Review by Ron Fassler . . .
Performing in a cabaret setting can be accomplished successfully in a variety of ways. With someone like Marilyn Maye, who’s put in the hours and is still going strong at ninety-seven, you get the art form at its purest. She’s sure of herself and what you see is what you get. However, what often occurs when certain Broadway types attempt their own show is that though they might have the goods onstage when in character, sometimes they are less sure of themselves with no part to play (I name no names). So, it’s a pleasure to report that on Monday night Ben Jones conjured as confident a stage persona as I’ve ever seen while blazingly offering some amazing singing at 54 Below with a show titled “Temptation.” Meeting him afterwards made clear that the guy onstage isn’t the real Ben Jones, but rather someone who makes it possible for him to cut loose with infectious abandon. His non-stop barrage of great music, hilarious standup comedy, and sensitive soul searching is a wonder.
Backed by Ron Abel, one of the best music directors around, and a superb group of musicians, this marked my first time seeing Jones, about whom I had no previous experience. To say it was a delightful surprise is putting it mildly. I was astounded at his immense vocal range, his wonderful patter between the first-rate choices of numbers he chose to sing, and his acting while telling his stories in song. This was the complete package. An actor-singer-comedian-monologist who can hold an audience spellbound with his affable artistry. His version of the Ben we see is someone with a bit of swagger that we know is slightly a put-on, but he backs it with a talent that’s fresh, sincere, and never smarmy. He straddles a fine line with this persona but it really works for the material that he undertakes. As writer, director, and star of “Temptation,” this is someone working at the height of their abilities and projecting it all with commitment and style.
Bearing a slight resemblance to Damian Lewis in his Bobby Axelrod mode from the Showtime series Billions, Jones threads the themes of his set asking questions like “What do you want?” and “What turns you on?” and answers them in song. Opening with the haunting “Pure Imagination,” by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, kicked things off smoothly. And when he blended it with “Fever,” a song by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell from the 1950s that seethes with sex, we were suddenly transported to an entirely different world. Transitions and juxtapositions like these were common all evening and made for a feeling of never knowing which direction the wind was blowing. And as opposed to that lending an unsettling feeling, it was exhilarating.
A soulful “Me and Mrs. Jones” (Kenny Kamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert) and a soaring “Tennessee Whiskey (Tom Waits) were smashing. And when he dove into Sondheim’s “Being Alive,” it was a worry that with half a show to go whether he’d be able to top it. As it turned out, he had many more tricks up his proverbial sleeve.
A note on the “Being Alive”: Just before the climax, Jones modulated to a perfect fourth sending the song vocally and emotionally into the stratosphere. He explained how it first came about one night only minutes before going on when music director Ron Abel said to him, “Just try it.” As Jones said, “That’s how crazy he is!” Other standouts were “The Impossible Dream,” Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion’s anthem from Man of La Mancha, and a hysterically funny version of Laurence O’Keefe’s special material number, “Sensitive Song,” commonly known as “Skanky Whore.”
As already mentioned, the band did an outstanding job, particularly the two string instruments represented by Sean Harkness (guitar) and Yuka Tadano (bass) who, whenever showcased with solos, kept the audience spellbound. And Ray Marchica on drums someone I’ve had the pleasure of seeing many times before, consistently delivers. And it’s hard to take your eyes off Ron Abel, so expert as a player and conductor.
All in all, there was not a false note in an evening full of notes. Ben Jones is a force. I can’t wait to see him in his next engagement. For further information where and when that is, visit his website: https://www.benjonessinger.com
And for more on 54 Below’s upcoming programming, please go to: www.54Below.org.
Photos by Ron Fassler.