By Marilyn Lester***Encoring at 54Below, Jerry Orbach‘s Broadway, under the guiding hand of creator-director Michael Portantiere, filled the room with loads of Jerry love. If anyone needed convincing, by show’s e
nd it was most certainly clear why Orbach (who died in December 2004) is beloved as an icon and legend of the Great White Way.
Guiding us through the stage life of the singer-actor, Portantiere delivered information from a breakthrough role as El Gallo in The Fantasticks (Harvey Schmidt, Tom Jones) to Chicago (John Kander, Fred Ebb) to his Tony-winning role as Chuck Baxter in Promises, Promises (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) and beyond—including Orbach’s successes in film and television. With three resonant baritones working as a group, in pairs and solo, Jay Aubry Jones, William Michals and Patrick Michael Wickham, delivered the songs identified with Orbach, with Matthew Martin Wa
rd, the show’s music director, at the keys. Beside their vocal chops, each had the ability to make the lyric pop as they told the story of the song.
Opener, “Lullaby of Broadway” (42nd Street: Harry Warren, Al Dubin) was a terrific, if inevitable choice to set the tone for the evening. Some of the tunes presented were”Her Face” (Michaels, Carnival!: Bob Merrill), “I Won’t Send Roses” (Wickham, Mack and Mabel: Jerry Herman), “All I Care About Is Love” (Jones, Chicago) and another paean to show biz, “There’s No Business Like Show Business” (Full cast, Annie Get Your Gun, Irving Berlin).
Highlights included a touching and wise duet between Wickham and Monika Marciszewski on “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” 
from Promises, Promises. Anita Gillette who was supposed to appear but was felled by illness, sent a message read by Portantiere. Brenda Vacarro shared memories of Orbach via video. Lee Roy Reams told stories of 42nd Street, and the man of the hour’s two sons, Tony and Chris, commanded the stage for their remembrances of their father. The only possible ending could be the two sons beginning “Try to Remember” from The Fantasticks, joined by the full cast and topped with a video of Orbach singing the number, and of course, showing us all why it’s forever his song and he’ll forever be a Prince of Broadway.
Enjoy this gallery of more photos by Maryann Lopinto:
