Max von Essen
Birdland Theater, NYC, October 29, 2018
Reviewed by Marilyn Lester for Cabaret Scenes
Photo: Kevin Alvey
In the exalted realm of the ineluctable, Max von Essen holds court. He’s one of those performers who’s been graced with all the ingredients that produce star quality. This Broadway singer/actor, currently starring in Anastasia, was recently Henri Baurel in An American in Paris, earning him much-deserved Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Grammy Award nominations. His style is classic Broadway all the way, and that was the theme of this Birdland outing: a new/old-fashioned show celebrating The Great White Way and the American Songbook. So what better way to open than with “Everything Old Is New Again” (Peter Allen/Carol Bayer Sager) and ”I’m Old Fashioned”(Jerome Kern/Johnny Mercer)?
Von Essen’s repertoire was chock full of winners, ranging from classics, such as “Isn’t It a Pity?” (George and Ira Gershwin) to 1967’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (Bob Crewe/Bob Gaudio).
An especial highlight of the evening was the addition of cellist Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf to the band (pianist and Music Director, Billy Stritch, bassist Steve Doyle, drummer Daniel Glass) for a few numbers.
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There’s nothing quite like the mellow, rich sound of a cello to add texture to a piece, and thus, von Essen’s rendition of the vocally challenging “On This Night of a Thousand Stars” was masterful and thrilling. Another wow-factor was his sensitive, evocative, heart-stopping “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” (Claude-Michel Schönberg/Alain Boublil/Jean-Marc Natel/Herbert Kretzmer).
By contrast, a gender-bending “The Trolley Song” (Hugh Martin) was great fun.
Also in the up-tempo department, “Show Me” (Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Loewe) and “She Loves Me” (Sheldon Harnick/Jerry Bock) were believable and happy-making.
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Lest we ever doubt the impressive full range of the singer’s many talents, an unplugged “Almost Like Being in Love” (Lerner/Loewe) proved him to be a certified real deal.
Throughout the set, Stritch’s playing and arrangements were top-notch; they were utterly brilliant on the closer of a medley of seven songs from the Gershwins’ An American in Paris. Stritch cleverly inserted excerpts of George Gershwin’s instrumental works, notably Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F, which added spice to an already zesty mix. When von Essen concluded his encore, the Gershwins’ “Stairway to Paradise,” he proved he’d already built it.
