Review: Cheyenne Jackson's SIGNS OF LIFE at 54 Below Is Utter Perfection

Cheyenne Jackson is laying himself bare on stage at 54 Below, nightly through Sunday September 29 with his hilarious new show Signs of Life. Jackson is utterly mesmerizing to watch, and delightfully funny as he weaves confessions about his life in with stories about parenting, his own late father, and working in TV in between songs. Jackson is a natural storyteller, and the push and pull between talking and moving into song was totally seamless. (And, as he’s recently come out as a writer himself, it’s no wonder that his stories and anecdotes themselves are wonderfully crafted – each one could have easily been its own comedic essay.) When you have someone willing to go that personal, at that level of writing, who can also knock it out of the park vocally, you get cabaret perfection.

Jackson opened the show with lovely rendition of “Stand By Me,” and then introduced the audience to the show, the opening night of his “second annual” residency at 54 Below, Broadway’s Supper Club. Jackson loves New York – “it’s the city where I become a man,” he said with a suggestive waggle of the eyebrow that had the crowd in hysterics. The laughs rolled freely all night as Jackson frankly discussed topics ranging from hair plugs to his kids (he and his husband are raising twins) to his time competing on The Masked Singer. I don’t want to give away too much of the show, but I will say the night really did feel like we were watching the one-man show of Jackson’s yet-to-be-written memoir, as he reflected on his life so far on the cusp of his 50th birthday. Jackson has been gracing New York theater for over 20 years, ever since he moved to New York and joined the cast of Thoroughly Modern Millie. You can really see his theatrical control in his performances when he’s on stage. Every gesture he made, every facial expression, every vocal inflection was perfect. His sense of comedic timing is impeccable. Whether he's weaving between tables and gyrating his hips while belting "Little Less Conversation" from Xanadu or singing a tender "Besame Mucho," he knows how to get to the heart of each song and give it exactly what it needs to soar. At one point, he started singing a heartfelt, somber Sam Smith song, an acoustic cover of “Lay Me Down.” Almost immediately, he was interrupted by a crash from the kitchen, cracking up everyone, including him. He paused for a beat, flashed a smile and said, “Let’s start over.” He took a breath and delivered the song flawlessly.

One of the most touching songs of the night was one of Jackson’s originals, “O.K.,” which he wrote based on a conversation where his father accepted him unconditionally. Jackson also sang a duet with his guest of the night, Nikki Renee Daniels (Company, Book of Mormon). Both had understudied for the lead roles in Aida on Broadway. However, even though Daniels replaced the role of Aida on tour, she never got to actually go on as in the role on Broadway – so Jackson invited her to sing “Written in the Stars” with him. The two were thrilling to watch.

Jackson closed out the show with “I Am What I Am,” since he’s not going to get to sing that song when he plays Georges in La Cage Aux Folles at The Pasadena Playhouse later this year. It was a wonderful thematic cap to the night, as well as a showcase for Jackson’s vocal and acting ability, starting quietly and building to a belt. It was the perfect ending to a perfect evening.

Signs of Life continues tonight and every night through Sunday September 29. At every show, Jackson will be joined by a different guest performer. The rest of the run is almost sold out – so make sure to get your tickets now.

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Header photo credit: Stephen Sorokoff. See Stephen's full set of photos from last night's performance of Signs of Life with guest Abby Mueller.

Tickets to Signs of Life are available on 54 Below's website.

Follow Cheyenne Jackson on Instagram @mrcheyennejackson

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