Jennifer Bassey
From Sexy Soaps to Classic Cabaret
54 Below, NYC, October 15, 2025
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Making her solo cabaret debut at 54 Below, the glamorous, witty, and dramatic Jennifer Bassey commanded the stage. With a throaty, late-night voice, at times reminiscent of Lauren Bacall with a bit of Debbie Reynolds thrown in, she wisely chose material for the most part that displayed er acting ability and her perfect enunciation and fine phrasing. She had strong support from her music director/pianist Ian Herman, and fine back-up from Tom Hubbard (bass) and David Silliman (drums), with some additional arrangements by Marilyn Maye; she was in fine hands. She was in total command of the stage, of herself, and of the audience, as she combined a will of steel with a warm and genuine smile.
Bassey spoke with great honesty about her love life (three husbands), her most famous role as a “borderline nymphomaniac alcoholic,” her beginnings as one of the original Playboy Club bunnies, and her age (a smashing 86). Actually, she dismissed her first husband as someone no one in the audience wanted to know about, but she spoke with great love for her second husband, playwright Luther Davis. Among other works, he wrote the books for two highly successful musicals, both with scores by Robert Wright and George Forrest. From Kismet, she delivered a lengthy medley of the classics “Baubles, Bangles, and Beads” and “Stranger in Paradise,” which she performed with great feeling even if it tested the extent of her vocal range. From Grand Hotel, she offered the tongue twisting “Maybe My Baby Loves Me,” and later the celebratory “We’ll Take a Glass Together”; both had great energy and sheer delight.
Another section was devoted to her long-term character on All My Children, the notorious Marian Colby, seducer of all three of her on-screen daughter’s husbands, including the one who was 19. A medley of “Sooner or Later” (Stephen Sondheim), “You’re Not My First Love” (Bart Howard/John Peter Windsor), and “Let Me Love You” (Howard) beautifully summed up the predatory female she so brilliantly portrayed.
Some other highlights included a rueful “Too Old to Die Young” (Murray Grand), delivered with wonderful comic timing, and a jazzy “The Best Is Yet to Come” (Cy Coleman/Carolyn Leigh). A special treat was the lovely “There Was a Time” (Rolf Barnes), who was in the audience. Bassey ended the evening with a wistful “I’ll Be Seeing You” (Sammy Fain/Irving Kahal), which left the audience hoping they would see her again soon.
