By Alix Cohen

“Blow the bugle/Sound the cymbal/All my troubles fill a thimble/I’m as happy as it’s legal to be/Come on, kids, let’s hear it for me!” Mason Prickett sings from the bar. Playful and animated, he wends his way through tables emitting sparks. “Let’s Hear It for Me!” (John Kander/Fred Ebb)

“Gee, But It’s Good to Be Here” he continues irrepressibly. (Matt Dubey/ Harold Karr) Traversing the stage with a bend, a bounce, side steps, and hand curls, 54 Below’s Assistant Programming Director revels in performing.

“In all honesty, cabaret is hard. This is real work…” the artist notes. Stephen Sondheim’s “Putting It Together” follows with contradicting, female voice-over. ‘Clever. Prickett knows what to emphasize. There’s worry in his expression. When the flood of lyrics briefly get away, he handles it well.

An anecdote about being voted Homecoming Queen at a high school where he felt like an outsider, is spunky and warm. (There is, in fact, a crown- the crown?) Even then, living his authentic self was important.

“I’ll Be Back” Prickett declares swathed in a red feather boa on loan from the inimitable Lee Roy Reams. Hips swivel, knees bend, eyebrows rise. “Dah-dahs” are particularly gleeful. Audience happily joins. (Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “You’ll Be Back.”)

The vocalist prefaces “The Wizard and I” (Stephen Schwartz) sharing actual witch ancestry. “Esther was vindicated, which means she was the real thing,” he confides. Halloween is a favorite holiday. The stage lights up in greens. Prickett erupts with anticipation. He doesn’t hit every soaring note, but boy is he believable!

“Just in Time” (Betty Comden/Adolph Green) is deftly low key. “I was lost…” he nods. “My bridges all were crossed…” hand moves to his chest. The second verse offers a classic, sauntered uptick.

A stirring “The Winner Takes It All” (Benny Andersson/Björn Ulvaeus) arrives with gravitas towards the end of the show. Here, in particular, Prickett shows finesse with proportion of quiet to spill over. The same can be said for “She’s a Woman” (John Kander/Fred Ebb) performed with admiration and a touch of envy, savoring every image.

“I Am What I Am” (Jerry Herman) emerges conversational and tender before the artist tucks in and ratchets up. He keens, leaning towards audience, vocal surging with deep seated feeling. Peter Allen’s “Once Before I Go” is wisely understated until the tonsil note.

The performer thanks Marilyn Maye from whom he presumably received encouragement or a leg up. She briefly joins him on stage.

His Own Way is a bit too long and could be tighter. Less successful, the “54 Below Diva Medley” which salutes women who frequent 54 Below, might be cut without negatively affecting the evening.

Sincerity, sensitivity, a touch of mischief and some vibrant long notes emerge. Macon Prickett relishes being on stage. His enjoyment and showmanship are infectious.

Photos by Stephen Sorokoff

Macon : His Own Way…The Finale!
Canaan J. Harris (MD/Piano), Ben Golder-Novick (Reed), Wyeth Tvenge (Bass), and Nathan Repasz (Drums)
54 Below
254 West 54th Street
November Calendar:https://54below.org/calendar/?month=November+2025