Interview: Triple Threat Tony Yazbeck Celebrates Tony Bennett at 54 Below
The 1/29 + 1/30 show reimagines Bennett's repertoire in a dazzling evening of song and dance.
Tony Award-nominated singer Tony Yazbeck will be at 54 Below on January 29 and 30 with a brand-new show celebrating Tony Bennett. In it, he reimagines Bennett’s classic repertoire. Broadway’s preeminent song and dance man, a true triple-threat, Yazbeck will also feature some of his own classic Broadway favorites, and perhaps a few surprises, in this dazzling evening of song and dance.
A veteran of eleven Broadway shows, Tony made his Broadway debut at age 11 in Gypsy with Tyne Daly. He earned a Tony Award nomination for his virtuosic turn as Gabey in On The Town on Broadway. He most recently starred as Cary Grant in Flying Over Sunset at Lincoln Center Theatre. He can currently be seen on TV in Ryan Murphy’s “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” on FX and Hulu.
Tony Yazbeck Celebrates Tony Bennett: The Very Thought of You features music direction by Jerome Korman and special guest Mae Roney. Tickets are available on 54 Below’s website.
We spoke with Yazbeck about the show, the inspiration behind it, and more.
What draws you to Tony Bennett's work?
I have been a huge admirer of Tony since I was very young. To me, he emits a certain sense of honesty and deep genuine vulnerability with every lyric he expresses. His voice is rich and timeless, and his joy is always on display. I was surprised to meet him once backstage in Patti LuPone’s dressing room after a show of Gypsy on Broadway and I was the most star struck I had ever been when meeting a celebrity. I was standing in the presence of greatness.
Can you tell us a little bit about how you'll be reimagining his songs, perhaps by walking us through one example?
I will be reimagining some of his songs with my music director Jerome Korman to suit my own style but still paying tribute to what he did so masterfully as well. One example is that in “The Very Thought of You”, I will be using soft shoe tap dance as the heartbeat of the number to fuse the tension of the underlying emotional connection of the music to the lyric. That longing when someone is constantly on your mind is told through a certain tempo of tap dance with leather shoes on. I have always loved finding new ways to connect tap dance to genuine emotion in storytelling.
Tony Bennett always had a way of passing down the baton of his music to the newer generations. That was his gift to us all. He wanted to keep the music alive in our hearts. This music is for all ages! In that way, I decided to bring on a young bright talent, Mae Roney, as my special guest to add to the legacy Tony created to keep this beautiful music alive for generations to come.
What was your process like in crafting the setlist for the show?
My process for creating a set list was most of all asking myself, “What do I connect to the most.”? “What songs bring up in me a sense of honest emotion that is authentic to the current state of my life”? Every show is a brand-new show and each time I create a show I excavate and go deeper, asking myself the real questions of how do I feel right now and can I courageously bring those feelings to the surface? Plus, there’s a whole lot of fun in store as well!
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I hope you will all join me for a timeless evening of song and dance to celebrate one of my all-time favorites, Tony Bennett!
For more on Tony Yazbeck, follow him on Instagram @TonyYazbeckOfficial.
Tickets to Tony Yazbeck Celebrates Tony Bennett: The Very Thought of You on Wednesday January 29 and Thursday January 30 at 7 pm are available on 54 Below’s website.
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