Review: Mark MacKillop Sings His DUETS At Birdland

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

So, my lambkins, strap in a bit because Bobby's about to go full-on gay on all y'all (((snort))). Have you ever met a real-life Disney prince, dear ones? Ever taken one look at a tall, handsome, GINGER, male-identifying, singer, dancer actor and thought, "OOF! I wish I had a slipper to lose?!" Well, Bobby was in all kinds of existential (what? Bobby knows words!) princess crises Monday night, catching the act of the uber prince-like triple threat, Mark Mackillop, in his DUETS show at Birdland. This freewheeling extravaganza was a one-shot performance that we can only hope the venerable club will re-program again and again, for one very strong reason... MacKillop himself. Monday night's performance with Prince Mark and his Broadway pals singing (what else? duets) bounced from song to song, and partner to partner, all while MM hosted, chatted, giggled, and goofed his way through 11 numbers featuring his rich bass-baritone. For a tight 57 minutes, MacKillop partnered with his very talented pals Ari Groover, Jonathan Hoover, Jasmine Rice Labeija, Telly Leung, Brittney Mack, Tara Martinez, Jelani Remy, and Edward Staudenmayer - all of whom provided immense talent as well as eye candy for everyone's tastes.

Now, that would be the classic journalistic who, what, when, and where's of the evening all covered (and beautifully if we do say so ourselves); now, here is the HOW of it all. The how really is more of a wow... Mark is a truly gifted performer who has not yet made his Broadway debut but who numbers Prince Siegfried on the First National Anastasia Tour among his out-of-town credits. His chiseled features, physique, and postings online of him flying in FULL dance mode, coupled with his powerful but smooth-as-silk voice, and the onstage presence he demonstrated with this particular performance bode well for his dreams of moving up to the "The Street." Mark's entire evening felt like a party where everyone was just tipsy enough to have some fabulously creative, freewheeling fun - madcap would be the word that comes to mind to describe the show. Funny, irreverent, outstanding, and gay, gay, gay would be a few more words yours truly would employ, the kind of "just enough gay" your fave fairy god-uncle brings to the holidays to take the onus of the family bloodbath. Starting with CHICAGO's I CAN'T DO IT ALONE, MacKillop segued very quickly into his first co-number, a truly HOT jazz rendition of FLY ME TO THE MOON with SIX's Brittney Mack, who had to literally fly off the stage and run to make it to her show for half-hour calls. DUETS then continued its plummet down the mountain by the seat of MacKillop's pants. Making great fun of himself for being on stage without his usual lyrics-on-a-music-stand crutch (and you all know how Bobby feels about the books - grrrrrrr), Mark did indeed fluff lyrics, grab alternate notes for his 2-person harmonies, and make the kind of live performance gaffes that create playful, living art. None of that mattered in the least because he could always spoofngoof his way out of it and make comedy lemonade wherever he fell. Helping at all turns were his exceptional (and exceptionally funny) costars who took each moment as it came, riffed for laughs, and helped their funny MC to be even funnier.

Highlights of this hilarity were Jelani Remy, who managed to work his SPOT ON Jennifer Coolidge impression into the Glinda/Elphaba girl ballad FOR GOOD, Telly Leung, who made MM laugh and the audience love them and their chemistry on I WILL COVER YOU from RENT, and finally, there was Alex Newell. Blowing in from LA by way of JFK, Newell and MacKillop had no opportunity to rehearse SIDESHOW's finale, I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU. Quipping to a passing waiter, Alex asked, "Do you have any lyrics?" and off they went, hitting a grand slam in that "Look at me ma." triumphant way. All-in-all, my lovelies, this brand new American Citizen (by way of Canada) is truly climbing the old north face of the musical theatre mountain, and we have no doubt that Broadway is in his future. We also hope that more Mark Mackillop DUETS are in all of our futures because this evening of frolic gets our resounding ...

4 Out Of 5 Rainbows.

Find All Things, Mark Mackillop, On His Link Tree: HERE

See All Things, Mark Mackillop, On His Insta: HERE

All Photos By Yours Truly, Bobby Patrick

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