Songs and gab at this swell cabaret
Starting the party is Mame‘s “It’s Today.”
Hear the cheer in the singer’s voice
With this merry Jerry Herman choice.
The room has no gloom. There’s joy. We feel jolly
When they sing anything from the swell Hello, Dolly!
A grand score, The Grand Tour, we all adore;
Remembering Mack and Mabel and more.
Stuff from Mame may be famous, other things: not so much.
To share something rare is a very smart touch,
Soon it’s a croon from Ben Franklin in Paris.
At the keys, if you please, is Canaan J. Harris;
Yes, he’s impressive – as is the emcee.
This show has a glow like a Broadway marquee.
Eric Michael Gillett
The life-affirming messages in the feel-good songs of composer-lyricist Jerry Herman are as infectious as his bounciest melodies. And so is it any wonder that smiles are on the faces of customers at the presentation on March 2nd at 54 Below titled I’ll Be Here Tomorrow: The Optimism of Jerry Herman. Well, “it’s a time for making merry,” to quote a line “It’s Today,” one of the songs he wrote for the hit show Mame. And a strong group of performers made things very merry with the Jerry jamboree. Merry Mary Callanan set the mood with that sunny celebrational selection.
Charles Kirsch
The emcee’s face may be familiar from past hosting duties of Broadway-centric presentations at the club and his voice may be familiar from his celebrity interviews on the podcast Backstage Babble: it’s Charles Kirsch. He brings felicity, flair, fandom, and fun facts to the job. At the piano, making the music burst with joy and warmth was the very skillful and attentive Canaan J. Harris whose name conveniently rhymes with the name of the French capital that’s the last word in the musical Ben Franklin in Paris. It’s a production for which Mr. Herman, uncredited, contributed material. Eric Michael Gillett unveiled a sample of that ghostwriting, with his usual panache.
Robbie Rozelle
Walking down the long staircase to enter this New York nightclub, being shown to a table as waiters greet the customers, one might be reminded of the title character of Hello, Dolly! She famously makes her entrance down a flight of stairs and is serenaded by a NYC restaurant’s wait staff. This smash hit musical is sampled with showmanship by, separately, Richard Skipper and Lee Roy Reams, both of whom have long associations with the musical and its original star, Carol Channing. The last Herman hit on Broadway, La Cage aux Folles, is the subject for entertaining songs and comments, including Robbie Rozelle’s first-hand experience meeting the writer in his role involving cast albums as record label staff member and Gerard Alessandrini, creator of Forbidden Broadway, delivering the hilarious parody of “I Am What I Am” which he tweaked to “I Ham What I Ham.”
Gerard Alessandrini
The night was full of strong performances, ebullience, and some humor (Rebecca Spigelman shining with the fantastic sarcastic panacea for problems, “Tap Your Troubles Away”). But there’s nothing like the emotional impact of an original cast member revisiting a musical from many years ago and hearing what the experience was like: that came when classy Kurt Peterson took the stage to share songs and memories of Dear World (1969), a rich score many Herman fans understandably hold dear.
photos by Maryann Lopinto
