Review: MAKE THEM HEAR YOU Makes A Welcome Return To 54 Below

Producer Pier Lamia Porter is at it again and, as usual, her efforts behind the group show format in cabaret and concert have been wonderfully successful. The woman who created MAKE THEM HEAR YOU: AN ODE TO BLACK MUSICALS brought the series back for a third time on February 19th in honor of Black History Month. The show last played 54 Below in July of 2022 (read the Broadway World review HERE) and Porter brought this new iteration to light mere weeks before her March 6th Tina Turner tribute featuring some of the most gifted women in the industry, and (to be specific) some of the most gifted women of color in the industry. Pier Lamia Porter's work as a producer of group shows would stand alone simply on the quality of entertainment, the curation of talent, the selection of music, and the expedient way that she manages to squeeze a great deal of content into an allotment of time that won't leave people sitting at their tables wondering when the show will end so they can get home to pay the babysitter - she is that good a producer. However, the importance of her work as a producer is compounded by the fact that she maintains a focus on placing in the spotlight the artists (emerging or otherwise) of color in the industry. It's no secret that the balance of casting in group shows is off, and it's no secret that there are artists of color who want to work. Rather than wait for the change to come (even as it is already miles late), Pier Lamia Porter is taking into her more than capable hands the task of supporting her community and black history through her work as a producer.

Note Pier's former productions at 54 Below: two iterations of Make Them Hear You, a program showcasing black talent and highlighting black musicals, Love In Springtime, an evening introducing rising black opera stars of Manhattan, and a Black Writer's Showcase that married black performers to black songwriting talents. Now observe Porter's upcoming projects: A Tribute To Tina Turner and The Women She Inspired (March 6th, Info HERE) and Black Writer's Showcase Vol. 2 (May 14th, Info HERE). Inasmuch as there are women creating group shows for women, Asians spotlighting their community, LGBT producers employing queer talents, and members of the MENASA, Jewish, and Latin communities of New York creating a stage and prosperity for their artistic families, Pier Lamia Porter is one of the many black artists unwilling to stand idly by while their community, history, and artists wilt in the shadows, unseen, under-nourished, and uninvited.

All of these communities are welcome at the Broadway World Cabaret table, one that has been created with their participation in mind, and, so, our hat is off to Pier Lamia Porter... for her work in general, and for her work on MAKE THEM HEAR YOU: AN ODE TO BLACK MUSICALS - VOLUME 3.

It isn't the style of this writer to go step by step and blow by blow, mapping out the entire rundown of a show, and that won't be changing today. Suffice it to say that Porter invited twelve singers and three musicians to the stage of 54 Below for this latest loving look at the black musicals that have made rich the history of Broadway. In a refreshing twist, Pier (herself a fine vocalist with an ability to go full opera on a composition) did not step into the spotlight. Porter's only appearance on the stage was in the role of host, and the rest of the program was left in the hands of an extremely capable cast of proficients, each one supremely gifted in their own, individual, way, and everybody beautiful and worthy of both praise and attention. And by providing each artist with the clear direction of getting on the stage, singing their song, and getting off the stage (extremely welcome in an industry where people seem intent on talking for spaces of time longer than the actual song being sung), Porter was able to keep the pace moving at a clip, allowing the cast to present incredible performances of twenty songs in seventy-five minutes, which is, frankly, unheard of. There was no tendency to talk trivia, since audiences can go home and google the names of the shows (all displayed on two monitors in real-time)... or not. If an individual preferred to simply sit back and enjoy these performances from The Wiz, Sophisticated Ladies, 5 Guys Named Moe, and Purlie, they could. Most people who love Broadway already know the shows, the stories, and the scores. Most black citizens already know the shows, the stories, and the scores... that is, if they like musical theater, because representation matters, and if there is even the most remote interest in musical theater (not even ardent, but only remote), chances are a black human being is going to have taken an interest in that which represents their life, their people, and their history. That being said, Porter and co. took the time and effort to showcase shows that might not be as well-known as, say, Cabin in the Sky - shows like Polka Dots: The Cool Kids Musical and Bandana Land, the oldest musical represented in the evening. There was also a much-welcome interest in casting a little light on some new musical works like J. Quinton Johnsons' ALICE'S WONDERLAND and evening highlight "Can I Come Home?" performed by authors Alexander Browne and Patrick Phillips. It is always part of the 54 Below brand to give new artists a leg up, so it should surprise nobody that this program would feature the black musicals from one hundred years ago, and black musicals for today. It's a major boon to this ongoing series.

Musically speaking, the evening was solid, enjoyable, entertaining. Musical director Gary Mitchell Jr. created arrangements for the actors that ranged from straightforward (a stunning "I'm Here" that allowed Autumn Key to focus on interpreting the story) to inventive (Briana Brooks' "I'm Just Wild About Harry" that broke free of the treatments of the past that helped this oft-sung composition to become so popular) to dedicated, like when Mitchell left intact the legendary arrangement of "Mean To Me" so that J'Quay Lamonte Gibbs could simply step into a space once inhabited by one of the all-time greats, Miss Nell Carter. The entire Make Them Hear You team stepped up to the plate, swung, and hit home run after home run, with the crowd pleasers of the the night being Keitra Bri Wilsons' "Miss Celie's Pants" and "Beautiful," during which adorable Isaiah Reynolds called out to Mitchell that they should start over, since the lyrics got control of the song. The crowd roared with laughter, cheered, applauded, and gave Reynolds everything a performer wishes from an audience - a perfect example of why it is better see a storyteller forget their words and deal with it in the moment, rather than read the lyrics off of a cheat sheet, music stand, or device: it is of the moment, it is honest, and it is exciting for the people in the seats out front. Fortunately, Pier Lamia Porter must have a house rule that artists arrive ready to work because not one soul on the stage during this production required a lyric page. Everyone showed up and delivered the kind of musical storytelling to which every cabaret artist should aspire. They brought their A Game, and it made all the difference. It is this kind of detailed dedication that has gotten this series rave reviews with each outing. And it is why Broadway World Cabaret will attend Vol. 4 when it happens.

Pier Lamia Porter and her cast of characters are welcome on any stage at any time, and, audience members of every demographic should be encouraged to chek out these productions. That is because Porter and co. are making art, they are making memories, and they are making opportunities for the fantastic and fabulous black artists of cabaret and concert - and all of that makes what they are doing important. It just, also, happens to be excellent entertainment to be enjoyed without over thinking... or with overthinking. It just depends on how a person takes their artistry, activism, or combination of both.

The cast of MAKE THEM HEAR YOU: AN ODE TO BLACK MUSICALS - VOLUME 3 was

Devin Bowles, Brianna Brooks, Alexander Browne, J'Quay Lamonte Gibbs, Arnold Harper II, Alia Hodge, Autumn Key, Brianna Justine, Isaiah Reynolds, Daniel Sampson, Kiara Wade, Denise Ward, Keitra Bri Wilson

The band of MAKE THEM HEAR YOU: AN ODE TO BLACK MUSICALS - VOLUME 3 was

MD/Piano: Gary Mitchell Jr., Bass: Aamir Juman, Drums: Brandon Jackson

Find great shows to see on the 54 Below website HERE.

Follow Pier Lamia Porter on IG HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher; Visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.

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