By Michael Barbieri***On Friday, April 14th, a ten block section of New York’s Fifth Avenue was transformed into The Marvelous Mile as a promotional event for the fifth and final season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” TV series. Pink carpet lined each side of the sidewalk and there were photo ops and giveaways galore!
Set mostly in the 1960s, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is about a pampered New York Jewish-American woman named Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel who seems to have a perfect life. Suddenly left by her husband, an aspiring, yet untalented stand-up comic, Midge tries to make sense of this crisis by going to The Gaslight Club, in Greenwich Village, where her husband performed. While there, she takes the stage and does an impromptu and very successful set of her own.
This act of impulse propels her on a new life track, during which she gains newfound fame as a groundbreaking, if slightly foul-mouthed comic. She also meets her future manager, begins a love-hate relationship with self-involved fellow comedian Sophie Lennon, manages to confuse the hell out of her conservative parents and even befriends controversial comic, Lenny Bruce.
Aside from the fact that the show is smart, funny, beautifully acted by all involved and evokes New York of the 60s in a…well…marvelous way, it also has had appearances by many Broadway actors, including Tony Shalhoub, Jane Lynch, Stephanie Hsu, Jason Alexander and Jackie Hoffman. The show has also featured appearances by many members of our own cabaret community! It was a joy to see actor, singer, comedian and songwriter Rick Crom in a few episodes. I’ve also spotted Kristine Zbornik, Lynda Rodolitz, Debbie Zecher, Michael Marotta, Ray DeForest, Michael Colby and Scott Raneri, among others. It’ll be fun to see where this last season takes Midge, Susie, Abe, Rose, Joel and the rest of the gang!
The Marvelous Mile, along Fifth Avenue featured mockups of moments from the show, including a recreation of the stage at the Gaslight Club, the dressing room at the strip joint where Midge performs her bawdy act, a stage in the Catskills, a couple of chaise lounges in Miami Beach and others. And of course, I took advantage of them all! I even came away with a Marvelous Cocktail Kit, a lipstick and lipstick case with the show’s logo embossed on it and a Maisel Black & White Cookie. You won’t see the cookie, ‘cause I devoured it! Walking the Marvelous Mile required a little fuel! Only in New York! Right?!
Photos by Michael Barbieri
