Review: Feinstein's/54 Below Ebulliently Sings Cole Porter's KISS ME KATE

Inspired by the reputed battling of husband and wife actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne during their production of The Shrew, Cole Porter's most successful musical Kiss Me Kate is framed as a play within a play whose stars and co-stars can't seem to settle down to love. A subplot involving a gambling debt to gangsters adds high humor. Porter's musical opened on Broadway in 1948, running 1077 performances. The show garnered five Tony Awards, including the first for Best Musical and also for what was then called "Best Author" to book writers Samuel and Bella Spewak.

Thursday night at Feinstein's/54 Below, Scott Siegel--the busiest cabaret show producer in town--hosted a tribute to Porter's classic musical as part of the 2015 BroadwayWorld Award-nominated 54 Below Sings . . . series. With Siegel at the lectern filling in plot, Musical Director Ross Patterson on piano, and contributions by The Broadway By the Year Chorus, the evening was vivacious and fun.

An extremely animated full cast rendition of "Another Op'nin Another Show" virtually wiped out the depressing effects of the morning news, before Carole J. Bufford's "Lois" admonished a clowning Danny Gardner as her boyfriend "Bill Calhoun" for gambling yet again with "Why Can't You Behave?" replete with a soupcon of tap by Gardner and a dance turn by the couple. Bufford was charming and flirty. As headliners "Lilli Vanessi" and "Fred Graham," Lesli Margherita (who played "Mona Kent" in the most-recently closed Dames At Sea) and Robert Cuccioli (best known for starring in the musical Jekyll and Hyde) reminisce about the good old days (of faith and romance) with an ersatz Viennese "Wunderbar." Both performers infuse the song with character appropriate ego and self consciousness. The song is rich.

There were inevitably showcase numbers. Carole J. Bufford's was, to my mind, a reprise of her first song, which segued into "Always True To You In My Fashion." Starting spotlit, offstage in the club's bar area, the artist wound her way through the audience stroking and batting her eyes at men. Sitting in a lap or two would've been swell. Sheer, unadulterated top of the line sass from a lady to whom it seems like second nature. Not to mention that wowza voice.

"Too Darn Hot," wherein the company has gathered out back of the theater and dances, was unquestionably Danny Gardner's "moment." Finger-snapping and tapping, he led us into the lyric acapella, emphasizing cool rhythm. Gardner, most recently seen on Broadway in Dames At Sea, is a triple threat--actor, singer, dancer. Adding buoyant choreography (tonight, his own), theatrical turns are inevitably infectious pleasure.

Two gangsters who accidently find themselves on stage performed the cleverest number in the show, "Brush Up Your Shakespeare." Michael Dean Morgan and Carlos Lopez (photo left) played the cohorts with Hollywood-hood accents and perfect hats. Phrasing was on target, direction a delight. In particular, Lopez had a way of drawing in the audience with friendly, obtuse innocence. WE collectively grinned throughout.

Lesli Margherita not only has a fine voice (with wide range and skilled control), she's a good comedienne. Except for an occasionally slight tendency to go over the top (as in "I Hate Men"), the actress conveyed Lily's diva persona with appealing abandonment. A duet of "From This Moment On" with the reliable Broadway veteran Bob Stillman as Lily's suitor "Harrison Howell" was like watching a deer in headlights. Lily didn't really want to give up show business and run off with a civilian. "So In Love," on the other hand, emerged a pithy ballad with no nod to earlier, droll affectation.

Broadway leading man Cuccioli (photo right) delivered soaring, resonant vocals but seemed neither quite cynical nor lusty enough as Fred. His best theatrical moments were the subdued, regretful reprise of "So In Love" (when the character thinks he's lost Lily) and a bit of splendid, completely credible monologue before "Where Is the Life That Late I Lead?" The song that followed had amusing moments--Cuccioli swung the microphone out to the audience for our response to his "Where is it now?" which was, of course, "Totally dead"--and he handles wry well, but inexplicably ended up on the floor.

A good time was had by all.

Photos by Maryann Lopinto

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