Sean Patrick Murtagh
Beautiful Girls: A Tribute to Sondheim’s Divas
Laurie Beechman Theatre, NYC, June 23, 2023
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Sean Patrick Murtagh
Sean Patrick Murtagh is an unpredictable performer. In his previous show at the Laurie Beechman Theatre he offered a tribute to Mario Lanza, clad in an elegant three-piece suit. He returned to the club to pay homage to the diva characters that Stephen Sondheim created and the woman who have interpreted them (there were a few “guy” songs tossed in).
He wore a red-orange, chest-baring shortie caftan, patterned nylons, and stiletto heels (what he describes as “soft drag”), and lots of jewelery courtesy of his representative, Jamie deRoy. This made quite a stage picture for a show that occasionally veered into camp, but still found honest depth in the chosen material.
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Beginning the show amid the sold-out audience, he serenaded them with “Beautiful Girls” showing off his powerful high-tenor notes and his impressive clarity with lyrics. A near tumble caused by the notoriously tricky steps leading up to the stage demonstrated his humor and professional aplomb, especially since the next lyric after the incident was “careful.” That broke up the audience as he soldiered on. He then blasted through a powerhouse “Some People,” suggesting he could be the lost offspring of Roz Russell and Billy De Wolfe. But his following song, “In Buddy’s Eyes,” was performed with absolute sincerity and no camp; out of context, it became an art song of truthful purity.
Murtagh seemed to take great delight in Sondheim’s words and wordplay in such songs as “Moments in the Woods” and “Green Finch and Linnet Bird,” and feasted in the sweetness and naturalness of “Anyone Can Whistle.” Throughout, he was supported by the excellent musicianship of his music director/pianist Tracy Stark.
Under the skillful direction of Chris Giordano, Murtagh kept the patter to a minimum, but what was there was quite interesting. He succinctly explored why he believes gay men are attracted to strong and theatrical women—the characters and the performers.
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He also traced his own career interactions with the works of Sondheim, beginning with a concert version of Company that had been staged in this same venue. He brought both themes together with his encore, a passionate and brilliantly built “Being Alive,” which he noted had been recorded by none other than Laurie Beechman herself. Sadly, this was something of a farewell performance, as he has announced he is moving to the West Coast to join his “beautiful blond twink.” Hopefully, he will return to his old neighborhood now and then.
