Susan Egan will bring the magic of Disney to the MACC backed by the Maui Pops Orchestra | News, Spor

Susan Egan will light up the night, bringing that magic only Disney can with brilliant music written by Alan Mankin provided by our very own Maui Pops Orchestra on Sunday, Jan. 21 at the MACC.

Disney music star Susan Egan was performing in Austria in 2023 with fellow vocalist Adam Jacobs and conductor Michael Kosarin, when an invitation arrived from the Maui Pops Orchestra for the trio to bring the magic of Disney to Maui.

“All three of us we were in Vienna doing a huge concert tribute to Alan Menken,” explained Egan who has starred in various Disney projects for 30 years. “We were having drinks and Michael said, ‘the Maui Pops just called. Do you two want to a show?’ We’re like, yes! So we will get gather together again and sing the music of this great man. This is a fun one and a good way to start the new year. I encourage people to come out and sing along.”

The Pops’ “Disney and Beyond – The Music of Alan Menken” concert at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Jan. 21 will celebrate the beloved music of the Oscar winning composer with songs from “Aladdin,” “Pocahontas,” “Tangled,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Hercules.”

“My favorite thing is singing with orchestra,” said Egan, who will make her Maui debut. “Visually and acoustically it’s like nothing else. The live vibrations of these instruments in harmony with each other literally goes straight to your heart. And when you marry that with the music of Disney and Alan Menken it’s really just joy in person. Being on a stage with a full orchestra playing every part of these orchestrations is really as thrilling for the singer as it is for the audience.”

Egan is full of praise for both guest conductor Kosarin and fellow Broadway star Jacobs. “Adam (Jacobs) was the original Aladdin. His is the best male Broadway voice of the last 20 years. He has the most beautiful tenor baritone voice and he can literally sing anything. Michael Kosarin is Alan Mankin’s right-hand man and has been for 30 years. He knows Alan’s music and understands the nuance of it like nobody else, so it’s always a joy to sing when it’s his baton on the podium.”

Making her Broadway debut with the “Beauty and the Beast” musical, originating the role of Belle, Egan had no idea that Disney would become her life. “I’m 53 and I’m still living my princess glory days,” she marveled. “But I’m really lucky that Disney allows people to graduate and that I get to write and produce behind the scenes and pass the torch and hire other young women to come and sing and play these roles, and be a part of introducing it to another generation. It’s a pretty cool gig.”

With a life immersed in Disney music, Egan’s resume features a dizzying array of Disney themed events. “I have worked for every facet,” she said. “I made my Broadway debut when Disney made their Broadway debut with ‘Beauty and the Beast’ 30 years ago. That’s where it all started, and then I did some animated features for them and concerts around the world from Disney Cruise Lines to Paris Disney. Now I’m executive producing shows for Disney Concerts.”

Just in 2023, she toured Australia and New Zealand with some Disney royals, and flew to Saudi Arabia in November for a concert. She celebrated World Princess Week in August and also produced a concert honoring the 100th anniversary of Disney’s animation studios at the Hollywood Bowl. In May, she performed at a Disney Princess concert with the Boston Pops, and sang on “The View” in March during a live segment paying tribute to Disney on Broadway.

“Disney is a touchstone that’s multicultural and multi-generational,” she noted.

“It’s one of those things where people come to the theater, it might be a child, a parent and a grandparent and they’re all connecting with different aspects of that show. Whether it’s Snow White or Ariel or Rapunzel, the new modern ones, it becomes this shared memory. There’s a safe place for people to come together.”

Performing all over the world, she has found everyone loves Disney. “You think all these different cultures, people will have a different re action, and it’s so incredible they all have the exact same reaction. All the little ones are wearing their dresses from the Disney store and everybody’s singing along. It’s a feel-good thing. It penetrates deep in the heart. There’s something wonderful about it.”

“Disney and Beyond – The Music of Alan Menken” with the Maui Pops Orchestra is presented on Jan. 21 at 3 p.m. in the MACC’s Castle Theater. Tickets are $35, $55, and $65 (plus applicable fees), available at mauiarts.org.

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