Telly Leung
Back to Birdland
Birdland, NYC, July 19, 2024
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

Photo: Benji Rivera
Theater star (his career goes far beyond just Broadway) Telly Leung returned to the famous Birdland Jazz Club for the first time in six years delivered a full serving of energy, musical expertise, and showmanship, along with more than a bit of glamour. With top-notch support from pianist/music director Gary Adler, bassist Mary Ann McSweeney, and drummer Joe Choroszewski, Leung sang a wide range of material, from Broadway standards to disco to R&B in almost as many styles. Never fear—his strong personality and romance with the audience tied it all together.
He started things off with a swinging “Hello Young Lovers” (Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II), and then burned up the stage with “I Will Survive” (Freddie Perren/Dino Feharis) in a rendition that seemed to reflect some Eartha Kitt influence. Leung clearly intended to create an evening full of unexpected interpretations of songs from a variety of sources. He explicitly announced that he and Adler wanted to take some standards and flip them, and they followed through on that. “The Best” (Mike Chapman/Holly Knight) may be associated with Tina Turner, but Leung imbued it with an alluring simplicity before building it into a thrilling climax. He gave Stevie Wonder’s “Knocks Me Off My Feet” another great build-up that accompanied his jazzy approach to the song.
Sprinkled throughout the evening were his engaging tales of traveling the world to perform while dealing with the challenges of staying in touch with his husband and family, all of whom were in attendance. These humanizing tales built on his excellent connection with the audience members with whom he could do no wrong.
Concentrating on some classic theater gems, Leung found surprising approaches. A great mash up of “Broadway Baby” (Stephen Sondheim) and “There’s No Business Like Show Business” (Irving Berlin) managed to both razzle-dazzle theater and highly personal at the same time. There was more Sondheim with “Getting Married Today” given a jazz flair reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald’s classic treatment of standards, and he delivered “Every Time We Say Goodbye” (Cole Porter) as laid-back erotica with a sultry musical background. “Nowadays” (John Kander/Fred Ebb) was presented as a tribute to one of his mentors, Chita Rivera. All of these approaches brought a freshness to this delightful evening, Hopefully, Leung won’t keep us waiting another six years before he returns to his club of choice.