Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Only in New York: Blockbuster evenings with the unstoppable MARILYN MAYE at Carnegie Hall and the glorious 25th anniversary concert of RAGTIME

• By drediman
• March 29, 2023
• No Comments

Over the past few days, I was treated to a pair of blockbuster evenings, during which I caught the truly marvelous Marilyn Maye in her Carnegie Hall debut, as well as (most of) the iconic original cast of Aherns and Flaherty’s Ragtime in the musical’s 25th anniversary concert at the Minskoff Theatre. Suffice to say, both of these ecstatic one-night-only events were unforgettable. Only in New York.

THE NEW YORK POPS WITH THE MARVELOUS MARILYN MAYE
Carnegie Hall
Friday, March 25, 2023

First up was the great Marilyn Maye, who last Friday made her long awaited Carnegie Hall solo show debut (what took so long?) (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). Performing alongside the fabulous New York Pops under the baton of longtime music director Steven Reineke, the beloved nearly 95-year-young legend of the cabaret world indulged her adoring with some of her greatest hits. The packed house responded wildly to many of these, namely standing ovations for her sterling renditions Jerry Herman’s “It’s Today” from Mame and a heartfelt medley of “Guess Who I Saw Today” from New Faces of 1952 and “Fifty Percent” from Ballroom. Perhaps the most endearing of the lot was her attempt at conquering “I’m Still Here” from Stephen Sondheim’s Follies (to which she wittily bantered “Lord knows I’ve practiced…”). Ms. Maye — who simply glittered in two Bob Mackey gowns, one for each act — was, as always, in excellent voice, her distinctive smokey belt and jazzy song stylings registering beautifully throughout the iconic hall. In fact, she sounded more assured and robust at the end of the concert than she did at the beginning. Somehow, the whole affair kept the air of an intimate cabaret nightclub performance, at which the unstoppable Ms. Maye — with her devoted music director Tedd Firth at the keys — held court with her lovingly open-hearted demeanor and voice of steel. Throughout the evening, the New York Pops sounded magnificently alive, as befitted this celebratory event. By all accounts, a mighty good time was had by all.

RAGTIME IN CONCERT
Minskoff Theatre
Monday, March 27, 2023

Then just three days later, I had the great privilege of being, as they say, in the room where it happened for the glorious 25th anniversary reunion concert of the musical Ragtime (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) at, ironically, the Minskoff Theatre (the current home of The Lion King, Ragtime’s big competition at the 1998 Tony Awards). Originally scheduled to be performed in 2020, the celebration that finally transpired last Monday was well worth the wait. Many of us have a soft spot in our hearts for the masterpiece, namely for its panoramic story (the book is by the late Terrence McNally, after E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel) and Ahrens and Flaherty’s exquisitely crafted score, calling to mind an American Les Miz of sorts.  As lovingly directed by Stafford Arima — whose semi-staged concert staging put the focus squarely on the extraordinary songs and their ability to succinctly convey narrative, themes, and characters in their own — the one night only event made a strong case for Ragtime as one of the greatest musicals of all time. As for the cast, what can I say? This was a full throttle performance — both vocally and dramatically — that was fiercely committed to telling this still relevant story anew. Members of the original cast — namely Brian Stokes-Mitchell, Audra McDonald, Peter Friedman, Judy Kaye, and Mark Jacoby — had me near tears most of the evening. The notable new addition as Mother was Kelli O’Hara (replacing the late, great Marin Mazzie), who captivated with her intelligent line readings and gorgeous vocals (her rendition of “Back to Before” unsurprisingly stopped the show).