Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Broadway’s finest at Feinstein’s/54 Below: Jason Robert Brown and John Lloyd Young give their audiences what they came for

• By drediman
• January 28, 2022
• No Comments

Feinstein’s/54 Below has long attracted Broadway’s finest. This past week was no exception, during which time the upscale cabaret club hosted shows by composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown and Tony-winning musical theater star John Lloyd Young, both of whom gave their audiences what they came for. Here are my thoughts on their concerts.

JASON ROBERT BROWN
Feinstein’s/54 Below
Closed

Last Monday – for one night only – top tier Broadway composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown played to a sold out audience. Armed with a curmudgeonly but amusing sense of humor and a crack band, Mr. Brown’s concerts have come to be known as sought after events beyond his stage musicals (his now-defunct concert series at SubCulture was legendary for being rollicking good times). Last Monday’s concert (HIGHLY RECOMMENDEWD) was no exception – Mr. Brown and company grooved their way through exuberantly arranged songs from shows like The Last Five Years, The Bridges of Madison County, Parade, and Honeymoon in Vegas. As per usual, the concert featured a special guest star, which this time around was the sensationally talented Rachel Tucker. I’ve been a huge fan of the astonishing singing actress ever since she wowed me out of left field in Sting’s ill-fated – and in my estimation, underrated – musical The Last Ship. On Monday, she left the audience begging for more with her open-hearted song interpretations and soaring vocals (her rendition of “You Don’t Know this Man” from Parade was particularly wrenching).

JOHN LLOYD YOUNG
Feinstein’s/54 Below
Through January 30

Then on Wednesday, I returned to Feinstein’s/54 Below to catch John Lloyd Young, who has settled in at the club for a weeklong run. Mr. Young’s latest cabaret act (RECOMMENDED) is entitled Broadway’s Jersey Boys, and it finds the Broadway star leaning in on his breakout success as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, a role which won him a Tony Award in 2006 (can it really be 15 years ago?) and scores of fans. As such, the concert featured crowd-pleasing songs from the hit musical (e.g., “Sherry”, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”), as well as pop songs from the same era as Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons (e.g.,  “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,” “In the Still of the Night”, and other hits from the ‘50s and ‘60). Expertly accompanied by Tommy Faragher on piano, Mr. Young was in fine voice – his instrument titillates as it floats to the heavens, still with considerable ease – and his banter was smooth and winningly laid back. The concert’s set list allegedly changes quite a bit each night, which gives his adoring fans (many of whom travel across the country to attend his shows) incentive to return to the show multiple times over the course of his residency at Feinstein’s/54 Below.