Review: American Popular Song Society Honors Marilyn Maye With Lifetime Achievement Award At Theater 555

Oh, Marilyn Maye, how do we love thee? Well, I could count the ways, but I think it would be more substantial (at least for the purposes of this review) to count the singers who celebrate Ms. Maye. One week ago, at Theater 555, an all-star roster of thirty, yes, thirty, usual suspects of cabaret and Broadway came together to salute Marilyn as she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Popular Songbook Society. An icon such as her deserves the world, as she’s given so much to us over the course of her astounding ninety-five years. A nearly sold-out house and one of the best rosters I’ve ever seen on any show is the theater and cabaret world’s attempt to give Marilyn the love and thanks that she deserves. It was a pretty damn good attempt. 

Marilyn began singing professionally after winning a talent contest in her native Kansas led to weekly performances on WIBW 580 Radio Topeka, and, by 13, was singing big band in dance ballrooms and high schools in Des Moines, Iowa. She returned to Kansas after graduating from high school, where she played 5 nights a week for 11 years at the Colony nightclub, perfecting her talent. She recorded many albums, was Johnny Carson’s favorite singer (making 76 appearances on The Tonight Show), and was nominated for a Grammy in 1966. She is a legend in the truest sense of the word. 

The music performed over the course of the evening spanned genres, from disco to jazz to, of course, musical theater. In an interesting and lovely deviation from the typical form of a cabaret show, eight pianists shared the beautiful Steinway over the course of the evening. This was a unique way to both showcase more talent and ensure that everyone was in tip-top shape, no matter what piece was being performed. 

Each and every star that graced that stage could have their own write-up, and they have,  but I don’t think anyone these days has the attention span to read about all of that greatness, so I’ll just shout out some particularly exemplary moments. Liz Callaway gave maybe the best performance I’ve ever seen on any stage with her “Sing Medley,” arranged and accompanied by Alex Rybeck. A mashup of more songs than I could count including “Johnny One Note,” “Sing,” “Meadowlark,” “Make Your Own Kind of Music,” and more, Liz confidently navigated keys and time signatures in virtuosic fashion and showed a, frankly, Olympic level of confidence. It was well-earned confidence and a flawless performance of an intelligent medley, and I would like to steal it, please. Lee Roy Reams, also accompanied by Alex Rybeck, sounded better than any other time I’ve heard, as he crooned a simple “Don’t Blame Me,” which had Marilyn leaning forward in her seat, along with the rest of us.  Debbie Gravitte mashed together “Lulu’s Back in Town” and “You Took Advantage of Me,” an arrangement by Marc Shaiman, prefacing the piece with the thought that “this song could have been written for Marilyn” (speaking of “Lulu’s…” of course) and, accompanied by Isaac Hayward, had us all dancing in our seats, as she danced about the Theater 555 stage. The rest of the evening featured vocalists Melissa Errico, Charles Busch, Karen Mason, Julie Halston, Sandy Stewart, Tovah Feldshuh, Mark William, Jeff Harnar, Karen Akers, Susie Clausen, Mark Janas, Susie Mosher, Stacy Sullivan, Sidney Myer, Catherine Russell, Jamie deRoy, Marci Kraft, Jim Brochu, and Christine Pedi, accompanied by Michael Lavine, Tom Judson, Bill Charlap, and Sean Mason. The evening was hosted by Michael Lavine.  

Of course, Ms. Maye took the stage for the 23rd performance of the evening. Now, full honesty, I’ve never seen Marilyn perform live, just in videos. I could not have been prepared for what I saw. Accompanied by David Pearl, and singing a mashup of “Secret o’ Life” and “Here’s to Life,” Marilyn was the definition of joy, love, and light, as her strong, iconic voice charmed each and every individual in the house (not that they weren’t charmed already). You’ve heard people describe themselves as “ x years young” instead of “x years old?” It’s never been as true for anyone, as it is for Marilyn. At ninety-five years young, she makes beautiful magic on a stage. 

Anyone would be hard-pressed to think of a living performer as important to the world of cabaret as Marilyn Maye. She’s inspired so many of our favorite performers and helped to launch so many careers that her contributions to the scene are incalculable. Though I’ve attended these sorts of award presentations before, I’ve never seen one where the focus of each presentation was solidly on the honoree, rather than the performer. It felt as though the rest of us just faded away, as we were treated to intimate moments between Marilyn and her friends. If you give love out, you will receive love. Marilyn deserves all the love she has given and more, and it was a privilege to be present and share in that love. 

Visit the website for the American Popular Song Society HERE.

THIS is the Marilyn Maye website.

Photos by Conor Weiss.   See Conor's full photo essay on Broadway World HERE.

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