Review: 54 SINGS THE RINK Pays Tribute to a Kander & Ebb Gem at 54 Below

Charles Kirsch, young host of the Backstage Babble podcast, produced Monday night’s 54 Sings The Rink concert, featuring an array of talent who all had some connection to the 1984 musical. The show was the latest in a long line of cabaret shows he's produced celebrating delightfully obscure works from musical theater history. The show honored this evening, Kander and Ebb’s The Rink, is a treasure, and this concert was a treasure too.

If you weren’t at the delightfully lavish 54 Below concert on Monday, July 22nd at 7 pm, you’re unlikely to ever hear the score of The Rink performed in its entirety like this ever again. (Well, near entirety; Kirsch announced they were skipping the Act One finale, “What Happened to the Old Days?” to a chorus of disappointed moans from the audience.) This type of high production value, star-studded cabaret dedicated to an obscure but beloved work of musical theater is not put on that often. However, as indicated by the completely sold-out crowd, the demand is there.

Caroline O'Connor.

Listening to the Rink's score sung live, it’s easy to see why it's attained cult classic status. The show may have been a flop commercially in its first Broadway run, and perhaps the book is a little clunky, but it boasts a gorgeous Kander and Ebb score, and the original production featured the likes of Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera and a young pre-Seinfeld Jason Alexander in the ensemble. Kirsch, our host for night, led us through a bit of The Rink’s history, interwoven with performances. He opened by saying that he had chosen to do this concert as a tribute to Chita Rivera, who passed away in January of this year.

 Mary Testa

The Rink follows Anna and Angel, a mother and daughter duo originally played by Rivera and Minnelli respectively, as Angel tries to preserve her family’s roller skating rink, which her mother wants to demolish. Kirsch assembled an amazing cast of people touched in some way by the Rink. Mary Testa, who was Minnelli’s understudy in the original production, gave a powerhouse performance of the show’s opening number, “Colored Lights.” Caroline O’Connor sang the next song, “Chief Cook and Bottle Washer,” in which an exasperated, beleaguered Anna bemoans her fate as a servant at home and work. Kirsch pointed out that O’Connor is probably the only person who’s ever played both mother and daughter in the Rink, in 1988 and 2018 London productions of the show.

Kirsch collected wonderful video appearances from two people involved with the original Rink who weren’t able to make it in-person. John Kander recorded a touching message for the audience, talking a bit about the score. Jason Alexander shared a wonderful story about a pep talk Chita Rivera gave the rest of the cast when Minnelli dropped out of a show. There were only 100 audience members, and Rivera went on with the show anyway so that the rest of the cast would get paid, suggesting that they treat it like a put-in rehearsal for Mary Testa, who hadn’t gone on yet at that point, and reminding them that the audience had paid for tickets so to “give them a show.” Alexander said that he's always carried Rivera's caring about the show and kindness towards her castmates with him.

Mel Johnson Jr., Scott Ellis, and Charles Kirsch

Between songs, Kirsch interviewed some of the cast with especially close connections to the Rink about their experiences with the show. He pulled up Scott Ellis and Mel Johnson, Jr., both in the show’s original ensemble for an interview. Kirsch asked the pair why they didn’t think The Rink was a commercial success, and Ellis pinpointed one of the biggest factors: a bad New York Times review. He recounted his experience joining the cast's opening night party at Sardi's a little late. He was about to explain who he was when the staff announced him: Mr. Scott Ellis from the Rink. He'd never felt so important. In a span of minutes, when the reviews started coming in, the atmosphere changed dramatically and soon Ellis said they were “being rushed out.”

The evening also featured a special announcement. 54 Below chose the show to roll out its chair naming program where anyone can dedicate a chair to a loved one, colleague, family member, or themselves. Co-founder Richard Frankel announced the program. He dedicated the very first chair to The Rink's director A.J. Antoon, who passed away from AIDS-related lymphoma in 1992. Antoon inspired the seed of the idea that turned into 54 Below. He directed a show immersed in a restaurant setting, which gave Frankel and the other co-founders the idea to marry theater and dining at 54 Below. Proceeds from the chair naming program will support all of 54 Below’s initiatives, including its subsidized ticket program and its work to support upcoming artists.

Male ensemble: Danny Gardner, Bruce Landry, Andrew Leggieri and Quinn Corcoran.

Overall, 54 Sings the Rink was a wonderful concert. Kirsch clearly put a lot of thought into casting the show, and each and every performance of the evening was a standout. He also gave the necessary context to understand each song before bringing on the performers. Jenny Lee Stern and Jenna Lea Rosen were appropriately exasperated in the mother-daughter duet, “Don’t Ah Ma Me.” Ben Davis sang the gorgeous “Blue Crystal” in duet with Nikka Graff Lanzarone in which his character gives Anna a non-explanation of where he’s been. Bianca Marroquin sang the wistful “Under the Roller Coaster,” where Angel remembers her glorious childhood days at the Rink. John Bolton and Caroline O’Connor dueted on “Not Enough Magic.” Karen Ziemba, who’s starred in multiple Kander and Ebb shows including Steel Pier, belted Anna’s bittersweet “We Can Make It.” Stephanie Pope and the Wreckers, played by Quinn Corcoran, Danny Gardner, Bruce Landry, and Andrew Leggieri, sang the hopeful “Angel’s Rink and Social Center.” Real-life mother and daughter Ilene Graff and Nikka Graff Lanzarone showed off their comedic chops in “The Apple Doesn’t Fall,” in which the characters get stoned together. Mark Jacoby sang the touching “Marry Me” (which made it into the recent Broadway production of Kander and Ebb’s New York, New York). Sara Gettelfinger and Jenna Lea Rosen shone venting their frustrations in “Mrs. A,” accompanied by the Wreckers. Karen Mason belted a lovely “Wallflower,” telling her daughter (Jenny Lee Stern) that she needed to stand out. The pair performed original choreography they put together themselves, making great use of the 54 Below stage and wowing the audience. The Wreckers closed out the show with the very fun title song, “The Rink.” Corcoran, Gardner, Landry, and Leggieri sang in beautiful harmony with each other, hopping in a circle in a mime of the roller rink.

To make sure you don’t miss the next concert like this that 54 Below offers, check out their upcoming calendar on their website and sign up for their e-mail list for updates.

Follow Charles Kirsch and Backstage Babble podcast on Instagram @BackstageBabble.

To post a comment, you must register and login.