Sean McDermott: The Best of Me!

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Sean McDermott

The Best of Me!

54 Below, NYC, January 20, 2026

Reviewed by Jacqueline Parker

Sean McDermott
Photo by Maryann Lopinto

With a commanding voice characteristic of legendary Irish tenors, Sean McDermott entered the room from the bar area, almost insisting that the audience turn to see him. From that moment on, it seemed impossible to look at anything else but him. This didn’t require much persuasion; his roguish good looks, replete with dimples and a charming smile, have made his presence on television, film, and Broadway stages virtually inevitable.

McDermott began the evening with the familiar anthem-esque “Once in a Lifetime” (Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse), as he walked slowly through the crowd and then finished on stage.  His sensitivity to the lyric was especially evident, with emphasis on words that, while familiar, seem to have been neglected after hearing his rendition.  For those who have not had the “moment” referred to in the opening number, they were reassured when he sang “The Best Is Yet to Come” (Cy Coleman/Carolyn Leigh).

McDermott peppered the evening with tales of singing with Barbra Streisand and performing with Mandy Patinkin. Several times that he mentioned how much he loved performing for an audience; that was totally unnecessary. He made that point palpably clear from the moment he began; he seemed incapable of not greeting people without a handshake or pat. He was fully engaged with his fans and even selected a lady to dance with him while he sang the seductive “Sway” (Norman Gimbel/Pablo Beltrán Ruiz/Luis Demetrio).

His selections spanned the breadth of popular songs with clarity and purpose, from songwriters such as Harry Warren and Al Dubin to John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Mini-medley selections of “Loving You” (Stephen Sondheim)/“Sometimes a Day Goes By” (John Kander & Fred Ebb), and “This Is the Moment” (Frank Wildhorn/Leslie Bricusse)/“Defying Gravity” (Stephen Schwartz) were thoughtfully and perfectly matched.

Echoing the title of his show, McDermott told the attendees “The best of me is giving all I’ve got,” and he delivered on that statement. He seemed to channel every ounce of energy within himself to give us the performance he wanted us to have, the one we needed. And can that man hold a note! He held the final notes of a few songs held so high and long that it seemed humanly impossible.

He expressed his gratitude throughout the show—to his team onstage (Sean Harkness on guitar, Tom Hubbard on bass, Ray Marchica on drums, and music director/pianist Ron Abel), and several times to his audience as well. It is we who should be thanking him for a memorable and rewarding evening at 54 Below.

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Jacqueline Parker

Like Ethel Merman, lifelong New Yorker Jacqueline Parker began her career as a stenographer. She spent more than two decades at the city's premier public agency, progressing through positions of increased responsibility after earning her BA in English from New York University (3.5 GPA/Dean’s List). She won national awards for her work in public relations and communication and had the privilege of working in the House of Commons for Stephen Ross, later Lord Ross of Newport. In the second half of her career, Jacqueline brought her innate organizational skills and creative talents to a variety of positions. While distinguishing herself in executive search, she also gave her talents to publishing, politics, writing, radio broadcasting and Delmonico's Restaurant. Most recently, she hosted Anything Goes! a radio show that paid homage to Cole Porter and by extension the world of Broadway musicals and the Great American Songbook. Other features of the show were New York living, classical music, books, restaurants, architecture and politics. This show highlighted the current Broadway scene, both in New York and around the country through performances and interviews with luminaries including Len Cariou, Charles Strouse, Laura Osnes, Steve Ross and Joan Copeland. Her pandemic project was immersion into the life, times and work of Alfred Hitchcock, about whom she has written a soon-to-be-published article. Jacqueline has been involved in a myriad of charitable causes, most notably the Walt Frazier Youth Foundation, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Sisters of Life, York Theatre, and the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival. She is a proud Founder of Hidden Water. Her greatest accomplishment is the parenting of her son, a lawyer specializing in mediation. She has many pretend grandchildren, nieces and nephews, on whom she dotes shamelessly, as well as a large circle of friends to whom she is devoted. Her interests in addition to theater and cabaret are cooking, entertaining, reading, and spending time on Queen Mary 2.