By Bart Greenberg***The supremely elegant Jeff Harnar brought that, as well as wit and romance to 54 Below with his show, Confessions of a New Yorker. He continues to surprise by upholding such a high standard in every program he presents. This show centered on his lo
ng-term love for New York City both personally and professionally, as well as his passion for songwriters based in the Big Apple. Conspiring with his long time cabaret partner, music director Alex Rybeck, as well as fine support from Dan Gross (drums) and Ritt Henn (bass), every moment of the evening was calculated to enchant the audience—and he achieved that.
Beginning with an intoxicating “Come Back to Me” (Alan Jay Lerner,Burton Lane) starting as gently as a prayer with a bongo feature, Harnar shifted into “The Theme from New York, New York” (John Kander, Fred Ebb) and resolving into Portia Nelson’s “Confession of a New Yorker (Hate-Love New York).” This opener was smart and elegant cabaret work. More love songs 
to the Big Apple followed: a gorgeous arrangement of “Lonely Town” (Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green), a hysterical novelty number by actor Jim Walton, “The Shape of New York,” and Annie Dinerman and Christopher Marlowe’s charmingly jaded “One Private Moment” about dating in the city.
More show business know-how was displayed in the pairing of Francesca Blumenthal’s “The Lies of Handsome Men” and Richard Rodgers,Lorenze Hart’s “Falling in Love With Love” for a bittersweet combination exploring gay mating rituals in NYC. His long-lasting friendship (42 years and counting) with Rybeck was 
celebrated in several tunes, with lyrics by Comden and Green and music by Jule Styne, including “Strange Duet” and “Close Harmony,” two delightful semi-obscure offerings. He also regaled the audience with tales of his adventures in the entertainment business with Michael Stewart, the McGuire Sisters and Liza Minnelli.
Harnar not unsurprisingly brought the evening to a close with a trio of positive and emotional numbers, beginning with transforming “And the World Goes Round” (Kander, Ebb) into the ultimate survival number, before it blended into “That’s Life” (Dean Kay, Kelly Gordon) for a thrilling ending. And then there was the “encore,” “This Moment” by one of the most classic of New York City cabaret songwriters, John Wallowich—a beautiful ending to a perfect evening.
Photos by Natasha Castillo
