THE HANGOVER REPORT – JOE ICONIS & FAMILY return to 54 Below after a long hiatus, as high-spirited and energizing as ever

Joe Iconis and Family perform at 54 Below (photo by Adrian Dimanlig).

Last weekend, I also had the chance to catch Joe Iconis and Family’s return to 54 Below. The last time the team assembled at the 10-year-old cabaret venue was before the pandemic struck in 2019. It’s been a long hiatus, to be sure. Their return last weekend was built round the release of the renegade musical theater composer/lyricist’s new album Album, a massive 44-song strong collection of new material. Although the quick four performance run has concluded and the experience has faded into memory, the concert’s vitality has stuck with me all week.

At the performance I attended, concert headliners George Salazar and Will Roland – both stars of Broadway’s Be More Chill – were sadly out of commission due to Covid infections (interestingly, the concert conspicuously left out songs from the aforementioned cult favorite musical). Nevertheless, the show went on as planned – and astonishingly well, at that – demonstrating the deep bench and commitment of the Joe Iconis family, as well as the deep well of material the composer/lyricist has amassed over the years, including the new songs from his epic Album. The somewhat improvisational evening was efficiently plotted and curated to feature songs old and new, most of them subversively anthemic and all of them led in high octane fashion by Iconis on the piano.

Highlights of the high-spirited concert included the the title track from Album, a rich and winding autobiographical ditty that serves as an ideal opener and introduction to the bandleader that is Joe Iconis. Also bringing down the house was the rollicking “Woman of a Certain Age” from the musical Broadway Bounty Hunter, particularly as soulfully sung by Badia Farha. And as always, Jason SweeTooth Williams’ rendition (backed thrillingly by Iconis’s fiercely loyal bunch) of “Goodbye Song” sent the audience energized out into the night.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

JOE ICONIS & FAMILY
Cabaret
54 Below
1 hour, 15 minutes (without an intermission)
Closed

Categories: Cabaret, Music

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