Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – A magnificent trio of cabaret acts sparkle at Feinstein’s/54 Below: Emily Skinner, Larry Owens, and Jason Danieley

• By drediman
• August 4, 2021
• No Comments

This past weekend at Feinstein’s/54 Below, I witnessed a magnificent trio of cabaret acts. Here are my thoughts.

First up was Emily Skinner, whose latest show A Broad with a Broad Broad Mind (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) is a stunner, but not in the ways you’d think from the veteran Broadway musical theater actress. In short, the unexpectedly introspective show is an emotional and candid account of her tough experience during the pandemic – from which she has emerged changed and stronger – capturing a vulnerable side of the usually sassy Ms. Skinner. Despite displaying a different side of herself, Ms. Skinner was nonetheless in complete command of her cabaret act, which featured pricelessly spot-on bantering, her exquisite belt, and disarming song choices/interpretations (as accompanied by the charming John Fisher on piano). They don’t make them quite like Ms. Skinner anymore.

Then there was Larry Owens, whose show I saw later in the evening (after Ms. Skinner’s). Entitled Sondheimia (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), the cabaret act must be one of the most daring and audacious cabaret acts I’ve seen. Eschewing banter completely, the Drama Desk Award winner (he won for his spectacular performance in the Pulitzer Prize winning A Strange Loop) dives headlong into the riches of the Stephen Sondheim songbook. But instead of taking on the songs one at a time, he mashes them up in musical montages that are delirious in their ambition and breadth. But Mr. Owens, who was on fire that night, was up to the titanic challenge. He poured quite a bit of himself into the songs, resulting in a rush of revealing and humorous moments – often times simultaneously. Mr. Owens possesses a powerhouse voice, which gives Sondheim’s masterful compositions urgency and operatic grandeur (despite being accompanied only by a piano).

Lastly, Jason Danieley returned to Feinstein’s/54 Below with his latest show Reflections (RECOMMENDED). Over the last several years, his cabaret acts have been emotionally wrenching, largely due to his experience with coping with the illness and eventual “transitioning” of his wife, the late, great Broadway star Marin Mazzie. But despite the pandemic that has sent the world reeling and the series of setbacks suffered by Mr. Danieley, his latest act may oddly be ultimately the most upbeat and hopeful he’s been in a long, long time. Indeed, Reflections finds the richly-voiced tenor – whose luminous voice I’ve marveled at since seeing him in the title role of the 1997 Broadway revival of Candide seemingly a lifetime ago – turning the page and starting a new chapter. With a new dog at his side and a budding new romance (the Brazilian beauty was in the audience the night I saw the show) to nurture, Mr. Danieley’s show gives us hope during these times of woe.