Review: Lillias White Makes 54 Below Happy

The first thing that you notice when Lillias White hits the stage is not how gorgeous she is; neither is it her elegant chiffon and beaded navy cocktail frock (and, by the way, she is gorgeous and the frock is elegant) - it's her smile. If every person we looked at daily had her smile on their face we would all be much happier.

This is the smile of a woman whose life is filled with joy, and joy was the order of the day at Feinstein's/54 Below this week when Lillias White presented her cabaret "Make Someone Happy".

For over an hour this Tony Award winner welcomed us to her world with death-defying vocals and stupefying arrangements provided by musical director Timothy Graphenreed, clearly a man with whom Ms. White has a personal shorthand because the pair of them together make up a magical night of cabaret that feels like you're hanging out in Lillias White's living room.

During her first three songs, each one infectiously jubilant, Ms. White had little to say and I thought, for a moment, it would be ok if she didn't have anything to say because the lady can tell all the story that needs to be told through the expressiveness of her singing.

I turned out to be wrong as once White began to talk to us the show REALLY began! Make no mistake, Lillias White singing for you is a musical dream come true, but I have a great love of storytelling and White delivered on that account. White pulled up a chair and sat with us, explaining that the purpose of "Make Someone Happy" was to "bring the vibrations up" to a kinder, more loving place, since "the world is a sh*t show right now". She spoke with us, one on one, as a group, as her friends, as her fans; and we spoke right back, with guests calling out "I love you!" from every corner of the room. Her reaction? Naturally: "I love you, too", and trust me, we knew she was telling the truth.

"Make Someone Happy" is a musical panorama of show music, standards, pop music, blues and even a couple of cartoon related pieces wrapped around Ms. White's philosophies on life. "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it!" celebrating that which makes a person most uniquely them. It was like a musical Ted Talk, the theme of which was living life as a fearless, authentic, contented champion of self-appreciation.

If the audience was clapping and cheering along it is because they were there to hear the message - not a far stretch since the "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive" arrangement was right out of my church back home in Texas. The roof at 54 Below was sufficiently raised... and then quieted down with the sweetest, quietest, most tender version ever sung of You're My Best Friend.

With each burst of applause after (and during) every number, White seemed to flourish with untapped energy from some hidden place within, at times even bursting into some enviable dance moves. It must be easy to feel energized and to feel like dancing when you are on stage performing to INSANE arrangements like the ones created by Mr. Graphenreed, a brilliant pianist, and with musicians like Alex Eckhardt (Bass) and Eric Brown (Drums), each of them magnificently gifted.

The evening drawing to its close, Lillias White expressed her wish for us, that she could send us home happier than when we came in, and it can definitely be said that the mission was accomplished. Only one thing could have possibly made us all happier: that the show had lasted another hour or two.

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