By Marilyn Lester . . .
One of the most sincere, charming and intrepid of cabaret artists, Richard Holbrook celebrated over twenty years of appearing on stages from Don’t Tell Mama to The Metropolitan Room and Feinstein’s at Loews Regency with Twenty Plus Three in 2023 at 54 Below. The title of the show explains, in part, the intrepid character of the singer. He’s been twice seriously derailed from performing. First was that “little incident” called Covid, which delayed a show that was to be called Twenty Years in 2020. The second was a diagnosis and treatment of cancer of the jaw, a devastating and lengthy time now fully resolved. So, when Holbrook entered 54 Below’s show room with “Old Friends” (Stephen Sondheim) making his way through the audience to the stage, you know the statement he made was one hundred percent authentic.
What Holbrook transmits, in and beyond song, is his passion, enthusiasm, exuberance and gratitude—and it’s palpable. His sold-out audience, bathed in the joy, felt all the feels from start to finish. With director Jeff Harnar, the show was exceedingly well-crafted and curated, and paced, with not one lagging moment. Holbrook was relaxed and easily assumed the role of gracious host, well in his comfort zone. Vocally this meant consistency of tempo and range, allowing him to deliver his material with an ability to modulate and tell the story of the lyric with conviction.
Collage by Jeff Harnar
A big chunk of Holbrook’s performing raison d’etre is his love affair with the city of New York, the place he’d dreamed of conquering as an entertainer from his youth. Years ago, when he upped and moved to Manhattan with nary a bean or place to live, afraid that friends and family would think him crazy or irresponsible, his mother commented, “What took you so long?” Many of the numbers in his set reflected that love of the city. There was “Anything Can Happen in New York” (Burton Lane, Yip Harburg) and Cole Porter’s thrilling anthem, “I Happen to Like New York,” plus a few personal tunes: one by friend Ronny Whyte (with Sheila Astill), “A Penny for Your Thoughts, New York,” and two by friend, Portia Nelson, the late singer-songwriter especially active in 1950s cabaret. In her “Confessions of a New Yorker (Hate-Love New York),” Holbrook captured the duality that so many of the denizens of our town feel—and with ironic pride.
Holbrook is a champion of the American Songbook and its golden age, and past shows from which he drew covered the tunes of Burton Lane and Richard Rodgers, as well as the songs sung by Fred Astaire. From the Astaire catalog, “Slap That Bass” (George and Ira Gershwin) gave bassist Tom Kirchmer the opportunity to solo and bring the song to life along with Holbrook. Likewise, “Drum Crazy” (Irving Berlin) had drummer Peter Grant in a rousing solo feature. The music director of the Tom Nelson Trio, pianist Nelson, with whom Holbrook has worked for over twenty years, revealed his lyrical jazz chops on “Fascinating Rhythm” (George and Ira Gershwin). In the same way that Holbrook is a traditional cabaret performer, harkening back to the days of venues such as The Rainbow Room, The Algonquin Oak Room, the Persian Room, the Maisonette and others, the trio offered support for the singer, playing in his service; it was, therefore, a treat to hear each member shine in the spotlight.
An especially emotional segment of the evening came with a tribute to French singer-songwriter Charles Aznavour. “There Is a Time (Le Temps)” (Jeff Davis, Aznavour, Gene Lees) was meaningful when Holbrook was going through cancer treatment. It’s a demanding song, and in his masterful phrasing, Holbrook demonstrated his musicality. Using American Sign Language (ASL) as he delivered “Quiet Love” (Aznavour, Fred Ebb); there was not a dry eye in the house. But the tour de force of the Aznavour segment was “What Makes a Man (Comme Ils Disent),” a song about a gay man and his crossdressing at Paris clubs by night,. Holbrook delivered it with a fierce, compelling conviction, bringing down the house.
By the end of a triumphant show, with “They All Laughed” (George and Ira Gershwin) it was apparent that if anyone did indeed laugh at a fledgling singer named Richard Holbrook, he has definitely had the last laugh now. In a cabaret career that has been an unqualified success, he’s been twice nominated for the MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs) Award for Best Male Vocalist. A touching “Here I’ll Stay” (Kurt Weill, Alan Jay Lerner) was followed by the encore “On the Street Where you Live” (Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner).
Early on in his narrative, Holbrook related that he had three goals when moving to New York; one was to make his fortune in cabaret (and didn’t that get a big chuckle from a knowing audience). But as he concluded, Holbrook noted that this particular goal was reached on this night of Twenty Plus Three in 2023—being on the 54 Below stage surrounded by loving friends, family and fans was nothing but abundantly priceless.
Photos: Maryann Lopinto
