Cabaret Review by Melissa Griegel . . . .
Cast members from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street took to the 54 Below stage on Sunday, December 3 to sing their favorite songs for a cause. The proceeds will go to The Entertainment Fund, formerly known as The Actors Fund. The cast members who performed did not include the leads of the show, but the evening’s emcee, Jamie Jackson said, “I am so proud of this cast. We are a cohesive group. We are all principal players.” Before each singer or duo began, Jamie asked them a question about their song choice, their life, or their involvement in the show.
Lexi Ribaldi was up first and sang a song from Stephen Sondheim’s first musical Saturday Night. She said that Sondheim had a magical ability to capture humanity that is very relatable, and that is why she chose to sing “What More Do I Need?” Joanna Carpenter was next with “Stars and the Moon” from Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown. She compared the similarities and differences between Sondheim and Brown. She said that they both have “a consistent exploration of the very deep flaws of the person singing the words,” but that Brown explores it very differently from Sondheim. “In terms of the storytelling, Jason speaks very differently than Sondheim did. And so I feel it is a matter of understanding the intention behind the piece and then committing fully to owning my version of that.”
For a touch of humor, Michael Kuhn and Hennessy Winkler dressed as cowboys and did their fun reinterpretation of “People Will Say We’re in Love” from Oklahoma! Michael and Hennessy both enjoy bringing a musical up-to-date and including people of all races and sexual orientations. “We are really not updating them,” Hennessy said, “we are just bringing them back to what they should have been all along.” The fight captain for Sweeney Todd, Raymond J. Lee, sang a beautiful and powerful rendition of “She Used to Be Mine” from Waitress, adding in a funny moment when he referenced Sweeney Todd by adding into the lyrics “in a beautiful meat pie.” Daniel Yearwood sang “She Used to be Mine” with a soft, clear voice, bringing full emotion into the piece.
Prior to singing “Say it Somehow” from The Light in the Piazza, Alicia Kaori and Jonathan Christopher talked about the trust and connection actors must build with each other in order to make a believable couple on stage. Kyrie Courter was very happy to see her parents at a front table in the room. She also chose a song from Waitress with “When He Sees Me.” She talked about how she interprets a song: “I like to have a road map, so if there are pieces of the puzzle that I am, like, ‘Oh! That’s important!’ I like to know that I should focus on it. But otherwise, I like to let myself be free and experience it.” Musical Director and pianist for the evening, Bruce De La Cruz, arranged a fun mash-up for DeLaney Westfall and Samantha Pollino, combining “Somewhere That’s Green” from Little Shop of Horrors and “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid. It worked surprisingly well, to the delight of the audience.
Nathan Salstone understudies for two vastly different characters in Sweeney Todd—Anthony and Tobias. “Although both characters come from such different places in life, it is wonderful to acknowledge that they both have optimism at the beginning of the show. All they want is for their journey to be successful.” He chose to sing “Photograph” by Cody Fry, a favorite of his. The next two songs, “It Must Come True” (duet by Daniel Yearwood and Joanna Carpenter) and “World, Show Me Where I Belong” (solo by Jonathan Carpenter) were both written and composed by Jamie Jackson and Sohee Youn. For the finale, the entire cast came together to sing a real treat: an original song by cast member Nathan Salstone. It was wonderful to see him up there singing his own song surrounded by the company.
The Cast of Sweeney Todd’s Benefit for The Entertainment Community Fund took place December 3 at 54 Below (254 West 54th Street, between Eighth Avenue and Broadway). www.54below.org
Photos by Melissa Griegel Photography – www.griegelphoto.zenfolio.com
