Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Nights at 54 Below: CHRISTINE EBERSOLE nails the essence of cabaret, ELENA SHADDOW ambitiously tackles “Nine” in its (near) entirety

• By drediman
• November 4, 2026
• No Comments

This past week, I spent a couple of nights at 54 Below basking in the glow of a pair wonderful musical theater performers, two divas in their own right. Here are my thoughts.

CHRISTINE EBERSOLE WITH BILLY STRITCH
54 Below

First up was the delectable the pairing of two-time Tony-winner Christine Ebersole and highly accomplished cabaret music director Billy Stritch (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). Having performed with each other for more than two decades, their shows are nothing if not consummate class acts, and their latest set of performances at 54 Below was a sterling reminder that they are, in many ways, the epitome of the art of cabaret. Both individually and as a team, they command the stage with their sublime musicianship and irresistible chemistry (their jovial, witty banter is as natural as breathing and a complete joy to behold every time I seem them perform). This time around, the duo largely stuck to the Broadway songbook, first and foremost Grey Gardens and 42nd Street, the two shows for which Ebersole won her Tonys. Particularly beguiling was the gorgeously wistful one-two punch of “Another Winter in a Summer Town” and “Drift Away” from the cult Frankel and Korie musical. From the bouncy latter show, she nailed the title song, as well as a delicious medley that celebrated the tuneful show biz musical. Also quite wonderful were Ebersole’s touchingly personal renditions of “Bill” from Kern and Hammerstein’s Show Boat and “Somewhere That’s Green” from Menken and Ashman’s Little Shop of Horrors. Other gems in the show included Great American Songbook standards such as “Lush Life” and “Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries”, which she put over with the heft of a woman with the life experience to do such songs full justice. Throughout, Ebersole was in fine spirits and excellent voice, effortlessly displaying her astonishing vocal versatility from jazz to pop stylings. It goes without saying that she was expertly accompanied by the ubiquitous Stritch, who — with his butter smooth vocals — is also an underrated vocalist, in addition to being an unparalleled pianist. Indeed, I think it’s safe to say that no one strokes the keys quite as caressingly yet purposefully as Stritch does. It doesn’t get much better than this.

ELENA SHADDOW SINGS NINE… ALL OF IT!
54 Below

Then there was Elena Shaddow, who ambitiously embarked, for one-night-only, to sing a good majority of Maury Yeston’s gorgeous score for the Tony-winning musical Nine. Aptly titled Elena Shadow Sings “Nine”… All of It!, the concept is certainly a fascinating hook for a show, one that more performers should consider tackling. In 2003 at the tender age of only 23, Shaddow appeared in Roundabout Theatre Company’s Antonio Banderas-led Broadway revival alongside some rather notable divas, including the likes of Mary Stuart Masterson, Chita Rivera, Jane Krakowski, Laura Benanti, and Mary Beth Peil. Suffice to say, it was an impressionable experience for the young musical theater actress, one that continues to inspired her more than two decades onwards. Between each number, Shaddow recounted indelible memories from the production, particularly the nuggets of wisdom that the powerhouse women in the cast imparted to her. Shaddow’s voice remains in wonderful shape (after Nine, she would go on to understudy Kelli O’Hara in Jason Robert Brown’s musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County; no small task, this), which was evident in the way she navigated the disparate requirements of Yeston’s rich score. Depending on the song, her performance vacillated between amusingly self-aware (“The Grand Canal”), genuinely invested in the emotion at hand (the title song, “Unusual Way“), and unabashedly seductive (“A Call from the Vatican”). Her show culminated in a powerfully performed sequence of the musical’s climactic three final songs — “Be On Your Own” (sung by Luisa), “I Can’t Make This Movie” (Guido), and “Getting Tall” (Young Guido). Throughout, she did a tremendous job of committing all the lyrics to memory (some of the songs are quite wordy!), warranting the occasional self-pat on the back. Unforced and endearing, Shaddow possesses a natural cabaret presence that felt nothing less than welcoming. Supporting Shaddow ably on keys was music director Mason Margut, whose playing was symbiotic to her constantly-morphing performance.