Review: Joanna Gleason Makes and Preserves History By Sharing Family History In OUT OF THE ECLIPSE at 54 Below

It has been said that writers should write what they know. Many is the club act and cabaret show that follows an autobiographical story of the artist at the mic. Over the years there have been shows produced for the small venue stages focusing on drug addiction, deafness, social anxiety, near-sightedness, sex addiction, and reclaiming one's own power (among other topics), and each of those acts outlined for the audience a valid and valuable tale of the life experiences of the actors on the stage. Each of those cabarets was one that this reporter saw and endorsed as quality storytelling.

There is something different, though, that happens when a writer tells the tale of the family that came before them. Consider that magical moment when Katrin says, "But most of all, I remember mama," and the fact that a novel based on Kathryn Forbes' own life spawned a play, a film, a television show, and a musical. Observe the success of Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Trilogy and how the history of his family and formative years has informed the lives and happiness of so many others. Only this year, Kenneth Branagh's autobiographical film Belfast received an Academy Award for writing. There is great weight in the stories people tell about their family histories because those stories become part of something bigger than they, themselves; those stories preserve, for all time, the legacy of a family and the people who created that family who are no longer here to tell their own stories.

In her one-woman musical cabaret OUT OF THE ECLIPSE, Joanna Gleason tells the history of her family and recounts the experience of losing her parents within weeks of each other, describing the despair that robbed her of her voice for ten weeks and detailing her own, personal, journey back into the light. It is a story and a show that will resonate with anyone who has parents to whom they are indelibly connected (whether living or not) but it isn't to be enjoyed, exclusively, by those people because it is a story worth listening to, whatever one's personal experience. Marvelously musical, deliciously descriptive, and hilariously humorous, Gleason's hour-long show is a Master Class in storytelling, cabaret or otherwise, in both the writing and the performing, both of which are inextricably linked in this circumstance because everything here is connected to Joanna. She was there when it happened, and she is the person best-equipped to ring gales of laughter out of an audience while translating an ages-old Jewish lullaby that her (interestingly nicknamed) Nana sang to her in her youth, and coax tears out of an audience by detailing her parents' sleeping arrangements during their final days. Ms. Gleason runs a glorious gamut in her journey, as the gentle flow of her words weaves deftly in and around the compositions of composers like Cole Porter, James Taylor, and Sandy Denny. Structured like a play, the monology in the piece is completely captivating from first to last - so much so that Gleason could remove all of the music from the program and still have a viable piece of theater. But that wouldn't do - it wouldn't do at all, because she and Musical Director and arranger Jeffrey Klitz have worked to create intricate and inventive treatments for the songs in order to incorporate the monologues and music into one seamless ongoing oration, particularly effective in a late-in-the-show performance of "Lost In The Stars," and a famous song from the second World War - but to call out only one highlight seems pointless, since there is absolute equity in quality, from number to number - not surprising, as Joanna Gleason just happens to be one of the great storytellers of our time.

Backed by an exceptional band and a dazzling vocal group called The Moontones that was created especially for this act, Gleason is afforded an opportunity to relax into her story, providing her audience with total vulnerability - essential when sharing a story that is not just personal but intimate because not only does Out Of The Eclipse discuss the lives and passing of Monty and Marilyn, it touches upon Joanna's own long, happy marriage, and the birth of her relationship with husband Chris Sarandon out of a notorious Broadway flop. With Sarandon joining Gleason on the stage for a segment, the intimacy factor is palpable and powerful, bringing to the proceedings a symmetry, as their own devoted love story mirrors that of her parents, including a clear sense of humor that appears to have informed the marriage of the couple that has departed, and that continues to inform the couple that remains. It's a most effective way for Gleason to make her own personal story as relatable as she has that of her parents.

As one might expect, it is not only the past and the present that come into play during Out Of The Eclipse because Gleason brings her exquisite musical journey (as any prudent storyteller would) to an end with an eye on the future, and with the unbridled optimism and artistry that she and her entire family embody (except, possibly, for one interestingly nicknamed Nana) the future looks bright for the Gleasons and the Sarandons, as well the audiences that have come (rightly) to crave this brand of storytelling; frankly, some of the best storytelling to found on any stage, today. When it plays Manhattan again, when it comes to a town near you, this reviewer could not, more wholeheartedly, encourage... no, urge... that it be placed on your calendar.

Worth. Catching.

The Out Of The Eclipse band is:

Jeff Klitz, Music Director and piano

Kate Spingarn, cello

Justin Rothberg, guitar

Del Robles, percussion

The Moontones are:

Christiana Cole

Christine Cornell

Michael Protacio

See Joanna Gleason in OUT OF THE ECLIPSE on May 31st at 7 pm in person (ticket link HERE) or via live stream (ticket link HERE) and visit the 54 Below home page HERE.

Visit the Joanna Gleason website HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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