I wasn’t even at the venue yet and already was having a good time as I walked past the post office and saw the long line of last-minute tax filers, of whom I joyously was not a member, nervously double-checking their precious cargo with only 45 minutes before closing to get their valued postmarks.

The annual Porchlight Music Theatre spring event once again hit all the right notes and was an even better experience than last year’s first exploration of Broadway Pop.

The food, which was excellent, was easier to obtain this year, set out on a buffet table so that we didn’t have to huddle near the door to the kitchen to intercept staff as they emerged with trays of appetizers that were voraciously attacked and emptied within seconds. It also allowed for something other than finger food, which sounds cannibalistic. As a side note (like almost everything I write), we ate off bamboo plates, a first for me, for the full panda experience.

The performances were, as always, first rate. I’ll mention a few. Billy Rude, whom I last saw in Pump Boys and Dinettes, once again put his rock ’n’ roll talents on display with a rousing rendition of Johnny B. Goode, currently featured in the stage musical version of Back to the Future.

Nik Kmiecik also broke out his axe in Pinball Wizard (Tommy), a turn that only lacked a Pete Townsend-like demolition at the end, problem due to budget constraints and the fact that he needed it again later to lead the audience in a participatory rendition of Sweet Caroline (A Beautiful Noise), as is the custom with this classic, perhaps more so than with any tune outside the Star Spangled Banner.

The dancers made me dream of what it must be like to be flexible, but, my one disappointment, which carries over from last year, was that there was no tapping. I recovered from that psychological trauma thanks to the great mood that pervaded the room.

The star of the night for many was Kelly Felthous, whose The History of Wrong Guys (Kinky Boots) put her singing and comedic talents on full display. She even threw in a dance split in the middle of the song for no discernible reason other than she could. Bonus points for that.