Jason Henderson
Getting to Noël You
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, July 6, 2023
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Jason Henderson
Photo: Van Craig
It’s a happy surprise in cabaret when an artist and a saluted composer blend together so well that the pairing seems inevitable. Such was the situation when Jason Henderson brought his program Getting to Noël You to Don’t Tell Mama. While Henderson’s highly entertaining account of his life journey through a variety of office jobs along with his interest in the works of Sir Noël Coward sounded unlikely, it was one reason the evening was so satisfying. Henderson’s fine light tenor and perfect enunciation (needed to deliver these very wordy songs) and seasoned with his charming New Zealand accent were coupled with his excellent acting ability (he’s a graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse). All of these illuminated his exploration of the subtext of the more emotional numbers.
Henderson presented himself as a good-looking nerd clad in a well-fitting dark suit with matching bow tie and pocket square. He could easily walk into the lead in an early 20th-century musical comedy, perhaps one with a book by P.G. Wodehouse. His performance was full of sly smiles and self-deprecating body language, with a fire burning just below the surface. As a teenager, he discovered the works of Sir Noël, and quickly realized that “there is a Noël Coward song for every situation.
” The evening proved his hypothesis.
As he worked in offices where his fellow employees were waiting for “either lunchtime or death, whichever came first,” he became a one-person morale officer who encouraged his co-workers to “Come to Me” as he cheered them up with his weekend adventures (“I Went to a Marvelous Party”). When some of his officemates insisted on gossiping too much (“That Is the End of the News”), he discovered the pleasures of listening to classical music on headphones (“Play, Orchestra, Play!”) in a wonderful arrangement by music director/pianist Christopher Denny that incorporated bit and pieces of Gershwin.
Of course, unrequited office romance occurred, which allowed Henderson to explore the resulting emotions in a medley of “Something Very Strange,” “If Love Were All,” and “Someday I’ll Find You”; the melody of the last of these songs reoccurring throughout the evening. He showed a great capacity for hinting at large emotions that lay below the surface. On the other hand, he had a lark saluting the individuality and standards of an exasperating lady named “Nina” who refused to dance. Eventually, he decided it was time to “Sail Away” and come to the United States, although he was somewhat bemused (“Why Do the Wrong People Travel?”). He quickly decided that “I Like America,” although he had to return to his home company when the pandemic shut everything down. He did vow to return (“I’ll See You Again”) and happily for the cabaret community, he has done so. This young man, under the sharp and warm direction of Barry Kleinbort, showed that he has a bright future as he enthralled the packed room.
