Marcia Roney
The Way I See It
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, May 31, 2026
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Photo by Stephen Mosher
Marcia Roney bounced onto the stage of Don’t Tell Mama to greet everyone with a mash-up of “It’s a Good Day” (Peggy Lee/Dave Barbour) and “I’ve Got the Sun in the Morning” (Irving Berlin) that was enchanting. She quickly presented the title song of the show, “The Way I See It,” a lesser-known Cy Coleman composition in conjunction with Barbara Fried. This was a solid choice that made it clear this program would reflect her views on life. Part autobiography, part wry observations, Roney offered the persona of that wise and slightly wicked aunt who lights up a family wedding.
Working with her director Lennie Watts and her music director/pianist Tracy Stark, Roney certainly created a show no one else could do. Talking about recent health issues with a great deal of humor, she declared “I’m going to live forever!,” and it was doubtful anyone in the audience would have disagreed. She admitted that the characters she most connected with in musical theater were the “brassy broads” and then delivered a few songs about them. These were the wicked “Everybody’s Girl” (John Kander/Fred Ebb) that she filled with a surprising innocence, and the salty plea for evangelism religious fever in “Repent” (Cy Coleman/Betty Comden & Adolph Green). Then she shifted to a powerful and moving “Quiet Please, There’s a Lady on Stage” (Peter Allen). Not everyone could pull off that pivot.
She brought it back to the personal and shared some lovely teenage memories of going to concerts at the Brooklyn Paramount. She brought the audience along as she recalled those days with a medley of “Dream Love” (Bobby Darin), “Sh-Boom (Life Could Be a Dream)” (The Chords), and “Sincerely” (Harvey Fuqua/Alan Freed), all of which summarized the time and place perfectly. Stark’s arrangements certainly added to the moment.
Variety continued as Roney presented a bit more wickedness in a medley of Irving Berlin’s “It All Belongs to Me” and “You’d Be Surprised,” which led to bittersweet memories of her second husband and a very touching “My Favorite Year” (Michele Bourman/Karen Gottlieb). More sweet emotions followed as she serenaded a photo of her believed dog Roxie Barks with “When I Look in Your Eyes” (Leslie Bricusse), which was originally sung to a seal.
As a grand 11:00 number, Roney offered up a mash-up of songs that might be expected from mature women in cabaret. All were well performed, but there was certainly ironic humor in the mix as well. These included “No Time at All” (Stephen Schwartz), “I’m Still Here” (Stephen Sondheim), “50 Percent” (Billy Goldenberg/Alan & Marilyn Bergman), “The Ladies Who Lunch” (Sondheim), and “Here’s to Life” (Artie Butler/Phyllis Monlinary). Anyone who has attended cabaret regularly in recent years has heard all these songs repeatedly.
A final pivot brought a moving “All I Wanted Was the Dream” (Peter Allen) to bring the show to a close. Marcia Roney is a New York cabaret treasure. It will be lovely to see what she offers in her next appearance.
