Disney Princess: The Concert

This week we’re throwing it back to the Disney days with Disney Princess: The Concert and the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Disney Princess: The Concert is the newest iteration of the fan-favorite Broadway Princess Party, which premiered at Feinstien’s/54 Below, and had since played shows in NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and across the country. The original concept began with musical direction by Benjamin Rauhula, and vocalists Susan Egan (Broadway’s original Belle), Laura Osnes (Broadway’s original Cinderella), and Courtney Reed (Broadway’s original Jasmine). In later performances more of Broadway’s princesses past and present joined the party, including Christy Altomare (Anastasia), Syndee Winters (The Lion King), Aisha Jackson (Frozen), Arielle Jacobs (Aladdin), Ciara Renee (Frozen), Liz Callaway, Jodi Benson, and many more. This caberet-style show sang through Disney princess songs and was lightly scripted to create a show for princesses of all ages.

The team behind the Broadway Princess Party then went on to partner with Disney to create Disney Princess: The Concert, which embarked on a national tour in late 2021-2022, and brought a full-scale orchestral concert production to life with visuals of beloved Disney films playing behind the performers. The tour consists of five vocalists — four princesses and a prince — which vary based on performer availability.

I was really intrigued by this production because I had actually been to a Broadway Princess Party in December 2019. Knowing this originated as a production designed for a small, intimate table and stage setting, like 54 Below, it seemed much less intimate to expand the production to these larger concert halls, and in this case, symphony hall. The production I saw in 2019 was already expanded from a table and stage to a school auditorium. This concert performance was extended one step beyond. When I saw the BPP in 2019, Susan Egan, Courtney Reed, Christy Altomare, and Adam J. Levy were the primary vocalists, with Benjamin Rauhula as MD/keys.

At this performance with the Boston Pops, Susan Egan, Christy Altomare, Lissa deGuzman, Syndee Winters, and Adam J. Levy were vocalists, and Benjamin Rauhula was again MD/keys. I, of course, really love Rauhula’s MD work, and was so excited to see him live again, as well as Christy Altomare, whose performances I adore.

With this performance, I loved that they gave Rauhula more of a part in the script. If you’ve been to a BPP before, you might be familiar with the fact his part is usually to segway the princesses and banter with them to add to the overall production (plus, these are just his friends). I liked that in this iteration of the concert it felt like Rauhula was more equally performing with the rest of the princesses.

I also loved the robust sound of the orchestra behind the princesses in this production. As much as I loved the smaller intimate setting of just Rauhula on the keys in earlier iterations, I think with a venue this large, that fuller sound is necessary.

The vocalists are all incredible performers. The princess party is a delight allowing each vocalist to shine independently and in the group.

This was my first time seeing Syndee Winters perform. I thought she was incredible. She has a fantastic stage presence. I really enjoyed her performance of “Touch the Sky” and “Almos There.” It was also really cool to see her sing from The Lion King on Broadway. I always love when you see performers perform their solos out of the context of the show and how even if it’s been years, the muscle memory of the show is still there.

This was also the first time I had seen Lissa deGuzman perform, and I loved her performance as well. Her “Colors of the Wind” was so powerful, and it was so fun to get to see her perform “A Whole New World” with Adam J. Levy.

Levy was fantastic, as usual, duetting with the princesses. I loved in this concert version that he had a solo of “So Close” from Enchanted. I think Levy has a very rich and smooth voice and I would listen to him sing anything, so I’m glad they gave him an opportunity to showcase his voice too.

And as a 90s girl myself, it’s always a dream to get to see Susan Egan perform. Of course she knocks the fan fan favorites “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” and her Beauty and the Beast medley out of the part, but it was especially fun to see her do some of the classic princess songs as well. I feel immensely grateful every time I have the opportunity to hear her sing “Home.”

And of course, Christy Altomare and her powerhouse vocals. I’m not going to lie, I was really invested in this concert because I wanted to hear her sing “Journey to the Past” again, and it was 100% worth it. She still bodies that song and the final note like she did eight days a week on Broadway. It was also really special to hear her sing “Part of Your World” which Altomare has treasured from childhood.

This concert is a quick 90-minute production, but it’s a lot of fun for Disney lovers. I personally enjoyed it because I have followed the Princess Party from its early days, and it brings so much joy getting to see Benjamin Rauhula and the princesses grow this production to a full-scale concert. And it reminds us all to keep dreaming and keep going.