John Vincent Mahady
I Heard You the First Time—A Waiter’s Musical Memoir
Heller Auditorium/Francis Parker, Chicago, IL, September 6, 2019
Reviewed by Carla Gordon for Cabaret Scenes
In I Heard You the First Time—A Waiter’s Musical Memoir John Mahady may want us to perceive him as a curmudgeon delivering escargot. However, he can’t help letting his warm heart shine through. Offering a smorgasbord of stories and songs to a full house, he shares the experiences of 30 years as a server for an iconic Chicago restaurant group with many parallels in life. There are mostly good times, but occasionally, not so good— for example, spilling food on David Schwimmer’s date. (She was a good sport about it.
) Mahady captured images from nature in “Right as the Rain,” a beautiful, rarely performed song written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. In certain respects, Mahady has a larger-than-life personality. He wisely chose Barry Manilow’s “All the Time” (lyrics: Marty Panzer) to share his very intimate reflection on what being different can mean. Up-tempo songs like “When You’re Smiling” brought good balance to the ballads. Another up-tempo tune, “As Long as I’m Singing” (Bobby Darin), was Mahady’s joyful explanation of what it means to be a singer. With David Friedman’s “You’re There,” Mahady paid tender homage to those gone before.
John Mahady’s good chops were well supported by accompanist Chuck Larkin.
