Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Cabaret homages: AMY JO JACKSON spins the Annie Lennox songbook and an immersive GRAND HOTEL reunion concert

• By drediman
• February 29, 2024
• No Comments

This week, after my regularly scheduled theatrical programming, I found myself at a pair of satisfying cabaret performances that paid homage to pop and theatrical icons. As always, read on below for my thoughts.

TURN ME INSIDE OUT: AMY JO JACKSON SINGS ANNIE LENNOX
Joe’s Pub

Earlier this week at Joe’s Pub for one night only, the vivacious Amy Jo Jackson took on the beloved Annie Lennox songbook – but only as this irrepressible cabaret performer can. I last saw Jackson hilariously conjuring the women of Tennessee Williams’ plays in her whip-smart show The Brass Menagerie, and her latest – appropriately titled Turn Me Inside Out: Amy Jo Jackson Sings Annie Lennox (RECOMMENDED) – is just as fabulous and intelligent. In this lively homage to the pop icon, she lovingly puts a spin on Lennox’s songs, filtering them through a fun-filled cabaret lens. Indeed, Turn Me Inside Out is not your run-of-the mill tribute show, complete with offbeat references (e.g., to The Lord of the Rings, Singing in the Rain), a tongue-in-cheek Eurythmics medley, head-scratching but inspired song choices (“Dido’s Lament” from Lennox’s Christmas album, anyone?), and beguiling new arrangements (e.g., tireless music director Brian Nash’s gorgeous recalibration of “Walking on Broken Glass”). That’s not to say that the show was devoid of straightforward song stylings – “No More I Love You’s” and “Why” were affecting in their unfussiness and heartfelt sentiment. Throughout, Jackson’s powerful, expressive voice and big personality animated the Lennox’s songs with flamboyant flourish. Unsurprisingly, the evening concluded with a rousing “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”, sending the audience into the night even more infatuated with both Lennox and Jackson.

GRAND HOTEL: THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST REUNION, HONORING TOMMY TUNE’S 85TH BIRTHDAY
54 Below

Then uptown at 54 Below, there was the 35th anniversary reunion concert of the Tony-nominated 1989 musical Grand Hotel (RECOMMENDED), an event which also celebrated Tommy Tune’s 85th Birthday. Featuring some members of the original Broadway cast (as well as subsequent productions), the cabaret concert was a relatively elaborate affair, attempting to immerse the audience in the grandeur of the musical’s setting (the intimate and elegant 54 Below was the perfect venue for such an approach) and the nuances of the layered story (kudos to the expert truncation and narration of Walter Willison, who also directed and conceived the concert). Thankfully, the endeavor was executed brilliantly, effectively enveloping the audience in the sweep of Grand Hotel. The Robert Wright/George Forrest/Maury Yeston sounded terrific, too, as led by music director Alex Rybeck on piano. Musical highlights of the evening included Susan Wood Duncan’s Jane Krakowski-inspired rendition of “I Want to Go to Hollywood”, Bob Stillman and Jennifer Bassey Davis’s stirring love duet “Love Can’t Happen”, Stillman and Ken Jennings’ show-stopping “We’ll Take a Glass Together”, and original cast member and cabaret legend Karen Akers’ pungent performances of “What You Need” and “How Can I Tell Her”. In sum, this Grand Hotel reunion concert was both a wistful and celebratory night at the cabaret.