Review: Everyone Should Request Marilyn Maye BY REQUEST at 54 Below

“She is MARVELOUS!”

That was my cousin, turning to exclaim her reaction during the enthusiastic applause after Marilyn Maye’s second song at her opening night at 54 Below.  I was in my favorite club on a family outing of four - two of us have been doing the show business thing all our lives, while the other two don’t do show business at all.  They being what I like to call ‘civilians,’ had never heard of Marilyn Maye.  To me, not having heard of Marilyn Maye is unimaginable but since they are civilians, these two members of my family get a free pass.  But one of my favorite things to do is introduce Marilyn Maye to people who don’t know her or her work, and then sit back and watch their reactions.  On this particular night (October 1st), the show was worth it - the Marilyn Maye show and the show I got from my Marilyn Maye inductees.  Throughout the ninety-minute cabaret concert, my tablemates could be heard to gasp, could be seen to laugh, and could be counted upon to turn to me at various points either grinning, shaking their heads in wonder, or mouthing the words, “Oh my god.”  It was extremely satisfying, especially when my cousin Elizabeth chose to say that Marilyn Maye was marvelous.  Not being a show business person, she could not possibly have known that Marilyn’s second album was 1965’s Meet Marvelous Marilyn Maye, or that, ever since, that is how people refer to Marilyn, often to the point of clubs introducing her by saying, “Welcome to the stage Marvelous Marilyn Maye!”  It was just a fortuitous choice of adjectives.

There’s no point in being coy about it, since I’ve been covering the Marilyn Maye beat solidly, since starting at BroadwayWorld in August of 2019: Marilyn Maye is my very favorite.  I have never written a critique of Marilyn because there is nothing to critique - all I have done is written down what she has done, what the audience response has been, and how incredible I have, personally, found each show.  It’s not gratuitous, it’s not hyperbole, and it’s not lip service - she is, simply put, the greatest.  And it’s not her age, which gets mentioned quite a lot, and rightly so because it serves to illustrate the longevity of her career.  And it’s not the power of her instrument, which is always worth noting because there are people who work all their lives to achieve this sort of power with their voices, only to come up sort.  It’s the whole thing, the whole package, the whole equation.  There is the beauty of a voice that came from nature, there is the skill of an instrument that has been properly trained, there is the showwomanship that amounts to equal parts instinct and experience, and there is the relationship that she has with her audiences: these things are on display every time Marilyn Maye steps onto a stage, and they were certainly in the room when she kicked off this residency.

The dining room at 54 Below was filled to capacity on the day, and there were a lot of familiar faces - some familiar because these devotees never miss a Marilyn Maye show, some were celebrated artists of the show business community, and some were well-known friends of Marilyn’s that one sees at every show.  All of these people come to all of the shows and Marilyn knows them, she talks out to them in the room, she holds their hands from the stage, and she dedicates certain numbers to certain patrons.  For this residency, all the numbers are the ones she is asked, most frequently, to perform, hence the show title BY REQUEST.  These are the songs the regulars ask for, the songs we’ve heard before but never tire of hearing.  That makes this show a sure thing because you can count on hearing your personal favorites.  And the numbers that aren’t on your list of favorites can become favorites this time around because each offering is magnificent.  

On her opening night, Marilyn’s program ran the gamut from the Great American Songbook (a standout “It’s a Most Unusual Day”) to Broadway (evening highlight “No Bad News” from The Wiz) to country (the funky “Rich Man” with a special Marilyn Maye mash-up) to jazz (one of those special Marilyn Maye medleys themed for the autumn months).  Marilyn Maye can sing any style of music because she styles the compositions for herself, and whatever the genre, whatever the arrangement, she eats the performance and the song like she was a rock and roll singer being backed up by the world’s best band, Tedd Firth, Mark McLean, and Tom Hubbard.  Her tribute to Ray Charles is as hot and heavy as Ray Charles himself was.  Her Fats Waller and Duke Ellington medleys are as intricate and layered as the men and their music.  At times it becomes shocking, sitting in the room and listening to Marilyn sing because it can be hard to believe that a mere human is capable of this kind of musicality, this level of proficiency, and this degree of storytelling - because, doncha know, even while Marilyn is singing her face off (she is always singing her face off), she is using that face and all of her acting skills to do what matters most: tell the story.

Observe the intensity in the tour-de-force that is the “Lazy Afternoon/Bye Bye Country Boy” medley.  Get lost in the emotion of the musical monologue that is “Fifty Percent.”  Be grateful for the chance to see Marilyn Maye perform “Misty” live (her recording of the classic is, by far, my favorite “Misty” ever).  And what Marilyn Maye show would be complete without her most requested song, “Guess Who I Saw Today” - and it doesn’t matter that we all know the denouement, when Marilyn sings it, it’s like hearing it for the first time.  All of this is wrapped and woven around Marllyn’s inimitable chat with the audience, an audience that loves her, that adores her, that comes to show her that love and adoration, which she reciprocates.  It was a joyful lovefest all night long, with the exchange of energy ongoing and palpable, but as Marilyn neared her last two numbers, “Too Late Now” and her famous combination of “Secret Of Life” and “Here’s To Life,” every person in the room leaned in, as if to soak up every moment of Marilyn Maye - and it was worth soaking up.  The two numbers, back-to-back, were a slum dunk after eighty consecutive minutes of entertainment  The only thing missing on opening night was a recording engineer.  That’s right.  We have gone long enough without a new Marilyn Maye album and the Lady is in spectacular form and voice.  One of our New York City record producers needs to call up Marilyn Maye and 54 Below and offer to record BY REQUEST because it is a show and a moment that needs to be documented for everyone.  I’ve searched high and low for an authentic recording of Marilyn’s “Fifty Percent” and I haven’t found it: and we need it.

Just in case nobody takes my suggestion and just in case this show is not recorded, dear readers, please do yourselves a favor and catch one of the remaining five shows.  Marilyn is in residence at 54 Below until November 25th, so there’s time - all the dates are listed below.  Do it for yourself, but make the journey even better by taking along a loved one who doesn’t know Marilyn’s work.  Be the person who introduces Marilyn Maye to someone - they will never stop thanking you, and you will never stop thanking yourself for taking in and sharing one more marvelous night with Marilyn Maye.

Marilyn Maye BY REQUEST will play 54 Below on October 23rd, October 29th, November 13th, 24th, and 25th - all shows are at 7 pm. 

Tickets can be accessed HERE.

THIS is the main page for 54 Below.

Marilyn Maye has a website HERE.

The BY REQUEST band is Tedd Firth musical directing from the Piano, Tom Hubbard on Bass, and Mark McLean on Drums.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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