Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – At 98-years-young, the miraculous MARILYN MAYE continues to dazzle with her singular vitality at 54 Below

• By drediman
• April 23, 2026
• No Comments

Every opportunity to catch the marvelous and timeless Marilyn Maye is an experience to be cherished. Such was the case during the sold out closing night of the cabaret icon’s annual two-week birthday residency at 54 Below this April. To be sure, at an astonishing now 98-years-young, I am truly happy to report that she continues to be in tremendous voice, health, and spirits. Undoubtedly a national treasure, Ms. Maye is that rare instance of a cabaret entertainer whose career has only blossomed and become more visible as she’s gotten older (in fact, she only made her long-awaited Carnegie Hall debut, alongside the New York Pops, three years ago). Unsurprisingly, the evening was a love-fest between her and her adoring audience, and she lit up the intimate room with her singular vitality.

In possession of lungs of steal, Ms. Maye was in fine voice, her smokey belt and natural penchant for jazz inflections in commanding and confident form. On closing night, she by and large focused on hammering out her nicely diversified set list — culled largely from the Great American Songbook — reserving her deliciously open-hearted banter for precious spontaneous, in-the-moment observations and musings. Ms. Maye is the kind of singer who gets stronger the longer she performs, which was again the case on Sunday evening. Indeed, by the end of the concert, she was firing on all cylinders, concluding the celebratory show with a dazzling performance of her signature “It’s Today” number from Jerry Herman’s Mame; somehow, she even had the energy to accent her rendition with a whopping six kicks alongside the piano, much to the cheering audience’s delight.

Other highlights included a pair of gorgeous interpretations of Frank Loesser tunes — a swooningly crooned “Joey, Joey, Joey” from The Most Happy Fella and a perfectly jazzed-up “Luck Be a Lady Tonight” from Guys and Dolls. The city was also front of mind, as manifested by an ingeniously eclectic medley of New York-inspired tunes, as well as an homage to 54 Below, the singer’s New York home, if there ever was one, via a smartly re-purposed “I’ve Grown Accustomed to this Place”. As always, Ms. Maye’s fine band was led by her wonderful longtime music director and collaborator Tedd Firth on piano. If you missed her this month, fear not. The legend will be back at 54 Below this November for her annual fall engagement at the beloved midtown cabaret club.

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MARILYN MAYE
Cabaret
54 Below
1 hour, 15 minutes (without an intermission)
Closed