Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – 54 BELOW PREMIERES’s spring season features Jeremy Jordan & Marilyn Maye, who both command the virtual cabaret stage

• By drediman
• May 11, 2021
• No Comments

During the pandemic, the gold standard for the virtual conveyance of cabaret has been Feinstein’s/54 Below’s “54 Below Premieres” series (previous wintertime offerings include Laura Osnes’s Broadway Princess Holiday Concert, the long-running Sondheim Uplugged, and Norm Lewis’s Christmastime Is Here!). Shot in pristine HD across multiple cameras, the on-demand presentations create an intimacy that comes close to replicating the experience of sitting in-person at Feinstein’s/54 Below. This spring, the indispensable supper club has added two fan favorites to its growing 54 Below Premieres catalog. I’m happy to report that both performers command the virtual cabaret stage.

JEREMY JORDAN: CARRY ON
Feinstein’s/54 Below
On-demand through May 27

First up is Jeremy Jordan, who revisits his pre-pandemic autobiographical cabaret act Carry On (RECOMMENDED), which now includes a few interesting adjustments to acknowledge life’s current realities and the virtual medium. The show’s focus remains on the parent-child bond, which Mr. Jordan articulates through the parallel narratives of his relationship with his parents (growing up) and young daughter (currently). The Broadway star does an excellent job of weaving pop songs and show tunes – vibrantly accompanied by music director Benjamin Rauhala and a versatile band – into the emotional fabric of his deeply personal memoir (e.g., the placement of “Santa Fe” and its raw rendition brought me close to tears). By opening himself up so completely, Mr. Jordan brings both an angsty intensity and vulnerability to the show – which actually registers more like a solo play with music than your traditional cabaret act – that wasn’t fully apparent in the sunny confidence of his celebrated stage performances.

MARILYN MAYE: BROADWAY, THE MAY WAY
Feinstein’s/54 Below
On-demand through May 29

At 93 years young, Marilyn Maye astonishingly has still got it. Her latest cabaret act is the aptly titled Broadway, The Maye Way (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), a jubilant love letter to the Broadway show tunes that are nearest and dearest to the legendary cabaret performer’s heart. Ms. Maye shows particular fondness for songs from Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly! and Mame (she played the title character in both iconic musicals). Although the show doesn’t attempt to the same kind of layered storytelling that Mr. Jordan’s act does, I’d argue that Ms. Maye’s aim-for-the-bullseye show is the more purely satisfying of the two. Her brassy voice blares like a trombone as show bulldozes her way through each number. She also has the instinctual sense of musical timing and phrasing of a great jazz musician, a formidable skill which she casually dons. Even after seeing her perform dozens of times and in this theoretically suboptimal virtual format, watching her perform remains a thrill (thanks in no small part to her symbiotic relationship with her longtime music director Ted Firth and her band). Spirits are gloriously high throughout, which seems to me a perfect way to continue shaking off the pandemic blues.