The New York Pops' ultimate song swap: IP swings both ways when Hugh Panaro & Elizabeth Stanley take to the stage

By Matthew Wexler

Fans of The Gilded Age will remember the “opera war” from Season 2, but we’ll need another couple of seasons for history to catch up to the famed Carnegie Hall, which opened in 1891. But there’s no reason to wait to experience a real-life concert. You may be thinking, But classical music puts me to sleep! That’s not all the venue offers, particularly with The New York Pops in residence.

The largest independent orchestra in the US kicks off its 43rd season on October 24, featuring Broadway stars Hugh Panaro and Elizabeth Stanley in From Stage to Screen, an evening that celebrates the connection between cinema and Broadway.

Some might roll their eyes at the IP business model (Mamma Mia! and Beetlejuice return for limited engagements, while the documentary The Queen of Versailles serves as inspiration for Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz’s latest project.) But there’s no denying that familiarity sells tickets. New York Pops conductor and music director Steven Reineke has a keen sense of how to fill the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage’s 2,790 seats: bring A-list talent.

A hot take on who’s on stage

The New York Pops has a history of inviting the industry’s best to join its 78-piece orchestra. And it’s not just confined to Broadway. Last season honored Diane Warren, and it was epic.

The concert will feature Hugh Panaro, most known for playing the title role in The Phantom of the Opera, a part he’s returning to in the reimagined immersive Masquerade. Elizabeth Stanley, who earned a Tony nomination for Jagged Little Pill, joins him onstage. The Pops has teased selections from Into the Woods, Les Misérables, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which ran for 740 performances before Marilyn Monroe took center stage in the film adaptation.

The October 24 concert launches a Carnegie Hall season that includes the following: