As Jennifer Cristiano, the host and organizer of “A Night of Broadway” at The Club at Silverthorn in Spring Hill on July 20, introduced a lineup of distinguished performers delivering flawless renditions of classic Broadway standards, one performer held special meaning for her. Her daughter, Gianna Cristiano, dazzled the audience with a trio of sparkling numbers in the three-hour Broadway revue. Gianna’s performance was particularly significant, as she inspired this fundraiser, which successfully raised approximately $750 for the Hernando County Fine Arts Council.
“The arts have played such a vital role in my family, and my daughter is set to attend an arts school in Los Angeles this fall,” she said. “When I heard about the major cuts that have been made in funding for the arts, I felt moved to do something.”
Reaching out to the representatives of Live Oak Theatre, Stage West Playhouse, and other arts organizations, Cristiano enlisted their chorus of sonorous voices to sing for the arts. The resulting show, “A Night of Broadway,” represented the best of the best in local talent.
“Through this show, I wanted to showcase all of the amazing talent that we have right here in Hernando County,” said Cristiano.
“A Night of Broadway” featured signature numbers from Broadway hits such as “Hamilton,” “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Grease,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Funny Girl,” “Les Miserables” and more. As each performer took the stage, Cristiano introduced them by describing the meaning behind their song and its role in the tune’s host production.
Gianna, who has performed with Stage West and will be attending AMDA College for the Performing Arts, sang “Burn” from “Hamilton,” This Is Not Over Yet” from “Parade,” “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” from “Grease,” “I’m Breaking Down” from “The Falsettos,” and “Maybe This Time” from “Cabaret.”
“I like to sing the songs of strong female characters,” she said. “And I have a message for kids who want to pursue the arts. Go out and find your own opportunities. Follow your dreams.”
Married couple Matthew and Bethany Romeo, performers at Live Oak Theatre, performed the duet “I Will Never Leave You” from “Side Show.” Bethany Romeo also performed “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from “Phantom of the Opera” and “Vanilla Ice Cream” from “She Loves Me.”
“Children need arts education,” she said.
Matthew Romeo also performed “Corner of the Sky” from “Pippin” and “Bring Him Home” from “Les Miserables.”
“Because of all the cuts in art funding, arts organizations need events like these to survive,” said Matthew Romeo.
Larkin Mainwaring, who studied Arts in Motion in Dade City, sang “Love You Didn’t Do Right By Me” from “White Christmas, I Don’t Need a Roof” from “Big Fish” and “Crossing a Bridge” from “Anastasia.” “By discovering the arts, I’ve discovered a future career,” she said. “That’s why support of the arts is so important.”
Sister AIM student Hailey Garcia sang “What Baking Can Do” from “Waitress,” “Pulled” from “The Addams Family” and “I Say No” from “Heathers.” “When we create art,” she said. “We create something larger than ourselves that will always go on.”
Benjamin Staley, performer and director at Live Oak Theatre, sang Stars from Les Miserables, and She Thinks I’m Old from Daddy Long Legs. “I like to sing; that’s why I’m here,” he said. “And I love to promote the arts and what we do at Live Oak, entertainment for the whole family.”
Also in the show, Susan Falcone D’Aquino sang “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from “Sunset Boulevard,” “People” from “Funny Girl” and “When You’re Good to Mama” from “Chicago.” Michael Anthony D’Aquino sang “Out There” from “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “This Is Not Over Yet from Parade” and “Simple Sponge” from “SpongeBob the Musical.” Michael D’Aquino sang “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” and “Impossible Dream” from “Man of La Mancha.” Julianna Alfaro sang” I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miserables,” “Somewhere That’s Green” from “Little Shop of Horrors” and “In My Dreams” from “Anastasia.”
As guests enjoyed the music, they ate gourmet dinners at tables set with centerpieces representing various covers from Playbill Performing Arts magazine. They also chatted with the arts organization representatives on hand to promote their agencies.
These included Vince Vanni, spokesman of Live Oak Theatre. “We’re here for the community,” he said. “And when Jennifer asked, we said, We’ll be there.”
Diane Greenwell with the Hernando County Fine Arts Council promoted HCFAC activities and expressed appreciation for the support of A Night of Broadway organizers. “We’ve faced severe cuts in our funding,” she said. “We rely more than ever on events like this to offer events like Art in the Park and Front Porch Art Walk, which bring business and tourism into our community.”
At evening’s end, Jennifer and Gianna Cristiano shared a warm hug as the audience cheered and applauded A Night of Broadway. “I thank my mom for my pipes and her support,” said Gianna. “She is awesome.”
