“Oh, baby, give me one more chance,” sang Corey J, a former Little Michael in the Broadway musical “MJ.” Wearing a black-brimmed hat, black turtleneck, jacket and pants, he experienced the explosion of joy that is the chord progression of the Jackson 5 song “I Want You Back.”
He had performed the song hundreds of times in the Broadway show, a biographical Michael Jackson jukebox musical, at the Neil Simon Theater. But on this particular afternoon, he was on a much smaller stage: a senior center on the Upper East Side, where about 50 residents clapped to the beat on floral-patterned chairs.
It was the latest in a monthly series of Broadway-themed events hosted by Evan Rossi, senior director of resident experience, in collaboration with event company Broadway Plus in the dining room of the Inspir Carnegie Hill senior living community. Although Inspir has hosted numerous events with Broadway actors — including Julie Benko (“Harmony,” “Funny Girl”), Charl Brown (“Motown: The Musical”) and comedian Alex Edelman (“Just for Us”) — this was the case was the first film with child actors.
Last Thursday, Corey J, 12, was accompanied on piano by Nate Patten and appeared alongside Aria Kane, 9, a young Anna, on the recent North American tour of “Frozen”; Benjamin Pajak, 12, who portrayed Winthrop Paroo in “The Music Man”; and Jillian Paige Platero, 12, one of two actresses who play young Nala in “The Lion King.”
“I can’t explain the reaction,” Rossi, 26, who previously worked in the box office at Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theater, said in an interview. “Residents are looking forward to this concert more than anything we have ever done publicly in the last three years.”
The event began with a group number – “Broadway Baby” from “Follies” – and then each artist sang a song from a show they were in (“Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” from “Frozen” for Kane, “I Want You Back” from “MJ” for Corey J, “Shadowland” from “The Lion King” for Platero, and a medley of “Gary, Indiana” from “The Music Man” and “Where Is Love?” from “ Oliver!” for Pajak).
The children also answered questions from cabaret artist Christopher Metzger-Timson, who hosted the event. Kane was asked about her favorite part of her “Lion King” costume (“the corset because it’s beautiful architecture from South Africa”), Pajak swore that his “Music Man” co-star Hugh Jackman and Corey were really that nice J even performed his Michael Jackson moonwalk.
After a half-hour performance, they answered questions from residents who were curious about how they got started in the company and what roles they envisioned. (Kane voiced Elphaba in “Wicked” and Catherine Howard in “Six”; Corey J was the teenage Michael and adult Michael Jackson in “MJ” and Scar in “The Lion King”; Platero also chose Elphaba and Nala in “The “The Lion King.”; and Pajak said Sweeney Todd.)
Each child then sang a second song: “Dead Mom” (from “Beetlejuice”) for Kane, “This Christmas” for Corey J, “Where Are You Christmas?” (“How the Grinch Stole Christmas”) for Platero, and “Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun” (“A Christmas Story”) for Pajak – and later took the stage together for a rendition of “When I Grow Up” from “Matilda.”
After the concert, they met with residents, many of whom are Broadway fans. (Rossi also organizes trips to Broadway and off-Broadway shows, as well as operas, concerts and dance performances – his recent favorites include “The Great Gatsby” at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. Next up: “Harmony.”)
Marilyn Snyder, 87, a retired Broadway actress who appeared under the stage name Maggie Burke in Neil Simon’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” said the concert brought back memories of the camaraderie of performing with other actors.
“It was such a joy to feel their optimism, their hope and their enthusiasm,” she said.
For 83-year-old Adele Hartman, whose 23-year-old grandson is an aspiring actor, seeing the young performers’ talent on display was a reminder that success in the industry is possible.
“You have to audition and audition and audition until you get a role,” she said. “So it was nice for me to see all these little kids who were lucky enough to get the lead roles at a young age.”
For the children, the concert was an opportunity to connect with an older generation through a shared passion.
“I expected to have the best show ever and that’s what happened,” said Corey J, who added that his own grandmother saw him perform in “MJ.”
Kane, whose favorite part of the “Frozen” tour was “performing in front of 3,000 people,” said she didn’t think so many residents would attend the show. “But more people make it a lot better for me!” she said.
After taking a break from the stage to film “The Life of Chuck,” an adaptation of a Stephen King novella, Pajak said he was just grateful to be performing in front of a live audience.
“I definitely had a rush today to be able to be here and sing for them,” he said.