Review: LEE ROY REAMS GOODBYE, KENTUCKY! HELLO, BROADWAY! Puts The Show In Show Business At Feinstein's 54/Below

Heigh-Ho Friends & "Family"! Bobby Patrick, your RAINBOW Reviewer here. Putting the silent T in CABARET to bring you all the T.

So, dear readers of Bobby, there comes a time in the life of every great stage performer when words like vintage, venerable, revered, and stately begin to pop up in their descriptions in print. Intended to be terms of endearment for those who have stuck with it, the players themselves often read them as, "Well, that makes me sound old." Last night's performance of Lee Roy Reams: GOODBYE, KENTUCKY! HELLO, BROADWAY! at Feinstein's 54/Below brought to the fore a true Broadway triple threat's memories of life and career on The Great White Way. Now, we use THAT vintage appellation (what? Bobby knows words!) because (though the era had actually passed by the mid-sixties when the Legendary Lee Roy landed) he has always been cut from the glittery cloth of Broadway's golden age. A true showman of the grand manner, Lee Roy Reams showed he is still one of the youngest performers we have, with the energy and the inimitable stage presence to take his audience on a ride that will make them laugh, cry, and, in general, have all the feels, especially the feeling good kind. Through the show, our star had a few funny fluffs and gaffs that made the audience love him even more, and with the MWAHVELOUS support of Alex Rybeck at the keys, he was able to get right back on track cuz there ain't no pro like an old pro. You see, La Reams has indeed reached that stage of veneration of past glories, but his lively performance proved that he's a real pro who deserves to have an audience and that any discerning audience deserves to have him. Starting off with songs, anecdotes, and photos telling the story of the little gay dancing boy who came from the hinterlands to make it in New York City, Reams tells how he got himself out of Kentucky, which is somewhere out there in the middle, ed-u-ma-cated himself in Ohio (ultimately getting his masters degree), and then made his way to NYC where he did what every singing dancer boy does on his first day in the big city - he got his very first job with his very first audition... natch! From there, the house was regaled with terrific tales of working in Vegas with his dear pal Juliet Prowse, and stories from a Broadway career that includes 7 actor, 2 director, 8 touring show credits, 2 Off-Broadway shows, A Tony and A Drama Desk Nomination, making life-long friends of Lauren Bacall, the Carols (Channing & Burnett), working with Fosse, and making Broadway history by being the first out actor to play queer roles in gay ways, plus 42nd Street ... and that, as they say, just ain't hay.

Oh My lambs, the fun of listening to stories from his early years in the land of hayrides and hoedowns was matched by the excitement of his songs from shows he was either in, came into as a replacement, or (in the case of his near 3 decades with a lady named Dolly) a show he starred in, directed and choreographed - Reams' career has glittered as much as his IN THE MONEY jacket from 42nd Street. Basically, his show was chock-a-block full of Musical theatre glitz and glamor, along with wonderful moments of pathos and power. We got an especially wonderful surprise with the 1970's Bread hit IF A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS that Reams sang in memory of his late husband of 50 years, Robert Joseph Donahoe, and as the saying goes... not a dry eye in the house. Another great moment came midway through the show when he called THE FANTASTICKS' original Louisa, Rita Gardner, to the stage to sing that piece of musical theatre history's beautiful THEY WERE YOU in a voice that still has a lovely lilting soprano.

The price of the ticket/food & drink minimum, though, was made worth it with the Tony nominee's salute to HELLO DOLLY! Counting all the ways in which this show enriched his life throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, Lee Roy told of the time he got to pop on a dress and play The Matchmaker herself. His singing of the Ethel Merman opus LOVE LOOK IN MY WINDOW (a song originally composed for Ethel, cut when Ms. Channing was cast and reinstated when The Merm played the musical's final year) killed almost as much as his touching performance of Dolly's Oakleaf monologue to her late husband Ephraim Levi - and if you don't know what any of those words mean my darlings, then you must take yourself to Feinstein's 54/Below (or log into the live stream tonight at 7 PM EST) and catch this not-to-be-missed act because Bobby gives this one our full...

5 Out Of 5 Rainbows

Should you see Lee Roy Reams: GOODBYE, KENTUCKY! HELLO, BROADWAY! You bet your sweet rainbow bottoms you should and the good news is - no matter where you are, YOU CAN.

Get Tickets to tonight's Live Stream: HERE

OR

Grab yourself some seats to see it Live: HERE

Read my lovely boss, Stephen Mosher's, review of Lady Lee Roy's last 54 Show: HERE

All Photos By Yours Truly, Bobby Patrick.

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