If ever there was a sure thing, Friday night's WSO performance, dubbed Bravo Broadway is it. A highly enthusiastic audience thrilled to a night of all-time favourite show tunes from the likes of Les Misérables, Little Shop of Horrors, Cabaret and Evita.

Principal Pops conductor Jef Tyzik and the orchestra backed up soprano Jan Horvath, tenor Michael Maguire and baritone Doug LaBrecque, all veteran Broadway performers.

The overture from Gypsy got everyone warmed up. The WSO players swung right into gear, setting the stage perfectly for the evening of songs to come.

The first half of the program consisted of eight single numbers and a medley of Richard Rodgers tunes. Horvath, Maguire and LaBrecque are all polished performers, who incoporate some light choreography and much expression into their songs.

Maguire has a deep, rich voice and surprisingly wide range, as demonstrated in "All I Need is the Girl" (from Gypsy).

His best performance came in the duet "All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera.

It's hard not to respond to "Over the Rainbow", sung lovingly by LaBrecque. It was a nice touch to have a male singer performing it for a chance.

The trio had fun with "I Got Rhythm", doing a little Charleston. The audience really enjoyed this upbeat, high energy piece.

Horvath hammed it up beautifully in "Broadway Baby", emerging from backstage swinging a bright blue feather boa. Her no-holds-barred portrayal of a ditsy Broadway wannabe was very convincing and amusing.

But it was "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" (from Evita) that surpassed all her other songs. Her singing was at its most pure, her depth of expression convincing, and most of all, she didn't resort to overpowering the audience with the strength of her voice to mov them. The famous final pose with outstretched arms brought the crowd to its feet.

The performance of the night has to go to LaBrecque in Phantom's "Music of the Night". This is a role he played in the Harold Prince production of the show.

The WSO, while mostly overshadowed by the soloists, made it easy for the singers to perform. They could do their thing, confident in the competent backing they were receiving from this most versatile group of musicians.

The trio received a final ovation, to which they responded with an encore - the ageless "Age of Aquarius".