Jason Graae's "It’s a Graae Night for Singing!" Sure Was! -

By Marilyn Lester***Think of culinary sophistication: the ragout, kare raisu, feijoada, ratatouille, ciambotta—all dishes with multiple ingredients that combine to make one tasty, satisfying whole. And there you have Jason Graae’s A Graae Night For Singing at 54 Below. There was was music, song, memory, comedy and wit, all from this singing, dancing (almost), storytelling bundle of entertainment joy. And there was the oboe, but please do not call it a clarinet. In this particular mélange, the sum total was indeed a A Graae Night For Singing,“ a play-on-words title for his star turn in Broadway’s A Grand Night For Singing.

Yet, the evening began with trepidation. When Graae entered the room and took the stage, anxiety was written all over his face. After all, Graae hadn’t appeared at 54 Below since he and Faith Prince did a double act in 2012. Now he was solo. Who wouldn’t have nerves? Graae began with “As If We Never Said Goodbye” (Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black), moving into “It’s a Graae Night For Singing” (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II—and Jason Graae). And of course, no one thought for a minute that this hilarious stage fright was real; it was April Fool’s Day, after all, and it was Jason Graae. The comedy flowed into “Wild and Reckless” (Milt Schaeffer, Ira Levin) with more special lyrics from the star.

And then it was story time. With a flourish and a folder, Graae spoke of his mother, a former Broadway dancer, and the tale was as fascinating as it was touching and humorous. One of the last memories of his mother was her attendance at his wedding to Glen Fretwell, leading into the wickedly funny double-entendre tune by Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, “To Keep My Love Alive.” With parental equal time, Graae also told the story of his father, Johan Graae, a member of the Royal Danish Engineers and a cellist, who traveled to the USA on the same ship as Victor Borge, who later became an influence and an inspiration in Graae’s life.

About that oboe: it’s foundational. Had the path taken a different turn, Graae might now be a member of a philharmonic orchestra somewhere. He was the principal oboist for the Tulsa Youth Symphony; he is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, and in concert and cabaret work, the oboe is not far behind. Who else would sing “I Love an Oboe,” a take-off on Berlin’s “I Love a Piano.” It’s easy to see this training in Graae’s comedic and storytelling genius; on the instrument and in his work he hits the right note at the right time at the right tempo. For proof there was the “Annoying Perky Medley,” a potpourri of uptempo standards from Berlin, Kern, Rodgers and Hart, Porter and Gershwin. This suite of prime standards delivered with perfection was simply pure entertainment joy.

In more serious moments, Graae sang a beautiful rendition of the ballad written by his musical director-pianist, Gerald Sternbach (with Lindy Robbins): “Something That I Wanted You To Know,” a gorgeous tune worthy of Songbook writers such as Berlin or Kern (the tune was recorded on 2015’s, Christine Lavin & Friends: Live at McCabe’s. A touching moment came in a heartfelt duet of “For Good” (Stephen Schwartz) with hubbie Fretwell—one that brought many smiles to the assembled. For an encore, Graae returned to the stage, after the traditional “fake” exit, with a tap board, changing footwear to tap shoes. And although the comic conceit was getting ready to dance, he never did. But he did energetically sing Jerry Herman’s “Tap Your Troubles Away.”