By Bart Greenberg***Bursting onto the stage of 54 Below with enough energy and magnetism to light the entire city for several months while belting out “The Lady’s Improving” (Matthew Sklar, Chad Beguelin), Kate Baldwin took charge of the stage, the audience and most likely the carpeting. By 
the end of the evening no one could possibly think of any improvement necessary. Strongly aided by long-term music director Georgia Stitt, with guitarist Chris Peters, it was a fine celebration of the shows Baldwin has starred in and the bucket list of shows she wants to star in.
In the latter catalogue, there was Dot in Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park With George. Her delivery of the exhausting title number was a marvel of control and comic delivery. Another is the Mother in Ragtime. Her performance of “Back to Before” (Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty) could well serve as an audition for the current—and continuously extended—revival. She deserves the job.
Some of the roles she revisited included Irene Molloy of Hello, Dolly! Her rendition of “Ribbons Down My Back” (Jerry Herman) w
as simplicity itself, with just guitar accompaniment by Peters for a truly touching minute. From her Encore’s-produced Love Life, she recreated her showstopper “Mr. Right” (Kurt Weill, Alan Jay Lerner)complete with chair choreography. And she stopped the show again.
Her recent assignment as Chicago‘s Roxie Hart figured into the evening several times. First of all, her co-star Robyn Hurder joined her on stage for a dazzling recreation of their first act closer, “My Own Best Friend” (John Kander, Fred Ebb). Then the dynamic duo dived into the classic Judy Garland/Barbra Streisand duet “Happy Days Are Here Again” (Milton Ager, Jack Yellen) and “Get Happy” (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler). This match up has been done so many times in cabaret rooms, usually 
with less than thrilling results. Baldwin and Hurder broke the curse. The former kept insisting from the stage that her partner in crime should do her own act. The audience fully agreed.
Roxie returned, as Baldwin recalled another heroine she had played who had similar drive and focus: Nellie Forbush. To the steady vamp of “Roxie” from the piano, the singer belted out “I’m Going to Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair” (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II). As strange as it sounds, it all worked wonderfully. Earlier, another comic highlight was when Baldwin related the story of her playing Marian the Librarian weeks after giving birth to her son, and balancing baby care to performance, all to the tune of “My White Knight” (Meredith Willson). But then, every moment seemed a highlight in this nigh on perfect evening.
Photos by Bart Greenberg
