Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Nightlife Report: 54 SINGS COCO fabulously excavates the 1969 musical at 54 Below and the JOEY ALEXANDER TRIO delights at Birdland

• By drediman
• April 15, 2025
• No Comments

In the midst of the craziness of April theater openings, I’ve had the opportunity to cleanse my theatrical palette by indulging in some delicious nightlife offerings, namely at the upscale midtown cabaret joint 54 Below and the popular Birdland Jazz Club, both of which are located in the heart of the theater district. Read on below for my thoughts on two recent excursions.

54 SINGS COCO
54 Below

As a theater aficionado, one of my favorite types of entertainments at 54 Below are its “54 Sings” shows, which give folks like me the chance to hear songs from under-appreciated musicals, often sung with personality and crushing transparency. Last night’s one-time-only 54 Sings Coco (RECOMMENDED) was no exception. Enthusiastically yet succinctly hosted by the knowledgeable young producer Charles Kirsch (the man behind the podcast Backstage Babble), the evening was a celebration of André Previn and Alan Jay Lerner’s 1969 musical Coco, which starred film legend Katharine Hepburn in her maiden Broadway outing as celebrated French fashion designer Coco Chanel. Suffice to say, it was a fabulous evening crammed with theater luminaries basking in the little-heard score — largely comprised of delectable patter songs — as well as amusing “insider” anecdotes about the show. Although there were understandably a few slip-ups here and there (these were smoothed out with the utmost finesse with the guidance of expert music director Michael Lavine), the show was packed with numerous highs, with the most memorable being Sara Gettelfinger’s voracious performance of the musical’s cut opening number “Turn on the Lights”, Ben Jones’ soaring rendition of “Let’s Go Home”, Isabel Keating’s sterling reading of “Mademoiselle Cliché de Paris/On the Corner of the Rue Cambon”, Brad Oscar’s show-stopping “Fiasco”, and Christine Andreas’ decadently sung “Always Mademoiselle”, which sent the swooning audience out into the the night.

THE JOEY ALEXANDER TRIO
Birdland Jazz Club

Last week, fast rising jazz pianist Joey Alexander played a weeklong residency at Birdland Jazz Club, of which I managed to catch the final late night showing (RECOMMENDED). Born in Indonesia, he won Grand Prix at the 2013 Master-Jam Fest at the tender age of 10. Since then, the indisputably talented child prodigy was nurtured by and performed alongside the likes of the great Wynton Marsalis and Theo Crocker. He has also already released a whole slew of albums, from My Favorite Things in 2015 to Continuance in 2023 (from which he played a number of original compositions during the concert). Residing currently in New York, the now only 21-year-old continues to impress music fans — including audiences at last week’s gig at Birdland — with his innate and authentic jazz sensibility, a rare quality in someone so young. Leading a tight but creative trio comprised of terrific bassist Kris Funn and drummer Jonathan Barber, Alexander eased into into an effortlessly performed set that was characterized by virtuosic impulses and elegant phrasing, which were particularly illuminating when heard within the context of jazz interpretations of recognizable pop songs by bands like The Beatles or The Carpenters. It was particularly thrilling to see and hear the compelling symbiosis between Alexander and Funn. Together, they carved sophisticated, delightful soundscapes that went down like fine champagne. Soft spoken and unassuming, Alexander kept the banter at a minimum, opting instead to let the music-making do the talking. And boy, did it talk.