Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – NATALIE JOY JOHNSON returns to New York as irresistibly outrageous as ever in her birthday show at Green Room 42

• By drediman
• May 29, 2023
• No Comments

This holiday weekend also saw the return to New York City of Natalie Joy Johnson, who celebrated her birthday at Green Room 42. Although currently based out on the West Coast, the diva made a name for herself mainly by playing the East Coast queer circuit (in addition to appearing in a couple of Broadway shows). Cheekily entitled Miss Natalie is Green Room 45, the freewheeling one-night-only birthday concert happily finds Ms. Johnson – with the expert support of her music director Brian Nash on keys – as ferociously outrageous as ever.

How best to describe Ms. Johnson? The first entertainers that come to mind are Bette Midler and Jane Krakowski, two queer icons that have inspired adoration. In the years since she first embarked on the journey towards cabaret stardom, Ms. Johnson has similarly amassed her own devoted cult following (largely among gay men) with her distinctly subversive, sultry, and hilariously offbeat brand – especially irresistible when paired with her powerhouse vocals that rip through songs until only shreds are left. Invariably, any Natalie Joy Johnson show ends up being a wild ride.

On Saturday night, she indulged audiences with a meaty show that included an eclectic song list spanning pop and Broadway. Although much of her song renderings were deliciously tongue-in-cheek, she genuinely stopped the show with an all-out belty rendition of “But You Go On” from Annie Warbucks, the all-but-forgotten sequel to Annie. Throughout, her witty, imminently present banter was spot on (e.g., there were a few hilarious nods to the musical Cats that were simply priceless).

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

NATALIE JOY JOHNSON: MISS NATLIE IS GREEN ROOM 45
Cabaret
Green Room 42
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Closed