe space which I absolutely loved.

The theme of this month’s show was “Just Duet!” so all of the performers were paired up to sing duets from different Broadway shows. I was so impressed because some of the performers had never met in person or rehearsed together until that day - but you’d never know it because everyone was just that good!

My friend Parissa Koo was paired up with Benai Boyd and they sang “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent. I love this song and it’s always such a bop!

Next up we had Bryce Charles and Marqell Edward Clayton singing “Wheels of a Dream” from Ragtime. I’ve never actually seen or heard of this show, but both performers were amazing and had a great vocal range!

Then we had Matthew Ballestero and Vinita Khilnani singing “Baptize Me” from Book of Mormon. They really got into it and made this performance so much fun (there was a confetti blaster)!

My girl Parissa came back for her second duet of the evening, this time with Trisha Rapier. They sang “No Reason” from Beetlejuice, which is a show I’ve been wanting to see for so long. I’m excited it’s finally coming to LA at the Pantages Theatre next season!

Then, my friend Patrick Ortiz sang “For Good” from Wicked with Jon Robert Hall. This one had me tearing up!

Reggie De Leon and Benai Boyd sang “Feed Me” from Little Shop of Horrors which was such a fun song choice! I have never seen this show either but the two of them were so engaging and had great energy together.

Patrick and Matthew both came back for their second duet to sing “Agony” from Into the Woods. They both killed it!

Peter Vogt came onto the stage and was cracking up the entire audience with his impersonation of Marisa. He was also letting everyone know that he was hosting Encore! where more duets would be featured in the bar area of The Bourbon Room after the show. Unfortunately because of my early work schedule, I wasn’t able to stay too long after the show, but hopefully next time!

Vinita and Reggie both came back for their second duets with “Hakuna Matata” from The Lion King. You know I always love a good Disney reference no matter where I go!

Ashley and Marisa did a small segment from Annie and I could not get over these costumes! But in all seriousness, I loved that they reminded us that even with the current state of the world, where it feels like bad news after bad news, art heals and it’s about bringing together the community. While I wasn’t a theatre kid, I’ve been an avid audience member and I can safely say that theatre has healed my heart time and time again, and this night was no different. I’m very grateful to all the amazing performers who have shared their talents with me over the years.

For the final performance of the evening, J. Elaine Marcos sang “I Still Believe” from Miss Saigon with the surprise guest of the evening! They were the perfect way to close out the evening and slayed the song!

After the show, I got to say hi to Patrick and Parissa! I used to catch them every weekend at For the Record’s The Brat Pack and I’ve missed them so much! I’m so proud of the both of them and all the cool projects they’re doing these days.

If you’re a huge Broadway fan like me, be sure to catch this monthly show at The Bourbon Room in Hollywood on the last Monday of every month (you can grab tickets here)! They’re taking a brief hiatus for the month of June, but they’ll be back with JukePOP! Musicals on 7/25!

What’s your favorite musical? I’d love to know in the comments below!

xo,
Keshia