54 Sings Broadway’s Greatest Hits
Feinstein’s/54 Below, NYC, February 16, 2019
Reviewed by Ron Forman for Cabaret Scenes
The 37th edition of Scott Siegel’s 54 Sings Broadway’s Greatest Hits series might well have had the best collection of truly wonderful vocalists as any of the previous shows. One after another, the performers got huge applause from the SRO audience.
Music director Ashley Ryan, making her Feinstein’s/54 Below debut, perfectly backed the diverse performers on piano, and shone in her vocal number.
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Siegel was especially amusing with his always interesting introductory comments before each song.
The show opened with two truly spectacular voices—Douglas Ladnier with “They Call the Wind Maria” and John Easterlin unplugged (no microphone) with “Only a Rose.” Ladnier returned twice for a soft and slow “Begin the Beguine” and a truly memorable “Memory,” where his dramatic facial expressions and the length to which he held the final note on the word “begun,” made us forget that this song is almost always performed by a woman. Easterlin returned for another unplugged “Stranger in Paradise.” Jeanine Bruin performed a very slow “In My Solitude.
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The show had two more very strong male voices: Pedro Coppeti and Aaron Ramey. Copetti performed an ultra-dramatic slowed-down “Being Alive”; Ramey offered “Anthem” (Chess). In addition to her wonderful work on piano, Ryan gave an especially effective performance of both verse and chorus of “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Brittney Ann Accetta got a big laugh by substituting “Mr. Siegel” for “Mr. Arnstein” in her flamboyant performance of “Don’t Rain on My Parade.
” Marcus Lovett had the audience roaring with laughter with “You and Me (But Mostly Me)” (The Book of Mormon). He would close the show by describing his experiences in the original Broadway production of Les Misérables before his dramatic performance of “Bring Him Home.”
