By Marilyn Lester***Jamie deRoy has lots and lots of friends, and we are all the richer for it. Her award-winning variety show, the multi-MAC Award-winning Jamie deRoy & friends, has been entertaining audiences for the past three decades (and more), and along the way became a benefit for The Actors Fund: Jamie deRoy & friends Cabaret Initiative. After an enforced break, the show returned live at Birdland to a packed house—and it was a marvelous party!
DeRoy is indeed one of those hostesses with the mostest. She’s honed her presentation to perfection, offering a pithy introduction, with humor, of course—that’s one of her very strong suits. So, naturally, what else would she sing after a punishing pandemic lockdown and the reality that Covid ain’t over yet, but “I’m Too Old to Die Young” (Murray Grand, additional lyrics by Barry Kleinbort). If anyone can lighten the mood during pandemic angst, deRoy can. Another asset of deRoy’s is her remarkable Rolodex (look it up, kids). She has her finger on the pulse of talent and knows talent when she sees it. Accordingly, the rollout of performers throughout the evening was stellar. There’s a reason deRoy has won eight Tony Awards, eight MAC Awards, four Back Stage Bistro Awards and 13 Telly Awards. So, what better way to do justice to this review than to catalog the amazing roster of talent:
The charismatic Jelani Alladin (Frozen, Hercules) not only vocalized with strength and clarity but had pearls of wisdom to offer about Life, the pandemic, fitting in and more. He offered “Let It Sing” (Jeanine Tesori, Brian Crawley) and a tune that summed up his philosophy, “Beautiful City” (Stephen Schwartz). Ali Ewolt (The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables) produced the most glorious sounds on “I Could Have Danced All Night” (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe), singing it longingly and dreamily and then opening up to a second version of uptempo triumph. She further demonstrated her superb operatic soprano with Jason Ma’s “My Love.”
The extremely funny and very smart Cory Kahaney provided comic relief. This comedienne was, yes, hilarious—all that could be expected of a comic. Her material was on point and delivery finely honed. Even a sourpuss of the nth degree would have to laugh. Mauricio Martinez (On Your Feet) shared his roots with “Something Wonderful” (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) in Spanish, and “Mi Peru” (Jaime Lozano, Nancy Cheser) in English, but with a snappy Latin beat.
Heading down the home stretch was Tony Award Winner Donna McKechnie (A Chorus Line, Company), with memories of Stephen Sondheim, who’d recently passed. She sang, in his honor, “Pleasant Little Kingdom” and “Too Many Mornings.” Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Once On This Island, Anastasia), less writing partner Lynn Ahrens (who was not able to appear), manned the piano and offered the duo’s “Journey to the Past” (with singer Christy Altomare) and “Came Down from the Tree” (with Cassondra James).
The thrilling return to the stage of Jamie deRoy & friends was directed by Barry Kleinbort. Providing perfect musical support was musical director-pianist by Ron Abel, with Ritt Henn on bass and Ray Marchica on drums.
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