Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Cabaret roundup: Nights of hilarity with JACKIE BEAT, CHRISTOPHER SIEBER, and SUSIE MOSHER

• By drediman
• August 22, 2024
• No Comments

Over the past few days, I had the great opportunity to peruse the current offerings of some of New York’s iconic cabaret venues. What I encountered were nights of unadulterated uplift and hilarity, perfect alternatives for those looking for breezy late summer entertainment. As per usual, read on for my thoughts.

JACKIE BEAT: THE GOODBYE GURL
Laurie Beechman Theatre

This past weekend, I bid farewell to West 42nd Street’s Laurie Beechman Theatre, which recently announced its imminent closure (my fingers are crossed that the folks who run the joint are able to raise sufficient funds to keep the lights on). Over the years, I’ve spent many a night at the subterranean venue fawning over some of the world’s premiere drag queens, including Jackie Beat, one of New York’s fierce OG drag queens, who is still kicking and shocking as she’s known to do. Her latest show The Goodbye Gurl (RECOMMENDED) is her farewell tribute to the Laurie Beechman, and it’s a doozy. At the performance I attended, Jackie pulled out all the stops, showcasing her shock jock schtick to uncomfortably hilarious effect. Quite the talented parodist, she twists songs from the popular canon (I don’t think I’ll ever listen to Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” in quite the same way again), daring audiences to get offended by the extremities of her sense of humor. Indeed, no subject is too risqué for this shamelessly prodding drag queen — on Sunday night, topics such as suicide, pedophilia, and AIDS were the soup du jour. Despite having seen Jackie a number of times now, and she still manages to catch me off guard with her ruthless outrageousness as she teeters on the high wire between comedy and distastefulness.

CHRISTOPHER SIEBER
54 Below

The next night, I headed to 54 Below to see Broadway veteran Christopher Sieber perform his energizing and very entertaining cabaret show (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). Indeed, ever the endearing and immensely likable performer, his latest cabaret act goes down easily, almost too easily. The show is essentially a recap of his long career on the Great White Way — over the years, he’s appeared in such hit shows as The Prom, Chicago, Spamalot, Company, Matilda, Shrek, and La Cage aux Folles — but with a twist. Throughout the evening, a number of audience members were called upon to proverbially “spin the wheel” to determine the chronology of the show, keeping things interesting for both performer and spectators. Despite this curve ball, Sieber maintained his ability for lucid and engaging storytelling — as well as for delivering hearty comedy — as he regaled the audience with amusing stories about his various experiences in the aforementioned shows. He also sang shows from these musicals (not necessarily the songs he sang onstage), showing off his robust baritone voice thrillingly. Highlights from the show included a thoughtful rendition of “Quiet” from Matilda, a nuanced “Sorry-Grateful” from Company, and a convincing “Trouble” from The Music Man (can we get a production of the Meredith Willson classic built around this man ASAP?).

SUSIE MOSHER: THE LINEUP
Birdland Theater

Last but not least, I also had the chance to catch kooky funny woman Susie Mosher host her long-running weekly variety show The Lineup (RECOMMENDED) at Birdland Jazz Club’s intimate downstairs performance space. Despite the presence of guests — typically quite the motley assortment of talent, from eager up-and-comers to Tony-winners (this week, the fierce Alice Ripley tore through the anthemic “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl) — Mosher herself is the main reason to mosey on over to Birdland most every Tuesdays. A distinctive blend of observant unhinged humor and generosity, she’s a comic marvel who seems to feed off of everything and anything that comes her way. It’s a quality that makes her not only a masterful clown, but also a top-notch improv artist. In particular, it’s quite the sight to see her careen her way through the show’s opening number, which Mosher concocts completely on the spot, inspired by whatever may be passing through her mind the moment the house lights dim (there are other opportunities for her to improvise scattered throughout The Lineup, often times in reaction to the evening’s various acts). Most of the time, the result is off-the-wall genius — quick-witted and lovingly inappropriate.