Cabaret Review by Ron Fassler . . .
All is right with the world when Marilyn Maye is in town and performing in a small room packed with her fans. And at ninety-six, she still has the charm and charisma to make new ones like the couple seated cozily next to me Saturday night at the intimate 54 Below. They had never seen Marvelous Marilyn before and to say they enjoyed her show is an understatement. Forget for a minute she’s been at this professionally since the age of nine and she is now closing in on a full century of a life well lived. Just luxuriate in the stories she tells, which even at this late stage in the game she still finds new ways of interpreting. That’s an artist.
Backed by her musical director of seventeen years, Tedd Firth, brilliant in his own right, and the faithful Tom Hubbard on bass and Mark McLean on drums, they present a united front deeply in tune with Marilyn’s singing. As Firth put it in a recent interview in the Provincetown Independent, “At the most basic level, when accompanying someone, you have to listen to each other. But every so often I’ll hear somebody playing for somebody, and it seems like they’re just not listening. If you’re not keyed into their breath, you’re not going to be with them.” Watching Firth intuit every moment with Marilyn onstage is part of the package. They make a fascinating team.
For those unaware of who Marilyn Maye is, or how she got to this place in her career, the simple facts are easy to enumerate. She began in her native Kansas as a child performer and found gainful employment at one point for eleven straight years at the Colony Club in Kansas City doing as many as four shows a day. Happening into the club one night, she was rescued from obscurity by the popular TV personality and songwriter Steve Allen, who put her on a variety program he was hosting in Los Angeles in the early 1960s. Hardly an overnight success, she had already been performing for almost twenty-five years. A recording contract with RCA followed, but in spite of appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 76 times (!), more than any other singer, she never broke through to the top. Although she’d performed in New York City many times over the years, a fourteen-year gap occurred between 1992 and 2006. Her appearance at a Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention at Lincoln Center caused a sensation, capturing the attention of critics and audiences alike. At seventy-eight, she was the toast of the town.
Marilyn’s ability to blow people away with her fierce commitment to the Great American Songbook is never to be underestimated. Having seen her in concert many times, it’s a thrill to hear her fresh takes on longtime personal favorites. Standards like “Fifty Percent” the eleven-o’clock number from the musical Ballroom, stopped the show and “Guess Who I Saw Today, a one act play in song, retain its dramatic power after all these years. And whoever’s idea it was to suggest she take on “No Bad News,” the Witch’s song from The Wiz, is a genius. Loaded with originality (and scat singing) it has to be heard to be believed. A Mistress of Medleys, Marilyn presented four in a row that were sensational. One of Fats Waller tunes and another of Duke Ellington’s, then blending versions of “Lazy Afternoon” with “Bye Bye Country Boy” and “Autumn Leaves” with “Autumn in New York” and “When October Comes.” Perfect for the fall season or any time of year in Marilyn’s capable hands.
Calling the show “Marilyn Maye: By Request” allows for some strolls down memory lane, mentioning people in her life, past and present, to whom she took the time dedicating each song. A strong believer that loved ones indeed stick around after their passing, steered the show towards the personal in surprising ways. Come to think of it, Sondheim’s “No One is Alone” is a perfect song for her.
Music is life and dedicating eighty plus years to her vocation has made Marilyn Maye into the powerhouse she is today. Whenever in her company for an hour or more, the takeaway I leave with is to never stop doing what you love; that if you can keep going you very well may possess the secret to success in life and art. After one long number and hardly out of breath, Marilyn said into her microphone, “Oh, that was too much fun!” You believe her. More importantly, you feel the same kind of fun, limitless in its power to bring joy and happiness. Thank you, Marilyn.
“Marilyn Maye: By Request” is currently playing at 54 Below, 254 W. 54th Street, NYC. Tickets for upcoming performances are available the following dates: October 23 at 5:30/7:00 pm, October 29 at 5:30/7:00 pm, November 13 at 5:30/7:00 pm, November 24 at 5:30/7:00 pm, November 25 at 5:30/7:00 pm. For further information, please visit: www.54Below.com.
Photos by Ron Fassler.
