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Cabaret Review: OUR SINATRA: A MUSIC CELEBRATION (25th Anniversary Production at 54 Below)
by Rob Lester | February 28, 2026
in Cabaret, New York
A SINATRA SONGBOOK REVUE RETURNS
WITH STYLE, SWING, AND STAYING POWER
The revue recalling the repertoire of “Ol’ Blue Eyes”
is a song-stuffed, sure-fire success (again)
So, who doesn’t love an anniversary as a reason for celebration? How about a show with that very word in its title—Our Sinatra: A Musical Celebration. The entertainment industry certainly embraces anniversaries as an excuse to revisit, revamp, revive, revise, repeat, re-review, and remember.
This hit revue, celebrating the songs of one of the most iconic performers of all time—Frank Sinatra—debuted 25 years ago as a nightclub attraction and ran and ran, featuring a rotating trio of singers. Not that it has been absent for long; it returned as recently as 2024 at Birdland, its longtime home, and continues to appear in touring editions. Its silver anniversary is a logical milestone to welcome it back.
And back in the saddle to bring back the memories at 54 Below on February 10 was Eric Comstock, one of the show’s original performers as vocalist and pianist, as well as co-conceiver and co-writer with Christopher Gines and Hilary Kole (the production was supervised by Richard Maltby, Jr. and directed by Kurt Stamm). Joining him were Harmony Keeney, a veteran of earlier incarnations, and Lucas Beltran, the terrific “new kid on the block” who wasn’t even born when Our Sinatra first appeared. Bassist Marco Panascìa rounded out the group. Together, they made beautiful music. Producer Jack Lewin, also behind the recent Bacharach revue, brought this audience favorite back.
Our Sinatra moves smoothly through solos, duet moments, and lots of trio triumphs, including “Without a Song,” “The Song Is You,” and medleys that packed in so many classics (or snippets of them) that the sheer density of familiar tunes might qualify for The Guinness Book of World Records. And speaking of records, Sinatra’s biggest hits and beloved album cuts alike are well represented, creating an experience where, as the saying goes, your cup runneth over. Light patter—sometimes clever, sometimes corny—adds context, but the overall tone remains polished and stylish.
Among the highlights:
— Mr. Comstock, seemingly ageless, sensitively serenading the crowd with “All the Way,” combining deft keyboarding and crooning and Comstockery. He also charms with “Too Marvelous for Words,” a song title that could be his pull-quote description, allowing for hyperbole. Notably, while accompanying himself and his fellow performers, he frequently turns outward, making direct and deliberate eye contact—something not always seen in cabaret settings.
— Mr. Beltran, suave and smiling, nailed “Oh! Look at Me Now” and “A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening” (and it was!). (He recently gained mega-exposure on the TV singing competition The Voice, a fitting connection to Sinatra’s early moniker.)
— Ms. Keeney caressing sad ballads such as “I’m a Fool to Want You” and “It Never Entered My Mind,” caressing the lyrics with nuanced phrasing.
The title’s possessive pronoun for Our Sinatra came into focus as each performer shares a personal connection to the singer and reflects on what can be learned from his phrasing, timing, and interpretive choices.
Tributes to Sinatra have been plentiful—especially surrounding his centennial—and why not? As this lively, lovingly assembled revue demonstrates, the songs endure, the style endures—and so does the appeal of celebrating them again and again. (Check Stage and Cinema in 2056 for a review of the 50th anniversary presentation of Our Sinatra.)
Let’s pause to recall Sinatra’s history with those honors by the recording industry and other events in his career as reference points. The point being that just about all the songs mentioned are in this resplendent revue. First of all, the first of February was the 68th anniversary of the soundtrack album of the film Pal Joey, starring a guy named Frank Sinatra, beginning a five-week run as the number one album on the charts in the U.K. and the 69th anniversary of the day he recorded “Somethin’ Stupid,” the hit duet with his daughter Nancy. (So, who doesn’t love a musical anniversary?)
Music fans ushered in the month with the annual Grammy Awards, broadcast live on the first of February, but those awards were not instituted until 1959, by which time Sinatra was well into his career. That first year his records were nominated for six awards: “Witchcraft” was up for three — Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Male Vocal, losing in the first two categories to “Volare” and losing to Perry Como in the other. The “Witchcraft” single and one of his albums, Come Fly with Me, were both nominated for an engineering award, but lost to the miracles of engineered vocal speed: The Chipmunks. The prize for Album of the Year went to Henry Mancini’s music for the TV program Peter Gunn, beating out Ella Fitzgerald’s Irving Berlin collection, pianist Van Cliburn playing a Tchaikovsky concerto, and two Sinatra vinyls: Come Fly with Me and Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (however, the latter was honored for Best Album Cover — a painting of Frank as a sad clown).
The next year he was a double winner for Come Dance with Me (for the album and male vocal awards), with an additional nomination for the single “High Hopes.” The next year found the single “Nice ‘n’ Easy” and the album including it garnering noms in five categories, but winning zero. It was a very good year when “It Was a Very Good Year” won for Male Vocal and the LP it appears on, September of My Years, which was deemed Record of the Year. There were other wins later on in those categories for the man and his music — such as A Man and His Music, “Strangers in the Night,” and the second Duets album. And nominations for “The Second Time Around,” “Somethin’ Stupid,” “My Way,” “(Theme from) New York, New York,” the first Duets album, the duet version of “My Way” (and a video, too), the 3-record set Trilogy, and the bossa nova album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim.
And speaking of tributes, they will continue at venues like 54 Below, where producer Scott Siegel has curated numerous themed concerts, such as the upcoming multi-performer Frank Sinatra: The Concert!, which begins on March 1, the same date when, in 1954 the man recorded “The Night We Called It a Day” and, in 2010, the dance-centric Come Fly Away filled with Sinatra music opened on Broadway. It will be repeated on April 12, the same date that the first man went into space, when England adopted the Union Jack as its flag, and when Galileo was condemned for stating that the earth revolved around the sun. The next showing is June 11, when, 250 years ago, The Continental Congress appointed Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston to the Committee of Five to draft the Declaration of Independence (well, who doesn’t love an anniversary?)
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Our Sinatra: A Musical Celebration
54 Below, 254 W 54th St.
reviewed on February 10, 2026
more Frank arrives with Frank Sinatra: The Concert!
on March 1, April 12, & June 11, 2026
for tickets, visit 54 Below
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