54 Celebrates Dame Julie Andrews

Feinstein’s/54 Below, NYC, September 16, 2018

Reviewed by Chris Struck for Cabaret Scenes

In one of the best 54 Below celebrations of a star, an extremely passionate cast lined up to perform lively tributes to one of the queens of musical theater, Julie Andrews. One of those stars who defines music for a generation and inspires them to frolic upon the stage, Andrews deserved all that the cast could give, and they sure did. From Bobby Conte Thorton’s incredibly well-acted and sung “On the Street Where You Live” (Lerner & Loewe) to a performance of “The Sound of Music” (Rodgers & Hammerstein) by Kathryn Boswell that rekindled the whispers in the hills that signal they are alive, this was a night full of ingenuity that surpassed some of the more timid mic-glued performances that stoke only a bare ember comparatively.

Thorton’s performance would have called for ample attention even if it had it not been a generally cast-wide phenomenon to step it up a notch for Andrews. In particular, that was true of the next number, “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” sung by the fabulous duo of Michael Hartung and Jason Gotay, with Hartung as Rolf and the younger, but taller, Gotay as Liesl. Their chemistry was simply dynamite. If crafty arrangements are your cabaret room desire, “A Practically Perfect Poppins Potpouri” (Richard M. & Robert B. Sherman), sung by the trio of Ellie Fishman, Isabella McCalla, and Storm Lever, was an incomparable Mary Poppins medley. To call it amazing would be an understatement as the group glided through the musical that brought Andrews to magical status among children around the world. The arrangement was done by fabulous music director and pianist Jonathan Brenner. Michael Fling conceived and directed the show.

This is a show that should return, one that offered a bounty of gems.