Winner of LA's Next Great Stage Star 2018

Reposted from BroadwayWorld.com by Don Grigware.

On Monday, August 27 LA's Next Great Stage Star 2018 Presented by Princess Cruises came to a thrilling conclusion on the Debbie Reynolds Mainstage of the El Portal Theatre in NoHo. After a very entertaining 90-minute program in which the 10 contestants gave 150% to their monologues and songs from Broadway shows, eight contestants were eliminated and the top two finalists were selected. It was then decided, from the consensus of the judges, to add a third runnerup. Then each of the three proceeded to perform a second number after which the distinguished panel of judges made the final decision. Musical director par excellence Jennifer Lin accompanied at the piano throughout the three hour show.

In the second round the three finalists competed with: Kristina Meyering offering a riveting "When He Sees Me" from Waitress; Branden Holzer singing the lovely "Beautiful City" from Godspell and Robert Collins,"Wheels of a Dream" from Ragtime, a song that suited his rich baritone/tenor voice to the letter. All were on equal footing at the time and gave it their best shot. There really are no losers in the competition, every one of the ten is a winner!

There used to be twenty contestants who competed by singing only. The monologue is a new feature this year...and a very good one. It allows the performer to exhibit versatility. In the world of stage today you must be a triple threat to make it big. So, as each performer had to deliver a monologue and then sing, the producers thought it wise to reduce the number of contestants to ten.

When I asked the three winners the question: If you had to mention just one thing that you learned over the last six weeks that you consider of the utmost value to your future career in musical theatre, what would that be? ... each mentioned the sense of community and friendship that existed among all of the contestants. They also emphasized how they learned to choose the right material and put together a portfolio. I have included one exciting quote next to each picture below. The best of luck to one and all!

After the finalists' round of singing, the winning order became: in third place, Kristina Meyering; second place, Branden Holzer and LA's Next Great Stage Star 2018, winner Robert Collins, the second male to win first place in the 12 years of the competition.

"I am enough. Be who you are and believe in yourself!"

-Robert Ellis Knight