Cabaret Review by Ron Fassler . . .
Norm Lewis has been a New York theatre fixture since 1993 when he made his debut as part of the ensemble in The Who’s Tommy. Since then, he has appeared in another thirteen plays and musicals on Broadway, in addition to numerous television and film roles. But it is in his guise as a cabaret performer where we get the true essence of his style, not only vocally, but in his guileless onstage persona. It’s no wonder his appeal is so broad that the range of his audience at Friday’s holiday show at 54 Below ran the spectrum from pre-teen children to the indefatigable Marilyn Maye, another brilliant cabaret performer, youthfully effervescent at ninety-five. It’s not difficult to picture Norm Lewis still entertaining at that age just as gracefully in the year 2058.
This is his tenth Christmas show at Broadway’s premiere supper club and backed by his stalwart musical director Joseph Joubert and musicians Dylan Shamat (bass) and Perry Cavari (drums), the halls were decked with talent. Director Richard Jay-Alexander, who has been working with Lewis for too many years to count, has a firm hand on the proceedings and makes sure that every minute counts. By having Lewis open with the great Christmas tune “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” walking through the audience and greeting everyone on a personal level is so, so smart, especially since his good cheer is infectious. He has such a palpable effect on people. Speaking afterwards to those in attendance, some of the comments I overheard bear quoting:
“I could listen to him sing the phone book.”
“His voice takes me to my happy place.”
“I’m his number one fan among all his number one fans.”
His ease onstage and genuine exuberance in sharing his gifts are what make Lewis so special. You never get a sense he’s in any rush and that he always seems aware of his surroundings. The personal anecdotes he uses to set up certain songs add to the spontaneity he consistently brings to his shows. Nothing is done by rote and his audience appreciates that. Even singing something like “The Music of the Night” (NOT a Christmas song, as he notes) feels lived in and not merely perfunctory to appease devotees who expect it from him. Of note: Lewis is the only Black actor to have starred as the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. I saw him play it a decade ago and he was magnificent.
Holiday songs ran the gamut from the religious (“The Little Drummer Boy”), to the silly (“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), to the traditional (“The Christmas Song”). At times he invoked some of his favorite singers like Johnny Mathis and Andy Williams, going so far as to mention them by name. Non-holiday tunes that still managed to convey seasonal joy came in the form of “Fever,” Peggy Lee’s signature hit from 1958, and Kander and Ebb’s “Razzle Dazzle” from Chicago (Lewis was one of the many Billy Flynn’s to play the show during its now epic twenty-eight-year run—which is still going strong). When you come right down to it, the fact of the matter is that no one else sounds like Norm Lewis. He is possessed of a one-time only voice that miraculously sounds better than ever.
The 54 Below run is for seven straight nights and employs guest stars at each performance. Friday’s sold-out crowd had a special treat in Lewis’s real-life cousin, Pastor Bobby Lewis of the New Light Baptist Church on 126th Street in Harlem, who engaged in a duet of the aforementioned “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (complete with antlers and red noses, one of which refused to stay on). When the main attraction exited for a quick wardrobe change, it allowed for Cousin Bobby to give a heartfelt solo rendition of John Legend’s “You Deserve it All.”
As for Norm Lewis himself, alone on stage for much of the 80-minute set, the audience got everything it deserved and more. He’s appearing through December 24th. Enrich your holidays by taking in “Norm Lewis: The Best of Christmas” at 54 Below.
54 Below is located at 254 W 54th Street, NYC. For further information, please visit www.54Below.com.
Photos by Ron Fassler.
