By Andrew Poretz. . .
Jamie deRoy, a New York cabaret legend and Tony Award-winning Broadway producer, presented a fine group of primarily Broadway performers for a special edition of her long-running variety show, Jamie deRoy & Friends. Tonight’s show was a fundraiser for The Actors Fund.
Jamie, who could pass for Joan Rivers’ hot younger sister, bookended the show with a couple of humorous, well-performed songs. The first was “I’m Too Old to Die Young” (Murray Grand), with additional, contemporary lyrics and references (“every nose unmasked”) by Barry Kleinbort. Jamie, recovering from a recent slip where she fell flat on her face, seemed none the worse for wear. (“The show must go on!”)
The six stars were supported by a three of the best musicians in the business, with Ron Abel on piano, Ritt Henn on five-string electric bass, and Ray Marchica on drums.
Jelani Alladin (Frozen), opened the guest performances with a soulful “Let it Sing (Janine Tesori/Brian Crawley), followed by the lovely ballad “Beautiful City” (John-Michael Tebelak/Stephen Schwartz) from Godspell. His rich, bari-tenor voice set a high bar for the rest of the show. That bar was met and even exceeded throughout the show.
Ali Ewoldt (Les Miserables; Phantom of the Opera) sang “I Could Have Danced All Night” (Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Loewe) from My Fair Lady. Her luscious, classical soprano voice hit a gorgeous high note that could have broken a few glasses at Birdland’s bar. Her second song, “My Love” (Jason Ma), was from Gold Mountain, an unlikely love story about the Chinese workers who built the California transcontinental railroad system. It was hauntingly sung with an almost ethereal beauty.
Cory Kahany (America’s Got Talent) provided terrific comic relief with a “tight five” set of killer material. She joked about being mistaken for a trans woman by more than a few people. “I look like Bruce Jenner before he transitioned,” quickly adding, “If I were transitioning, don’t you think I would have made more of an effort?” She poked fun at antivaxxers, noting that Pfizer makes both Viagra and a Covid vaccine. “Did you need more research with that?” Her bit about product reviews on Amazon had the audience convulsing with laughter.
The Mexican star Mauricio Martinez (On Your Feet!) sung in “Mi Peru” in Spanish (Jaime Lozano/Nancy Cheser) and “Something Wonderful” (Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II) in English and Spanish. He has a magnificent, high tenor voice with impressive breath control. Martinez communicates a song so well that the emotional context resonates even with those who do not speak Spanish.
The biggest name of the evening and the highlight of the evening was dancer, actress and singer Donna McKechnie, who won the Tony Award for A Chorus Line. At 81, she looks and sounds terrific. She told a wonderful story about auditioning for Stephen Sondheim, and set up the full context before singing Sondheim’s “Pleasant Little Kingdom.” When McKechnie sings, she weaves a story that brings you into the scene to see it through her eyes.
The Broadway songwriting team of lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty were scheduled to speak and to introduce the final guests. Unfortunately, Ms. Ahrens had to bow out due to a family emergency, but Mr. Flaherty appeared. Cassondra James (Once On this Island), a singer with a formidable presence, performed “Come Down from the Tree” (Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty), a song cut from Once On this Island. Christy Altomare (Anastasia; Mamma Mia!) bedazzled with “Journey to the Past” from Anastasia.
Jamie deRoy closed out the show with one of her signature tunes, the hilarious “Jews Don’t Camp” (David Buskin), the shticky kind of song the late, great Allan Sherman might have written in the 1960s, with clever lines like, “If it hasn’t got a lobby, I don’t want it for a hobby,” and “After 40 years the Eleventh Commandment says ‘Go to bed under a roof.’” There was no hard fundraising this evening, but the audience was asked to see the flyers on their tables for Information on donations to The Actors Fund. Jamie quoted Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who purportedly stated, “People who give to charity have good sex!” (Those readers so inclined to donate, whether for in the hope of good sex or for purely philanthropical reasons, can visit actorsfund.org.)
Jamie deRoy & Friends
Benefit for The Actors Fund, December 6, 2021
Musicians:
Musical director and piano: Ron Abel
Bass: Ritt Henn
Drums: Ray Marchica
Directed by Barry Kleinbort
Birdland Jazz Club
315 West 44th Street, NYC
Photos: Stephen Sorokoff
