Andrew Lloyd Baughman: Tom Lehrer Is Alive and Well and Has Given Away All Rights to His Music

Post author:Bart Greenberg
Post published:November 23, 2024
Reading time:3 mins read

Andrew Lloyd Baughman

Tom Lehrer Is Alive and Well and Has Given Away All Rights to His Music

Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, November 13, 2024

Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

Falling into that recently developed genre that is a mix of cabaret and theater, Tom Lehrer Is Alive and Well and Has Given Away All Rights to His Music (possibly the longest title of a cabaret show since that little show about Jacques Brel) was a delightful example of this hybrid written and performed by Andrew Lloyd Baughman. It was created under the auspices of D.C.’s Landless Theatre Company’ in it Baughman portrayed Professor Charles Chucklenut, who is in the process of defending his dissertation on Lehrer’s relevance in the 21st century. This eccentric fellow responded to questions from his examiners by sharing nearly 20 selections at the piano, assisted by the perky and occasionally sardonic Sally (Bowie Baughman), who had her own solo song “The Old Dope Peddler” (for no particular reason). A third Baughman, Melissa, was the director of the show.

Tom Lehrer specialized in humorous songs. Many featured political commentary (“National Brotherhood Week”); many were highly satirical and focused on the world in general (“I Wanna Go Back to Dixie”); and some were just silly fun (“The Elements”). All of them had clever melodies. The good professor seemed to delight in these varying styles, notably in the playful words and rhyming schemes that remain fresh and amusing. Such classics as the very twisted “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park” and the ridiculous “Hanukkah in Santa Monica” continue to entertain, especially as performed by such a skilled interpreter as Baughman.

If there were echoes of Peter Schickele’s PDQ Bach in Chucklenut’s persona, that wasn’t a bad thing, especially when he offered some updated lyrics for a few of Lehrer’s most politically oriented pieces. These included “Whatever Became of Mike Pence?” and “George Santos,” which were quite true to the originals. And Chucklenut may have been far more eccentric than he seemed at first—keep an eye on the cooler he kept close to him. A series of clever slide projections added a great deal to the show. As a songwriter tribute, as a character study, and just as an amusing cabaret, this show with its very long title was highly successful.

Tags: Cabaret Reviews, The Elements, American Songbook, PDQ Bach, CD Reviews, Don’t Tell Mama, Nightclubs, Whatever Became of Mike Pence?, Clubs, Cabaret Scenes, Andrew Lloyd Baughman, Musicals, George Santos, composer, Tom Lehrer Is Alive and Well and Has Given Away All Rights to His Music, Lyricist, Bart Greenberg, Landless Theatre Company, NYC, Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, Great American Songbook, Professor Charles Chucklenut, songwriter, Broadway, Bowie Baughman, Tom Lehrer, National Brotherhood Week, Cabaret, Melissa Baughman, Vocalists, Hanukkah in Santa Monica, Broadway Musicals, political commentary, CD, American Songbook Association, I Wanna Go Back to Dixie, Singer, ASA, Jacques Brel, Peter Schickele

Bart Greenberg

Bart Greenberg first discovered cabaret a few weeks after arriving in New York City by seeing Julie Wilson and William Roy performing Stephen Sondheim and Cole Porter outdoors at Rockefeller Center. It was instant love for both Ms. Wilson and the art form. Some years later, he was given the opportunity to create his own series of cabaret shows while working at Tower Records. "Any Wednesday" was born, a weekly half-hour performance by a singer promoting a new CD release. Ann Hampton Callaway launched the series. When Tower shut down, Bart was lucky to move the program across the street to Barnes & Noble, where it thrived under the generous support of the company. The series received both The MAC Board of Directors Award and The Bistro Award. Some of the performers who took part in "Any Wednesday" include Barbara Fasano and Eric Comstock, Tony Desare, Andrea Marcovicci, Carole Bufford, the Karens, Akers, Mason and Oberlin, and Julie Wilson. Privately, Greenberg is happily married to writer/photographer Mark Wallis, who as a performance artist in his native England gathered a major following as "I Am Cereal Killer."