DONNA MCKECHNIE TAKES US
INTO SONDHEIM’S WORLD
It may be impossible NOT to be charmed by the mega-vivacious, sunny-spirited, endearing veteran Donna McKechnie. Her smile and talent light up the room and the mood at 54 Below where Take Me to the World, her show devoted solely to Stephen Sondheim material, continues for two more nights (April 24 and 26). She’s the ultimate pro, with credits performing in Sondheim projects on Broadway and around the country, with memories of interactions with him. This gives her program of the songwriter’s work the irreplaceable, real-deal personal connection that distinguishes it from the many others who also lovingly perform the repertoire written by the man they’ve only admired from afar, many of them not even old enough to walk when the magnetic McKechnie was dancing her way through musical theatre history.
The trio includes sterling musicians: pianist Ian Herman, joined by two men who put the “Ray” in “cab-a-ret:” bassist Ray Kilday and drummer Ray Marchica. There’s terrific teamwork there, but the tireless and energetic singer, who generously acknowledges them, is always front and center.
Most of the songs were fully inhabited – not just sung, but very much ACTED with her face and gestures—raising arms triumphantly, fists clenched, pain or worry showing in her eyes and body language. Where other singers may treat an instrumental interlude to zone out, look out at friends in the audience, or pull out a bottle of water and chug it, Donna McKechnie stays in character and in the moment. While some notes that are the highest or lowest aren’t in the strongest part of her range at this point, so they don’t resonate with total ease, they aren’t “ouch” moments and she opts to honor the melody line, rather than “cheat” by revising notes or speaking a few words of a lyric. Filled with verve and sparkle, she looks great and sounds bubbly – almost fearless in the joie de vivre and wistful in ballads.
Represented in the set list are numbers from Sondheim’s shows she was in, whether her character sang them or not, bringing up memories of Company (the original 1970 production), Follies, A Little Night Music, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Further widening the net are samples from his non-stage scores: the movie Dick Tracy (for a spunky “Live Alone and Like It”) and the TV musical Evening Primrose (the source of Take Me to the World’s pleading title song, performed with emotion that made its very plot-specific references not much of a barrier for connection, generalizing the yearning. Its key line “Take me to the world where I can be alive” might recall “Being Alive” – another song about wanting a different kind of life. When she got to that item from Company, which is a go-to intense power showpiece that many deliver with histrionics most of the way through, she presented it with welcome reserve and nuance, with a slower build and that made it more thoughtful and vulnerable without seeming too needy or nerve-wracked or noisy.
Along the way there were interesting (and sometimes funny; not a diva, she has a sense of humor about herself) behind-the-scenes anecdotes. They cover casting, out-of-town previews, being among the first people to hear the score of Follies (in a private living room gathering), and choreographing a star-studded benefit of Sondheim material in 1973. More tales would be great, considering her long history as an insightful insider and having a way with words. But, boy oh boy, does this lady have a way with these glorious songs!
calendar for the venue at 54 Below
