The 90-minute concert will include performances from Syndee Winters (The Lion King), F. Michael Haynie (Wicked), Laura Dreyfuss (Once), Darren Bluestone (Avenue Q), Joe Carroll (Cinderella), John Cudia (The Phantom of the Opera), Ariana DeBose (Motown), Jason Gotay (Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark), Kara Lindsay (Newsies), Drew Little (My Big Gay Italian Wedding), Emily Padgett (Side Show), Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder), Kristine Reese (Les Misérables), Ciara Renee (Big Fish), Nic Rouleau (The Book of Mormon), Kirsten Scott (Big Fish), Billy Harrigan Tighe (Pippin), Christian Dante White (The Scottsboro Boys), Jennifer Hope Wills (The Phantom of the Opera), Sara Kapner (Bare), Gabrielle Ruiz (In the Heights), Danny Baird Jr., RJ Vaillancourt, Kelsey Bramson, Amanda Clement and Gina Cucci.
Overcash & Change 2, according to press notes, will be "an evening of music from Overcash's catalog of stand alone pop/rock songs and musicals Boys Vs. Girls and Joe, as well as the premiere of new songs from his latest projects: Rhapsody and 13 Miles."
In anticipation of the concert, songwriter Overcash and members from the cast pick their favorite pop/rock songs and tell us why they made the list.
Musical accompaniment will be provided by Bobbie L. Crow III on cello, Simon Kafka and Micah Burgess on guitar, Alex Minier on bass, Cody Rahn on percussion and guest pianist William Demaniow.
Overcash's musicals include Boys Vs. Girls, Joe, To You With Love and Rhapsody. His music has been performed at Joe’s Pub, (le) Poisson Rouge, The Pershing Square Signature Center, Birdland and 54 Below. The Highline Ballroom is located at 431 W. 16th Street. For more information and tickets, visit HighlineBallroom.com.
Drew Overcash: "Tearin' Up My Heart" ('N Sync). I have and always will be obsessed with "Tearin' Up My Heart" by 'N Sync. It was one of the first songs I played on repeat over and over again. I sing it unashamedly in the shower all the time still. When it comes to boy band anthems/pop songs, this for me is and always will be No. 1.
Christian Dante White: "XO" (Beyoncé). It's such a great pop/R&B song from her. I feel ultimate love for myself and my friends and family while listening to this song. It just makes me smile. And Beyoncé can do no wrong! Amen.
Syndee Winters: "Roar" (Katy Perry). My favorite rock/pop song TODAY (because it changes constantly) is "Roar" by Katy Perry. When I listen to that song, I feel like I can take over the world… Still working on it!
Sara Kapner: "Big White Room" (Jessie J). I don't know if "Big White Room" is so good because it's an incredible pop song or Jessie J is just the greatest human alive, but anyone who can record a video in their bathroom and sound like an angel draped in gold and diamonds is the best in my book.
Drew Little: "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (Simple Minds). This song is EVERYTHING!! This song is about wanting someone so badly and just hoping with all your might that they return your feelings. I understand this song all too well. Haha!
Gabrielle Ruiz: "Man in the Mirror" (Michael Jackson). I am forced to only chose just ONE song?! One of my favorites that could be on repeat in my ears forever is "Man in the Mirror." From beginning to end, this song makes me move, makes me feel and always makes me reflect on the magic Michael Jackson gave to our world. And, no one can mess with that gospel chorus at the key change!
Ciara Renee: "Say So" (Allen Stone). I'm not sure if this really counts as pop/rock, but close enough, and I'm obsessed: Allen Stone's "Say So." I listen to it when it's sunny and I'm running around town. It has a perfect beat for strutting, and it perks me up and keeps me going! Plus, Allen Stone's voice is just so sexy and smooth, I could listen to him everyday. (And, I sort of do… lol.)
John Cudia: "Best I Ever Had" (Gavin DeGraw). Right now I'm loving "Best I Ever Had" by Gavin DeGraw. The rhythm gives me energy, and it reminds me of being in love and on the road.
Joe Carroll: "The Beautiful Ones/Sex on Fire" mashup by Beyoncé. How do you pick one? Right now I'm pretty obsessed with Imagine Dragons, Johnny Flynn and the entire "Inside Llewyn Davis" soundtrack. But, if you're putting up one track, Beyoncé's mashup of "The Beautiful Ones/Sex on Fire" live from Glastonbury is unreal. In my next life I want to be reincarnated as Beyoncé's drummer.
Kristine Reese: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" (Whitney Houston). I love every one of the songs from the late-great Ms. Houston's anthology, but this is the song that started my love affair. My mom and dad tell me I used to ask them to play this song on repeat in the car as a child (back when people used tapes — remember tapes?) and that I would sing it at the top of my lungs, which would also explain why this song is my karaoke go-to.
Darren Bluestone: "Harder Than Stone" (City and Colour). I think my favorite song right now is "Harder than Stone" by City and Colour. Dallas Green is a simple songwriter with a gorgeous voice, solid poetry and beautiful melodies. I have yet to see him live though.
Jennifer Hope Wills: "Your Song" (Elton John). Sadly, and maybe a little embarrassingly, my knowledge of most pop/rock music seems to have petered out back in the 1980s, but "Your Song" by Elton John has always been one of my favorites. I think it is interesting in that it is definitely a love song but never once actually mentions the word "love." I've also always found it a little sad and melancholy as it seemed to me to be a song about someone professing love to another that is unrequited. Not sure why I always felt that but the beautiful words, simple melody and that tinge of sadness always went right through to this highly romantic heart.
Bryce Pinkham: "Rocky Raccoon" (The Beatles). "Rocky Raccoon." C'mon, it takes guts to put a raccoon at the center of a love saga, and then to sing do-do's for the rest of the time. I guess that's what you could afford to do when you were The Beatles. Still, how did they manage to make such a catchy tune out of it? It's an amazing song, so catchy and singable, with a surprisingly poignant story of a South Dakotan cuckold raccoon who finds himself on the wrong side of a duel. So many good characters: Gideon, the Drunk Doctor, the so-called "Dan," not to mention Rocky's girl, Magil/Lil/Nancy. I feel so bad for Rocky at the end, he's so optimistic, but we all know he's never leaving that hotel room. RIP Rock.
F. Michael Haynie: "Misery Business" (Paramore). Ever since my days of just listening to "Sk8er Boi" cause I thought Avril [Lavigne] was hot, I got bitten by the punk-chick bug. Take that, add a splash of stellar song, give it killer vocals and multiply it by a billion or so, and voila: adult punk-crush on Hayley Williams the front gal of Paramore (and a musician's crush on their albums).
