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Broadway Supper Club Hits Pilgrim House

by Steve Desroches

There’s a chill vibe in the air. Not the temperature sort, but rather energy. Relaxed, comfortable, easy—the Pilgrim House in the early evening in June. It’s the day after the Tony Awards to be specific, which those trickling into the lobby lounge at the Pilgrim House compare thoughts on with the production numbers and who received an award the night before at Radio City Music Hall, especially those with ties to Provincetown like Todd Kirdahy, a producer of Ragtime at Lincoln Center, which won Best Revival of a Musical. Far from the hustle and bustle of New York City, this room in Provincetown knows of which it speaks as these are die-hard fans of the Great White Way assembled for Broadway Supper Club, a new musical offering from the Pilgrim House starring Brittany Rolfs and Marissa Miller.

The musical powerhouse duo takes to the stage in a Wicked manner, not in the sense of the Massachusetts-slang, but the musical, as Rolfs wears a floor-length black gown in contrast to Miller’s pale pink. They have great stage presence, with complimentary performance auras as well as a natural chemistry as was evident when the two starred opposite each other in Jon Richardson’s musical The Jack of Hearts Club last October, roles they’ll reprise this July and August for a summer revival of the hit musical at the Provincetown Theater. But at the Pilgrim House the Broadway Supper Club is a live-jukebox cabaret performance in which the two, along with producer and special guest Peter Romagna, create a completely new show each week. Pianist Eden Casteel kept the music rollicking as she accompanied Rolfs and Miller performing solo and duets featuring well-known Broadway classics as well as doing a deep dive into some more obscure shows and selections. Miller and Romagna delivered a gorgeous rendition of “Almost Paradise” from the musical Footloose, of which they both starred in together some years back when they were just starting out. That’s a major part of the Broadway Supper Club’s charm is its informality, with no fourth wall as the performers share their personal connections to the material, like when Romagna performed a selection from Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens with a story about an uncle who died from AIDS. Rolfs blew the roof off the place with her performance of “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard before joining Miller again as the two delivered a knock out performance of “In the Shadows,” a duet from The Jack of Hearts Club. 

As part of the ever-changing roster and song list for the Broadway Supper Club, the show this post-Tonys Monday also featured Peter Toto, a multi-talented performer with quick wit and smooth as silk stage presence offering solo spots as well as joining in a full cast ensemble performance of “Happiness” from You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. Though only running for a few weeks, the majority of the crowd that night at the Pilgrim House were repeats, adding to a pleasant camaraderie. In fact, pleasant is the best way to describe the whole affair, not discounting the immense talent of the performers. But rather, in a town known for the raucous, outrageous, and over-the-top, the Broadway Supper Club is a most-welcome alternative, perfect for a sophisticated, yet laid back evening of entertainment. The show is such an early success it’s moving into the larger showroom at the Pilgrim House, though the plan is to keep the room’s layout to keep the intimate nature of the show’s concept. Rolfs and Miller are already known as standouts in Provincetown’s crowded performance scene and Broadway Supper Club is just the latest success in their respective long resumes. But the true triumph of the show is how these two talents meld so perfectly on stage, with vocal harmonies that sound drizzled with honey and a friendly charm that sets the perfect tone for a night of music uniting a room full of people in a crazy world.

Broadway Supper Club with Brittany Rolfs and Marissa Miller runs every Monday at 6 p.m. now through August 31 at the Pilgrim House, 336 Commercial St. Tickets ($40) are available at the box office and online at pilgrimhouseptown.com. For more information call 508.487.6424.