By Bart Greenberg***Producer Jen Sandler and host Alexandra Silber took over 54 Below to celebrate the extraordinary career of Dame Angela Lansbury. If the slightly messy and rather bombastic evening was at times contrary to the simplicity of the British entertainer’s art, it was still a fun show filled with surprises. It was certainly fully visualized with well-chosen projections, carefully-
chosen songs and a full band consisting of music director-pianist Drew Wutke, bassist Elmo Zapp, reed player Amy Griffith and drummer Shawn Dustin.
Silber kicked off the evening by blasting into the room from the bar and doing a full circuit to the stage while belting out a mega-medley of songs introduced by Lansbury, with special emphasis on Auntie Mame’s anthem, “It’s Today” (Jerry Herman). Without too much ado, she brought on the highly-talented Ellen Harvey to recreate “The Worst Pies in London” (Stephen Sondheim). This wasn’t a concert rendition but a full-fledged performance complete with Cockney accent and an understanding of the madness of the character. Another full performance was brought by real-life spouses Loren and Kelly Lester—charmingly sparring in a believable manner—and Silber, as they offered up “Together, Wherever We Go” (Sondheim, Jule Styne), complete with choreography. A stunning “Send in the Clowns” (Sondheim) was delivered in an effective duet by golden-voiced Noah Marlowe and Mia Pinero.
Jeremy Konopka came up with an ingenious mash up of “By the Sea” (Sondheim) and “How’d You Like to Spoon W
ith Me?” (Jerome Kern,Edward Laska), reminiscent of the clever work that Dorothy Loudon used to do as well-controlled camp. Then the evening lost a good deal of direction with an audience Lansbury quiz run by Silber—an idea that hardly ever works well. Then came a lightly more entertaining but terribly silly rendition of “Beauty and the Beast” (Howard Ashman, Alan Menkin) with Sara Gallo and Daniel Yearwood doing letter perfect imitations of Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson. The show became more relevant with the lovely Ramona Mallory coming to the stage to talk with great warmth (“she was everything you wanted her to be”) about working with Lansbury in the revival of A Little Night Music before offering up “And I Was Beautiful” (Herman).
More camp returned when Wutke at the piano and Major Ataway took on “Bosom Buddies” (Herman). It took a few moments for the number to gel, but then the performers hit their stride. Far more surprising was a number that might have been camp except for the sheer talent of Lee Roy Reams, who, with Alex Rybeck at the piano, torched the hell out of “If He Walked Into My Life Again” (Herman) for thrilling effect. The full cast returned for an appropriately chosen finale, “Old Friends” (Sondheim).
Photos by Bart Greenberg
