MUSIC, MEMORIES,
MOTHERHOOD & MELANIA

Laura Benanti sparkles in a knowing, joyful evening at 92NY

Her silver gown sparkled. Her voice sparkled. Her wit sparkled. Yes, Laura Benanti was aglow on January 29 in a concert at 92NY. Self-aware, self-confident, and a bit full of herself in the most entertaining way possible, her musical menu was a main course of sumptuous, sweet soprano sounds with a side order of sass.

Todd Almond, music director/piano, Laura Benanti

One of this generation’s go-to ingenue Broadway stars, Benanti opened her concert with a group of songs from the classic musical that first graced the Great White Way 70 years ago: My Fair Lady. Singing not as “Laura,” but as its protagonist, Eliza Doolittle—the role she played for more than a year (2018–2019) in the most recent revival—she slipped effortlessly into the character’s attitude and Cockney accent. Between numbers, referring to Eliza in the first person, she made irreverent comments about the plot and characters, describing speech teacher Henry Higgins with repeated uses of a single word (“mean!”) and summing up suitor Freddy’s instant infatuation with, “He falls in love with me even though he’s never met me.” For the famous elocution triumph “The Rain in Spain,” music director and pianist Todd Almond gamely chimed in with Higgins’ vocal lines.

Todd Almond, Ann Klein, Laura Benanti, Cat Popper, Rich Mercurio

There were nods to three of Benanti’s roles in other Broadway revivals—The Sound of Music (her Broadway debut at age 18), Gypsy, and She Loves Me. Before launching into the latter’s story-song “Ice Cream,” about presumed missed connections and unexpected attraction, she paused to ask whether the audience knew the plot and thus needed no setup. The enthusiastic response suggested a crowd rich with musical-theatre devotees—many of whom likely saw her in that production a decade ago. The evening had the feel of a fan-club gathering, and Benanti delighted her fans. With a shrug, she acknowledged that she’s probably been playing ingenues for longer than seems reasonable. The amusing number “Recovering Ingenue,” a Benanti–Almond collaboration, captured the predicament with zing.

Quips and anecdotes touched on many topics, including being happily married (third time’s the charm, apparently) and performing out of town for audiences unfamiliar with Broadway legends. Then there was motherhood—talk of children who “don’t allow” her to sing at home because her voice is “too high.” On the subject of moms, she burst into the boisterous “Mama’s a Liar,” referencing her own mother, who sometimes appears as her co-star in their cabaret act. And then came Benanti’s delightfully devastating impression of a certain famous woman recently featured in a documentary: with wig, spot-on body language, facial expressions, and accent, her transformation into Melania Trump was a hoot.

Another highlight arrived when the spotlight turned to Mr. Almond, a multi-talented artist who offered a clever original number about meeting someone who’s marriage material, channeling the sensibilities of two wildly different musical figures: Dolly Parton and Johann Sebastian Bach. Almond’s work throughout the evening was attentive and strong, joined by bassist Cat Popper, guitarist Ann Klein, and drummer Rich Mercurio, who completed the band to fine effect.

An Evening with Laura Benanti is, quite simply, an evening well spent.

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

photos by Richard Termine

An Evening with Laura Benanti
Geffen Stage at Kaufmann Concert Hall
92NY, 1395 Lexington Avenue, New York
played on January 29, 2026
for more shows, visit www.92y.org

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦