54 Sings Coco
54 Below, NYC, April 14, 2025
Reviewed by Jacqueline Parker
A warm, nostalgic, reverential, and emotional evening—perhaps their best so far—was presented by music director Michael Lavine and producer/director/host Charles Kirsch at 54 Below. Coco, the collaboration between André Previn and Alan Jay Lerner, is perhaps best remembered as the only appearance by Katharine Hepburn in a musical. That was a most unlikely choice one might think, but Kate was not called “The Great” for nothing. She embodied the character of Coco Chanel to perfection; I remember having chills up my spine when I first saw her performance. Coco is one of the great female-empowerment musicals, akin to Funny Girl in that regard. It deserves a revival, but one imagines that the technical (and perhaps financial) constraints of reproducing all those Tony Award-winning gorgeous red dresses, not to mention the original mirrored set designed by Cecil Beaton, might have precluded it from becoming reality.
Fortunately, Lavine and Kirsch stepped up and put together the next-best thing: a concert version populated with some of the best talent in town. Ben Jones proved that point when he introduced the complex lady with a perfect rendition of “But That’s the Way You Are.”
Most of the women in the cast were dressed as if they were paying homage to Chanel; they wore basic black dresses, hats, gloves, and ropes of pearls as a solemn and silent tribute. Two original-cast members were in attendance, one of whom, Jean Preece, told that there had been construction going on across the street from the theater, and the jack-hammering was interfering with one of Hepburn’s big numbers. Kate the Great took matters into her own hands, crossed the street and asked the workmen to “take a break” during that 10 to12-minute interval. Can you imagine how anyone, much less New York construction workers, could deny the formidable Hepburn such a simple request? Two previously cut numbers that were also part of this evening’s performance.
Britney Coleman captured the innocent and conflicted Noelle, Chanel’s protégée, in “A Brand New Dress,” and Steven Brinberg (doing a spot-on Hepburn voice) and Lenny Wolpe performed the pivotal duet that revealed the source of Chanel’s character, made even more heartbreaking by Wolpe’s paternal love, which was evident in each sentence. Brad Oscar brought “Fiasco” to life (the song which won a Tony Award for René Auberjonois), and A.J. Shively imbued “A Woman Is How She Loves” with enough passion to keep the entire Great White Way blazing for at least another decade.
A bit of humor was injected when “Orbach’s, Bloomingdale’s, Best, and Saks,” was perfomred by Paula Leggett Chase, Jay Aubrey Jones, and Neal Mayer as salesmen after they—and Chanel—had all imbibed too much. One of the most beautiful songs in Coco is “Let’s Go Home” in which a lover entreats his mate to give up fashion and remain with him. This was originally performed by David Holliday, whose rendition remains outstanding. Holliday’s voice was reminiscent of some of Broadway’s great male stars—think Raitt, Cassidy, Drake and Hearn. Ben Jones topped all of them with his touching and almost heartbreaking rendition. The original version was bold from beginning to end, but Jones let the emotion grow until the climax and gave its emotional impact even more power.
The show began perfectly and ended the same way. Christine Andreas made the audience feel all the emotion in “Always Mademoiselle,” the song in which Chanel reviews her reasons for the inevitability of remaining single. Andreas was stunning in what appeared to be a classic Chanel suit that had accessories that complemented her, and Chanel, perfectly. Built a bit like the woman she portrayed, Andreas also had the fierce independence that was a cornerstone of Chanel’s success along with a youthful ebullience that made Chanel so alluring. All the songs’ lyrics were enunciated clearly; for me, after years of listening to the show’s original cast recording, this enhanced the experience.
Hats off to Lavine and Kirsch for bringing this piece back to life, if only for an evening. They are hidden gems of the musical-theater community, and long may they provide the entertainment we all yearn for! And double hats off to Charles Kirsch, the Broadway Teenager who was just admitted to Harvard.
In a time when venues featuring musicals from the past century seem to be vanishing, it’s imperative that we support the ones that do recognize the importance of preserving this bit of our culture. Lavine and Kirsch are already noodling on their next venture to be presented at 54 Below in July, a musical that has never been revived on Broadway. It originally starred television’s most popular star and was the first full score by a well-known composer. Keep your eye on the 54 Below website to be sure you don’t miss it!
