THE HANGOVER REPORT – The more the merrier: SETH SIKES & FRIENDS celebrate Judy Garland’s 103rd birthday in style at 54 Below

Seth Sikes (right) and Nicholas King (left) in “Seth Sikes and Friends Celebrate Judy Garland’s 103rd Birthday” at 54 Below (photo by Adrian Dimanlig).

Last night at 54 Below, Seth Sikes and a few of his cabaret colleagues celebrated the iconic Judy Garland’s birthday in style. Appropriately billed as Seth Sikes and Friends Celebrate Judy Garland’s 103rd Birthday, the one-night-only show was an emphatic reminder of the unique ability of cabaret to allow audiences to be in the “room where it happens” — a room without a fourth wall, so to speak, wherein performers interact with audiences with disarming directness — all the while mining the popular songbook in ingenious and often playful ways. Rarely are two nights ever the same, proving that cabaret is a living, breathing art form.

For this year’s iteration of his Judy Garland bash, Sikes made the smart decision to generously spread the wealth, inviting other exceptional cabaret talents to take the spotlight and sing some of Garland’s most iconic standards, which added a welcome curated element to the evening. Of the women, Jeanna de Waal (who played the title role in the infamous Diana The Musical) sang an exuberant “I’ve Got Rhythm”, while big-voiced Alysha Umphress sang a stylish, subtly jazzed up version of “Over the Rainbow”. Together, they all but brought the house down with a powerhouse performance of the iconic mashup duet of “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again”. In my opinion, better yet were the men, who dug deep to channel the soul-bearing vulnerability that underlies many of Garland’s song renditions — Jon-Michael Reese sang a devastating “The Man that Got Away”, while the legendary Charles Busch vividly, triumphantly brought to light the relatively unknown gem “By Myself” from Garland’s last film I Could Go On Singing.

Then there was joyful presence of Sikes himself, who was happily joined by his close friend and frequent cabaret collaborator Nicholas King, namely on a pair of amusing medleys — one a collection of the songs from the classic film Meet Me in St. Louis, the other based on the cities in which the duo have played. Throughout, Sikes sounded fabulous, effortlessly showing off his distinctive trumpet-like instrument. His voice soars, belts, and caresses — seemingly all at once. One of the great things about Sikes’ shows at 54 Below is how he and the excellent music director Phil Reno spare no expense to make sure audiences are treated to a thrillingly full big band sound.

RECOMMENDED

SETH SIKES AND FRIENDS CELEBRATE JUDY GARLAND’S 103RD BIRTHDAY
Cabaret
54 Below
1 hour, 15 minutes (without an intermission)
One-night-only on June 10

Categories: Cabaret, Music, Other Music

Leave a Reply