Review: GETTING TO NOËL YOU at Don't Tell Mama Is Utterly Splendid

Jason Henderson’s final performance of GETTING TO NOËL YOU at Don’t Tell Mama last week, on Wednesday May 22nd, was utterly splendid.

This reviewer first met fellow antipodean Jason Henderson at a master class she helped organize for mentor, Faith Prince, back in 2017. Ms. Prince had met Henderson at the St. Louis Cabaret Conference and said, “I must introduce you to someone from Australia.” A common occurrence for expats is that people tend to want to introduce you to someone they know from your region (Henderson is from New Zealand), but I’m glad she did. I was impressed by his witty performance then, and again at Don’t Tell Mama last Wednesday evening! You could feel the buzz amongst the supportive, near sold-out crowd as Henderson embarked on his final performance of Getting to Noël You, for which he recently received the Bistro Award for Musical Comedy Performer.

As possibly one of the best interpreters of Noël Coward this city has seen, Henderson, looking ever charming in a suit and bow-tie, opened the show with a tender rendition of “Someday I’ll Find You” before enlightening the audience to the premise of the show. Over the years, while pursuing his art, he has worked in a LOT of offices and has found that there’s a Noël Coward song for every office situation!

The next song, “Come to Me,” highlighted how offices are filled with people wishing they were somewhere else, and dare he say… morons (insert laughter here). For anyone who’s worked in an office, it was very easy to relate to Henderson and his often-hilarious patter about various office scenarios. Following that, he had this reviewer in stitches with “That Is the End of the News” which demonstrated the office worker prone to having personal conversations which everyone in the office can hear. Well supported throughout by musical director Christopher Denny and directed by Barry Kleinbort, his comic timing and facial expressions were nothing short of entertaining.

Other highlights included the comical “Nina,” the sincere and tender pairing of “Something Very Strange” and “If Love Were All,” the hilarious “Why do the Wrong People Travel?” and his heartfelt telling of what it was like to return to New Zealand at the start of the pandemic, wandering if he’d ever get to return to this great city to continue his acting studies at the famed Neighborhood Playhouse. His nuanced take on “I Like America” that followed was utterly splendid!

Thankfully, he did eventually return to complete his studies and has spent the past year carving out a fantastic portfolio of performances, including eight (8) of this show at Don’t Tell Mama, and an additional one last week at the curated Long Beach Cabaret Festival. One hopes that Henderson continues his work in the USA. He belongs on NYC’s cabaret stages!

Learn more about Jason Henderson on his website.

For more upcoming shows at Don't Tell Mama, visit them online.