Seth Sikes: Sings Mostly Judy Garland

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Seth Sikes

Seth Sikes Sings Mostly Judy Garland

September 18, November 24, January 24, March 18
All shows at 9:30 pm

54 Below, NYC
646.476.3551.
www.54Below.com

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Seth Sikes, of whom NY Arts Review said, “may well be one of the saviors of the Great American Songbook,” will return to 54 Below on Friday, September 18th at 9:30 PM to perform a revamped version of his critically acclaimed show Seth Sikes Sings Mostly Judy Garland, an evening of Garland’s most popular songs with several new arrangements. Sikes returns to 54 Below after four previous sold-out appearances.

When asked why he developed this show, he said:

“Since I was a little boy, I’ve preferred the sound of standards to contemporary music.  When I hear Judy sing a standard—even one I’ve heard many times—I often feel like I’ve heard the song for the first time. I think, ‘Now I get that song!’  Somehow she makes you hear it for the first time because, unlike a lot of jazz and standard singers who often sing as if they’re just another instrument in the band, she really feels it. She means it.  That’s the kind of performance I respond to, and it’s the only way I know how to approach a song. For better or worse.

Seth0Sikes-Judy-Garland-Cabaret-Scenes-Magazine“She also had fantastic arrangers and great taste in songs. Since she sang basically everything (there’s an amazing database online that lists all the songs she was known to sing), why not choose her catalog?  I’d never considered this before, but maybe I decided to sing her arrangements so that I might know — just for a split second — what it might have felt like to be her on stage musically. I guess, in the end, I chose Judy because for me there was really no other option.

“As for the audience, I hope to convey with honesty the serious passion I have for this music, which is, I hope, still a reminder that she was the greatest entertainer the world has known.
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Seth garnered much critical praise for his show. Liz Smith said, “I told you recently about a young man, Seth Sikes, who has appeared at the NYC nightspot 54 Below, singing the songs of Judy Garland.  I went off to see him last week and couldn’t have been more charmed. He’s young and handsome and enthusiastic.
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  He doesn’t try to duplicate her sound.
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  Sikes has boundless energy and a true, strong voice, with just the right amount of throb and drive and melancholy.”

Rex Reed attended a recent performance and said in the New York Observer, “Sikes belted out small gems and big treasures alike to a sold-out house screaming for more.” Reed went on to say, “He’s already developing a fan base of Judy addicts and there’s no telling how far Seth Sikes will go.”

BistroAwards.com said, “Sikes’s voice is hardy, and he can belt out key musical phrases with impressive vivacity.”

Center on the Aisle said, “In a packed room under colorful lights Sikes presented a fun, emotional night of songs. He sings with the energy and enthusiasm of the ultimate Judy fan, his excitement spilling through every note.”

Best known in the theater as an Assistant Director (on shows like The Nance, Tribes, and Pageant), Sikes will perform with a seven-piece band to recount how Garland captivated him as a young boy in Paris, Texas, and to sing some of Garland’s greatest hits.

The evening was conceived by Seth Sikes and Tony Award-winning lyricist Lisa Lambert, and will feature music direction by Gary Adler and orchestrations by Matt Aument. The evening is directed by Eric Gilliland.

Check out these videos:

“Rock-a-Bye Your Baby (with a Dixie Melody)” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EoueYQpix0

“Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmCDiU0s9zc

“Just in Time” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZY88876Zms

Cover charge starts at $25 and there is a $25 food and beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at www.54Below.com. Tickets on the day of performance after 4:00 PM are only available by calling (646) 476-3551.

MORE ABOUT SETH SIKES

Seth Sikes’s directing credits include Bunked! (Outstanding Musical at the New York International Fringe Festival) and The 7th Annual Broadway Beauty Pageant.  He was the Assistant Director of The Nance (Broadway), Tribes (Off-Broadway), Pageant (Off-Broadway), and Sondheim: The Birthday Concert (at Lincoln Center).   As a performer he appeared in Fame on 42nd Street (Off-Broadway).