Audience Review: CLOSER THAN EVER at Centenary Stage Company
Maltby and Shire's Timeless Songs Shine in Centenary Stage's CLOSER THAN EVER Centenary Stage Company has produced CLOSER THAN EVER, the acclaimed yet lesser-known song cycle featuring the work of Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire. Conceived by Steven Scott Smith, the revue draws from more than six decades of the duo's collaboration, weaving together many of their best-known songs into a series of self-contained musical vignettes. Exploring themes of love, heartbreak, aging, second marriages, and the unexpected turns of adult life, CLOSER THAN EVER offers a poignant and often hilarious portrait of the realities that lie beyond the fairy-tale ending. Directed by Sara Louise Lazarus, with music direction by John Bowen, the production features live accompaniment by Bowen on piano and Evan Finkbeiner on bass. Lazarus has assembled a talented quartet of actor-singers—Broadway veteran John Leone, Julie Galorenzo, Cassandra Krajcik, and Alex Perone—each blessed …
Maltby and Shire’s Timeless Songs Shine in Centenary Stage’s CLOSER THAN EVERCentenary Stage Company has produced CLOSER THAN EVER, the acclaimed yet lesser-known song cycle featuring the work of Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire. Conceived by Steven Scott Smith, the revue draws from more than six decades of the duo’s collaboration, weaving together many of their best-known songs into a series of self-contained musical vignettes. Exploring themes of love, heartbreak, aging, second marriages, and the unexpected turns of adult life, CLOSER THAN EVER offers a poignant and often hilarious portrait of the realities that lie beyond the fairy-tale ending. Directed by Sara Louise Lazarus, with music direction by John Bowen, the production features live accompaniment by Bowen on piano and Evan Finkbeiner on bass. Lazarus has assembled a talented quartet of actor-singers—Broadway veteran John Leone, Julie Galorenzo, Cassandra Krajcik, and Alex Perone—each blessed with a strong voice and a keen ability to bring song lyrics vividly to life. The show features strong character-driven comedy numbers, beautifully crafted lyrical songs, and enchanting harmony singing. Through a well-balanced mix of solos, duets, trios, and ensemble numbers, every performer is given multiple opportunities to shine, creating a cohesive company in which individual talents are showcased without overshadowing the whole. In addition to CLOSER THAN EVER, Maltby and Shire’s major collaborations include the acclaimed revue Starting Here, Starting Now and the musical Baby. Because their work favors intimate, sophisticated storytelling over spectacle, it was often overshadowed during the era of blockbuster mega-musicals. Yet their catalog contains some of the finest songs written for the American musical theatre over the past half-century. The work is not produced often, therefore audiences are fortunate that Centenary Stage Company is closing its 2026 Summerfest season, with such a compelling showcase of this extraordinary songwriting partnership. In an era when spectacle often dominates the stage, CLOSER THAN EVER affirms the enduring power of songs that illuminate the complexities, humor, and heartbreak of ordinary lives. CLOSER THAN EVERJuly 30 – August 9, 2026Centenary Stage CompanyLackland Performing Arts Center715 Grand AveHackettstown, NJ 07840Review submitted by:Franklin JosephAuthor’s Bio:Franklin Joseph is an avid theatre goer who takes delight in the active theatre arts community of the southeast Pennsylvania region. Patricia BradfordPatricia Bradford holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. She has performed, directed and produced theatre throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Leading STAGE Magazine has become a consuming passion - one which combines her many artistic skills, theatrical contacts, web development and digital marketing abilities. She is thrilled to be carrying on the vision that was begun by Holley Webster, who founded STAGE Magazine as a small theatrical newsletter in the 1970s. Recently transplanted to Florida, Ms. Bradford looks forward to bringing the digital version of STAGE Magazine to new levels of success and expanding regionally.